Reliable clothing for motorcyclists in every layer
Same trip, two extremes
On a motorbike, the temperature can vary surprisingly much over a single ride. At road speed, the wind chill cools you down, while in slow riding, traffic jams and stops it soon gets hot under your riding gear. When you set off again and pick up speed, the moisture that has built up on your skin and under your clothing can quickly start to feel cold.
That's why we've put together a complete kit on this page: one go-to garment for each layer. Together, they form a solid foundation for motorcycle layering, from short commutes to long days of riding in changeable weather. You don't need to compare dozens of options or guess whether the garments work together. Here is a set in which each layer is designed to work with the next.
Every layer has its own job
The Zero Layer moves sweat away from your skin, the Base Layer brings warmth, the Mid Layer adds insulation for breaks and cool riding weather and the Shell Layer protects you from the weather when you take off your riding gear. While you ride, your riding gear is the outer protection against wind and rain. Merino and Airbase take care of moisture and warmth, so you can focus on riding, whatever the weather.
Four layers, one set that works
Layering is the answer to dressing for motorcycling. We chose one go-to garment for each layer that works at both extremes of riding: sweaty breaks and cold wind on the road. Together, they make up the Svala AIR System™: layers that each do their own job, on the bike or off it. You don't always need every layer. On a short ride in warm weather, some of the layers under your riding gear are enough, and for cool weather, long trips and breaks you bring the whole system.
Zero Layer – Next-to-skin performance
It soon gets warm under your riding gear, and the moisture you produce can't always escape from your clothing as fast as it builds up. Moisture can then collect on your skin and in your under layers. An Airbase mesh shirt and mesh bottoms worn next to your skin keep your skin dry. Airbase is 100% polypropylene, which absorbs no moisture at all but moves sweat away from your skin to the next layer. So you won't get cold with a wet shirt stuck to your back.
The loops of the 120 g/m² 3D mesh knit breathe and trap air, forming a thin layer next to your skin: it cools you during breaks and holds in warmth while you ride. Airbase is thin and stretchy, so it fits under even a snug riding suit without restricting movement. The silver-ion treatment keeps the set fresh, so you can ride for several days in the same garment, simply airing it in between.
Men's Original Airbase 120 mesh set
Women's Original Airbase 120 mesh set
“When you're riding a motorbike, you can come across surprisingly big temperature differences in a single day. It can be cold when you set off in the morning and baking hot in the afternoon, and on a longer trip the weather can change many times over. When it's cold, you're tempted to pile on layers underneath, but with layers that are too thick you soon feel like the Michelin Man in your riding suit. So I've learned to go for thin layers that work: they keep me warm without taking away room to move.”
Base Layer – Temperature regulation
When you sit still while riding, your body generates very little heat of its own, so you need a layer that provides warmth. A warming merino layer goes over Airbase. Merino regulates temperature in both directions, so it doesn't feel stifling during breaks and keeps you from getting cold when the wind cools you as you ride. Merino also keeps you warm when it's damp from sweat or rain, which is crucial when the weather changes during a day's riding.
Together, Airbase and Merino Extreme are the best layer pair for motorcyclists: the mesh layer moves moisture away from your skin and Merino Extreme brings the warmth. Merino Extreme's double-layer construction combines the warmth of merino wool with the moisture transport of a technical material, so it keeps you warm but still breathes when you stop.
Men's Merino Extreme 200 base layer set
Women's Merino Extreme 200 base layer set
Mid Layer – Thermal insulation
When the riding weather turns cooler or the trip gets longer, a temperature-regulating layer isn't enough on its own. Over the merino goes a warming Mid Layer that adds extra warmth when your body no longer produces it while riding.
Polartec Power Stretch Pro™ works especially well here. It's a stretchy double-faced knit: the inner face moves moisture away from your skin and the smooth outer face glides easily under your riding gear. The material holds less moisture than wool and also blocks a little wind. Thin and stretchy, it doesn't restrict movement in the riding position or pull across your shoulders.
The Mid Layer regulates your temperature for you as the weather changes over a day's riding, from a warm midday to a cool evening. You don't need to keep taking it off and putting it back on under your riding gear, and you can keep it on during fuel stops or when walking. On a short ride in warm weather you leave the Mid Layer at home; for cooler weather and long trips you take it with you.
Men's Nordic Terry Wool 400 zip-neck mid-layer set
Women's Nordic Terry Wool 400 mid-layer jacket
Shell Layer – Weather protection
When motorcycling, your riding gear already does the job of the outer layer: it blocks the wind, keeps out the rain and also protects you in the event of a fall. Svala's Zero Layer, Base Layer and Mid Layer are designed to work underneath this riding gear, not instead of it. Your riding gear stays the same, but the layers underneath keep you warm and dry while riding, provided your riding gear breathes well enough to let the moisture moved by the lower layers escape.
Svala's own Shell Layer, Ventile, suits motorcyclists for the moments off the bike: when you take off your riding gear during a break or go for a walk at the end of a day's touring. As it isn't just a riding jacket, the same shell comes with you on other outdoor activities and exercise too.
Men's Ventile 200 jacket
Women's Ventile 200 jacket
You do not need everything at once – start here
The system works best when you put on layers according to the weather and the length of the ride, but you don't need to buy everything at once or replace your riding gear. AIR System™ also works with the riding gear you already have. If you're starting from scratch, start with the layers next to your skin: they're the most important part of the whole system. The surest foundation for motorcyclists is Airbase mesh knit next to your skin with merino over it. On top of these, add a warming Mid Layer to suit the weather and the length of the ride.
If you already have one layer sorted, just get what's missing:
- Already have a merino wool base layer? Complete it with Airbase: wear the mesh layer next to your skin under the merino, so you stay dry during breaks and don't get cold in the wind while riding.
- Next-to-skin and warming layers sorted? For cool riding weather and long trips, add Polartec Power Stretch Pro™.
- Already have riding gear? There's no need to replace it. Make sure it breathes and that the other layers fit loosely underneath.
This way, you can build a system that works at your own pace. Although we put these layers together for motorcycling, they won't just sit in your wardrobe: the same layers work for other outdoor activities too and change seasons with you.
Four layers, one effective system
Layer: Zero Layer - next-to-skin performance
