Aw, I went and did it...

Last year when I went to Vintage Days at Mid-Ohio I was wearing my old Fieldsheer Jacket and pants. It's good stuff and I'd recommend it. The jacket was getting a little old but more importantly, the stuff just didn't fit. It was too big when I bought it, and I've slimmed down quite a bit since then. I looked like an Imperial Storm Trooper's young son trying his jacket and pants on. The pants were so big it was difficult to walk around in them. I have a history of buying thing just because they are inexpensive. Although this was not necessarily the case with the Fieldsheer stuff. Buying things based strictly on price is a bad thing and I'm doing much better at recognizing the issue when it comes up. While at Mid-Ohio I got a sweet deal on a new Tourmaster Transition 3.0 jacket. It's fantastic. Not just because I got a sweet deal or because it's a new model that's got ten plus years on my Fieldsheer. Because it fits. Fit is pretty damn important. I may do a review of the Tourmaster after I put some more miles on it. I say may because...well I'm getting ahead of myself. After I bought the Transition I had no need for the Storm Trooper outfit so I sold that to a buddy who is more size-appropriate to the garment. (How's that for diplomatic?) So I've been working some OT and had a few bucks to spend. So after buying the Missus something she's been harping asking politely about getting for a while now, I decided to get some new gear. So I have a jacket, (a couple really) now I need pants. Tourmaster doesn't have Transition pants. Well, not overpants that have that name. I'm guessing I won't bother wearing the pants for commuting anyway if it's at all inconvenient. I wanted something for commuting and taking trips. Pretty much the same as why I bought the bike. I don't have time for leisure rides. I need to spend my leisure time with the family. No, I want to spend my leisure time with the family. I digress.

I started my pants search with Tourmaster and Fieldsheer but looked at some other stuff. Checked the VFR forum, the big catalog houses, etc... I get the Aerostitch catalog every year. I love it. If you ride a motorcycle, you need one. Even if you never buy anything it's a fantastic catalog. You really should buy something however, printing catalogs ain't free. So I took a look at the Aerostitch pants. They have a few options; the top of the line stuff is made in the U.S. I checked eBay for used stuff and there were a few that were close in size. DING, DING,  red flag! Close in size, dumbass. Oh, yeah. Stop buying stuff that doesn't fit just 'cause it's cheap. O.K. maybe that's a bit harsh but you get the idea. So I took a step back and decided to take a close look at the good stuff and ask myself a few questions. Why do I want pants? Too keep my balls warm and dry mostly. Hmmm....well I guess chaps are out of the question. So I dug out the Aerostitch catalog and started looking. I gotta say, I've always thought I'd like to own one of their one-piece Roadcrafter suits. I figured I'd either bite the bullet and spend the money or just assume they are for the wealthy BMW guys. In the catalog I read "This is the original, classic design for everyday, any-distance commuting and touring." Well, that's pretty much what I just described my riding is. But, "I'll look like a goddamned Power Ranger", I thought. Then I remembered the guys I saw gearing up when I was leaving work on Saturday. Three guys, three Harley's. Two bandannas and a pair of chaps. That's not all they were wearing, thank God. I'm not going to go off on a diatribe about fashion versus practicality in this post. I've made it clear how I feel about chaps. So I'm thinking these guys are going to judge me? No offence but, fuck 'em. Maybe I will look ridiculous but that's subjective. This thing will protect me. It's got reflective bits so the dumb fuck in the cage who's sending a text might be a little distracted by the flash of light and decide to watch where he/she is going. It's got padding for the crash. It's got abrasion resistance for the crash. It's warm and waterproof to keep my balls warm and dry. It's bright-ass red so I'll look like a Power Ranger.

 Oh, and it was on sale. I hope it fits.