Bytown Motorcycle Assoc - Review #5

TekVest is letting the BMA take their Off-Road Rally vest for a long-term product review. We're going to see to it that the vest takes a serious beating over the riding season. We will have updates as to how the vest is holding up, what we love, what we like and what we would want improved. Other riders with TekVests will also weigh in. Here my initial thoughts...

I beat the TekVest like it stole something. It's not pretty. After four rides, one in the pouring rain, I have not washed the vest and I have done zero maintenance. My goal this season is to treat the vest badly, every single ride. The only "care" I offer the vest is to remove it from my wretched, dank gear bag the day after a ride and hang it up so it can air out.

In the last issue I talked about the features of the vest -- all of which I thought were well designed. I am happy to report that there have been no failures. All of the zippered pockets have worked well, the snap for the "backpack" or hydration pocket has not failed and the Velcro on the shoulder pads has stayed together without a problem.

During rides, I yank the zippers open with one hand to access stale snacks and a cloth to dry my goggles. I also close the zippers with one hand, which makes accessing the pockets convenient.

I've taken the vest on nasty, gnarly, all-day single track rides and also on a dual-sport weekend. It performed admirably in both environments.

The question I get most often when wearing the vest is: "Is it hot?". Halfway though my first ride, I would have said yes but I was given a tip from another rider during that ride on how to get better airflow. He told me that if I unzip the front zipper 3/4 of the way down it would greatly increase the airflow. He was right. The moving air was pumped into my torso around and around my rib cage and into my back. I found that if I moved my torso slightly when my speed was up I could control the way the air circulated around my body and I could really get a nice breeze.

I have crash tested the vest once (a simple tip over on an off-camber hill). I lost power on my way up and landed on my back with the bike on top of me. I didn't feel a thing and was most concerned that I had popped my Camelbak bladder. However, all components of the vest were fine.

Other riders in the club have used TekVest for many years. They want to comment on their experiences so in the next few issues I will add what they have to say to my ongoing commentary.

Bytown Motorcycle Assocation website