Now even though we are far and away the largest seller of Klim in the UK, their range is so huge that we have to admit to not knowing it as well as we would like to, which is why we had not originally selected the Carlsbad suit for this season. Instead, we elected to offer Klim’s signature Badlands Pro A3 adventure suit and their upgraded Kodiak road suit.

We often bang on about what we consider to be a 'proper' adventure suit. It might be that we are indulging in semantics a little, but for us any outfit with a laminated membrane, or indeed any suit with a membrane of any description, cannot be considered an adventure one because if you're adventuring anywhere exotically hot, or if you're working up a sweat off road in such a place, the last thing you want anywhere near your body is a waterproof membrane because you'll sweat your nuts off. A situation that can rapidly lead to heat exhaustion.

The first question, I suppose, is what is an adventure suit, and why do we think this is a proper one? And the answer is not totally straightforward, because different manufacturers have their own take on the subject. Klim, after all, owns the 'adventure' market. It's the highest profile name in the adventure world, and certainly if a retailer wants to be seen as a serious purveyor of adventure gear they won't be taken seriously if Klim is not in their portfolio of brands.

There was an Explore-R suit before this one. The reason that there's this new one is that Gore, as part of its desire to be at the head of the environmental agenda, has introduced a raft of new fabrics with membranes that do not incorporate harmful, forever chemicals. When a fabric is changed, a motorcycle, clothing manufacturer has to re-test a garment for abrasion and tear-resistance under EN 17092.

Where do we start? Well, first thing, Gore-Tex is just a brand name. It's sometimes shortened to GTX when used as part of a product's description. The brand is owned by W L Gore & Associates. They're an enormous, $5bn, American producer of technical fabrics and materials for a huge array of applications; from medicine to the military. And for everybody from sailors to soldiers, and from mountaineers to motorcyclists.

This is not an uncommon occurrence on the Schuberth C5. There’s a good reason for it. There’s nothing wrong with the helmet. You just need to understand why it’s happening, and accept that it’s the price you pay for a helmet that, in theory, is quieter than other helmets. To understand what’s going on, let’s take a step back. tion of condensation.

This is not an uncommon occurrence on the Shoei Neotec 3. There’s a good reason for it. There’s nothing wrong with the helmet. You just need to understand why it’s happening, and accept that it’s the price you pay for a helmet that, in theory, is quieter than other helmets. To understand what’s going on, let’s take a step back. Fogging or misting in a helmet is simply a manifestation of condensation.

When Scott first told us that they were going to discontinue their Ergo Pro waterproof jackets and pants, we were a bit distraught. These were, after all, the best waterproofs the motorcycle world had ever seen. They were, of course, exceedingly waterproof. But it was the stretchy, yet robust, nature of their outer fabric, in our view, that made them so popular.

The latest iteration of the Rukka Nivala is now here. In truth, the old one has been around for almost four years, so it was probably due a bit of a refresh, but the decision was in some ways made for Rukka by Gore, who are in the process of changing all their membranes and laminated fabrics.

We are somewhat late to the party on this one, and we know it. In theory, the S3 has been available since the first quarter of 2024. And we did want to offer it at that time, but we were never satisfied with the consistency of supply. You could always get some colourways in some sizes, but it was only quite recently that we felt that we could reliably market the S3, knowing that we could get the colour we wanted in the size we wanted.

Today I want to talk about airbags; and in particular about the new Alpinestars Plasma 5 airbag vest. Now this is a tricky subject for us one because we here at Motolegends have not always been great fans of airbags. And morally that's a difficult tightrope to walk for a company that earns its keep from selling protective wear. And it's difficult because one cannot deny that, in extremis, an airbag could prevent serious injury. It might even save somebody's life. But we have had, and to an extent still have, both philosophical as well as practical concerns when it comes to airbags.

I think Covid did a lot of good for adventure biking. Being locked up for all those months with nowhere to ride to but Sainsbury's to pick up the roll of toilet paper you forgot on your last visit eventually took its toll. All you could do was sit around the house, and dream about that bucket list you were going to attack in earnest once the world got back to normal.

This is the third iteration of the Hakuna Matata adventure suit, although the outfit is new to us. Now there are, in principle, three types of waterproof, textile motorcycle jacket/trouser, insofar as their method of construction is concerned. Historically, the most common has been the drop-liner format. Here the waterproof membrane is sewn into the jacket. (I’m talking about the jacket, but everything I talk about here applies equally to a trouser). Such jackets are called drop-liner jackets because the membrane ‘hangs’, or 'drops’ from where it is sewn into the garment; in the case of a jacket from the shoulders.

This is the first Alpinestars jacket we have offered for many a year. We did do some Alpinestars gear when we ran the Brands Hatch Megastore many, many years ago. But the truth is that we have long felt that Alpinestars was not really a Motolegends kind of brand. And in truth a lot of their gear simply isn't for us. Alpinestars is huge, and their aim is to be all things to all people. But that is not our proposition. We know where we stand; and basically that's some things for some people!

You cannot talk about the X1 Alpha without talking about the Krios Pro. Now before the X1 came along earlier this year, the Krios Pro was Klim's adventure-helmet offering, but here's the thing. In our view it wasn't really an adventure helmet, certainly not in the way we understand an adventure helmet here in Europe, where very few adventure bike riders ever venture off the main highway. In our book, the Krios Pro was a pretty serious, off-road helmet. And that's why we never really thought that it worked over here as an adventure helmet.

Like the E2 adventure-flip helmet, the Concept is another variation on the C5 platform. The rationale for it is basically twofold. First it is cheaper; and quite a bit cheaper. We will explain all the things that Schuberth has done to make the Concept less expensive, but given that the C5's starting point is that of a high-end, premium helmet, the Concept, even with all the sacrifices it represents, is still probably a better flip-lid than any other non-Shoei or non-Schuberth 'flip' out there.

The traditional ‘mesh jacket’ has a poor rep., which might explain why, these days, the premium brands tend to avoid using the term. As a concept, the mesh jacket has been around for years. They tended to be more popular in the southern part of Europe than in the northern part. And for obvious reasons. And because protective, motorcycle wear was not always considered 'de rigeur' in such places, mesh jackets were often quite flimsy affairs.

We love Klim. We’re not doolally fan boys; we don't love everything they produce, but the American company does make some great gear. They tend to use the best components. They put it together really well. And it does what it's meant to. But they do a lot of suits, and understanding the difference between the various models is not straightforward. But we have been working with Klim for a few years now. We have spent quite a bit of time with various members of their marketing, design and product development teams, and so we reckon that we now have a pretty good understanding of how the various pieces of their particular jigsaw fit together.

This is the new Baja S4. It's been billed as an upgrade on its predecessor that's been around for quite a few years now, but let's get this out there from the off. There isn't a huge amount of difference between the old Baja S4 and the new one. The design of the jacket itself is basically unchanged. What Klim has done is move the panels around a little so as to make the jacket a little more comfortable, and to allow it to flow a little more air. But put it like this; if you've got the old version, there's very little reason to rush down to the shops to buy the new one.

Many people know Motolegends for brands like Rukka, Stadler and Klim; brands that are very much associated with laminated membranes. For some people laminated is the way to go. Indeed, for people who do huge miles in all weathers it may be the only way to go. It is also true that if you're the kind of rider who really needs laminated clothing, you'd almost certainly be better off in a jacket or pant with a Gore-Tex laminated membrane.