I’ve had a few motorcycles. Each type of bike dictates a corresponding wardrobe, and my wardrobe is full. I have the two-piece leather, the one-piece race suit, the adventure suit, the armoured jeans and many jackets.
When the going gets hot
I feel well-trained in remaining calm when overheating in temperatures approaching 30º C. This while wearing a full leather race suit, gloves boot and helmet. With that said I tend to dress casually when riding an adventure bike. I like to walk into a cafe or restaurant when touring without looking like I’m crossing the wilds of Africa.
The current choice of armoured clothing has never been greater. You would be hard-pressed to spot that any particular garment isn’t straight out of a high-street fashion outlet. And I do shop, often. So much so that many of the leathers, suits and jackets as mentioned earlier are hung in the garage untouched. However, despite my numerous purchases, there was one omission, the armoured shirt.
I have been considering a jacketless shirt option since the 2019 Alps tour. The trip was on the back of a European heatwave. I documented the heat extensively. Readers of the book Are We Doing the Stelvio Today? will recall the exhaustion we felt on the way to Grenoble. One of the other groups that travelled out to Geneva had an armoured shirt and it was the first time I’d seen one. My full adventure suit had me melting inside despite all the ventilation options.
Knox Urbane Pro Mk3
After consideration, I finally settled on the Knox Urbane Pro Mk3 in black. I had very nearly gone for the Silver Chainmail having also briefly considered the Black/Copper option. I’ve since been told that the black looks slimming so I’ll take that as a win.
Despite buying the shirt in July of last year after the WAW trip there wasn’t a great deal of need to wear it. Most trips out required the ‘big coat’ from the off. It’s only now, almost a year later, that it gets worn for the second time. The first time it was put on was to make sure that it did fit. On the subject of fit, they improved from the Urbane Pro Mk2 to have a more forgiving fit. I’ll take that at face value as the only other shirt I tried was a Mk2 that was one size too small, and while these are supposed to be slightly snug. The garment I tried was way too small.
I’m not going to list all the features as you can read them from the official website. Needless to say, there are plenty of pockets inside and out. There is even a visor wipe on a piece of elastic in the outer pocket of the Urbane Pro.
Practical use
I threw a hoodie into the pannier should I want to layer up with a standard t-shirt under the Urbane Pro before setting off with the dash reading 17ºC. It felt perfectly pleasant on what was a typical UK spring/summer day. As I pulled onto the motorway I felt a lot more air going through the perforated shirt but at a comfortable level and the sun was still shining.
Thirty minutes later it clouded over and the temperature dropped a couple of degrees to 15ºC. If I wasn’t on the motorway then that might have been my limit and would have had me pull over and layer up. As it was I was almost at my first stop and things were brightening up, especially without the wind chill of being at speed on the motorway.
Layering up
For the rest of the day, I hardly gave it a thought. I would have been removing and replacing my jacket throughout the day during stops. No need with the Urbane Pro. It was only later in the day when the weather broke and the first few specks of rain started to fall. Luckily it wasn’t too heavy at first and gave me the chance to pull over in a sheltered location and whip out the BMW Motorrad Rainlock jacket that I ALWAYS carry on the bike in its small carry pouch. By this time the rain was quite heavy. I, however, was not only dry but enjoying the comfort and mobility that the Urbane Pro shirt/rainlock jacket combo provided. Normally when the Rainlock goes over a normal jacket I do feel slightly restricted.
I rode through the rain that while initially heavy petered out to the occasional light shower. Soon all the rain was gone and the sun was out again. I was comfortable enough to leave the Rainlock on but I took the opportunity to take it off during a comfort break and in doing so was reminded of how light and airy it feels with just the Urbane Pro on. It almost gives you that naughty feel as if riding with no safety gear on.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I am really happy with the Knox Urbane Pro Mk3. It’s going to be my new go-to base with all the options to layer up with light jackets and waterproof layers that can easily be stowed. I can walk into that bar or cafe and no one would know I’ve just jumped off a motorcycle. I’d wholly recommend you check one out.
