Klim Gear for Spring Motorcycle Rides

Every motorcyclist looks forward to that first spring ride of the season. But without the right kind of gear for early-year tours, you will be in for an uncomfortable ride.

Spring weather is fickle in almost the entire country, with temperatures changing drastically within a day and sudden wind or rainstorms blowing in. You need versatile motorcycle gear that can handle Mother Nature’s tantrums.

Here, we’ll explain what to look for in your springtime motorcycle riding gear. We’ll also highlight a selection of new and updated Klim gear that will make your first ride of the year safe and comfortable.

What to Look for in Motorcycle Gear for Spring?

Versatility is the name of the game when choosing your spring riding getup. Your gear pieces must handle both cold and hot weather, rain, wind, and fog at least.

When buying gear for spring, keep these things in mind:

• Multi-layer Construction: With jackets, aim to buy something with detachable thermal and rain layers. They allow you to quickly and easily alter your jacket to suit the prevailing weather conditions. Some riding pants offer detachable thermal linings as well.
• Waterproofing: Whether you go for a single- or multi-layer jacket and pants, make sure they have a high waterproofing rating that puts up with sudden spring deluges without getting soaked.
• Ventilation: Choose gear with well-functioning, large air vents so that crisp spring air can keep you cool during the ride. Ensure those vents can close up watertight, though, or they may become a liability during rain.
• Breathability: Go for a moisture-wicking base layer if possible. It allows sweat to evaporate off your skin, which helps keep you both cool and warm in varying weather.
• Anti-fog Visors or Inserts: Pick a helmet with an anti-fog visor (or one that accepts anti-fog inserts) to keep spring humidity from fogging up your field of view. Alternatively, treat your helmet visor with a reliable anti-fog compound.
• Visibility: Spring isn’t always bright. Look for gear with high-visibility colors and reflective strips to maximize your presence on rainy, foggy, or overcast days. Garish hi-viz colors might not be the coolest, but staying safe trumps looks.
• Protection: You should always have body armor on, but good protection is particularly important in spring. Springtime roads can be slick with rain and washed-out debris or be riddled with uneven surfaces after winter damage—all of which can send you tumbling onto the asphalt.

Klim GT1 Expedition Helmet

The Klim GT1 Expedition is the company’s top-of-the-line modular helmet. Five years in development, it utilizes Klim’s latest technologies that make it a great option for spring rides.

The carbon fiber outer shell combines with an inner layer of Koroyd material. This stuff provides strong impact absorption, and its porous, open-cell structure allows for (mostly) unimpeded airflow through the layer. 

In addition, the EPS layer has channels for heat dissipation. Combined with the forehead and chin vents, the helmet has more than adequate ventilation to keep you cool.

The GT1 Expedition comes with clear and photochromic visors that can be swapped without tools. It can take a Pinlock anti-fog insert. Designed to be universally compatible, the helmet should be able to accommodate your favorite comm system.

Finally, the aerodynamics are well designed, and the helmet has little drag, making long riding days less fatiguing. The cost is on the higher side, but the Klim GT1 Expedition will serve long-distance road tourers and light dual sport riders well.

Klim Arsenal Trail 10L Backpack

Your belongings should be protected from spring weather as well. For shorter rides on the backroads or for motoring to the office, the Klim Arsenal Trail 10L will do the trick.

This backpack’s claim to fame is its breathability. The back pad and straps are made of mesh and/or perforated materials, allowing for a good bit of airflow. Backpacks can make your back very sweaty when riding, but the Arsenal’s construction mitigates that as much as is reasonable.

The interior compartment has organization pockets to keep your things in place. For comfort and weight distribution, you have a removable waist strap and two removable straps on the front to tighten the bag’s contents.

There’s one more exterior pocket, and the front of the bag also has MOLLE webbing for strapping on more items. The front also features reflective paneling for visibility.

With a 10-liter capacity, the Klim Arsenal isn’t the largest backpack (not that it’s trying to be). It’s also water-resistant but not waterproof, so we wouldn’t recommend riding through a biblical downpour without an extra rain cover. But for its price, the Arsenal 10L is a functional and high-quality buddy to throw on your back.

Klim Tactical Pro Armored LS Shirt

As we mentioned, you need to be armored up for spring riding, even if you stay on asphalt. Should your riding jacket lack proper protection, the Klim Tactical Pro armored shirt steps in.

Unlike its previous iterations, which (bizarrely enough) didn’t have CE-rated protection, the latest version of the shirt has it in droves. The chest and back are covered in CE Level 2 perforated Klim Rogue armor pads, while the shoulders and elbows sport CE Level 1-rated armor.

The Rogue armor is very thin, which makes the shirt less bulky and easier to fit comfortably under your jacket. Yet, the thinness doesn’t compromise protection. In slow-speed falls, you may not even notice the impact, while you’ll walk away from more severe falls with bruises instead of fractures. A handy thumb loop on the sleeves keeps the armor from shifting out of place.

The shirt itself is made of moisture-wicking fabric with mesh side and arm panels for ventilation. It’s light and comfortable even in hot weather. You can throw the shirt in the laundry machine after removing the armor.

Klim tends to size its gear small, so you may want to go up a size with your purchase. That’s also a good idea, as the inner seams are somewhat rough and could become uncomfortable if the shirt is too tight.

The Tactical Pro armored shirt offers sufficient protection for road, dual sport, and ADV riding alike. Wherever your ride takes you, you’re protected.

PS: There’s also a short-sleeved version for when summer rolls around.

Klim Kodiak Jacket

The Klim Kodiak is a robust three-season motorcycling jacket—one of those seasons being spring. Rain or shine, you’re in for a comfortable road tour when donning the Kodiak.

For hot weather, the jacket boasts a staggering 10 adjustable vents to make you feel a little chilly, actually. Once the sun clouds over and rain starts falling, its three-layer Gore-Tex shell and waterproof zippers keep water at bay. You also get a detachable storm collar to stop droplets from trickling down your neck.

Protectivity stems from CE Level 2 armor in the shoulders, elbows, and back (all armor is perforated to keep those 10 vents effective). The chest also has a mesh protector, but it’s not quite strong enough for extended dual sport or ADV riding. As an added bonus, the Kodiak offers an almost ridiculous volume of storage space with its 10 pockets. 

Everything you get with the jacket does make it heavy, but the weight doesn’t make it hot. It’s also pricey, but for touring riders who rack up serious miles, it’s worth it. 

Klim Kodiak Puffer Jacket

What if you already have a perfectly good rain shell and armored shirt—or an entire jacket—but need something in the middle to keep you warm? That’s when you reach for the Klim Kodiak puffer jacket.

As its name implies, this 800-fill down jacket is designed to be worn together with the Kodiak jacket, but it’s not a zip-in liner. It’s an independent jacket that works just as well under any other jacket (or on its own off the saddle).

The shell of the jacket is made of 20-denier nylon that deflects wind very well. For visibility, the jacket has reflective details. When not in use, the jacket packs handily into a separate compact pocket you can slip into your panniers.

However, this jacket is just a midlayer. It has no armor or rain protection on its own and must be worn with another jacket. The sizing is also extremely European, so if you’re more robustly built or want to have armor underneath, go way up in size.

Klim Badlands Pro A3 Jacket

Springtime dual sport or ADV rides require a jacket that can handle anything that nature might throw at you. You can find that in the Klim Badlands Pro A3 jacket.

The base Badlands Pro jacket is already a favorite among dual sport riders, but the A3 ups the ante with even more protection. In addition to the CE Level 2 armor on the back, elbows, and shoulders, the A3 sports CE Level 1 chest armor. It also has extreme abrasion-resistant patches in key areas throughout the jackets.

Put together, the A3 has CE AAA-rated protectivity—the same as track leathers. Yet, the jacket remains shockingly flexible and well-ventilated with a whopping 12 air vents with waterproof zippers sprinkled around it. For rainy days, the A3 features a three-layer Gore-Tex shell (similar to the Kodiak) that’s guaranteed to keep you dry.

Wrist, sleeve, hem, and bicep straps allow you to adjust the jacket’s fit. It also comes standard with a removable kidney belt to reduce shoulder fatigue.

If there is a downside to the Badlands Pro A3, it’s the sky-high price. But you have to pay to get the best, and the A3 is undoubtedly one of the best dual sport/ADV jackets out there.