KLIM MARRAKESH JACKET

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.

I really like the looks of my Burnt Olive greencolored Marrakesh, and think of it as a motorcycle jacket in disguise. It doesn’t broadcast its intention but rather waits incognito until its real purpose is needed. Its tailored lines make it sleek and slimming to enhance a female figure, and it looks good wearing it off the bike around town, too. I must emphasize that this is not an all-season, all-weather jacket like other Klim products. In 60-degree temps I add an underlayer to temper the chillier air flowing through the jacket. And…though claimed to have a hydrophobic water-shedding, quickdrying “coating,” it isn’t waterproof, so if you’re looking for one-jacket-forall weather, this isn’t it. Klim does sell a rain over-jacket, or any standard motorcycle rain suit would work fine.

The Klim Women’s Marrakesh jacket now offers warm-weather riders a more fashionable option that doesn’t skimp on safety features. It comes in three colors (Burnt Olive, Black, and Cool Gray) and retails for $369.99

klIM WoMen’s adventUre gtX short glove

Klim released this year a do-it-all full-featured glove sized for a woman’s hand. The Adventure GTX provides crash and weather protection that should carry a rider through all but the coldest treks.

Based on their men’s Adventure GTX glove, the women’s version provides many of the same benefits: Gore-Tex waterproofness and windproofness, fully bonded layers for a better tactile feel and dexterity, tough goat leather with stretch woven construction, carbon fiber knuckle guard with ceramic print in slide areas and 5mm XRD impact foam underneath for protection and comfort, 5mm XRD impact foam palm pad, and leather-trimmed finger protectors.

The gloves also offer many convenient perks, like touch screen functionality, a visor wiper, a clip that snaps the gloves to each other (making them easier to find in your saddlebags), and a loop to help you pull them on.

The gloves have pre-curved, articulated fingers so they wrap easily around the handgrips. The moisture-wicking lining feels soft and I appreciate I can’t feel any seams inside the gloves that could rub, cause hot spots, or cut off circulation, as I have in other gloves.

I have yet to use them in the rain, so I can’t attest to the feature called Gore Grip technology that is supposed to provide a strong grip even when the glove is wet. I can, however, vouch for the breathability factor as my hands didn’t sweat even when riding on 90-plus degree days. The carbon fiber knuckle protection doesn’t bind or feel uncomfortable.

I will caution that sizing runs large. The sizing guide says to measure the width of your dominant hand’s palm, and mine indicated a size medium. However, the medium feels loose on me. I would recommend sizing down.

The Adventure GTX Women’s Short Glove has a lifetime warranty, comes in gray or black, and retails for $159.99.

For more information on these or any Klim products visit their website at www.klim.com. ~ Pamela Collins ,