Because of their one-piece format, it is easy to think that the two serve the same purpose but the two suits are very different. The design philosophy behind the two products is totally opposite.

The Roadcrafter design makes waterproofing its top priority and as a result Gore-Tex is fused with the Cordura shell. Though its decently waterproof – it is definitely not 100% waterproof (even with the new zippers!) as per hundreds of customer reviews that you can easily Google at your convenience. So the main feature of the suit can actually fail and many users carry a rain suit as back up

With the Power Shell we have thrown waterproofing out of the drawing board. We recommend that you use a rain suit on top of the riding gear and have provided details about the advantages of this method in the article linked below.

http://www.teizms.com/blog/2011/09/19/waterproof-jackets-and-liners/

In summary, when the waterproof layer is not permanently attached, you have a lot more versatility. So when we stop stressing over 100% waterproofness, we find a lot of comfort features at our disposal.

The biggest advantage is that the suit suddenly becomes useful in so many more weather conditions. Now you don’t have to bake in hot weather – thanks to our extensive ventilation system. Vents are possible weak points for waterproof suits – so are generally avoided by gear that focuses on waterproofing. The PS features vents on the chest, arms, pits, back and knees. The front main zipper can also function as a vent.

So when the conditions warm up, zip open the vents for highly effective (and cooling) airflow. Want to block out the air – close the vents and flaps.  Since we are not concerned with waterproofing, we can ditch the waterproof zippers that are never as smooth or long lasting as regular zippers. *

Next – safety is always the top priority.  A CE Level 2 back protector from Sas-Tec is standard on the PS. So are the Sas-Tec hip protectors.  We think its contradictory to charge our customers for “protectors” on a protective suit.  The Power Shell also features SuperFabric that takes the PS several levels ahead of other products in terms of abrasion resistance. Cordura layered with SuperFabric is far more effective than the multiple layers Cordura found on the RC.  So with Cordura, Sas-Tec and SuperFabric working together, the PS is the ultimate protection for your adventure.

Finally, the PS is unmatched in comfort. Stretch panels throughout the suit are a standard feature – not a paid alteration. Multiple adjustment straps and snaps help achieve a tailored fit. Check the forums and discussion for folks who have tried both suits and there is unanimous agreement that the PS is far more comfortable than the RC.

“Ghazi’s suit [Power Shell] does blow the stich out of the water when it comes to comfort” – Post on ADVRider

Other features include:

• The collar can be snapped on the side – so it doesn’t bother you when open during warm weather riding
• A dedicated cable pass-through port so you can easily access your heated gear wires
• A grippy seat so that you are not constantly sliding into the tank
• An integrated kidney belt that works amazingly well to provide back support and decrease fatigue during longer riders and off-roading (this features has been added to all Power Shell starting Dec 2012).

The approach to custom sizes is also very different. We don’t do alterations to existing sizes- but rather create new patterns for the customer specifically. This ensures that the whole suit is adjusted accordingly. For example, simply increasing the amount of fabric in the inseam for a 6’11 customer is not the right solution – we have to totally redesign the legs, adjust the armor position etc.  So there is a flat customization fee instead of having to pay for each individual change.

Adding to the already superb value offered by the Power Shell – Teiz Motorsports also offers a FREE LIFETIME REPLACEMENT of the suit in case of a crash – all you need to do is follow instructions on our website:

http://store.teizms.com/crash

I am probably forgetting some points –but this should serve well as a starting point for your comparison of the two very different products.

I previously listed the specs of both suits side by side in the post below:

http://www.teizms.com/blog/2011/09/27/powershell-vs-roadcrafter/

• We do use waterproof zippers for certain pockets to keep your valuables safe from unexpected downpours/splashes

The Navigator jacket is our top-of-the-line textile jacket. Every single material used has been carefully selected after years of research and testing.  The Cordura used ensures the suit will last a lifetime while providing incomparable comfort. The SuperFabric layers guarantee that they will always be there between you and the asphalt. The Sas-Tec protectors promise not to make their presence felt, till of course you need them (almost sounds like Batman).

These jackets originally retailed for $449. However, we are moving our warehouse and it’s a significant expense to ship them to our new location.  We would rather see the money go towards savings for you folks! Hence we are discounting them significantly. For just $249 you also get the super-technical Exkin Air insulating liner that is half the weight and thickness of traditional liners yet keeps you four times as warm (the liner will be an optional extra after this sale is over).

So when you have all these material, what is the sum of them capable of doing? For one, it can take you around the world in ease. It’s a jacket you can live in – day after day – month after month – year after year!

So it’s an investment – something that will last. Like old vintage jackets that used to get passed generation to generation. These jacket don’t mind getting dirty – and then don’t mind getting washed. They can handle the road – or the lack of it.

So welcome to your garage your new best friend. However, less than 10 of these beauties are left so act fast before you end up spending twice as much to get the same thing.

As always, questions are welcome J

]]> http://www.teizms.com/blog/2012/09/19/a-rare-deal-that-should-not-be-missed/feed/ 0 http://www.teizms.com/blog/2012/08/28/motorcycle-shipping-tips/ http://www.teizms.com/blog/2012/08/28/motorcycle-shipping-tips/#comments Tue, 28 Aug 2012 12:34:19 +0000 ghazuki http://www.teizms.com/blog/?p=152 Well there are probably numerous tips, suggestions and pointers folks can contribute to this but here are basics for those considering shipping bikes but are a little worried about the process

Firstly – stop worrying.  Hundreds (thousands??) of people regularly ship their motorcycles to destinations around the world.  In some places it can be confusing and having someone local to help you deal with stuff helps immensely. Often you think that you can save money by doing it all yourself but the headache is sometimes not worth it.  So considering going through an agent.

Next – ship the bike ready to ride. Don’t plan on buying and installing major farkles once you reach the destination, especially if you are limited on time.

Finally – don’t let your wife force you into leaving behind some important tools just so she can carry more shoes

Ok so now the bike prep

The first thing you need to do is disconnect the battery. I also recommend taping the ends of the cables. Also the tape the nuts that hold onto the screws  so they do not fall off. From departure to destination, there is going to be a ton of vibrations and the nut can wiggle out.

Example:

When we got off the ferry in Dover, a few miles down the road we were notified by a fellow rider that our sleeping bags had flown off.  The vibrations during the ferry ride had loosened some of the straps and we made the rookie mistake of not checking. Furthermore, probably due to some earlier carelessness, even the battery terminals had come loose and the gave us a heart attack when the bike would not start after recovery of the sleeping bags.

Don’t fill-er-up a day or two before shipping, as the gas tank needs to be on reserve at drop-off. Some companies will require it be lower than quarter tank.

The side mirrors and windshield will need to be removed. Bubble wrap them and stick the screws onto them – otherwise you are probably going to loose the screws. Make sure to pack the tools required to put everything back on.  It would not hurt to practice putting all the stuff back on so you are not confused at the pickup terminal.

That is pretty much it. I would recommend sending all the heavy stuff along with the bike and stuffing the panniers to the max.

More help here:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/get-ready/shipping-the-bike

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=19114392

Bike Shipping:
Handled by Knopf. Can’t stress how crucial Knopf was to our tour. From ensuring that the bike shipping was a seamless process, to arranging paperwork and also providing a solid base-camp. Due to some problems that we faced early in the trip, i can easily say that tour would have stopped abruptly right at the beginning if we had done the whole process via someone else. if you are planing to ship your bike EU – use Knopf – don’t even think about any other method.
For reference, we had the bike delivered in FL around the first week of March. We got notices in the middle of April that the bikes were ready for pickup. We arrived mid-May to pick up the bike. Stayed at Knopf for 2 nights (they have rooms and also the option to camp) before departing.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=18997260&postcount=154

• The time taken to reach peak force should be delayed as much as possible so the body has time to accommodate
• The force should be dissipated in a linear manner – not too fast
• The maximum residual force should be as low as possible

Let’s start by taking a look at hard shell protectors:

Hard Shell Protectors

The force gradient of this hard shell protector (in this case from a major Italian brand) shows clearly the flat rising at the beginning. The reason is the comfort liner under the hard shell. At 4.0 milliseconds (ms) the soft foam is completely compressed without any noteworthy energy-reduction effect. At 4.0 ms the hard shell starts with damping – the effect is a buckle in the force gradient. In practice this effect will lead to broken bones. The maximum residual force of 34 kN in fact stays under the standard (EN 1621-1) limit of 35 kN, but in reality is way too high. Another unfavorable aspect of the force gradient is the extreme steep gradient of the curve. The occurred energy will be reduced within a very short time –bad for the human body! A leading criterion is the gradient of the curve in kN per millisecond. In this case the gradient in the important area (between 4.0 and 4.5 ms on the timeline) lies at about 50 kN/ms.

Lets also take a look at rubber-based protectors:

Rubber Protectors

This force gradient is similar to the one of the hard shell model. In addition the protector of rubber material (from an established Scandinavian brand) with kind of lattice structure possesses a very high residual force – and reduces the energy in a too short time for the human body. The gradient between 3.5 and 4.3 ms represents over 30 kN/ms! The distinctive buckle is not as extreme as the one of the hard shell but however is still not optimal– and in practice the bones under this protector will concede as well.

Now lets take a look at Sas-Tec:

The protector from SAS-TEC shows an ideal force gradient. The residual force of only 11.7 kN is very low and the gradient is excellent as well. From the beginning at 2.0 ms up to the force maximum at 5.18 ms the curve shows an almost linear gradient with only 3.7 kN/ms! This is how you prevent the body from damage by perfect damping.

What’s the difference?

Sas-Tec vs hard shell protector

The comparison between a hard shell protector and the SAS-TEC protector allows a clear explanation of the other differences between these types. It’s not only the difference in maximum force reduction and gradients of the curves. The third aspect that plays an important role is the time that passes until the peak of the force. The longer this time – the better for the body. If the energy is reduced in a very short time (as with a hard shell protector) the exposure for the body is very high. But if the energy is reduced over a long span of time (as with the SAS-TEC model) then this exposure is significantly reduced.

What about the Sas-Tec Back Protectors:

Sas-Tec Back Protector used by Teiz Motorsports

According to the standard 1621-2 the peak of the residual forces of back-protectors may be 18 kN (level 1) respectively 9 kN (level 2). The SAS-TEC back-protector SC-1/12 (used in Teiz products) passes the higher Level 2 without any problems. With the maximum residual force of 7.1 kN (shown in the chart) the SC-1/12 remains clearly under the limit of level 2. More positive aspects besides the low residual forces are the almost linear force gradient with sensationally 1.85 kN/ms and the very long span of time until the force peak. From the first contact until the highest value the body has 3.84 seconds to accommodate.

Other opinions?

One of the most comprehensive tests is the comparison done by Motorrad magazine. In the test, Sas-Tec based products ranked 2nd and 3rd. The APS (Deflexion) based Rukka armor ranked 6th where as d3o ranked 10th (one up from last). According to the article d30 armor actually exceeded the 35 kN limits during their testing.

The whole article is available online but is German. A scanned page (with the best bits) is provided below. The article was published in 6/11 so is fairly recent.

Link to article

Armor Comparison

Some other advantages of the Power Shell (that are lacking on the Roadcrafter series):

• High quality soft mesh lining to prevent chaffing
• Adjustment straps on the legs to tighten the pants section against the boot.
• Separate pass through slot for heated gear wiring
• Grippy seat
• Huge backpack style pocket on the back
• Adjustment snaps on the arms

For the most part, there are three common implementations of waterproofing:

• A removable waterproof liner that zips inside the jacket
• A built-in non removable liner (usually sandwiched between the outer shell and inner mesh lining)
• A waterproof membrane fused to the protective shell fabric

All three implementations are inherently flawed.

A suit with a removable liner means that you have to take off your suit on the roadside, spend a few minutes inserting the liner and then put the suit on again. Hopefully you were wearing something presentable inside.

Then when it stops raining take off the suit again, unzip and unbutton the liner and put the suit on again. In most cases this is going to be a much harder process as all the fabrics are now wet and sticky.

After a few iterations of this, you will consider leaving the liner either permanently on or off.

Keeping the liner permanently zipped in means cutting off all airflow. This is essentially what it means to have a built in non-removable waterproofing layer. Just cut off all airflow. So those vents are just for show, making this sort of gear worthless for even moderately warm temperatures.

Additionally, in all these implementations, the outer shell will undoubtedly get wet and absorb water – even if it has some sort of DWR treatment. Though you may be dry inside, the outer layer of your gear will not be which means it will get heavier, sloshy, drippy and even stinky! So even though the storm may be over, your suit will still be wet and you need to dry it, a process that may take hours. Wet gear will eventually lead to a colder climate inside the suit!  Regular generous use of water repellent can help alleviate this issue to some extent – but only to some extent.

For gear with fused fabrics, venting is always going to be a major issue. Any vent is a step towards compromising the waterproofing of the suit – hence most examples have extremely limited venting again making them very uncomfortable in even moderately warm temperatures. Again, the outermost fabric will still absorb water and become wet and heavy.

Drying all this gear is not very easy either. In a hotel room you definitely have to turn the heater on at  high temperatures – not a very comfortable sleeping environment in most cases.  A simply hang dry (without turning on the heat) would leave the stuff soggy by next morning – leading to an unpleasant smell.

When I travel, I like to be comfortable and find it convenient to simply slide on/off the rain suit in a few seconds and be on my way. This way I don’t mind adapting to changing weather instead or being uncomfortable the remainder of the day. I don’t have to take off my suit and spend the time inserting a liner. I don’t have to deal with wet gear when I reach my destination.  I have airflow when I am warm. I can seal out the wind/water when required.

I apologize for this but I simply had to “bold” the entire paragraph above to stress on comfort. I ride to enjoy – not to suffer.

Times have changed

Gone are the days when a getting a cheap rain suit meant a piece of vinyl/plastics. Now you can get a good quality breathable rain suit at your local outdoor/camping store for less than $40.

The breathability myth:

One point where a lot of people get thrown off is “breathability”. Do not be fooled by the way manufacturers market breathability. Breathability means that water vapor may escape from the micro pores  (does not mean that you get incoming airflow – these membranes are windproof).

Even though your very expensive liner may claim to be breathable, the implementation is greatly hampered in most cases. Many of these breathable fabrics (such as most Gore-Tex products) have a PU coating to avoid contamination.  This coating has a pretty big adverse effect on the breathability performance of the membrane.

Two articles explaining this in detail can be found here:

http://www.facewest.co.uk/Gore-Tex-eVent.html?template=1274172004

http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/rainwear+how+it+works.html

Breathability is important  – most definitely. But you don’t want to overpay for a liner that is first of all not very convenient and secondly not even as breathable as promised.

Be true to yourself

In a previous post, I wrote:

“Be honest with yourself and determine what percentage of your riding is done in the rain. 10%? 20%? Even if is more than 50% percent, would you rather not be a little more comfortable for the rest of the time you are on your motorcycle. Compare the inconvenience of slipping on a rain suit to the inconvenience of not having any airflow!………….While it is tempting to grab a jacket that has a built-in waterproof membrane, there are severe trade-offs that you should consider seriously and do an honest evaluation of the how, where and when you intend to ride.”

You know your needs better than anyone else. Remember that you also need that new aftermarket seat, a better set of auxiliary lights, and some new tires, decent riding socks etc. – all the stuff that you can buy with the money saved.

So what am I trying to say here

In my personal opinion, the best way to deal with wet conditions is to wear an external rain suit. It requires the least effort to put on and off. It is extremely waterproof. It keeps your inner jacket/pants dry so its easy to deal with them at the end of the day. It’s easily replaceable and quite affordable. You don’t end up overpaying for a fancy liner that is far less convenient or effective. You get the best of every riding condition. Dry when it rains. Warms n snug when its cold. Your vents work when its hot.

Reach the same conclusion

This is not just our opinion.  A quick search in the forums will give you comments like these:

“Right now I have a jacket with a waterproof removable liner, because I am a sucker for deals. It works okay in shorter rains (30min-1hr), if I expect to be in the rain longer than that, I toss a rain suit over otherwise the shell will get heavy”

“People keep calling it a “stupid” idea(it is), but few really understand what the alternative in the price range tends to be – a Z-liner system(which is even stupider). This means you have a water resistant outer shell with a NON-REMOVABLE waterproof membrane behind that, and a mesh lining on the inside. This means in heavy rain, your outer gets soaked and heavy as hell, and in the heat, your vents don’t work very well because the membrane is in the way.”

“The only way to get venting through the membrane is if it is laminated to the outer shell, and that generally costs big bucks. …..  If you want a new, genuine Gore-tex laminate, it is going to run you $800+ for a jacket alone. “

“I started with waterproof liner. Dumbest idea I’ve ever seen. I tried it once, yes I was dry for the most part, but my pants and jacket were saturated with water, and heavy, when I got where I was going I hung them up and they dripped on the floor for about an hour. Also, the liners are not full coverage, the sleeves are shorter and the collar is lower, so I didn’t stay completely dry. Now its two piece **** rain gear. Lightweight, packs small, cheap, and works well. I stay dry, when I take it off my gear underneath is dry, I shake the water off the rain gear and its dry in ten minutes.”

“Rain gear over top of supposedly-waterproof gear. Seems everything leaks at least a little (and my *** stuff leaks a lot), doubling up works pretty well though.”

“ *** jacket and pants breath well and work OK for an occasional rain. For extended wet riding have to wear a rain suit, I have *** brand, it works OK. Inner liners make no sense to me. Do you really want to take off your pants on a side of a road in a rain and stand in your undies while stuffing the liner in the pants?”

These comments are a very small sample taken from only a few threads. As you research this deeper (or learn from your own travel experiences) – you will arrive at the same solution – a rain suit over the riding gear is the best option.

In all fairness:

Recently a few garments have popped with which feature a waterproof outer layer sourced directly from Gore-Tex. We have not included these in the discussion because the cheapest of suits of this type are at least DOUBLE the price of everything else with the most inexpensive example starting at $1548 for a set of jacket and pants. Additionally these suits are very new with not enough feedback available (apart from the media reviews) to make a conclusive statement. One of the aspects that definitely require you to wait-and-see are the new Gore Lock Out closures (zippers?) that have had negative reports from early adopters.

The solution

When you purchase a waterproof jacket which is similar in specifications (in terms of protection) to the Navigator or Power Shell,  you also end up  over-paying for a flawed waterproofing system. Many of them claim to be 100% waterproof but a quick google search will prove otherwise. I would rather have these manufacturers be a bit more honest and charge me less by leaving out the gimmicky waterproof liners.

This is what we have done at Teiz Motorsports. The Power Shell and Navigator don’t come with a liner. Instead, we have focused on protection  with the use of Cordura, Sas-Tec and SuperFabric.  The prices are far lower than any of these products with fancy branded liners. Yet, with a rain suit our suits are more protective, more waterproof, and more versatile!