AEROSTICH COUSIN JEREMY SUIT

Page 28 BACKROADS • FEBRUARY 2022 While written by a woman about women, this book is not just for women. Men may take away inspiration and learn a thing or two as well. In addition, while motorcycles are the catalyst for the stories, you can substitute any form of transportation or activity as the lessons are meant to develop your passion, skills and experiences to build a better you. Available on Amazon

Self-description: Alisa Clickenger began riding in 1995 after having a dream where she was saved by riding a motorcycle. She woke up determined to make that dream a reality and has passionately pursued it ever since. Through motorcycling, Alisa found self-con dence, her life partner, and purpose in life. Getting Started Riding Motorcycles will walk you through the steps, from the initial thought you may like to learn to ride, how to go about it the right way, pros (not many) and cons (a ton) to the right motorcycle, gear and further on down the road: a week, a month, a year and longer. Chapters range from ‘grocery store to long-distance travel’ to ‘three-wheel training’ to ‘organized motorcycle tours’ and ‘bike mechanics 101’. Interspersed in the chapters are question/answer segments from women riders from one to fty years of experience and adventures and all walks of life. They tell why they ride, what inspired them and some of the most important lessons learned through motorcycles. Not speci c to women, the freedom and exhilaration achieved from riding motorcycles is a common theme. And, also not speci c to women, the con dence gained as the experience level rises directly relates to the con dence one acquires in all forms of their lives. Alisa has been riding for over 25 years, all over the planet on her own. She developed Women’s Motorcycle Tours which operates tour and events worldwide as well as producing the Women’s Motorcycle Conferences. Her experiences and knowledge, as well as all the women who appear in this book, will help anyone looking to get into the wonderful world of motorcycling or develop their already existing passion and bring it to new levels. It is a perfect companion book to ‘Boost your Con dence through Motorcycling’ her rst book. Both available on Amazon.

Almost from the beginning of my riding career, once I determined what that career would be, I’ve been swathed in Duluth-based Aerostich gear: rst a one-piece Roadcrafter Red that I wore until it turned a lighter shade of pink, then on to several variations of twopiece Roadcrafters, the last one being my iconic ‘Ikea’ blue and yellow, which still hangs in the garage and is totally good to go. About a year ago I took possession of a two-piece Cousin Jeremy suit. I can only surmise that this was after one of Andy’s cousins. I have only met one of his aunts and I didn’t ask about any children. Anyway, Cousin Jeremy is based on the same cut as the Roadcrafter Classic, a suit that has been around since 1983 and been tested by many thousands of riders, me included. Replacing the synthetic construction is 10-ounce waxed cotton, imported from the UK. Waxed cotton was the weapon of choice if leather was too dear and certainly put to the water test by those blokes and birds over the pond. Admitting that waxed cotton does not have the same crash resistance as synthetic, Aerostich does say it will stand up much better than you’d think. I have not put this suit to the Shira test, and certainly hope not to, but feel con dent that the doubled fabric in the seat, knees, elbows and shoulders will do the job should things go awry. As with most other Aerostich gear, the padding is on the thick side and perhaps this also compensates for the lowered crash resistance. Armor at the elbow, knees and shoul-

ders is made of soft, exible TF3 which can be upgraded to TF6. There is a back protector available, although I do not use one as I nd it always rides up into my neck.

There is a 280-degree zipper which connects pants to jacket. I have found that having a separate jacket on the road cuts down the need to buy a sweatshirt that will probably be thrown away. There is plenty of storage space, with seven pockets in the jacket as well as front hand warmers and a passthrough glove pocket up top. The small zipped pocket on the left arm is perfect for toll change or ear plugs. There is an internal velcroed waterproof pocket for your wallet on the left chest. The large zippered outer chest pocket has an inner supernyl stash pocket for cell phone or such and there is a carabineer for your clipping needs. The pants have two standard hip pockets and pass-through zippers should you forget your keys in your pants (who does that?) and a zippered pocket on the right leg.

All you’ll need to do is remember where you stashed everything.

Other comfort features include a snap-down micro ber collar. Ventilation is handled with two large underarm zippered vents and an exhaust zippered vent across the back with a rain ap for extra protection. There is hook and loop in various spots for map holder attachment and the same at the leg and arm cuffs for snugging things down. Cousin Jeremy is available in black or tan, or a combination of the two. I opted for the tan with black accents. I think it looks very Amelia Earhart, especially now that it’s got plenty of street cred (or is that crud). Once unpacked, the suit took a little bit to become pliable and the stiffness worked itself out fairly quickly once worn. I have noticed, with the colder weather, that keeping the suit in the house rather than hanging in the garage, helps with that pliability. Compared to the Roadcrafter, Jeremy is a warmer suit due to the heavier waxed cotton. It’s best seasons are early spring and late fall and does like it better when the bike is at speed to let the air ow more freely. That said, it is a terri c wind stop and I was very comfortable in the crisp air with nary a layer beneath the suit. Once the wrists are cinched and glove gauntlets in place, there is not a wisp of air coming through start that little shiver. True, in warmer weather, say above 80 degrees, you will nd yourself breaking a sweat if not moving. But in December, with the nip of winter in the air on a sunny day, Cousin Jeremy will carry you for miles very comfortably – perhaps a heated layer would make it that much cozier. Rain – yes, we did have quite a bit of that this year in the northeast. Perhaps the worst day and best test was my ride home from CLASS at Virginia International Raceway in September. We knew we would be riding in some rain, but the torrents we encountered were beyond belief. I zippered and cinched as best I could, making sure that the neck was fully closed because we all know that is the worst feeling in the world – when that little trickle works its way between helmet and collar and makes its way down your back. We did not make many stops but when we did, I found I was not soaking wet. True, some moisture did make its way past the barrier, but considering the gallons of water through which we rode, it was totally an acceptable outcome. When riding in normal