[ARTICLE]By Warren Renshaw | AL

[idroitex=250]http://www.sporttouring.us/attachment.php?attachmentid=158&stc=1&d=1335729632[/idroitex]Have you ever been on what seemed to be the perfect motorcycle ride, then found yourself body surfing the asphalt? Hopefully you are wearing the right protective gear because now it’s too late to do anything different.

This is exactly what happened to me in June of 2008. I had ridden my SV650 over the Cherohala Skyway into Robbinsville, NC the previous day. It was an awesome ride but I noticed that once off the Skyway some wet strips appeared to have sand scattered on them. The next morning I headed toward the Skyway again – bee-bopping along, climbing a hill and entering a right hand curve that led into an easy left bend in the road. I hate to even call it a curve; it was more of a bend. As I went from leaning right to barely leaning left the bike just kept going down. The front tire washed out. My left hand, left forearm, left side rib cage and left knee took the initial impact. Going maybe 45 mph. As I slid and rolled around I wondered “when am I going to stop?” And then I felt my body jolt, and found myself face down with the upper part of my body on the other side of the guard rail.

I stood and looked over myself. I then looked at my Aerostich Roadcrafter riding suit and saw that there was a hole in the left knee and forearm. A few other scuffs here and there but I felt good. Other than a nick on my thumb, I was completely unhurt, not even a bruise. I should mention that under my Roadcrafter one piece suit I wore a dirt bike type chest/back protector.

[igauchex=250]http://www.sporttouring.us/attachment.php?attachmentid=159&stc=1&d=1335729632[/igauchex]Needless to say I love my “Stich” as so many refer to their Aerostich riding suits. It’s easy to get in and out of and has enough vents to keep me comfortable until the outside temperature gets extremely toasty. After using it for about five years now I feel like a fish out of water without it.

Finally I decided to send the suit back to Aerostich which was founded by Andy Goldfine many years ago. I sent the suit back to repair the crash damage and replace worn out Velcro and a scuff on the chest pocket. The suit came back to me with flawless repairs. The damaged sections of the suit were completely removed and replaced with new material. Knowing that my suit is about five years old it is unreasonable to expect a perfect match of color and so there is a bit of a color difference in the new material but this is no bother to me. I don’t wear it to Church, I just want it to keep me warm when it’s cold, cool when it’s hot and dry when it’s wet while riding the motorcycle…and keep my skin intact while I’m sliding down the road. Maybe even under a guardrail.

I don’t know if other makers of riding gear offer repair and refurbishment services for the gear they sell, but I do know Aerostich does. They can take a torn up suit and make it look new again thereby saving the expense of having to buy a completely new suit. My Aerostich Roadcrafter is not a cheap riding suit. When I bought it years ago I remember how hard it was to fork over the cash, but I have to say that a hospital stay would have been much more expensive than my Roadcrafter. I’m so glad to have my Stich back![/ARTICLE]