KCScott Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 Anybody have experience with both and have anythoughts? Link to comment
St_Louis_Don Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 I can only speak to the FirstGear. I upgraded to the CE armor, and added it in addition to the stock “soft” armor. On my commutes I use the jacket and over pants. When I get to work my shirt and pants still have their crease and my tie is still in order. Even in St Louis summers. The liners keep me dry even in a good rain. Although the outfit does tend to get weighty when wet. Maybe someone else can fill you in on the Airflow’s. Link to comment
Mr_Ed Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 I have both. The BMW stuff is certainly better quality all around but you certainly pay for it. If you go with the FirstGear I would suggest replacing the armor.. the stuff FG uses isn't all that great. If you can afford it go for quality. Link to comment
Mike O Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 I have both. The First Gear Mesh-Tex flows more air. The BMW Airflow provides far better protection (material and armor is FAR superior to the First Gear even if you upgrade the FG armor). The Airflow is cut to fit a bit tighter in the torso area (more triangular) and the FG is a bit more like a loose jacket (more tubular). From a protection standpoint, you get what you pay for. Mike O Link to comment
KCScott Posted February 23, 2007 Author Share Posted February 23, 2007 I have the first generation Mesh-Tex and am not thrilled with the potection provided but love the airflow. Looking at the Airflow it looks like usual BMW quality but it looks a bit hot. I think I will follow your advise and upgrade the armor in my Mesh-Tex. Thanks alot! Link to comment
barncobob Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 i have the meshtex 2 pants and jackets. i want to upgrade the armor. looks like it is sold in pairs? how many pairs do i need and who has the best price? can anyone sort this out for me. Link to comment
Edgar Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 I tried the armor from my Stitch in the jacket and pants and it worked OK. So I cut it and made it fit just right and ordered new Armor for the Roadcrafter from The Riders Warehouse. The CE armor from First Gear isn't much better than what comes in the jacket. Link to comment
John Bentall Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 Do remember that the hot weather solution from BMW is the Venting Machine suit - flows more air than the Airflow. Link to comment
lightcycle Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 My wife has the Venting Machine suit and I have the Airflow 3 suit. A large difference between the two as the AF has mesh panels and the VM is almost entirely mesh. I use my AF as a 3-season suit: In cold weather, I put a waterproof windbreaker over the jacket and wear long underwear and I am fine. My wife got caught in a light shower in her VM and she was soaked within a couple of minutes! We both love our suits! Exceptional quality and very good armor. And they look great as well! Link to comment
steve.foote Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 Looking at the Airflow it looks like usual BMW quality but it looks a bit hot. Scott, I've ridden the AirFlow 2 here in Savannah for several years and find it to be very comfortable in temps up to 100 degrees. Hotter than that and you will want to go to something that doesn't ventilate. Link to comment
ShovelStrokeEd Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 Same here from about 400 miles further south. My Airflow I is my primary riding jacket (looks it, too). It is actually cooler in high heat/humidity conditions than riding in just a tee shirt. Reflection has to be helping a bit there. I don't have the First Gear stuff but do have a Joe Rocket suit that is entirely mesh, and about as safe as that tee shirt. It is hotter, on really hot days, than the Airflow. I don't wear it any more, it just takes up space in my closet. On the hottest of days, I often take advantage of evaporative cooling by putting on a wet sweat shirt under the Airflow. Even with Florida humidity, I can actually feel too cool on a 95 degree day with that setup. It lasts longer on the Airflow than with the full mesh gear. Link to comment
KCScott Posted February 26, 2007 Author Share Posted February 26, 2007 OK, I got the old MeshTex out and the more I look at it I might as well be in a t-shirt as stated earlier. What do you think? Airflow 2 or Airflow 3. I see discontinued 2's marked down. Any big difference in the two? Link to comment
John Bentall Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 I think the changes were mainly to styling and color options. There was no fundamental change to the quality of the materials. Link to comment
johnnash Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 I have owned the BMW Airflow since it first came out.I live in the Wash./Balt.area where it gets 100 degrees in the summers.It is the coolest outfit to wear for comfort & protection.I went over the roof of a car in 2003 for about 25 yards.I didn't have a scratch on me(just a broken arm),& the suit had very little road rash at all.I swear by it! Link to comment
Rusty1945 Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 I have both. The First Gear Mesh-Tex flows more air. The BMW Airflow provides far better protection (material and armor is FAR superior to the First Gear even if you upgrade the FG armor). The Airflow is cut to fit a bit tighter in the torso area (more triangular) and the FG is a bit more like a loose jacket (more tubular). From a protection standpoint, you get what you pay for. Mike O Does BMW still make the Airflow? I looked all over the BMW website and can't find it. Is it now called "Venting Machine"? Link to comment
Mike O Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 I have both. The First Gear Mesh-Tex flows more air. The BMW Airflow provides far better protection (material and armor is FAR superior to the First Gear even if you upgrade the FG armor). The Airflow is cut to fit a bit tighter in the torso area (more triangular) and the FG is a bit more like a loose jacket (more tubular). From a protection standpoint, you get what you pay for. Mike O Does BMW still make the Airflow? I looked all over the BMW website and can't find it. Is it now called "Venting Machine"? The Airflow line (including jacket and pants) has been discontinued (last year?) and replaced by the Venting Machine. I have no experience with the new product other than I tried it on at the local dealership. I don't like it for one reason: It only comes in black. Doesn't make sense to me to ward off heat and sun by wearing a garment that inherently soaks up the sun (yes, I know if you keep moving etc.) Mike O Link to comment
John Bentall Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 The Airflow 3 is alive and well in Europe. It is not being stocked in the US apparently. Link to comment
Mike O Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 The Airflow 3 is alive and well in Europe. It is not being stocked in the US apparently. John, What's the difference between the Airflow 2 and Airflow 3? Mike O Link to comment
lightcycle Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 The Airflow 3 is alive and well in Europe. It is not being stocked in the US apparently. It is in Canada. The difference between AF2 and AF3 is the size and placement of the mesh panels. The materials look to be the same. Link to comment
velomoto Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 The Airflow 3 is alive and well in Europe. It is not being stocked in the US apparently. FWIW, the dealers around me don't seem to have much in the way of BMW riding gear. Best case they will have a full selection of two lines (Santiago, Rallye Pro seem to be the most popular) and limited selections (read: a few sizes) of three or four other items. Perhaps it's just too expensive to stock all the different BMW gear, or perhaps the high cost of the gear makes it too expensive for most riders? Link to comment
Mike O Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Which dealers are you referring to? I've had good luck at all three local dealers. Mike O Link to comment
John Bentall Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 The Airflow 3 is alive and well in Europe. It is not being stocked in the US apparently. It is in Canada. The difference between AF2 and AF3 is the size and placement of the mesh panels. The materials look to be the same. The Airflow 3 comes in light sand color. Link to comment
Mike O Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 ...The Airflow 3 comes in light sand color. This is what I don't get. Why offer the Venting Machine in only BLACK? (My AF2 is Sliver/Blue and the AF3 is available in light sand). Thanks John. Mike O Link to comment
flyingreg Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Anybody have experience with both and have anythoughts? I have experience with the FG MeshTex. It is an OK jacket. However, after some education, I do not wear it any longer. My advice is avoid riding gear made from polyurethane coated materials, such as found in allot of the riding clothing. In a get off, friction from sliding can/will cause the PU materials to melt into your hide. Then you will have to suffer through the added enjoyment of having the resolidified plastic removed from your road burns. Something to think about. Research what you buy, before you buy and make sure the fabrics are not coated with PU. Link to comment
John Bentall Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 If you know your BMW Euro size, I can find the Airflow 3 part numbers for you - as can any US BMW dealer. Link to comment
Mike O Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 If you know your BMW Euro size, I can find the Airflow 3 part numbers for you - as can any US BMW dealer. I'm happy with mine at the moment. Just curious about the differences. Seem to be minor, but thanks for the offer. Mike O Link to comment
litigator Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 "My advice is avoid riding gear made from polyurethane coated materials, such as found in allot of the riding clothing. In a get off, friction from sliding can/will cause the PU materials to melt into your hide. Then you will have to suffer through the added enjoyment of having the resolidified plastic removed from your road burns. Something to think about." That's why Aerostich tells you to wear a natural fiber base layer under synthetic garments. Link to comment
Rider1200RT Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 I have the FG suit and have upgraded the pathetic armor that came with it. I do like the suit for local rides, as it flows a lot of air in the humid weather down here. The Airflow suit looks well made but I have no personal experience with it. Now my Rally Pro II however vents almost as well as the FG and has superior armor to boot. I tend to wear it more often than the FG suit for that reason.YMMV Link to comment
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