Teknic Spider Review Part 2 - Spider vs. Polar Bear |
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The Teknic Spider Jacket is a versatile 3 (maybe 4) season textile jacket from Teknic’s 2004 lineup of motorcycle gear and is one serious motorcycle jacket. I hope you enjoy Part 2 of this review as much as I
did experiencing it. This part of the review was first published in my
newsletter. I got an email about a Polar Bear Run that was taking place on New Year’s Day, and I immediately made plans to participate. The Knights for Christ chapter of the Christian Motorcyclists Association sponsored this ride. I couldn't find any of my usual riding buddies that were willing to get out in the cold, so I decided to brave it myself. As it turned out, the weather wasn’t the most challenging that I had ever seen on New Year’s Day, even for here in Middle Tennessee. Here are the environmental particulars for this showdown:
The ride took place about 50 miles from where I live, so I ended up taking a ride of about 165 miles including the run itself. The first leg was probably the coldest. I started out in 45-degree air heading north into the wind. I had the Teknic Spider in winter mode with the tall neoprene collar fastened snugly with the Velcro fastener. Just to give it a better test, I didn’t wear a thick shirt underneath, just a couple of t-shirt weight layers. I could tell right away that the Polar Bear Run was going to be no match for the Teknic Spider. I arrived at the meeting place still comfortable. I would normally end up wearing a polar fleece pullover under my leather jacket to keep out the drafts in weather like this because that jacket has a low collar. The fleece pullover makes my leather jacket uncomfortably tight, but the Teknic Spider was comfortable as well as warm. Score - Spider: 1 Polar Bear: 0
Round 2 I arrived at the meeting place on time and got registered. The relatively good weather brought out a group of about 116 riders and passengers. I fell in with a group close to the front because the ride was going over some roads that I had never ridden before. Again, with the weather now pushing 50 deg, the Teknic Spider handled it great. I stayed comfortable. I’ve found over the years that having the right gear really makes anything your doing much more enjoyable. I saw guys with everything from hooded sweatshirts under denim jackets to other nice looking textile jackets. The Spider really stood out from the crowd. One reason for that was that it’s new and it’s bright blue. In a sea of black leather, you’re bound to stand out! Score - Spider: 2 Polar Bear: 0
Round 3 The trip home was relaxing, and I was really glad that I found out about the ride. They say that whatever you do on New Year’s Day you’ll do all year. I sure hope so! I don’t take the old Vulcan to supersonic speeds, but even at 70 or so there was no flapping, etc. going on with the Teknic Spider jacket. The adjustments on the arms and waist make it easy to customize the fit. Therefore, I’d suggest to anyone shopping for a Spider to go for the larger size if there’s any doubt after measuring. For one thing, you can add layers easily if you need to, and if it’s a bit large, you can cinch up all the adjustment tabs to take up the slack. It was just a relaxing ride home on New Year’s Day thanks to the Teknic Spider. Score - Spider 3 Polar Bear: 0
The knockout punch During the third week in January, we had some reasonably cold weather, so I did get to ride to work one day. It was about 35 deg and sunny when I left home at about 7 am. There was relatively little wind. A seventeen-mile trip is not a severe weather test, but compared to my old gear there was no question what I’ll be wearing on my cold weather trips. I give a lot of the credit for warmth to the high neoprene collar that keeps out all the drafts. By the time I got to work, my legs were beginning to feel like needles were sticking in them despite the Joe Rocket over pants, but my upper body stayed comfortable. We have a winner! - The Teknic Spider gets a KO! I have to mention my KBC VR-1 helmet also. It also performed well in the cold, which surprised me because it is fairly good at moving air and keeping my head cool in the summer. With
the rear vents closed it’s a good cold weather performer as well. I get
a lot of air rushing up at my face from under the Slip Streamer
windscreen on my Vulcan. The VR-1’s chin bar design combined with the
Teknic Spider’s tall collar virtually eliminated problems in this area. < Back to Part 1
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