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Reyna Valdovinos uses a machine to carefully cut a piece of Kevlar mesh. This precisely sized sturdy item is sewn into a pair of made-to-order protective pants and may one day save their wearer from serious injury.
Valdovinos is one of 14 employees who use the same care to make jackets, shirts and boots at Motoport USA, an Escondido company that began manufacturing gear for competitive motorcyclists.
But in the ’90s, company owner Wayne Boyer noticed what motorcycle cops were wearing on the job.
“I was shocked to see that there were only cotton polyester shirts and pants,” Boyer said. “These people have been seriously injured in the collision and not wearing protective clothing.”
As a motorcycle racer himself, Boyer knows the dangers of crashing. “I have a lot of good friends who have died racing motorcycles,” he said.
Today, 75% of its business is making protective gear for motorcycle officers in more than 300 law enforcement agencies across the country.
A recent client for the family business is the San Diego Police Department.
San Diego Motorcycle Officer Matthew Zitz proposed the rule change after doing a lot of research and talking to colleagues in other departments.
“I talked to one of the officers that worked at the Chula Vista Police Department,” Zaitz said. “He dropped 30 to 35 in the afternoon, slid down the road, got up and the motorsport pants he was wearing weren’t ripped, ripped, scratched… they didn’t even look like the ground, so that’s what sold me.”
It costs $3,100 to outfit an officer with several uniforms, including boots, but Motorsport America says these uniforms will last for years. The company is so confident about the Kevlar mesh suits that an officer will replace the suit if it is damaged or torn in a crash.
Zeitz said the change was long overdue. “I have pictures of the engine unit from the 1920s, and it was basically the same uniform,” he said. “So it’s reassuring to know we have a safer uniform – a uniform designed to be worn while riding a motorcycle.”
and designed for the uniformed officer. Out-of-town customers enter their measurements online, but local customers come to the store.
Proper fit is critical to protection, and no mass production. Each uniform is made individually.
“We have about a three-and-a-half month waiting period when a police officer issues an order,” Boyer said. “So one of our biggest problems is supply and demand.”
But Boyer said he prefers to take his time and make sure things are done right. There was a time when other companies were involved in manufacturing – but then, one of these clothes failed. Client was injured and sued.
“We found that the (other) company ran out of thread, so they just kept the regular cotton poly thread,” Boyer said.
“Normal” thread is not enough for the needs of these clothes, and the seams need special stitching to be strong, “so these police officers can hit the ground at 100 miles per hour and the equipment will not fall apart,” Boyer said. he said.
Boyer said keeping all the work in-house allows them to make sure everything is right. And it’s a source of pride for employees like the Valdovinos. She says it makes her happy to see the local people and officers wearing what she makes with her own two hands.
“I’m very happy and I’m happy to do this kind of thing for people,” she said. “That’s why I’ve been here 30 years.”
Boyer is proud of many things these days: his family, building his business in the county where he grew up, and making a life-saving product.
“We get about four (motorcycle officers) in a month of this accident, and usually we get a testimonial from where they went in and they shake my hand and thank me personally,” he said. “I had wives and children with the officers who often thanked me, and it really made me feel good.”
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