Tucano Urbano Libeccio and Bora Jackets
(Review - August 2008)

Now here’s a different angle for you regarding the testing of some riding gear. After talking with Chuck Swonnel regarding scooter clubs of the early 60s and the attire sported by such, Jeremy Caine contacted Italian scooter clothing specialists Tucano Urbano who in turn agreed to support the 8th London Lambretta Club Full Bore Tour to Sweden to the tune of 22 jackets for testing en route.

As such you lucky readers get not only my opinion but that of numerous others, and with an average return trip of 1000 miles each for this rally, they did get tested.

Tucano Urbano supplied the Libeccio jackets for the chaps and the Bora for the girls, the latter being cut accordingly and as the ladies reported, a good fit too. Apart from the cut they were almost identical, the Boro just being short of one of the internal pockets. These were all waterproof by the way, unlike the exterior pockets which could only be described as showerproof, as most jackets are.

The cuffs and waist featured adjusters, and the full length zip with rain channel and overflap proved waterproof, even in the torrential rain and hailstorm we found in Denmark!

There is a zip-out liner for warmth, and with this and the elbow armour removed it did indeed make for a light summer jacket (Incidentally, Tucano have informed us that both jackets now come with shoulder and back protection too). I could imaging that this would not be the warmest riding jacket in the winter, but it was enough with just a T-shirt for me in summer storms.

Overall I think this is a good piece of riding kit, proven waterproof, smart, not too bulky to wear when off the scooter (and they have a fold out hood hidden in the collar!), and at the price is recommended. But don’t just take my word for it, here’s what a few others had to say…
Andy

First impressions are very well made, great styling and using what is termed ‘technical fibres’ makes for a lightweight comfortable touring jacket. Far better than we are normally used too, almost to the extent that ‘you weren’t sure if they could do the job’ as they are so light and not as stiff as cardboard.

Jointly covering a good 20,000 miles, we encountered varied conditions over the two weeks ranging from glorious sunshine, to rain, to hailstorm, even trips to the bar and for me an extra cover over the sleeping bag as it did seem to get rather cold at night in Sweden! That’s what’s known as a multi-purpose rally jacket!

One experience we encountered when heading to Trelleborg was riding straight into what they term as a storm cell, which gave us a good hour’s worth of rain. Several motorcyclists had pulled over to take shelter due to the conditions, us having had the full-frontal lobotomy carried on regardless. When reaching our destination it was discovered that the two lower external pockets, secured by just two poppers, had let in water, but that was it. Pretty good considering the conditions. It’s certainly a jacket that we can continue to wear with reliability.
Jeremy Caine
(The ‘real’ London Lambretta Club)

The jackets were excellent, we didn’t get at all wet and they kept you warm but not sweaty. We also went through a thunderstorm from hell during a Swedish Caine detour (big dark clouds to the left, let’s go that way!). My only minor criticism was the front bottom pockets filled up with water, I think it got in through the side hand-warmer ‘slits’. This would not normally be too much of a problem except I had some reserve tea bags stored there!
Andy Voss

I can say that the jackets did us more than proud with a few envious people at the rally who would have liked one. It kept me very dry in a massive storm, take the lining out and you can wear it down the pub (well I did anyway!).
Mr Bone

The Libeccio (for him) is available in black, green, red, sand and blue, while the Bora (for her) is available in black, green, red and sand colours. Waterproof and breathable they come with CE approved elbow and shoulders armour, back protective padding and reflective safety inserts. The cost is £121.95 (Libeccio) and £117.50 (Bora) and for info visit www.tucanourbano.com or call 0208 8766805.

The Armadillo Funnel
(Review - August 2008)

Armadillo have come up with an urban styled and well-fitting ladies’ jacket that is perfect for the spring/summer commute. The bright red hue gives some chance of being seen while the specific safety features of the d3o impact protection at the elbow and shoulder are subtle enough to not look like a full-on bike jacket.

Other practical considerations include an inner pocket for your MP3 player complete with headphone loops and an outer comms pocket, all reassuringly waterproof thanks to the fully taped seams (although I didn't risk my mobile phone).

The jacket proved itself 100 per cent waterproof when I was caught in a nasty, heavy downpour. It is breathable enough to cope with any of that rare sunshine when the rain is having a break.

The jacket has quite long inner sleeves with a cuff styled as a mitten, complete with thumb loop akin to fingerless gloves. The only slight niggle I have is that the high funnel neck takes a bit of wearing in as it was fairly unyielding to begin with. However, a bit of wear and it becomes a handy replacement scarf. Also a colour choice might have been nice.

All in all a great summer jacket which, retailing at around £85 and with a two year ‘fair wear and tear’ guarantee, seems a fair price to be saved from the summer weather!

AM

For more info and to find your nearest stockist visit: www.armadilloscooterwear.com

Hello Armadillo!
(Review - November 2007)

Armadillo Scooter Wear is a new brand that launched their first range of scooter wear in October 2007. Taking obvious design cues from typical retro styling, Armadillo have blended the old with new technology to come up with what they reckon is decent riding gear for the 21st century scooterist.
The new range will eventually feature jackets, gloves and trousers in various designs and colours, but for now we have a modern take on the classic parka, and believe it or not I have been wearing it for the last month or so to see how it fares. Skipping the design for a moment, I can report that initial tests suggest that instead of the traditional ‘moisture absorbing’ qualities of the genuine US army surplus parkas favoured by original and retro mods, the Armadillo parka actually repels the rain. Yes it does, I’ve tried it and it’s true!
A soft lining is fixed inside the parka with zips, and the main zip up the front of the coat is supplemented by buttons, which together equate to a fairly windproof ride too – certainly up until October it stood up well to the ravages of British weather.
The real technology bit however is the protection the parka offers the rider should you come off. “Armadillo Scooter Wear have incorporated removable d3o™ CE certified EN-1621-1 components into high impact areas of the jacket. d3o™ is a material already used in snow and riot gear, and contains ‘Intelligent Molecules’ that flow freely under normal conditions making the material soft, flexible and low profile, but lock together on shock to absorb the energy from an impact.” Hopefully, I’ll not get a chance to test the protection aspect, but as regards to comfort this soft, almost gel-like armour certainly doesn’t feel inhibitive or restrictive as some riding jackets can do. In fact, as far as comfort goes the whole parka offers the rider a full ‘snug as a bug in a rug’ experience, although while the hood could prove useful when parked up, it does flap around a bit at speed.
The parka also boasts an internal ‘MP3’ pocket for a music player (not a three-wheeled Piaggio scooter) and routing for earphones to keep them tidy. At around £160 when launched, this parka may not be as cheap as they were in the 60s, but in my opinion it’s superior should you actually want to remain warm, safe and dry when riding a scooter. OK, the styling may not be original enough for some, but isn’t being modern what being a modernist is all about?

Andy

Available in green or black, please see www.armadilloscooterwear.com for a list of retailers or for more information. I’ll continue wearing the Armadillo over the coming months and report in due course.

Alpinestars Stella Vista Drystar Jacket
(Reviewed - October 2007)

First impressions of the Alpinestars Stella Vista Drystar ladies jacket were: “Wow it fits!”
Being a girl, and a small one at that, has meant until recently I’ve had to wear the smallest size ‘man-fit’ jacket available as I prefer a three-quarter length jacket. This usually means it’s too big and pretty uncomfortable due to the shoulder and elbow protectors being in the wrong places so you have the choice of this or having no protection. Not only did the Stella Vista look great but in a size small it is a snug fit yet still has a space underneath for those important extra couple of layers.
Initially, the elbow protectors made the jacket quite rigid in the arms, which significantly effected the flexibility. For the first few weeks I got round this by opening the elbow air vents but after a short period of wearing-in it was fine. There is no shortage of pockets, including in the liner, although I did find bulky items in the lower pockets tended to make the jacket ‘ride-up’. Being able to remove the thermal liner is great when riding to rallies in warmer climes.
Although we haven’t had the best rally season or summer this year, the Stella didn’t get the full waterproof test until the Shires rally. Heading up the A1 the heavens opened but I was impressed that the water didn’t get through! As well as the waterproof fabric the Stella has water-displacing channels down the zip paths.
My only criticism would be the lack of reflective strips, which can make riding in the dark (with Lambretta lights) a bit nerve-racking.
All in all I’d definitely recommend this jacket and give it 9 out of 10 for style, comfort, fit and most important of all it is waterproof.
AM
The Stella Vista Drystar jacket retails at £199.95 and is available from all Alpinestars stockists. www.alpinestars.com

Weise Air Spin Jacket
(Reviewed - August 2006)

With some sweaty miles under my belt this year already I was very much looking forward to using the Weise Air Spin waterproof and vented jacket for the very obvious reason that it should be pretty cool.

It’s always worried me slightly that shedding layers in the summer does make you somewhat vulnerable when Mr Dipstick in his 4x4, whilst trying to send a text message, does a U-turn on you. This however is a little different. Weise claim that their Air-Spin is ideal for summer riding or touring in hot climates, and it must be said that on recent experience the nylon airflow (or perforated to you and me!) chest and back panels made for some cool riding. The arms and shoulders have a tough ‘aramid’ fabric shell with genuine Knox CE protectors fitted at the shoulders, elbows and back, and for night riding the sleeves and back have subtle reflective panels.

Inside the Air-Spin there’s a removable waterproof/breathable drop liner, “to protect the wearer from sudden downpours” as the press release states. Well on experience it does, to a certain extent, although it must be said that the ‘downpour’ I recently subjected it to was more monsoon-like than a shower. In fact, for the first while it was fine, suggesting that it would be OK in light to heavy showers. However, after half an hour or so I could feel the damp seeping in around the front zip, interestingly an area not covered by the liner. That said, it seemed OK elsewhere.
Other features on this jacket include Velcro adjustors at the waist and press-stud adjusters on the arms, two front pockets and YKK zippers throughout.

The Weise Air Spin Jacket is produced in black/gun, black/blue and black/red in men’s sizes XS – XXXL priced at £99.99 (and there are matching trousers, too, if you’re interested). In summing up, I still think it’s a great bit of kit for cool but safe summer riding, while still able to keep you dry through a brief summer shower. I’m just not so sure it should be relied upon for the entire season, however. Contact 0800 369 537 or visit www.weise-clothing.co.uk for more info.

Top /\ | Back to Top Kit | More in the magazine>>