I'm happy to welcome Tim back with one of his Back in the Saddle posts, a series of stories and reviews about his experiences as a returning motorcycle rider!
Those who follow my blog posts know that I try to ride with “All The Gear All The Time” (ATGATT), and now I’m all geared up. Back in July 2015, I reviewed the Pilot Motorsport Visto Air riding Jacket and the Super Mesh Pilot gloves. This is a review of the matching Pilot Omni Air Mesh Over Pants.
Pilot Motorsports manufactures a variety of protective garments for street riders and motorcycle racers. They supply a number of pro racers as well as OEMs such as Suzuki.
The Omni Air pants are well-made, protective motorcycle pants for spring, summer, and fall. The pants’ construction consists of two ballistic nylon polyester fabrics (NPF). The first is a 210-denier mesh fabric that covers the bulk of the garment. The second is a 600D fabric used in areas most likely to take a direct impact. Pilot brands their fabric as Pilotex® and Pilotex® Mesh
The first sign of the durability of the pants is the 4 lb. weight. These are solidly constructed pants made of first-rate, abrasion-resistant fabric.
The impact areas, hips, knees:
The pants come with microcellular CE approved armor at the knees. The armor sits in an adjustable pocket with three positions. This allows you to position the armor correctly based on your inseam.
The armor at the hips is a basic closed cell foam pad that offers minimal protection. I opted to purchase the optional Core 2® CE rated hip armor for $30. You might also choose third-party hip armor, in which case I recommend Forcefield CE approved replacement armor at about $40.
Pilot layers all impact areas with 600D Pilotex NPF for extra abrasion resistance. Seams are double and triple stitched for durability, a feature left out of many garments at this price point. The 600D fabric is at the knees, hips and from waist to thigh across the seat. It is hard to imagine better protection in a mesh pant at this price, I certainly feel comfortable riding in them.
Comfort and airflow:
The Omni over pants are heavy (about 5lbs) but they flow a ton of air to keep you cool. Riders usually wear the pants over a pair of jeans, or in my case a pair of Carhartt® Duck Work Dungarees. On those extra hot days I wear the pants over a pair of shorts, this exposes the skin directly to the cooling airflow. The only time the pants get hot is at stoplights as the black fabric absorbs the heat of the sun. My lack of hips led me to buy a pair of suspenders to hold the pants at my waist. The suspenders shown in the picture, Hold-Up® suspenders are made right here in metro Detroit and are available at Amazon.
Conclusion:
Those riders who want a quality, pair of motorcycle riding over pants at a fantastic price, can’t do any better than Pilot’s Omni Air Over Pant. The pants are a solid compromise between protection and comfort, with a spotlight on protection.
Pros:
- CE Armor
- Bang for the buck
- Solid construction
- Quality company
Cons:
- I would love it if they made them in white or light grey for sun reflectivity and style. Are you listening Pilot?
© Tim Marks 2016 All rights reserved
Comments