Motoport Ultra II Review
Another from the archives...
The design of the jacket is interesting. Three layers. Upon putting it on for the first time, I was SURE that the sleeves would be too short, but after “assuming the position” my wife noticed that that sleeve length with my arms extended vs. the sleeve length with them at my sides did not change much due to a very ingenious shoulder / arm design, allowing the sleeves to extend from the rear of the shoulder attachment / rotate forward slightly. The Kenya did not have this feature, and compensated with extra overall sleeve length.
The collar is too short….or I have too long of a neck. I have read of “custom” work being done on coats and had I had the time, I would have asked for another inch on the collar. Other than that, it seems to close tightly and securely with Velcro - none of which comes into contact with your skin. My wife’s Hein Gericke sometimes rubs her neck with some errant velcro unless extreme care is taken when fastening the collar. I guess I will have to get one of those funny neck / head sock things.
The waterproof liner is attached by zippers in the front and snaps + velcro in the sleeves. Unfortunately, there is no “attachment point” in the back of the jacket. My Kenya jacket has a snap at the top of the collar in the back, holding the liner in place. No such device on the Ultra II - allowing the waterproof liner to “fall out” from the back if you carry the jacket from the neck.
Armor. WOW, there is a lot of it. Any other gear I have ever worn has had the standard stuff: back protector, shoulder, elbows. This thing has all that PLUS upper arm and some SERIOUS chest armor, which may take some getting used to. Its more rigid than the other armor and as such, restricts movement somewhat. The chest armor may have a hidden benefit beyond the obvious safety benefit….(cold) wind protection due to what seems to be a layer of hard plastic in between two layers of foam.
Overall, I am very pleased with the jacket - fit and finish are quite good. The next hurdle is to find some pants to wear with it for commuting, that will not completely wrinkle / ruin my suit pants but will keep me warm / dry. End of report. Just my .02 euros worth - change gladly accepted.
Brad Bauer December 3, 2002