One of the great things about working in the automotive/motorcycle industry is all the good people meet and cool stuff you get to test. One such trove of cool things is courtesy of NBT Clothing, a relatively young company born from the desire for safe and comfortable riding gear for motorcycle enthusiasts that works both on the ride and when it’s over.
After reaching out to NBT owner Nick Urso via email last winter, and finalizing things in the early spring, a box arrived on my doorstep once the weather got warmer and the bike got pulled out of storage. Included in that treasure trove of goodies was a pair of License to Ride (LTR) pants, a Body Guard pullover hoodie, a pretty cool belt and a Free Ridin’ flannel shirt. All 4 products were my size, and each felt really good as I pulled them out of their plastic bags and tried them on.Â
It’s obvious at first glance that the NBT team takes quality seriously. Each item is well constructed, features heavy-duty stitching and the coloring of each was spot on with no obvious blemishes or discoloration. This was true even after multiple washings. The hoodie has removable CE armor protection at the shoulders, elbows and back along with NBT’s TensileTough™ aramid, a form of Kevlar®, rash protection. The zippered pocket is also a welcome feature. The LTR pants have removable armor at the hip and knees. For added protection, the pants also include aramid lining at the knees and seat area to further protect against road rash. The use of aramid is what really sets NBT clothing apart from many competing products. The items seem to be very durable and the company offers a has a 100 day, no-questions-asked guarantee. I will get a better sense of how durable they are over the course of the riding season and beyond.
I headed out for a long ride as the weather, and Wisconsin roads, got better wearing my newly acquired LTR pants and hoodie. I found both to be as comfortable on the bike as they were off the bike, the spandex used in conjunction with the other materials most likely being the reason. I was able to bend, twist and sit on my bike as usual, but with an additional level of confidence knowing I had protection in the most important places in the event something unthinkable happened. Even after an hours-long ride in scenic southern Wisconsin, the NBT clothing kept up and at no point did I feel uncomfortable or overheated wearing it.
For those times when wearing a heavier motorcycle jacket isn’t something you want to do, putting on the NBT hoodie provides the rider with decent levels of protection and versatility. For my personal tastes, I would probably throw on my jacket instead of the hoodie (what can I say, I’m old school), along with the LTR pants to really feel protected. Having said that, the hoodie and pants are soft, relatively light (as light as you can be with protective CE armor) and very comfortable. The armor used in NBT’s products provides a basic level of impact protection, similar to what you may find in many other jackets and pants.
This type of comfort and protection does come at a cost. Both the License to Ride pants and the Body Guard hoodie are each over $200 on the NBT website, with the flannel not too far behind. But, then again, can you really put a price on safety? As a final note, we will say that we found that the sizing tends to run a little large so be sure you take that into consideration when ordering.Â
