Zane recently received a new riding gear kit from Link International and after spending the past few days splashing through the rain in it, and cutting laps on track, this is what he thought...
Recently, I completed a two day ride through non stop rain. This was the perfect opportunity to put my new gear, supplied by Link International, through a series of extreme tests. From cold weather to 200km/h speeds on the track, most of the gear held up quite well.
The new gear battled through the rain, hail and not much shine over the two days taking on the terrible weather.
Macna Imbuz First Impressions
I have been wearing the Macna Imbuz every chance I get, one of my favourite features is the fact that it’s extremely bright and easy to see. I find this to be a necessity to not only suit my eccentric style, but being a perfect choice for roads infested with drivers who don’t know how to look both ways when leaving an intersection or a driveway.
After 7 hours of riding in the rain, the jacket did manage to keep me relatively dry. My arms and torso remained free of water, but I did find the rain trickling down the back of the jacket and into my shirt. I kept my brand new phone in my front pocket as there was some waterproof lining in there. Unfortunately, this meant that when the water did get into my pocket, it stayed there, leaving me to pull out a slightly damp and expensive phone!
The front pockets may have a waterproof lining but they aren’t completely safe from the extreme elements.
If you’re silly enough to not button down the hood before leaving, then you can expect the wind to catch it, this will choke you when the wind catches it. If you do remember to secure it then there is absolutely no chance of it being unbuttoned accidentally.
As the rain began to kick up even more, I was freezing in the jacket. It was sitting around the 13-16 degrees range all day, so it wasn’t exactly Arctic temperatures. I ended up having to stop and put a jumper on underneath to retain some heat.
Check out all our gear tests and reviews here…
I’m not ready to give up on the Imbuz just yet as it was quite comfortable and warm when it wasn’t damp. It’s a jacket for a normal Spring or Autumn day where the weather isn’t too hot but doesn’t leave you shivering since it’s a light and stylish choice.
Macna Imbuz Jacket
Featuring a strong 500D (denier) Polyester outer shell with a detachable Raintex waterproof membrane, the Imbuz also has a Hoody holder and air vents front and back. You can trust the build quality and safety of the Imbuz with its Shoulder Safetech CE level 2 and Elbow Safetech level 1 protectors and a CE back protector prepared pocket fitted with a 12mm EVA foam pack pad.
Further features include Zipgrip Straps on the waist and cuffs, a coat hanger loop and an Easy Cuff which ensures easy removal of the mesh liner. Available in bright blue with fluoro yellow highlights or green/black with fluoro yellow highlights, the Imbuz jacket retails for $349.95 RRP.
The Individi jeans held up well in the rain and cold weather despite not being typical winter riding gear.
Macna Individi Jeans first impressions
When it came to the Macna Individi jeans I was extremely delighted with how they performed in the rain. Despite the fact that they have no sort of protection from the wet, it didn’t feel like my legs were going to freeze off when riding through heavy downpour. Combine this with the fact that they are a slim style of jeans and you have yourself a great choice for the road.
The Invdividi jeans have some seriously tough but invisible knee and shin Aramid reinforcements, which have a similar feeling to motocross pants with inbuilt protection. Having the invisible protection is great for being able to ride to a causal dinner or lunch and not look like you’ve just hopped off a motorcycle after a long ride or commute.
Supreme knee and shin protection blended in well with the style of the jeans, allowing for an easy fit.
After wearing plenty of different branded riding jeans, the Invdividi jeans have (so-far) taken the crown as my favourite thanks to the camouflaged protection setup, stretchable material and a having a great fit straight out of the store without needing to break in or stretch the denim.
Macna Individi Tech Talk
The Macna Individi are a slim fit pair of jeans with a bike touch. The stretch accordion panels around the knees and backside add comfort and give the jeans a rugged look. The Individi are designed to blend in with normal clothing and will look great on and off the bike.
Topped off with Aramid reinforcements with Safe Tech CE protection at the knee and a CE hip protector. The Individi have a bunch of features to keep you safe in the event of an accident, you can pick them up for an RRP of $299.95 RRP in sizes 30-42.
The AGV K3 is a great, affordable choice for road and track riding, with its comfortable fit and light wind-noise.
AGV K3 S-V First impressions
After wearing the K3 S-V for the past few weeks, it became apparent that it is one of the better mid to low range helmets on the market right now. While it’s no carbon-fibre lid with a massive price tag, AGV have managed to keep the weight down nicely and the protection to a maximum.
In the wet, the helmet didn’t let any rain in at all, not even with the five large vents open for airflow. The genuine AGV optioned Iridium visor did have fogging issues, as do just about every visor in the rain, but it was nothing that couldn’t be fixed by popping the visor a touch. Allowing a little more airflow in by not completely shutting the visor did require a little bit of a balancing act as the lowest position it would click into was too high. The Pinlock I run on the clear sorts fogging there.
Speeds in excess of 200km/h were no issue for the stand-out K3 S-V, despite riding a bike without a windshield.
Wind-noise was nothing extreme, even while riding a bike with no windshield at 200km/h on the track. There was plenty of visibility in the tucked position which is an area that a lot of helmets tend to fall short in, overall a great track day lid.
The easily clickable strap made for quick removal and a comfortable fit. Along with this was a great padding system that worked well with my glasses, AGV didn’t advertise this as one of the features like a lot of brands do, but the helmet didn’t press my glasses into the side of my head at all. Overall a very comfortable helmet to wear on and off the track and it looks great too in SV Bubble.
AGV K3 S-V Helmet Tech Talk
AGV’s K-3 S-V helmet has been developed using their Finite Element Analysis technique in order to maximise comfort, aerodynamics and safety, both for racers and for road riders looking for performance and comfort. A special ventilation system also provides optimal airflow with the XQRS visor mechanism making visor swaps effortless.
Also featured is a removable sun visor, breath deflector and chin strap protection, with removable liners and a quick release helmet retention system. Available in sizes XS-XL, the “Bubble” design I have has an RPP of $369 RRP. Along with the GT4 Iridium Blue visor with an RRP of $129 and the fog resistant Pinlock 70 lens with an RRP of $59.
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