I purchased this gear in Toronto at the Toronto Motorcycle show in 2000.
It was selling like hotcakes, as it was being marketed as a replacement
for both wet-weather gear and a normal riding jacket. The price was
very good, so I bought both the jacket and pants. The fit wasn't
great, and it wasn't very stylish, but it was cheap. This model of
jacket and pants is no longer available, so I won't go into detail on its
performance, except to say that it was not very waterproof. Actually,
that is a massive understatement: It was aggressively un-waterproof.
After a miserable outing in the south island of New Zealand, I decided
to write to the manufacturer and complain about the product. I submitted
my complaint through Planet Feedback,
a consumer advocacy site that offers to forward complaints to companies
and publicize the results. I was in a nasty mood, so I wrote the
following snarky email:
January 8, 2001
TO: Joe Rocket
RE: PLANETFEEDBACK INCIDENT
NUMBER 426322
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to express my annoyance with the product effectiveness of my Joe Rocket Ballistic Series motorcycle wear.
Let me briefly recount my experience: About one year ago I purchased a set of Joe Rocket Ballistic riding gear -- Jacket and pants. At the time of my purchase, I was told by the salesperson that the gear was completely, 100% waterproof, and I could get rid of my rain jacket. Foolishly, I did so.
I did not have a chance to test these waterproof claims til now. I moved to New Zealand temporarily a few months back, and recently went on an extended tour. Much of it was spent in misery due to the extreme leakiness of your product.
It is in no way shape or form waterproof. The jacket leaks like a sieve around the zipper, (due to there being no rain dam and not enough snaps on the flap that covers the zipper), and the liner in the sleeves wicks water up into the arms.
The pants are a nightmare, leaking almost immediately from the crotch area. Again, the liner wicks water up into the pants around the ankle. (There should be a segment of waterproof cordura up around the inside of the jacket and pants at any opening to prevent this wicking.)
Had these products been even cursorily tested in real conditions, it would be obvious that they are no more water-proof than a screen door. I know that you wish to correct this situation as quickly as possible, so I am asking that I would like my products replaced with ones that indeed meet your claims of waterproofness, or a complete refund of my purchase price.
If you are unable to do this, I will have no recourse except to publish a product review on my personal motorcycling web page, which receives hundreds of hits a month.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Sincerely,
Sean Lewkiw
Wellington, New Zealand
I hadn't expected a response, to be honest, or I would have written
the letter a little more politely. To my surprise, the president
of the company wrote back. He apologized for my experience with his
product and promised to make it right.
Although it took a while, I eventually received in the mail a brand-new, redesigned jacket and pants. (They also agreed to let me keep the jacket I had until the new one arrived... which was very trusting of them.) The zippers were very nice, sealed and well secured. The seams were all taped and finished properly. The fit and styling was much much better, and the padding well-placed and secure. There are lots of pockets and thoughtful details. The sleeves are extra-long and have snaps to make them tighter so they don't flap in the wind. The styling is an understated black on black, so you don't look like some fool boy-racer wearing it. I ordered XL-tall size, and it fits my 6'4" frame perfectly. The cordura is very durable, with Kevlar stitching and extra strong material over contact points.
The jacket wore very well. The ventilation system worked fairly well, although not as well as the first jacket. In one year of use, I had one seam split on the removable thermal liner, (a defective sewing job which was easily fixed), and one very minor elastic band break. I would rate the workmanship of the jacket as excellent.
Unfortunately, this jacket was not waterproof either:
Dear Randy,
You might recall that I wrote you over a year ago to complain about the performance of the Joe Rocket jacket and pants that I had purchased from you. You responded by sending me a newer version of the jacket, and I returned the old one. I certainly do appreciate the great lengths you went to to help make this right.
Well, a year later, and I finally got to test the waterproofness of the jacket and pants. Once in Australia, and once again here in New Zealand. I am sorry to report that they are not even vaguely water-resistant. Although the closures seem to be very well designed with good rain proof zips and extensive water dams, and all the seams are nicely taped, the material itself is simply not waterproof. It might shed water slightly at a standstill, but at 100 kph it simply does nothing but trap water inside so that it can slosh around and pour into your gloves. In this regard, it is even worse than the old design, which leaked from the seams and openings, but seemed to be fairly waterproof otherwise. Once again I seriously doubt that this jacket had been tested.
Is it possible that the material had not been treated at the factory? It seems to be plain old porous cordura to me.
Although I do not expect you to replace the jacket and pants again, I thought you might want to know about this serious defect. I have purchased a new, complete rainsuit which I will now have to wear over the Joe Rocket equipment.
Sincerely,
Sean Lewkiw
Well, guess what? Once again, the company contacted me and offered to replace the gear. Once again I was sent a brand-new set of gear, without having to send the old gear back first. It is now in my possession, and I will report back on its water-proofness as soon as I get a chance.
In conclusion, the company rates a 10+ in terms of customer service and integrity. As for the product itself, except for the waterproof problem, it would rate a solid 9. Considering the lack of waterproofness, I would have to downgrade it to a 7.5. However, they have promised that this jacket is going to work, so I will report back as soon as I can confirm this.
There are a million pages on the web about this bike, so, in a nutshell: A great bike for the price. Ultra-manoeuverable and light (for a streetbike). Needs more power, a bigger tank and a better seat. Adding a Slipstreamer fairing improves it greatly on the road, a Ventura packrack is a fantastic way to carry more gear.
Pros:
This bike replaced my DR650 when it was stolen. An excellent bike with great suspension and somewhat unusual styling. Very expensive and not good for beginners due to its high seat height and top-heaviness.
Pros:
