Richa Armada Pro GTX
The Richa Armada Pro GTX jacket is a high-end motorcycle jacket, designed to provide excellent protection and comfort in all weather conditions.
With the Armada Pro GTX, Richa is stepping into the ring to go toe to toe with the big boys. Richa is going head to head with established, premium brands such as; Rukka, Halvarssons, Klim, and even Belstaff and Held. This is a tough market sector with some excellent brands and products on offer, so Richa has their work cut out.
The Armada Pro GTX is made from a combination of Gore-Tex and Cordura materials, which makes it waterproof, windproof, and breathable.
The outer is a combination of Gore-Tex and Armacor; a Cordura-based material where every 4th thread is weaved with Kevlar, giving it the highest resistance to abrasion of all textiles.
High-stress areas such as shoulders and elbows are reinforced with Superfabric panels; a flexible material 14 times more abrasion-resistant than Kevlar, and Ripstop panels; a material with excellent ultimate tensile strength and very high tear-resistant properties.
The inner is Softshell; water-repellent on the outside with a soft fleece lining, this is a breathable technical layer that is light, warm and flexible. This soft fleece lining absorbs sweat and wicks the moisture away.
Level 2 D3O armour in the shoulders, elbows and back is standard and to complement the technical abilities of the Armada is 3M Scotchlite; Hi-Viz and reflective panels, providing visibility and safety at night.
Richa’s Armada jacket has lots of ventilation to keep you fresh and cool on those hot summer days. There are 3D mesh panels on the chest with YKK Cam Lock zip and magnet closure. There are vents under the arms, on the forearms, at the waist and on the back, helping to make the Armada an easy pick for almost all year-round riding. I say almost because in the summer it’s fine; throw on a t-shirt, open the vents and ride but on particularly cold winter days, you need to layer up underneath.
The Richa Armada also has adjustable features at the waist, on the biceps and on the forearms. The jacket has 5 outer pockets (2 are waterproof), 1 Napoleon pocket behind the front flap and 4 inner pockets plus a removable kidney belt to keep everything where it’s meant to be, oh and connecting zips for connecting to the matching trousers.
Adjustable sleeves, cuffs and waistline help to make this jacket fit snugly and there are pockets for chest protector inserts, but it doesn’t come with them as standard.
There’s a detachable storm collar too, but I don’t generally use it. This has been to my detriment, as it is the only place water got in during a particularly heavy rain storm earlier in the year. It rained hard for 4 hours on a return trip to Plymouth, riding the Honda Goldwing. The jacket was amazing and kept me totally dry, apart from some ingress around the collar which was my own fault for not fitting the storm collar. I leant a valuable lesson that day.
The trousers are also very well put together with excellent build quality ad features; polyamide panels and stretch panels at the inner thighs and backs of the knees with accordion stretch panels at high mobility areas, at the knees and across the back.
The Richa Armada trousers are rammed with features, like strategically integrated leather patches for heat protection at the inner knee and on the back, Superfabric panels on the kneecaps, D3O® Level 2 protection at knees and hips, Airtech Control System (ACS) controllable ventilation at key areas, two waterproof outer pockets (a bit small and fiddly) and a storm flap behind central front zip.
There’s a coolmax lining, adjustment straps at the waist and lower leg for improved fit. waterproof YKK zips at lower legs and removable suspenders included. These are by far the best wet-weather trousers I’ve ever had. The quality of construction is second to none.
I’ve been wearing my set for a while now. I used them throughout last summer which was gorgeous and very hot, and all through winter. I am still wearing the jacket now as the weather improves, It’s my go-to jacket for all riding and I’ve covered many thousands of miles in it.
I have unfortunately damaged the main zip (my own fault), but Richa offers a great repair service which I will be using shortly.
