BACKROADS • AUGUST 2021
PRODUCT REVIEW
Page 37
FORM, FUNCTION AND FASION HIGHTLIGHT KLIM’S LASTEST WOMEN’S GEAR
Oftentimes protective motorcycling gear, fulfilling its promise to provide safety, security, and peace of mind, provides plenty of function. But the form part of that equation, well, lacks a bit. Motorcyclists, looking to protect their hides, resign themselves to resembling the Michelin Man on two wheels, plump as Thanksgiving turkey, albeit stuffed with body armor instead of bread cubes. Klim Motorcycle gear this year released its Marrakesh women’s motorcycle jacket that seeks to deflate a rider’s profile while still providing durability and safety in a crash. The sleek and slimming jacket uses a 1000 Denier Nylon fabric called Karbonite Micromesh. It offers four-way stretch for comfort; in fact, Klim claims it as being the “most comfortable jacket you will ever wear.” The fully porous Karbonite fabric offers several benefits for warm weather riders, including allowing constant airflow to cool down those sun-blazing days. Though the fabric looks solid…not perforated like other warm weather riding jackets…I can attest after a daylong ride in 95-degree temperatures, that air really flows through the jacket, upping the comfort factor of a sweltering ride. The Marrakesh’s moisture-wicking liner pulls sweat from the body, working in tandem with the ventilated outer fabric, to toss your body heat to the wind. Additionally, Klim claims the Karbonite Micromesh is abrasion-resistant, so should you “go down” while riding, the jacket’s outer shell should offer some degree of skid resistance. Thankfully I have not yet tested that feature.
Additional protection comes inside the Marrakesh jacket, where its wearer enjoys the latest, thinnest, and most comfortable body armor available. Called D30® IP Ghost CE Level 1, this new, super slim, and flexible armor protects by absorbing and dissipating impact energy when hit, then returns to its flexible state. The jacket uses this ventilated protection in the shoulders and the elbows (where it is height adjustable), while retaining a standard thickness armor pad (D30® Viper Ce Level 1) for the back. The armor is removable. The D30® website calls it “fit and forget” armor and claims it exceeds Level 1 safety standards. I vouch the armor is very thin and flexible and super comfortable, so much that honestly, the Marrakesh doesn’t feel like it has armor at all. I find it somewhat unnerving because the more traditional stiff and bulky armor makes me feel, well, protected. I feel like I’m cheating wearing the Marrakesh. The jacket has only very small reflective patches on the cuffs and front shoulders. I’d like to see more, especially on the back so cars see me while riding at dusk or in the dark. Two big zippered pockets sit low on the outside of the jacket, big enough for a phone, and an internal zippered chest pocket can also hold a phone (my Galaxy S20 with case fits fine). I’m 5’2”, and sleeve length hits me at about mid-hand, but sits perfectly with my hand on my motorcycle’s bars. Each sleeve has zippered openings and fits quite loosely, not a complaint because the Marrakesh is a warm-weather style so I don’t mind the wind blowing up my sleeve. The jacket also has zippered hip gussets, so a rider can better tailor the fit. The stand-up collar has a nice lining (so do the cuffs) and feels comfortable around my neck and wrists.
