Thor makes some of the most-attractive and highest-quality gear in the motorcycle industry today. This holds true with its new Core gear. The price tags of $145 for the pant and $50 for the jersey are a bit higher than for most gear on the market, but we think the extra quality is worth the extra bills. Here are our thoughts on Thor's new Core gear, starting with the pant.
The Core pant's unique liner of mesh-type material runs only about half the length of the pant leg; this definitely allowed better movement and flex for the knees, especially for our test rider, who wore knee braces. We like the three-panel, rubber-then-elastic accordion-style knee construction, which allows the pant to bend naturally and makes it quite comfortable when you're sitting. Our pant fit really nicely and snugly around the knees, but even when cinched tight the waist was a little large for our size-32 tester.
One minor detail we also did not like was the small rubber panels on the back of the waist; they made the pant feel a bit big and bulky and tended to cause it to droop in the back when it got wetthough this may be attributed to the oversize waist. The pant has very good ventilation, especially through the knees and crotch area. The leather on the inner knee area is nice, smooth, gripper leather that is comfortable in wet or dry conditions.
The Core jersey also has a nice vented, light feel. We didn't notice any weird constrictions around the neck or wrist areas, which we have sometimes found with other brands. We tried the jersey over and under shoulder pads, and it worked both ways. It also has a very unique silicone printing on the back waist, like the dots on the back of some goggle straps. So our tester looked like a well-dressed rider as his jersey stayed tucked in, even with the roomy waist of the pant.
We like the overall simple design of the gear; this really makes the stuff stand out in a graphic-heavy sport. The Core gear comes in seven color combinations and still looks good with Thor's Force chest protector.