The Aerostich Roadcrafter is the most easily identifiable riding suit in all of motorcycling. Made of 500-denier Cordura nylon, it’s earned a solid reputation among commuting, touring and adventure riders. Because Aerostich does post-crash repairs on its suits, it has seen firsthand how well Cordura nylon holds up. Based on years of observations, Aerostich determined that in accidents at typical street speeds, 500-denier Cordura was more than sufficient to resist abrasion. That led them to try 200 denier, which is lighter, cooler and more comfortable, and offers good abrasion resistance, too. The findings led to 200-denier versions of most pieces of Aerostich Cordura outerwear, and brought about a few new ones like the Classic City Tactical two-piece suit.
The name Classic City Tactical breaks down as follows: Classic denotes a design modeled after the classic two-piece Roadcrafter; City designates 200-denier Cordura instead of 500; and the Tactical option deletes the 1,000-denier ballistic patches on the shoulders, elbows and knees. The result is a suit that doesn’t feel as heavy or as stiff as the classic Roadcrafter, protects just as well at street speeds, and looks less space-suity.
The Classic City Tactical’s shell is backed with waterproof and breathable Gore-Tex, and has a Supernyl lining that helps the suit slip on and off over street clothes. Proprietary TF3 armor in the shoulders, elbows and knees is standard; back and hip armor is optional. The hard-shell armor backing replaces some of the abrasion protection lost to the deleted ballistic patches. Aerostich armor isn’t CE approved because it doesn’t conform to the CE-specified sizes and shapes, but Aerostich’s testing shows its impact protection is comparable to CE armor.
The suit has nine pockets, enough so you might forget where you left something (I did, twice so far) until you get used to where they all are. The jacket and pants zip together at the waist, and feature reflective strips, vents under the arms and across the back, a two-position ultrasuede collar, adjusting tabs and zippers to fine-tune the fit, and provisions to attach optional thigh and forearm map-window pockets.
As the former owner of a classic two-piece Roadcrafter, I can confirm the City is lighter and much more comfortable. It wears cooler than the classic model, making it the better choice for hot-weather riding. The underarm vents need a good flow of air to work right, and are noticeably more effective on a bike without a windscreen.
I selected my suit’s sizes using Aerostich’s online sizing tool, and subsequently discussed a few alterations to the standard jacket and pants over the phone. When my City arrived it felt as if it had been tailored to me while sitting on my bike. My only issue was with the collar, which was a bit too big for me—Aerostich says that’s one of the hardest things to get right because riders with large torsos don’t always have correspondingly large necks—but a scarf filled the gap nicely.
The Classic City Tactical comes in off-the-rack sizes—men’s 34 regular, and 36-54 short, regular or long, and women’s 2-20—and there are many extra-cost alterations and additional features available. The jacket and pants come in black, gray, hi-viz or tan, and can be ordered separately to mix colors. The price for a complete suit is $1,124. That means the City Tactical isn’t a casual purchase for a lot of riders, but it’s one that that can be altered to fit you better than off-the-rack gear and repaired if you hit the road the wrong way. And it will last years longer than many less-expensive suits. It’s not just a riding suit, it’s an investment.
For more information: Call (800) 222-1991 or visit aerostich.com
