Klim Gear

[makct04]

Need some opinions from my moto friends: What do you think of Klim gear? Would you wear it? Why or why not? Street and offroad opinions welcome. Thanks.

I posted this on fb but figured I'd get some opinions from those of you that aren't on there. Thanks.

[e30addict]

I wear it on the street "sport" touring. I love the throw it on and not worry about rain, especially on long trips. It's pricey, but it's held up well for 10's of thousands of miles. Expect one crash out of it though.

[makct04]

They have an excellent crash replacement warranty on their stuff. 5yrs. If you crash one of their items, they'll replace it with a new item, for free. They're bringing that policy to their helmet lines as well.

Obviously they wont allow people to abuse it, so they limit it to just a one time replacement but I've never heard of a company offer that, until today. Especially for a crashed helmet.

[GearHd6]

I've got their pants and jacket, both with Goretex and I really like the stuff. Like already mentioned, put the stuff on and never have to worry about watching the clouds wondering if you need to pull over and put on rain gear.

[trider143]

Pretty much what GearHd6 and e30addict said.

I use my Klim gear whenever I am doing multi-day rides (sport touring), in wet/dry hot/cold and find it to be the best gear I have had. I don't regret spending the $.

[Chippertheripper]

I've had some of the dirty stuff.
I don't find it particularly better or worse than most other stuff, except it's definitely better at lightening the wallet.

You looking for a touring suit?

[Paul_E_D]

I agree, the dirt gear is lighter weight than say Thor. I wore out a pair of KLIM pants in 4 years. I can't wear out a pair of Thors. The cost is higher mostly because it never goes on sale, where the good MX stuff gets heavily discounted after the new colors come out.

[PinHead]

I use the KLIM bibs and jacket for snowmobiling. Best gear I have ever owned.

[gumby]

Pinhead beat me to the punch. High quality gear and service that is second to none.
My buddy's 3 yr old bibs had a stitch separating and Klim swapped them out...no questions asked.

[nhbubba]

Weird. I bought a pair of Klim brand dirty pants on clearance last year. Find them to be more sturdy than the Thor/Answer/etc gear I normally buy (and promptly destroy). I'd buy it again, but only at a discount. I see dirt gear as disposable.

Street gear I'm less enthused with. Huge money and one-and-done crash construction. If willing to deal with one-and-done I'd go for a lesser brand.

The patent on Gore-Tex ran out a couple years ago. Many companies are making knockoff materials that are just as effective as Gore-Tex for way, way less $$$.

For the street I'm happiest with my Aerostich geek suit. Similar money. Way easier to get on/off. I believe it is better in a crash. (I've crash tested mine, unfortunately.) And it is repairable. My suit held up better than the Klim street gear I've seen in a crash.

[SRTie4k]

I've always regarded Klim as top of the line, but finding out that their Krios helmet is just a rebranded Nishua helmet is a little off-putting. I didn't think they were into the whole "badge engineering" thing.

[Imbeek]

Getting a very high quality street jacket and pants has been on my list of very important things to do for a good while now. For some reason I just find it such an unpleasant area to research. No appeal at all to the purchase; it's like I have buyers remorse before I even think about it. I think I keep waiting for someone to post something in here that'll do; occasionally something pops up but it's always the wrong size.

I tried eBay for Aerostich, good freakin luck with that and I'm not going to buy new and practically pay more for a suit than my bike cost.

[Paul_E_D]

My Klim pants were literally in tatters. I left them in Guatemala. The MX companies definitely have tiers of quality. Thor Phase seems to have the highest build quality in the industry. I have pants that are almost 10 year old now. I want new ones just because, but these things are BOMB proof. I spend a lot more on them than the entry level crap, but still half of what I spent on the Klim.

Weird. I bought a pair of Klim brand dirty pants on clearance last year. Find them to be more sturdy than the Thor/Answer/etc gear I normally buy (and promptly destroy). I'd buy it again, but only at a discount. I see dirt gear as disposable.

Street gear I'm less enthused with. Huge money and one-and-done crash construction. If willing to deal with one-and-done I'd go for a lesser brand.

The patent on Gore-Tex ran out a couple years ago. Many companies are making knockoff materials that are just as effective as Gore-Tex for way, way less $$$.

For the street I'm happiest with my Aerostich geek suit. Similar money. Way easier to get on/off. I believe it is better in a crash. (I've crash tested mine, unfortunately.) And it is repairable. My suit held up better than the Klim street gear I've seen in a crash.

[Paul_E_D]

Full disclosure though, the Klims that failed were over the boot. Perhaps that is not a good match for my riding. All my other stuff is ITB.

[nhbubba]

My Klim pants are also over. All my gear is over the boot. This is the first pair of pants I've had in a while where the knees haven't torn in the first off or two. I do have to admit I don't wear them that often though. And I did get them on clearance.

Getting a very high quality street jacket and pants has been on my list of very important things to do for a good while now. For some reason I just find it such an unpleasant area to research. No appeal at all to the purchase; it's like I have buyers remorse before I even think about it. I think I keep waiting for someone to post something in here that'll do; occasionally something pops up but it's always the wrong size.

I tried eBay for Aerostich, good freakin luck with that and I'm not going to buy new and practically pay more for a suit than my bike cost.

One of the real beauties of the 'stich is that you get it sized to you and/or customized. If you are an off-the-rack sized human then maybe a fleabay suit or something else would do. (Olympia? Klim? Etc.)

That said. I didn't know you had any machine in your stable that was that low priced. Can't even be 10% of what that HD of yours cost you.

I can't overstate the epic convenience of being able to step in/out of the suit when touring. I loved mine riding in Death Valley on my CA trip. Hoping to take the suit to Europe soon.

[Yknot]

I have had a different experience. Bought several pairs of dirty pants from Thor, Answer and MSR because of the price point, only to have them be destroyed. Sucked it up for a pair of Klim and they have been very durable with my hit the ground style of riding. Paying for them sucked but they have lasted far longer than any other pant so far. Time will tell, but I only have a few years left until they are payed off.

[Imbeek]

Hoping to take the suit to Europe soon.

Go on...

[sandman]

adv
dirt
snow

I have a bit of Klim gear its all I've used for more than 10 yrs

If your serious about getting some let me know a friend of mine is a dealer.

I probably have some brand new stuff id sell.

As I recall I have a xl adv rally jacket and a xl Valdez jacket id sell.

jim

[markbvt]

I've seen several friends rip holes in their Klim gear in fairly minor offs.

Meanwhile, I've known several people who've crashed in their Aerostich Roadcrafters, had them repaired, and continued using them just as effectively for many more years. One friend got more than 20 years out of his Roadcrafter before finally springing for a new one (at which point he sold his old one on eBay, IIRC).

I bit the bullet last year and shelled out the cash for an Aerostich Transit 2 suit (the waterproof leather one, which I've wanted for many years) because it was being discontinued due to Gore no longer producing the waterproof leather. It was expensive but worth every penny. The quality is superb. And it's durable enough that I'll be using it for a long time.

The Klim gear is good stuff to be sure -- but it definitely seems to be designed with a single crash in mind. If you want long-term durability, I'd go with Aerostich instead.

--mark

[sandman]

iv'e slid a couple hundred feet in total on dirt in my adv suit and held gloves.

wacked the ground more times than i care to remember.

i'm still wearing the same gear.

the only thing iv'e torn up was a pair of adv boots.

now i'l only wear my sidi full on race boot's

[loudbeard]

So to answer the OP's question:
It's pretty good shit, sometimes it tears in an off. Also, there's other good shit, which sometimes tears in an off. OK comrades?