Words by Bike2TravelTired of having a plastic waterproof jacket and trousers stored in the helmet compartment of my scooter and having to stop to put them on at every sight of rain, I decided to buy a two peace waterproof outfit.
It was 18 month ago; I went into the Hein Gericke store at Clapham. The boys at the shop already know me as it’s on my way to work and I can’t avoid stopping there to see what news they have, as I have thought about buying a textile suit myself.
As the HG staff are very polite and friendly at this particular shop, I started to try on everything I could see, and afford. When I say afford, I have to explain how I have decided on my budget; in my view it’s quite simple actually! I would rather go for either the most expensive or for the most cost effective one. In order to make that decision I had a few things to consider, i.e. after looking around and speaking to a few friends I learned that; expensive gear does last longer, expensive gear generally looks better, but! They get just as dirty and smelly as the cheaper items. That’s a fact!
Then I thought, hmm. If an expensive suit costs me £450 and will last four years, but get there smelly and looking tatty and a cheaper set will cost £250, last two years. I will go for the cheaper one, so I can change it without hard feelings when it gets too dirty to clean. All that I have to find out is if it will offer the necessary protection and waterproof.
As a Brazilian, I do suffer with the British winter from October onwards. I needed something that was waterproof, windproof, warm and safe! The sales guy told me that I could get a size bigger than the one that fits me, this way I could wear it over my jeans and even over my sweater. I loved the idea as this way it would avoid me going to the men’s toilet at work to change back to my ‘working’ clothes. I tried it and ‘bingo’, it fitted like a glove (ed, or jacket, hmm?).
I decided to go for the Hein Gericke All Season’s Jacket and Trousers. Part of my decision was because it cost £140 for the jacket and £90 for the pants. As the model I bought is now out of production and the new one is even cheaper for 2006, I have just gone to the Hein Gericke site and got this picture below for you. There you can see the set well described. Safety wise Hein Gericke crash protectors will do the job but I recommend only for the city use in this models case.
Now, let me tell you about my experience wearing these for 18 months, in all weather. I commute everyday on my scooter, an Aprilia Sportcity, or on my Honda CD200, both as you know provide a very up-right riding position. First the trousers, after I fit them over my jeans it does restrict a bit my movements, though nothing to worry about too much. I can still walk well, but not for very long though. The inner lining is very easy to remove and makes the trousers very quite cool to use in the summer, if you want. The trouser zipper is very good and never gave me any troubles. I fit them over my boots with ease as it has a long zipper for each bottom of the legs. It’s warm enough even in the coldest conditions I have been through last year. The pockets I found to be a bit shallow and unsafe to keep anything that you don’t want to drop, but the jacket will compensate for this through use of its own pockets. The other very nice feature is the anti-slip material in the seat of the trousers, it really does the job.
The jacket is also very warm, sometimes too warm. Again you can remove the inner-lining if you want. The two front pockets are really useful, I have been through torrential rain and it kept things waterproof and safe in them, they’re closed by strong Velcro. Besides these pockets, there are two others, though not waterproof but are secure with zips. There are two zips on the chest that when open, let the wind go through. It’s the only time you will feel the wind on your chest, trust me on that. The side stripes are quite good at keeping the tight feeling of your jacket, but often get a bit loose, the good point is that you don’t need to change it every time you open it.
The crotch strap is very useful and does the job well, provided that you are not riding a Sports bike, I will get into that a bit later on. The main zip is of a very good quality and very easy to close, even when you are very cold and your hands don’t do what you want them to do properly, lol. There’s a very convenient inner pocket between the zip and the pop-in buttons that closes the front of the jacket, meaning that you can access it without the need to open and expose your chest to the elements, it’s big enough for your mobile phone and a small wallet, nicely waterproof as well. You can machine wash either the trousers or the jacket, I have done it now a couple of times and it still as nice as before.
Are there any bad points? Yes, it has one, first let me tell you about my experience on commuting with it. The collar around your neck could do better if it was a bit longer but that is not the main issue, the biggest and most annoying problem is when you want to fit in a thick neck-warmer, it will fit there but the collar won’t close all the way down. The zip will, but not the bit on the end of the neck where Hein Gericke put a little piece of Velcro, it’s not strong enough and keeps opening. It’s really warm and if the weather is not cold enough you will find yourself praying for a cold wind or will end up carry the inner-lining in your rucksack. I actually solved it by buying a summer suit from Hein Gericke, but this is for another story. There’s nothing to complain about with the trousers.
Recently I went to Brussels for the Fight the Law protest and decided to go wearing this two piece set. What a huge mistake! Really big mistake! Again the trousers are fine but the jacket let me down big-time. It’s all down to the riding position. On the Scooter or on my CD200, I have never had any major problems; apart from the neck thing that doesn’t close properly, but on the motorway? It has multiplied in an exponential way. First the Crotch strap couldn’t cope with the ZX6R riding position and kept putting pressure on my ‘leisure area’, up to the point it would set itself loose and let the jacket slide up, exposing my lower back. In a rain scenario it would mean you get wet for sure! It was annoying to the point I had to stop many times to pull it down. Due to the wind after 100mph, the neck bit would never be closed and the wind would inflate the jacket making me almost flap with it. It was really horrible (ed, good job you’re not meant to be riding at 100mph then).
Conclusion! If you want something to ride in the city, commute all year round? I will definitely recommend this kit to you. At £210, you can’t go wrong. It’s warm, safe and will last well, as mine is 18 months old and is still looking as new, buy it.
If you ride a sports bike and want it do travelling as well? I definitely don’t recommend it to you! Don’t buy it! Now, I wouldn’t buy anything other than leather to travel or be fast on a sports bike anyway, but it’s a personal and all I can do here is to tell you how I feel about what I got. I Hope it helps you in some way.
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