The gear you wear is almost as important as the bike you ride

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Indeed, perhaps even more important, it’s hard to appreciate the delicate handling of your new Ducati or the bark of your burbling Harley-Davidson when you’re frozen to the core or drenched to the bone.

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Here, then, is some of the best motorcycle gear that has maximized my safety and comfort over the last 12 months.

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The gear you wear is almost as important as the bike you ride Back to video

Dainese D-Explorer jacket and pants

Canada poses special challenges for manufacturers of motorcycle clothing. Canadian summers can be brutally warm. But come September, the post-Labour Day chill sends everyone scurrying for their thermals. Finding a true all-season jacket that can handle our climate extremes can be a challenge.

Hoever, it’s not a challenge the new Dainese D-Explorer is wilting from. Simply stated, this is the most versatile jacket/pants combination I’ve ever tried. There’s a laudable jumble of pockets (two of them waterproof) and the Explorer is eminently adjustable (the collar can be adjusted two ways, the waist can be cinched and the cuffs and arms are adjustable tightness). That’s good news since the D-Explorer also comes with a separate Gore-Tex rain layer and a thermal liner. Throw in some excellent protectors — a Wave D1 Level 1 built-in back protector and some truly excellent hard elbow protectors — and the D-Explorer is another example of excellence we’ve come to expect from Dainese.

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So far, though, the D-explorer doesn’t sound much different, at least technically, than a dozen or so competitive three-quarter length adventure touring jackets. Certainly, nothing that would justify its $1,099.95 suggested list price.

What does make the D-Explorer worth that serious dosh, however, is the most innovative adjustable ventilation system in the business. Called the Dainese Modular Flap System, essentially there are two large 330-millimeter by 130-mm vented sections in the front and a truly humungous 440-mm by 280-mm perforated area in back. Combined, they’re large enough to rival many full “mesh” jackets for airflow. The unique aspect is that each of the vented areas is covered by a flap — hence the nomenclature — held in place in zippers. Each flap is fully adjustable, so not only is the D-Explorer well vented but one gets to modulate the airflow. The pants, similarly constructed, also features flaps though they’re not quite as effective.

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Venture Heat jacket

What makes the D-Explorer truly four-season motorcycling garb is when I pair it with Venture Heat’s Deluxe Jacket. Thanks to its 84 watts of electric heat, my motorcycling becomes almost a 12-month enterprise, even in Canada. Prior to wearing the Venture Heat jacket, anything colder than 10 degrees had me scrambling for so many layers of woollies that I looked like the two-wheeled version of the Michelin Man. Deluxe Jacket plugged into my V-Strom’s battery, it’s just a summer t-shirt under the Venture and D-Explorer, the electric mesh grid radiating so much heat that November becomes July.

The Venture Heat Jacket is top quality stuff, has a built in temperature controller and costs but $259 if you order it from Calgary’s Blackfoot Motorsports online. I’d pass on the company’s gloves however. They’re not nearly as waterproof as claimed and when they get wet, they gave me little low voltage shocks in my fingers. Not cool.

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Held Air n Dry Gloves

Originally, I bought Held’s Air n Dry Gloves as a rainy day alternative to my leather summer gauntlets. More and more, however, they’re turning into my everyday go-to handwear because of their incredible versatility.

Thanks to their kangaroo leather palms, for instance, they’re just as supple and sensitive as any racing glove. Throw in perforations throughout the palm and little air scoops in the fingers and they’re also some of the best ventilated gloves I’ve ever worn, perfect for the dog days of summer.

Of course, ventilations and air scoops do not waterproof gloves make. Quite correct. But the trick to these Helds is that they are “two-chamber” gloves. In summer mode, your palm is right against that kangaroo leather enjoying all the benefits of sunshine and warm air. If it rains, though, just slip your hands into the Gore-Tex inner liner and even though the Air n Dry feels bulkier, they’re completely waterproof. Amazing versatility. And as soon as the sun comes back out — and that outer kangaroo palm dries — you can slip back into your “summer” gloves.

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The Held’s only downside is that all that versatility doesn’t come cheap, the Air n Dry gloves retailing for $338 from GPBikes.com.

Modular helmets

Modular helmets — full-coverage headgear, but with a pivot that allows the entire front fascia to pivot upwards — are the fastest-growing trend in protective headwear. As safe as a full-faced helmet, they’re more convenient thanks to a shield that lifts up out of the way.

The only issue is that their two-piece design makes them heavier than traditional full-faced alternatives. That’s why AGV’s Sportmodular is such a breakthrough. Constructed of carbon fibre, AGV claims the Sportmodular is the lightest modular helmet available. It’s also a quality built item with a wide front port for maxim visibility and a built-in sunshield.

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Unfortunately, the Sportmodular doesn’t fit my head very well — cue accusations of an off-shaped noggin — so I’m still relying on my old Schuberth E1 adventure touring lid. It too is modular, has a built-in sunshade and fits my oddly-shaped skull perfectly. The only thing it lacks is the AGV’s lightweight carbon fibre outer shell. Nonetheless, despite testing numerous lids over the last three years, I still reach for the tried and true E1 when I’m heading out for a long trip.

Dainese Torque D1 Gore-Tex Boots

Finally motorcycling footwear to rivals my Daytonas. The Torque D1 are out-and-out sport/race boots with magnesium sliders (heel and toe!) and Dainese’s D-axil flex system, but they also incorporate a street-ready gore-tex liner which means not only are they protective, but they’re waterproof.

The rear facing zipper makes them easy to get into, Dainese’s soft leather means there’s precious little break-in required and a gear shift guard reduces wear. Comfy, protective and waterproof; I have a new go-to boot for everyday hooning. Gore-Tex versions of the D1s retail for US$429.95 on Dainese.com