Been away from motorcycling for the better part of 15 years, bought a leftover '07 Interceptor this spring & had to go through the process of gearing up again. I've got lots to post about after riding all spring. Icon's ARC Mesh pants are first up... I bought overpants because I commute about 20 miles on back highways & Interstate and I wear business clothing. The idea of being able to get to my desk and just drop trou seemed pretty low maintenance. I bought mesh because summers are brutal on the great plains of South Dakota. 95 degrees and high humidity. Its like swimming sometimes. "Mesh" and "overpants" weren't in motorcycling vocabulary when I rode actively last, so I don't have anything to compare these to, but overall I think they're OK. They stay out of the way, and they don't get any hotter than jeans as long as you're moving (assuming light pants underneath). Here are my issues with them: the lower leg fits like a bell-bottom. They don't flap around, but they would certainly ride up if I went skittering across the concrete. There is no built-in feature to cinch them. The loose fit of the pants also allows the knee armor to float around. You can place it where you want it, but it wouldn't stay there when needed. There is no zipper on the lower leg for slipping the pants off over boots (its big enough to ride up, but not big enough to get the boots through). Perhaps these complaints are just the downside of the "overpant" concept and can't be fixed. I'm considering taking them to a tailor and having a zipper installed and maybe an elastic stirrup like I have on my rain gear. I've got about $100 in them and still think they would have value if I had another $50 in them. Overall, I would recommend these with some caveats. If you're a bear of a guy, these would probably fit better without the issues I mentioned here. I'm 5'10", 165# with a medium build and a 34" waist and they're slightly loose. Here are some pictures (if I'm doing this right): <script language="JavaScript" src="http://lapi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?EKServer&ai=vgdiza%7De&bdrcolor=666666&cid=0&eksize=1&encode=UTF-8&endcolor=FF0000&endtime=y&fbgcolor=EFEFEF&fntcolor=000000&fs=0&hdrcolor=FFFFCC&hdrimage=10&hdrsrch=n&img=y&lnkcolor=0000FF&logo=12&num=5&numbid=y&paypal=n&popup=y&prvd=9&query=Icon+ARC+Mesh+Overpant&r0=3&shipcost=n&siteid=0&sort=MetaEndSort&sortby=endtime&sortdir=asc&srchdesc=n&tbgcolor=FFFFFF&tlecolor=333333&tlefs=0&tlfcolor=FFFFFF&toolid=10004&track=5335977258&width=570"></script>
I tried these on at the local dealer & must say I agree with what you've typed here 100%. That's why I bought the Olympia Stealth Suit instead. It's weird, Icon is really hit or miss with their stuff. I have the TiMax 2 jacket & it's freaking awesome. My wife has the Ladies Hooligan 54 & it's nowhere near as good as the TiMax. KC-10 FE out... lane: :usa2:
Thanks for the review. I've been looking for something along the same line. Do you think that they would add enough protection over a pair of jeans? Or should I just buy a pair of full on motorcycle pants? I'm not too worried about my commute (most of the time, it's less than fifteen minutes). I'm more looking for some more protection for weekend rides.
I think if I were making a day of it, I'd just have some really comfortable motorcycling pants. These things would work OK over jeans - I think you'd slide just fine if it came down to it. You're definately wearing two layers when you've got these on, though. And if you stop anywhere to wander around, you'll either want to take these off or you'll get warm. It needs air flow to keep you cool. Hope this helps!
