When I went to the press intro for the BMW G 310 R in December, RevZilla sent me a pair of REV’IT Enterprise II pants to wear in the photo shoots, along with the REV’IT Shield jacket I reviewed earlier. Now, after more than half a year of wearing the pants in all kinds of weather conditions, it’s time to render a verdict.
What I found is that REV’IT made a variety of changes to this version of riding pants: some positive, some neutral, but at least in my case, I found one fatal flaw that prevents me from recommending these pants, even though I like the way they fit and look.
The Enterprise II pants come in black and silver versions and cost around $200. Because I had an earlier pair of Enterprise pants, it was easy for me to pick out the changes REV’IT made. They addressed some of my nit-picks with the previous version, but took a slight step backwards elsewhere.
One of my problems with the earlier Enterprise pants was a lack of pocket space, with just two hand pockets that were closed with zippers. I appreciated the security of being able to zip closed the pockets, but they provided very little space. The Enterprise II pants also have a cargo pocket on the right leg that closes with three hook-and-loop tabs and a snap. The extra carrying capacity comes in handy.
The other two pockets took a step in the wrong direction, however. The pockets on the old Enterprise pants were angled slightly and the opening was approximately seven inches. On the new Enterprise II pants, the pockets are horizontal and the opening is about six inches. As a result, every time I put my hand in my pocket to retrieve a key or money, the zipper scrapes my hand. It was a minor annoyance on the earlier version that is now a slightly more noticeable annoyance on the new version, due to size and angle.
I’ve been wearing the REV’IT Enterprise II pants for more than half a year.
REV’IT did eliminate two other nit-picks I had with the older pants. They put their new, very thin, but still CE-rated Seesmart pads in the hips. It’s so thin and flexible you can hardly tell it’s there, but REV’IT assures us it is CE-rated. The old pants had thicker armor that got in the way in the riding position.
Another minor annoyance with the old pants was that they felt scratchy around my knees, due to the seams there. The new pants don’t have this problem. The waterproof liner, a REV’IT proprietary material they call Hydratex, does tend to stick to my legs instead of sliding over the skin smoothly, when I wear these pants without a base layer, but the area around the CE-rated knee armor no longer feels scratchy.
On base layers and changing styles
Here’s another key difference that reflects a broader trend in the industry. Though the earlier pants came with a zip-in thermal liner, the new Enterprise II pants, though they cost a few dollars more, come with no liner for cold weather. My trusted gear expert, Ed Wildman at RevZilla, tells me this is increasingly common in the industry. As base layers have become more specialized and popular, more apparel manufacturers have decided that riders probably already have base layers they prefer, so why bother including something they won’t use?
In cold weather, particularly, a base layer improves the comfort of the Enterprise II pants significantly by letting the Hydratex liner slide more smoothly when you move, instead of binding. Of course you can also wear the Enterprise II as overpants, though there are issues with that. For one thing, these pants have a fairly slim fit. My legs are on the scrawny side, and I prefer the way they fit when worn as pants, not overpants. Second, the gusseted zippers on the lower legs do come up almost to the knee, but true overpants usually have full-leg-length zippers so you can easily put them on after you have your pants and boots on. That might not be impossible with the Enterprise II pants, depending on what footwear you’re wearing, but it won’t be easy.
I like the security of the zippers on the pockets, but they scrape my hands every time I retrieve a key or money.
The cargo pocket is a very useful addition, given the small size of the other two pockets, and it closes securely.
Sizing
I wear 33 waist and 32 inseam jeans and the size medium Enterprise II pants fit me just right. I do have to snug up the adjusters at the waist a little, and I wish they would hold their position longer. When I wear these pants with the REV’IT Shield jacket, I use the half zipper at the rear. It works well and easily and helps keep everything in position to keep wind and rain out and add a measure of safety in a crash, too.
REV’IT offers tall and short sizes in the Enterprise II pants to help you get the right fit.
So what’s the problem?
Unfortunately, there’s one fatal flaw that prevents me from recommending these pants. They’ve not proven to be waterproof.
These pants are best for cold- and cool-weather use because they have no venting, and while REV’IT says the Hydratex liner is breathable, it can still feel a bit clingy and clammy in warm weather. Those are trade-offs I would be happy to make in exchange for waterproofness, but I have now ridden in rain multiple times with these pants and they have leaked. I gave them a few chances and made sure water wasn’t getting in above the waist or otherwise bypassing the liner. But no. Water was getting in through the crotch and legs.
My standard gear approach is one-piece leathers on the track and textiles on the street because I ride in all kinds of weather and like not having to stop and put on rain gear when the precipitating begins. Unfortunately, these pants haven’t provided that solution for me.
