New Multistrada gear by Rev`it!

I've been wearing a Rev'It CR leather jacket and Rev'It Voyager (I think) leather trousers this summer, must have put a fair few thousand on them. Light, supple, comfortable - although the bottoms have relaxed a bit much at the waist and I'll have to get them taken in. A small excursion into the gravel trap at Brands left them unmarked and me unhurt. I'd happily purchase Rev'It textiles next time I'm shopping for gear - their kit isn't cheap but I think it's well made. Once you add Ducati tax on top of what already isn't cheap kit, it's another compelling reason not to wear manufacturer branded gear on your bike...

 

I got the jacket ex-display on ebay for £140, think they're over £300 new, leathers were down to £130 at a bike show from £270. I'll still get them taken in, I've started playing football again!

 

I purchased a Rev’it Defender GTX jacket and the matching trousers about 5 months ago. So far they have been very good although I've not done a really wet ride, and nothing too cold as yet.

I went for the red/silver jacket and silver trousers. My previous textile suit, Alpinestars Jet Road Gore-Tex, was black. I was looking for something other than black / dark grey; firstly so I didn't cook in direct sunlight and secondly to be a more conspicuous without going “hi-vis”. It also helped that I have a red Multistrada The only downside with the lighter colour is that that it shows the grime more. After nearly 5,000 miles it could do with a wash.

I also wanted removable Gore-Tex liners to get better good air flow through the ventilation panels. The Jet Road has very large ventilation panels on the chest and back, as well as slits on the upper arms and legs, however these opened on the fixed Gore-Tex membrane – so didn’t flow any air. Without the liners, the ventilation on the Defender GTX is excellent. Even with the Gore-Tex liner fitted, there is a cooling effect, just no air flow. The only downside is that you have to decide before you set off if the liners are in or out, and then take the jacket and trousers off to fit/remove the liners when needed.

I upgraded to the Sas-Tech back and hip protectors – to match the standard shoulder, elbow and knee protectors. With all the armour in place and the liners out, the jacket is reasonably lightweight. I purchased the Defender GTX suit a bit smaller than the Jet Road suit, as I got a bit of “flapping” at speed. The fit and adjust-ability of the Defender GTX is good, no flapping with all the liners out. I've yet to find out how effective the thermal liners are. The details are very good, especially the zip pulls, and the hook for fastening back the collar when you leave it open. There is a really good reviews of the Defender GTX suit on www.revzilla.com and www.webbikeworld.com.

I purchased the Rev’it Defender GTX jacket and trousers from Harpers (Leigh On Sea, near Southend) trading on the Internet as www.rev-it.co.uk. I also purchased a Rev-it Ventura ladies jacket (silver/black) and trousers (silver) for my other half, along with a couple of pairs of the Rev’it Airvolution summer gloves. We popped in to the shop on our way down to the south coast and placed our order based the sizes of the other Rev’it kit they had in stock. We popped back four days later once our kit was in to check the fit. I got about 15% discount.

In summary, I’m very happy with the Defender GTX suit. I don’t think I’d buy the Ducati badged version, unless it comes in something other than black. I don’t mind paying the “Ducati Tax” for something a bit special, I did buy an 80s leather jacket, I couldn't resist but the white leather sleeves are pain to keep clean :-(