Tourmaster jacket

[Harnic]

Greetings gang! When I bought my 2012 FJR last July, I also bought 2 Tourmaster Transitions 3 Hi-Viz jackets. My wife has used hers little yet, but mine has seen 10,000 kms so far with more than that anticipated this summer. It's a fantastic riding jacket in cold & moderate temperatures, a bit warm even with all the vents open when the temps go above 30° C. I got the first heavy rain test in a thunderstorm coming home from Vernon (about 20km) last night. I got wet! The arms & shoulders leaked a bit. It was raining a LOT & HARD, but the ride is only about 15 mins. Anyone else using Tourmaster textile jackets? I wrote the company this morning after reading some of the more recent reviews online. It seems I'm not alone with the leaking issue. What do you folks use for rainwear? I bought these jackets because they claim to be very waterproof!

 

[Riona]

I have a tour master Motive textile jacket which I love, but I never expect it to be water-proof in more than a light shower. I carry a tour master Sentinel rain jacket and pants in my luggage that is sized to fit over my Motive jacket and leather riding pants. The Sentinel is high-viz yellow (why do companies even make black rain gear ? If its raining, I want to be SEEN !). Tested out a few weekends ago in a storm over snoqualmie pass, kept me warm and dry.

 

[Riona]

I have a tour master Motive textile jacket which I love, but I never expect it to be water-proof in more than a light shower. I carry a tour master Sentinel rain jacket and pants in my luggage that is sized to fit over my Motive jacket and leather riding pants. The Sentinel is high-viz yellow (why do companies even make black rain gear ? If its raining, I want to be SEEN !). Tested out a few weekends ago in a storm over snoqualmie pass, kept me warm and dry.

Review here:

https://www.ridermagazine.com/gear/tour-master-sentinel-rainsuit-jacket-and-pants-review.htm/

 

[Ignacio]

I bought these jackets because they claim to be very waterproof!

There's no such thing as "very waterproof". Things are either waterproof or not....and no motorcycle jacket is waterproof...and I doubt Tourmaster even claims that. They're just levels of water resistant.

Aerostich here and fairly water resistant....at least for a dozen hours of constant rain I stay pretty dry.

 

[Patriot]

for winter & cold bad weather, I love my Tourmaster Epic 3/4 jacket with built in hood in collar

& caliper pants...all waterPROOF as far as the monsoons I've ridden in here in the deep south

I can't recommend more highly

 

[DennisJ]

" Water resistant" is all I expect. NikWax helps increase the resistance. My Transition II hasn't leaked yet in several years (bought in 2010) and I make sure to give it a good treatment with NikWax every fall. I am surprised to hear your Transistion III let you down.

 

[Graham Downunder]

Well I bought a Tourmaster Flex 3 jacket when in the USA Back home in Australia it has been a jacket I cannot say I like . I road around for about four hours in the rain that confirmed it as useless . It filed up with water My feet were dry but my shirt was wet . I find it too warm even without the liner in it most days. I have gone back to what has worked for me in the past few years my leather jacket ( $ 300 ) and a truck drivers rain jacket ( cost $50 ) for the rain . Lots of my mates have copied me because it works ! This has proven to work even in 8 hours of rain . I have had one set of textile pants two textile jackets and all have have proven to be a waste of money . I have a set of vented leather pants ( $300 ) and some pull over plastic pants ( $35 ) that are cooler in the heat and dryer than textiles . One thing about the rain jacket I like is I have used it in the dry over the leather jacket on long days ( 17 hours ) ride because of the amount of bugs and you simple take if of, put it in the washing machine to remove all the road grime and bugs ,simple . Sorry to say the textiles I have used are joke , I remember riding with Bellstaff waxed gear 35 years ago that worked.

 

[user 28803]

I carry Frogg Toggs to throw on over top of my gear if I'm looking at heavy rain.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

I bought these jackets because they claim to be very waterproof!

There's no such thing as "very waterproof". Things are either waterproof or not....and no motorcycle jacket is waterproof...and I doubt Tourmaster even claims that. They're just levels of water resistant.
Aerostich here and fairly water resistant....at least for a dozen hours of constant rain I stay pretty dry.

This ^ makes perfect sense. Some work better than others obviously. Usually, the cost and the quality are directly related. Not always, but usually.
I have the Transition Series 3 and love it. Is it perfect? Of course not. It has never leaked yet, and I have ridden in the rain a pretty good bit. The only time any noticeable water got inside it was around the wrist cuffs after 6 hours of rain and 46 degree F weather. That was more a function of the wrong gloves I think.

Regarding ventilation, no two riders agree on "cool" or "hot". If you want a good example of this, give your co-workers access to the office thermostat and watch them fight.

 

[wfooshee]

Mesh gear here in the Deep South, so no hope of water resistance without a rain suit. I use the Tour Master Defender. I had a Sentinel, and the pants sucked for some reason; I ALWAYS got soaked. The jacket was great!

Actually, I'm still using the jacket, the Defender jacket fell across my pipe one day and burned a hole in the sleeve. The pants are working great, though. I've never been wet in the Defender suit.

 

[Harnic]

Thanks for all the quick replies!

One of the reasons I bought these Transition 3 jackets is BECAUSE they were advertized as waterPROOF. Mine is very comfortable, even in cold weather, but living in BC & riding in the rain have to go together in the same sentence. I don't like to wear motorcycle rain pants as I over-heat in them so I bought a pair of Dakota waterproof, breathable, ripstop rain pants at Mark's. They are waterproof & quite comfortable. I'd buy the matching jacket as well, but they don't offer it in Hi-Viz, & I won't ride rain or shine without being an eyesore! I guess I'll experiment with the myriad of waterproofing concoctions & see which one seals this jacket up best. I won't buy another Transition 3 that's for sure!

 

[Redfish Hunter]

OK, I got a follow up report.

I just took a 40 mile "clear my head" ride. Of course, it started raining. I was (I thought) well prepared. Once I reached the turnaround point I put on my Tourmaster Sentinel pants. I already had on the Tourmaster Water Proof boots. I zipped up and closed all the vents on the Tourmaster Transition3. I had forgotten the damned brand new pair of waterproof gloves at home. I am typing this with black leather dye stained fingers...

As I rode into the storm I remembered this thread. I chuckled to myself thinking of the wording for my follow-up post. At 75 mph on I-10 headed into the storm I felt fully confident in my gear and my bike. Then, the unthinkable! I felt the cold water soaking my left shoulder. What? How could this be? I had zipped and velcroed and it had always worked before. Dammit!

I got home, removed all the gear and performed my inspection. I found that the very top little bit of the Velcro closure was askew. But surely the waterproof zipper would still protect me? On closer inspection the zipper had 3/8 of an inch of travel left before full closure. I can only conclude that with the small opening of the zipper and the outer material still acting as a wind funnel, enough water passed into that hole to soak my shirt and piss me off. I was doing 75 mph and there was about a 20 mph headwind heading into the storm.

To summarize, I really believe my water leak was due to my own stupidity. That is not to say that is everyone's problem, but I know that is what happened to me.

 

[kamal]

I carry Frogg Toggs to throw on over top of my gear if I'm looking at heavy rain.

+1

One of my best purchases. Light, windproof and don't leak.

 

[Ignacio]

I carry Frogg Toggs to throw on over top of my gear if I'm looking at heavy rain.

+1

One of my best purchases. Light, windproof and don't leak.

2 or 3 riders in the 2007 Iron Butt Rally wore these additional garments over the top of whatever they had (often Aerostiches) and they all still got wet. 36 hours straight rain from St. Louis to Maine certainly isn't your average rain event, but they still aren't "waterproof".

 

[Redfish Hunter]

I used FroggToggs while fishing in the summer. They were fine for normal rain in warm weather. They were NOT good enough for torrential storms that last for hours. I could not rely on them for Redfish Tournaments in extreme conditions. They may have improved their products and I hope they have. I do not see myself spending money on them again. Certainly not for motorcycle use.

 

[user 28803]

I haven't tried to rely on my Frogg Toggs for long-lasting and/or really heavy rain. Guessing by the feel of the material I doubt they'd keep the rain out indefinitely. I do have a liner for my pants that is "rain proof" and it has worked the couple of times I've used it. But the liner is a pain; or at least more trouble than Frogg Toggs, lol. I'll deal with what I have until I get caught and get good and wet. Then I guess I'll go shopping.

 

[bradman]

I really like Tourmaster products, including the air intake stuff for the Summer. It lasts a long time. I put it second to Aerostich. IMHO

 

[Harnic]

Tourmaster as well as every online company I've seen claims the Transitions 3 is WATERPROOF in their advertising. That's what I read & that's what I expected when I bought these. Had I known the truth, I'd have bought Frogg Toggs & worn it over my favorite denim jacket, which is what I'm leaning towards now. I wrote Frogg Toggs this morning & I now have it in writing from them that any of their Toadz series jackets are WATERPROOF & would be appropriate for riding a bike in the rain. Looks like the Transitions 3 has earned a spot in the old coat rack out in my workshop. It should be fine for working out on the tractor in crap weather!

 

[Ignacio]

Tourmaster as well as every online company I've seen claims the Transitions 3 is WATERPROOF in their advertising. That's what I read & that's what I expected when I bought these. Had I known the truth, I'd have bought Frogg Toggs & worn it over my favorite denim jacket, which is what I'm leaning towards now. I wrote Frogg Toggs this morning & I now have it in writing from them that any of their Toadz series jackets are WATERPROOF & would be appropriate for riding a bike in the rain.

You do realize that the material and seams may be waterproof, but that most motorcyclists get wet because of the two small holes, a big hole, and a giant hole in the jacket that aren't waterproof? This is true for tourmaster, Frogg Toggs, and every other motorcycle jacket out there.

Many motorcyclists think incorrectly that a jacket material is leaking when, in fact, water is getting in at the wrists because of glove coverage, down the neck depending on how you scrunch with a helmet on in a continued rain, or by the belly usually because of something not secured correctly.

My definition of waterproof is more like that of a DUI dry suit and KNOW these things are the only clothing that are truly "waterproof" because of the seals.