Is Klim gear worth the price? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Is Klim gear worth the price?

J

jc100

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Seen on ADV rider a vendor is selling some 2014 jackets and pants for a discount. However the discount still means either $700ish US for Latitude jacket and pants or around $1000 US for Badlands jacket and pants. These are Goretex shells and as far as I can see don't come with any fancy thermal liners or anything but they seem to be rated highly everywhere on site reviews.

That's a lot of cash. Anyone got these and are they worth it?

Reason I'm looking is I need new pants...kind of worn out my old ones and I might as well get a matching jacket. I don't like the idea of fiddling about with waterproof liners so I want the most ventilated waterproof outer layer jacket and pants I can find. I have a rainsuit but there are times I want to just keep on riding and don't want to stop...find the rainsuit...and do the get the bastard on dance at the side of the road. I want something that will cope with most any weather conditions.

Any good alternatives to the Klim stuff at a cheaper price? See Revit and Spidi make some jackets and motostorm.it has a few.

Cheers
 
I wear a Klim badlands pro jacket and I love it. They are larger as they are made for layering yourself. They are gore-tex so they are waterproof and I can attest to that. Rode out to Nova Scotia 2 summers ago and have nothing but rain for 2 weeks, it never let me down and still has not. Great vents, when you are moving the air rushes right through. I have never had a waterproof jacket that vented well and would breath, thanks to gore-tex they are able to do this. This is my 3rd year with the jacket and it is holding up incredibly well. I would buy another Klim jacket in a heart beat, I really like it.
 
wonderings said:
I wear a Klim badlands pro jacket and I love it. They are larger as they are made for layering yourself. They are gore-tex so they are waterproof and I can attest to that. Rode out to Nova Scotia 2 summers ago and have nothing but rain for 2 weeks, it never let me down and still has not. Great vents, when you are moving the air rushes right through. I have never had a waterproof jacket that vented well and would breath, thanks to gore-tex they are able to do this. This is my 3rd year with the jacket and it is holding up incredibly well. I would buy another Klim jacket in a heart beat, I really like it.
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I think the deal is for a plain Badlands, not Badlands pro...is there a big difference? I really wish I'd have got the 50% off deal those years ago when Crazy Al's had the insane sale. Where did you get yours from if you don't mind me asking?
 
Klim worth it. I've got only Badlands Pro jacket and feel comfortable for last two weeks ( +30C, rain and even todays morning +3C )
Only brands you can compare is Rukka with gortex in outer shell not like a separate liner and maybe BMW. But same price range.
And I like the idea of 3do protection ( dont know if it is really works :) )
 
xplorer said:
Klim worth it. I've got only Badlands Pro jacket and feel comfortable for last two weeks ( +30C, rain and even todays morning +3C )
Only brands you can compare is Rukka with gortex in outer shell not like a separate liner and maybe BMW. But same price range.
And I like the idea of 3do protection ( dont know if it is really works :) )
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I have a Rallye 3 jacket. Amazing jacket, much more fitted then the Klim and not waterproof, you have to wear the liner. Great jacket though, my #2.

I bought my Klim jacket at Dual Sport Plus before they were bought by someone else. Dual Sport Plus no longer carriers Klim. Avisciouscycle does carry Klim, they are in New Dundee, just outside of Kitchener. I do not think there is a Badlands jacket, only the Badlands Pro.
 
My Klim experience is pants x 2 from DSP 4(?) yrs. ago, couldn't get them to stay up using just the velcro side adjustments. Leather belt loops installed, did the trick. I've never heard of anybody else with this glitch ("I rode all over Africa no problem with those pants" WaterLilly) So, just saying.
 
inreb said:
My Klim experience is pants x 2 from DSP 4(?) yrs. ago, couldn't get them to stay up using just the velcro side adjustments. Leather belt loops installed, did the trick. I've never heard of anybody else with this glitch ("I rode all over Africa no problem with those pants" WaterLilly) So, just saying.
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Read a review that stated the problem you have is common as the pants are heavy! Do they make suspenders for these things?
 
At that price I'd just go with Dainese. The D-Explorer is really nice adventure suit, I'm kind of a Dainese whore, but its arguably the best...so why not??
 
xplorer said:
Because of removable goretex liner. Make a big difference.
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I'm trying to convince myself that a removable goretex liner is just as good, but I know that's just a recipe for getting soaked.
 
regder said:
I'm trying to convince myself that a removable goretex liner is just as good, but I know that's just a recipe for getting soaked.
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That's what I've found. First touring jacket was a Hein Gericke job from Germany. Great construction but it had a wettable outer layer and a waterproof liner. Made it a little clammy on the inside and when it rained the thing weighed a hundred pounds. Second is an Olympia jacket with waterproof outer construction...however...the vents and some zips aren't the best constructed and very heavy rains this thing leaks through them. Also no goretex and so can be a little clammy at times but it does do a pretty good job with the venting.

Unless I'm stopping for gas/food/photos/#1 or #2 I hate stopping the bike to change clothes. I hate having to wrestle with rainsuits to put it on, then to get the damn thing off as soon as the rain stops and the sun comes out and makes my riding gear into it's own little private sauna.

Hence....the search for the perfect jacket/pants combo. It seems that perfection is ****ing pricey though. If I get this jacket and pants it'll be the most expensive clothes I've ever bought...I'll probably be wearing them to bed.
 
I had a Rhyno jacket which was really good. Unfortunately it's not my size. I rode through torrential downpours at the East Coast & was dry. My Tourmaster is less water proof but lots of pockets
 
I have the Badlands Pro Jacket and pants. I'm happy with them, they do what I wanted. I was looking for gear that was waterproof without a liner, had good venting and good armour. I came across the Badlands stuff and decided it was way too much money, kept looking at other stuff for about a year before I finally came back to the Badlands and bought it. Whether it's worth the money is probably debatable but you'll be hard pressed to find other stuff that does everything.

A couple issues I've experienced/read about. The armour is super hard in the cold, when starts getting down around freezing. There are pics somewhere of someone who's armour actually broke just from banging in while it was cold. There are a few people who had issues with the vents leaking, particularly in the arms. Usually it's caused by not getting the zippers 110% closed (they need to be recessed in the little zipper garages), but some people have made warranty claims to replace jackets cause of leaking vents. Lastly, I'm like you, I don't want to stop when it rains to put on rain gear or add a liner to my jacket. But realistically if it's over about 20C you're gonna have the vents open and you can't close them on the bike, so you end up having to pull over regardless.

I got mine at DSP as well before they closed/moved. GP Bikes has Klim gear now if you're in the east end.

There's a giant thread on ADV with more about the gear than you'll probably want to know: http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=661851
 
I have a Klim Traverse Jacket and Pants. I am very happy with them. They are extremely water proof. I bought mine at DSP before they were sold to the new place as well. I have had them three years now and they have held up very well and I drive a fair bit in all weather. I can only imagine the latitude and badlands are even better. Avicouscycle now touratech canada are also good guys to deal with and they had the Klim stuff on sale during the Bike show I would check their pricing out, I bet with the exchange and shipping from the USA they are pretty close.
 
Something to keep in mind . Black looks fantastic for appearance but gets real hot .Most serious riders get the gray or hi-vis stuff .
 
liamcole said:
to actually get to the finish on a bike, you'll need between 70,000 and 250,000 usd. To do the same in a car the minimum starts at 200,000 usd and you could probably bankrupt a small town with what the top boys spend. Mind you, the minimum is the absolute, beans-in-a-can, regret-the-day-you-were-born, level. If you want a more precise breakdown of costs, i can ask people who have tried it.
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wtf???
 
Klim is the kind of brand where you buy once and keep it forever, so yes they're worth the money.
 
Macs said:
Klim is the kind of brand where you buy once and keep it forever, so yes they're worth the money.
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I know a guy who's doing that with his Aerostich getup. That might be worth looking into. Make nice road trip for a fitting.
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