Kit monster
Registered user
Over the years I've mostly had Hein Gericke textile jackets and they've always been very good but since they went down the pan I've been considering other options for a posh jacket, for not commuting. My existing top of the range HG Gore-tex jacket is getting a bit long in the tooth now and although it's still waterproof it can be a bit warm for warm weather riding.
As such I've had my eye on either a high end Rukka or Klim jacket. I know many riders who use both but IMO Klim has the edge for typical UK weather i.e. scorching temperatures one minute then pouring rain a few hundred miles later. As I'm not a rich person Rukka seemed a bit too pricey but then again so are Klim. I'd tried on the Klim Badlands jacket a couple of times and had my sights set on the black and yellow variant.
A month or so ago I went to my local stockist - The Adventure Bike shop in Suffolk. I quickly decided that although my heart said yes to the Badlands my head said it had a few features I didn't like. To me it felt very crunchy, the bicep arm vents seemed very fiddly to unclip and fasten in the open position, and lastly the tail end was extremely long and I knew I'd be constantly lifting it out of the way when I sat on the bike.
I then tried on the knew model - the Kodiak. It has virtually the same features as the Badlands but with the following subtle changes. They've replaced the ceramic beaded shoulders and elbows with a perforated leather which makes it less crunchy off the peg and a bit more supple. The arm vents now use an easily adjustable (while riding) system of adjustable webbing straps. These double as volume reducers in the arms and also hold the vents open when synched up. The other change is the tail end which is noticeably shorter than the Badlands (around the same as my HG jacket) and far more rider friendly. They've also altered the access to the two large lower pockets by putting the zips on the outer sides not the tops. This makes it easier to put things inside and also doubles up as comfy hand warmer pockets when walking around off the bike.
I took advantage of the 0% finance the shop now offers which is the only way I could have afforded it. They only do the jacket in all black or grey and black, with the grey version being a slightly darker shade than the Badlands grey version. This is the one I went for. I've only had the jacket for just under a month and although it was a bit stiff to start with it's now breaking in nicely. I like the slightly lower collar as this makes looking over your shoulder and everywhere else snag free. I've yet to have any real downpours so can't comment on the waterproofness yet but as everything on the jacket has a 10 year guarantee my fingers will be crossed.
Today was around 20 degrees so I took it out for a 30 minute blast with all 10 vents open to see what it felt like. Although I was expecting it to feel like a proper mesh jacket it was actually nice and cooling. Apart from the two large side rear exhaust vents I'd be able to open and close all the other zipped vents while riding.
It's getting a good test over the last weekend this month when I take part in the UK's toughest motorcycle rally and will more than likely be riding well over 1000 miles over the two days around many parts of the UK. So more than likely I'll be treated to all weathers too.
As such I've had my eye on either a high end Rukka or Klim jacket. I know many riders who use both but IMO Klim has the edge for typical UK weather i.e. scorching temperatures one minute then pouring rain a few hundred miles later. As I'm not a rich person Rukka seemed a bit too pricey but then again so are Klim. I'd tried on the Klim Badlands jacket a couple of times and had my sights set on the black and yellow variant.
A month or so ago I went to my local stockist - The Adventure Bike shop in Suffolk. I quickly decided that although my heart said yes to the Badlands my head said it had a few features I didn't like. To me it felt very crunchy, the bicep arm vents seemed very fiddly to unclip and fasten in the open position, and lastly the tail end was extremely long and I knew I'd be constantly lifting it out of the way when I sat on the bike.
I then tried on the knew model - the Kodiak. It has virtually the same features as the Badlands but with the following subtle changes. They've replaced the ceramic beaded shoulders and elbows with a perforated leather which makes it less crunchy off the peg and a bit more supple. The arm vents now use an easily adjustable (while riding) system of adjustable webbing straps. These double as volume reducers in the arms and also hold the vents open when synched up. The other change is the tail end which is noticeably shorter than the Badlands (around the same as my HG jacket) and far more rider friendly. They've also altered the access to the two large lower pockets by putting the zips on the outer sides not the tops. This makes it easier to put things inside and also doubles up as comfy hand warmer pockets when walking around off the bike.
I took advantage of the 0% finance the shop now offers which is the only way I could have afforded it. They only do the jacket in all black or grey and black, with the grey version being a slightly darker shade than the Badlands grey version. This is the one I went for. I've only had the jacket for just under a month and although it was a bit stiff to start with it's now breaking in nicely. I like the slightly lower collar as this makes looking over your shoulder and everywhere else snag free. I've yet to have any real downpours so can't comment on the waterproofness yet but as everything on the jacket has a 10 year guarantee my fingers will be crossed.
Today was around 20 degrees so I took it out for a 30 minute blast with all 10 vents open to see what it felt like. Although I was expecting it to feel like a proper mesh jacket it was actually nice and cooling. Apart from the two large side rear exhaust vents I'd be able to open and close all the other zipped vents while riding.
It's getting a good test over the last weekend this month when I take part in the UK's toughest motorcycle rally and will more than likely be riding well over 1000 miles over the two days around many parts of the UK. So more than likely I'll be treated to all weathers too.
