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Tour Master and Cortech
Apparel
I finally learned the difference between
these two brand names. Tour Master
(didn't it used to be "Tour Master"?)
clothing is designed for -- you guessed it
-- motorcycle touring, while the Cortech
brand is aimed at the Sportbike crowd.
Sounds logical in theory, but I'm not sure
about practice.
For example, the Pivot 2
jacket below sure looks to me like it would
be popular with Sportbike owners, but it's
branded as a Tour Master product.
Maybe they should dump one or the other of
the names and focus their marketing
attention on a single brand? Marketing
strategies of motorcycle firms continue to
puzzle me...
Nevertheless, We've been
fans of Tour Master apparel since way back
in the beginning days of webBikeWorld, over
7 years ago. Their products represent
a real value; maybe not the highest-tech
gear on the market, but usually an excellent
value for honest, straightforward clothing
that works.
The
Tour Master overpants are still one of
my all-time favorite riding pants and I
often wear them when we're evaluating a
product and I need something quick and easy
to throw over a pair of jeans. They've
provided years of abuse with no problems in
all that time.
And, we named the
Tour Master Advanced jacket as one of
our
Best Motorcycle Products for 2005,
because of its features and price. So
we're always on the lookout for new Tour
Master gear, and their lineup for 2007 is
huge, with multiple offerings in every
category from mesh to textile to leather and
even denim.
Here's my favorite, the
Pivot 2 jacket. It looks great; it's
an upgrade to the original Pivot jacket.
Tour Master's marketing blurb says that it's
made from 600-denier Carbolex with a
600-denier ballistic polyester shell.
It has a (claimed) waterproof and breathable
"Rainguard" liner and claimed waterproof
zippered shoulder vents.
The rear vent should provide
decent ventilation. The three-position
shoulder vent (can be seen in the photo
below) allows various levels of air to flow
through. It also has "Phoslite" reflective
piping and includes CE-approved armor in the
elbows and shoulders with an articulated
triple-density back protector.
It also has a removable
insulating liner and a zipper attachment for
Tour Master pants. The suggested
retail price is $149.99 and it comes in
Black, Silver and Yellow Sizes in sizes XS
to XXXL. Size 4XL is available in
Black only and they have an expanded size
selection with men's Tall sizes in M through
XXXL in Black only. I think I'll see
if we can pair one of these up with some of
their Venture Air pants for a review.
The Tour Master Flex jacket
(below) converts from a textile to mesh with
the big removable front panels, similar to
the
Teknic Sprint jacket we reviewed last
year.
It also has removable
CE-approved armor in the elbows and
shoulders with the same articulated "Triple
Density" back protector. The Flex has
a removable "Aqua-Therm" waterproof liner
and a second insulating removable liner.
Includes a jacket-to-pant zipper attachment.
Available in Black, Red and Silver in Men's
sizes XS to 4XL and women's sizes XS to XL.
The Tour Master lineup
includes some very nice-looking women's
motorcycle clothing, and this Indigo
Ladies' Denim Jacket looks good enough to
wear off the bike too. It's designed,
patterned and styled specifically for women
of 13.5-ounce denim.
It has pre-curved and
rotated sleeves, a Mandarin collar lined
with soft microfiber and zippered sleeve and
rear exit vents, rare on denim jackets.
The front of the jacket also includes a wind
flap.
And, it also includes
removable, CE-approved armor in the elbows
and shoulders and it also has an articulated
triple-density back protector. Quite
something for a denim jacket!
The Indigo Ladies' Denim
Jacket includes a removable quilted liner,
featuring iridescent taffeta, a zippered
chest map pocket, hand-warmer pockets,
internal mobile-phone pocket and
dual-zippered fanny pack. And believe
it or not, it even has a jacket-to-pants
zipper attachment! Sizes are Ladies XS
to XL plus short, petite and long. A
steal at only $109.99 list!
Here's the Cortech press photo of the Indigo
jacket.
Check this out (below): The
Cortech LNX Women's Leather Jacket,
constructed with a combination of perforated
and non perforated leather (1.2 to 1.3mm).
Includes removable CE-approved shoulder and
elbow armor and back protector. Full
circumference and 8" jacket/pant attachment
zippers.
Removable insulated liner,
features 100gm Poly fill insulation in the
body and 50 gm in the removable liner
sleeves. Zippered hand pockets feature
a mesh liner and double as vents.
Large rear exhaust vent with
two way zipper. Two vertical hip
zippers for personalized fit.
Accordion style expansion panels at the
shoulder and waist for increased flexibility
and fit. Rotated sleeves for comfort
and performance in the riding position.
Also includes reflective 3M Scotchlite
piping in back. Available in this
beautiful Leopard/White, Blue/White,
Pink/White in Ladies sizes: XS - Plus L.
We'll definitely get one of these for a
review!
And finally (at least all I
had time for) is the Cortech LRX Ladies
Sport jacket (below). Made from 400
Denier Nylon with 1680 Denier Ballistic
Polyester. Includes a "Rainguard"
waterproof/breathable liner, a Mandarin
style collar with microfiber trim and
zippered shoulder, sleeve and rear exit
vents for flow-through ventilation.
Removable, CE-approved armor
in the elbows and shoulders with an
articulated Triple Density back protector.
Also has a removable liner. Includes a
jacket/pant zipper attachment with the pant
side included. Available in Black, White,
Light Blue, Pink and Silver in women's sizes
XS - XL and short and long.
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