Detailed Scoring Summary
| Mosko Moto Basilisk | Klim Raptor GTX | |
| Design & Innovation | 95% | 85% |
| Build Quality | 98% | 70% |
| Comfort | 95% | 100% |
| Airflow | 80% | 85% |
| Waterproof | 100% | 100% |
| Value for Money | 85% | 70% |
| Overall | 92% | 85% |
Klim’s Bird of Prey Battles Mosko Moto’s Jesus Christ Lizard
I stopped wearing “regular” adventure motorcycle jackets in 2018 when I got my hands on the Rukka ROR jacket overshell.
The ROR was my first experience riding with specially designed motorcycle gear for riders wearing bulky, off-road-oriented, more protective armor from companies like Forcefield and Leatt.
Superior protection is one of the big reasons I’ve switched to thinner, lighter, windproof, and waterproof shells. Let me explain:
- I often found with typical jackets and pants the thermal and waterproof liners that came with the jackets weren’t performing adequately. I was always swapping in my Klim Inferno jacket or Gerbing heated vest as my preferred thermal layer because they were better at keeping me warm. I hate having to pull over to install waterproof liners under my jacket when it starts raining too.
- Level 2 armor protects me best when it’s attached to my body rather than inside a pocket of the jacket and pants that can shift around. Having the armor strapped to my body protects me even if I take off my jacket and stow it to avoid overheating when I’m riding lower-speed, technical trails.
- These minimalist waterproof shells are significantly lighter weight than conventional riding jackets and pack down smaller for storage.
- I never use half the pockets and other unnecessary features we pay more money to have in other jackets.
Mosko Moto’s Basilisk Jacket Leads the Way
In the 2019 riding season, my Rukka jacket was giving me frequent trouble with the zippers clogging up with dust and debris. This made me wonder if there were greener adventure jacket pastures elsewhere—so I decided to review the Mosko Moto Basilisk jacket.
The Basilisk wowed me with its robust durability, quality of build, and insightful thought put into the design features on it. At the end of my 3 months of thorough field testing for the review followed by 1.5 years of additional hard usage, I was convinced this was the top dog.
The Basilisk has been my preferred riding tunic and my top recommendation up until mid-2022 when I got curious again.
See Also: All Mosko Moto Coverage
The Klim Raptor GTX: A New Contender
The Raptor GTX caught my eye back in May because it looked and sounded so similar to the Basilisk on paper. It’s extremely similar—these two are like brothers from different mothers. Features of the Basilisk that also come in the Raptor GTX include:
- 4 pockets (two exterior, two interior)
- 6 vents (chest, arms, and back)
- Large toothed, YKK zippers with pull tabs to aid opening/closing
- Hi-Viz colors and 3M Scotchlite reflective material highlights
- Elasticized drawstrings used to adjust the waist and collar
- SuperFabric™ on top of dual layer 600D Cordura on high abrasion areas
- 3 layer, waterproof, windproof, Cordura exterior shells (Klim uses Gore-Tex™, Mosko Moto uses eVent™ membrane, but both are made from ePTFE– expanded polytetrafluoroethylene)
- Minimalist design, no inner liner, fancy bells, whistles, or thermal liners included with the jacket
- Crash replacement program if you ruin the jacket in a crash
See Also: All Klim Coverage
Thank You Klim & Mosko Moto!
Mosko Moto and Klim supplied me with these jackets (at no charge) for the purpose of writing open, honest, and independent reviews about them, to provide insight to potential buyers. These jackets aren’t cheap to buy and this review can help you make a good financial decision.
If you read the detailed scoring summary above you’ll already know the Mosko Moto Basilisk won this competition, but let me get into the reasons why things went that way.
Design & Innovation
Minimalist is the perfect word to describe both of these jackets and keeping it simple –but not too simple– is where they both excel. Despite a great showing from the Raptor GTX, I found the Basilisk does it better.
SuperFabric™
SuperFabric™ is a ceramic material made up of hundreds of small, hard, bumpy, plates that provide abrasion resistance, and I value its inclusion on both these jackets. In a slide, this low-drag material should help save the wearer from the worst effects of friction injuries.
It’s also quite breathable, antimicrobial, flame-resistant, slash-resistant, stain-resistant, and it dries 10X faster than nylon. SuperFabric™ costs about $40 US/yard which is crazy expensive compared to everything else.
The Basilisk has about 5 times the amount of SuperFabric™ on it that the Klim does. The entire outside area on the Basilisk on both arms along with the shoulders, shoulder blades, and upper torso is completely covered with the slippery black colored stuff.
Some may argue Klim’s precision placement brand of coverage is smarter since they put it only on the shoulders and elbow areas of the Raptor GTX. I admit that would make more sense IF it equated to a lower purchase price, but unfortunately the Raptor GTX costs $50 US more than the Basilisk.
In the end, I favor Mosko’s accuracy by volume just in case I don’t end up sliding on the usual high abrasion areas.
I also like the density and more compact pattern of Mosko Moto’s chosen SuperFabric versus the Klim choice, which is a series of larger dots with significant-sized gaps in between. See the photo below.
It’s entirely possible that I’m wrong about how this fabric works, but my guess is the denser, tighter knit pattern will slip better/last longer in a slide across the pavement.
Fitment
My measurements include a 16” neck, 40” chest, and 34” waist, with 26” long arms, putting me comfortably in the Medium size range for both these jackets. As mentioned, both jackets have extra width and length built in to provide plenty of room for extra thermal layers and bulky off-road armor. Wearing them without armor and layers is undesirable because the extra material flaps around in the wind while riding.
The Raptor GTX and Basilisk fit me differently, with the thinner, more pliable Klim shell being more spacious, lighter, and more comfortable to wear for me than the stiffer, heavier, and slightly thicker Basilisk Cordura shell.
If you’re well-endowed in the belly/chest region or have “big bones” the Klim will suit you better and allow for slightly more flexibility in wearing layers underneath it.
More importantly, the Basilisk sizing taps out at 2XL whereas the Raptor GTX is available in 3XL.
Weight & Sizing Factors
The Raptor GTX overshell can fold up into a smaller package and weighs more than half a pound less than the Mosko Moto jacket as seen in the photo below.
All that SuperFabric™ comes at a cost, eh?
Adjustments
The waist and abdomen areas can be adjusted smaller on both jackets but the Mosko Moto uses large velcro patches to accomplish it a tad more easily than the Klim jacket strap system does.
Dirt and mud haven’t rendered the velcro inoperable over thousands of miles ridden to my surprise. It’s advised by both Klim and Mosko Moto to machine wash/machine dry these jackets (how convenient, eh?) fairly often in order to keep the micro pores unclogged on the waterproof liners.
Wrist Closures
The Basilisk jacket has the longest straps I’ve ever seen used to cinch closed the jacket cuffs over riding gloves.
They’re a full inch longer than the ones on the Raptor GTX and I’m confident saying the Basilisk straps will accommodate any human wrist under nearly any type of glove.
Ventilation
The Raptor GTX has the front vents down low on the abdomen area while the Basilisk ones are up higher on the chest.
I find it irritatingly easy to inadvertently unzip the front pockets on the Raptor GTX instead of the intended vents because the zipper pull tabs for both are located exactly beside each other on the jacket.
This never happens on the Basilisk for obvious reasons.
Both work well in conjunction with the rear vents at keeping me cool, but I’m giving the edge to the Klim jacket mainly because it has a special set of hooks on either side of the collar that can be used to pin an unzipped collar back out of the way.
The open-collar is next-level stuff when it comes to keeping me cool on hot days. I just have to hope not to hit any wasps, cigarette butts, or low-flying birds with it in that position or things could get very uncomfortable on the now exposed neck region.
Hi-Viz and Reflective Materials
The Klim jacket is loads more visible in the daylight, thanks to its ample fluorescent yellow striping, zipper teeth, and giant “K” logos found on each side. It even gives the Grand Canyon a run for the money… ok maybe not.
The turquoise highlights on the Basilisk are less visible in general from a distance and I think Mosko Moto could definitely improve their fine jacket in this regard.
The reflective 3M Scotchlite content on both jackets is shockingly sparse. In particular, the Basilisk sum total is limited to a tiny running lizard logo found on the right rear shoulder and the Mosko Moto printed text emblem on the center-left frontal region.
The entirety of the Raptor GTX’s collection of reflective patching is a rectangle on the back of each upper shoulder. They effectively light up in the dark and are positioned perfectly to be seen above any luggage strapped to a motorcycle.
For that reason, I’m giving a win to Klim in this area.
Build Quality
Up to now these two jackets have run neck and neck in the scoring department which is no surprise considering the reputation both companies have for making great gear.
Imagine my surprise when the question of durability and attention to detail produced a gap between them. When you begin looking closely at the small details it’s hard to argue the Basilisk is a cut above the Raptor GTX in some key areas.
Color Bleeding
It appears that the black dye on the inside of the Raptor GTX collar bled and transferred down lower due to perspiration or maybe a bit of rain got in there at some point? It might be some sort of glue or bonding agent showing through the inside liner of the jacket alternatively.
I’m only sure that it wasn’t there when the jacket was new and unworn.
This is strictly an aesthetic issue with the Raptor GTX and hasn’t affected the performance of the jacket, but nothing like this has happened anywhere on the Basilisk jacket.
The Zippers
As mentioned, the biggest problem I had with the Rukka ROR is the small-toothed YKK zippers found on it. They’re used everywhere and are all prone to seizing up due to dust intrusion and sometimes will break and fail completely due to jamming.
The Basilisk jacket only has those unreliable, small-toothed zippers on the inside pockets. That’s fine because they’re out of the elements. All other zippers on it are of the large-toothed, higher-quality, YKK Vislon waterproof variety that still will jam up with dust or dirt at times but continue operating without breaking until they can be cleaned out.
Dust Intrusion Issues
The Basilisk zippers free up quickly after applying a dose of chapstick, candle wax, or WD40 to the teeth. Yep, the zippers on the Basilisk have been flawlessly good thus far despite some rough treatment by me.
The reason why is twofold: the teeth are larger on the Basilisk zippers and the pull tabs are too. Most of the pull tabs on the Basilisk even have small grippy strips of rubber on them or a robust lanyard of some sort to grasp. All of this combined with some tough pleather strips hanging off the zipper pull tabs make it much easier to locate and actuate them.
Zipper and Pull Tab Cord Failures
The Raptor GTX has large-ish-toothed YKK zippers everywhere except on the pockets both on the inside and on the outside of the shell. The small toothed exterior pocket zippers are tucked away from the elements by a flap but dust still does affect them with typical use off-road.
Two of the yellow plastic tips attached to the pull tab strings on these zippers popped right off during my testing. Without those pieces of plastic on them, the pull tabs are very difficult (if not nearly impossible) to locate with my gloved fingers. These pieces of plastic can’t be reinstalled after they come off, but you can replace the whole assembly easily if you can get new ones sent to you from Klim.
Klim Warranty Repairs
During my testing, the right side vent zipper lost two teeth due to it jamming up with dust.
This happened during a nearly 7000-mile trip I took from Canada to Mexico along the Continental Divide Trail. On my way back home I stopped at the Klim Headquarters in Rigby, Idaho (completely unannounced) to see about getting the zipper replaced.
Klim was happy to do it on warranty at no charge to me, but they needed at least a day or day and a half to make it happen on short notice. I didn’t want to wait in Rigby that long so instead I went home and mailed the jacket back to them instead. My Raptor GTX jacket was returned to me after 2 weeks in perfect condition once again with all shipping and duty charges covered by Klim.
Had I been at the beginning of my journey the impression I got from the Klim staffers was that they would’ve dropped everything and immediately made me whole again or possibly just handed me a brand new replacement jacket so I could have gotten back on my epic journey. That seems more than fair to me.
Klim also replaced the failed zipper pull tab cords for me during my visit at no charge. Overall, the warranty claim experience I had was first-rate!
The Mosko Moto & Klim Limited Lifetime Warranty Policies
Both Klim and Mosko Moto will warranty their riding gear “for the practical lifetime of the product”.
That means they’ll fix or replace any failures caused by defects or if the item provides an unreasonably short service life taking into account the severity of usage it endured.
Mosko Moto’s warranty policy states they think it’s fair to split the shipping fees with the customer to get warranty repairs completed which isn’t nearly as good as Klim offering to pay the whole shot.
Both Klim and Mosko Moto have limited crash replacement policies they offer to customers that destroy their riding gear in a crash as well.
Waterproof
Everyone is familiar with Gore-Tex™ and how well it works, but Mosko Moto’s eVent™ waterproof membrane is a new one for many.
Both jackets were exposed to torrential rain showers during my testing and neither faltered when it came to keeping me warm and dry.
The only time this didn’t work was when I forgot to close the vents while riding in the rain. The vents flow air or water directly inside without any difficulty.
Breathability
The Gore-Tex Klim jacket seems to breathe better and as a result, I feel cold more easily when wearing it than I do the Basilisk jacket. I suspect this has to do with the thicker shell and extra SuperFabric on the Mosko Moto jacket.
To be specific, I start feeling uncomfortably cold in the Klim Raptor GTX around 12 Celsius (53 Fahrenheit), and need to take action versus around 8 Celsius (46 Fahrenheit) with the Basilisk. It’s not a huge difference admittedly, but it’s something.
The Wonky Collars
In my opinion both jackets have subpar collar designs on them due to how awkward they are to adjust uniformly.
Both use an elastic drawstring that when pulled tight collapses the Cordura shell it runs through unevenly. This produces a weirdly disheveled look on the wearer and I would much prefer they found a better design for both the Basilisk and Raptor GTX.
I prefer the neoprene collar found on the Rukka ROR, even though sometimes it would chafe my neck a bit.
Dollars & Sense
Either of these jackets will take a toll on your wallet to purchase, but are worth their asking prices when the big picture is kept in view.
Which one provides greater value?
Mosko Moto recently began paying for shipping in the US and Canada on orders over $95, but so does Klim… I think. I checked on the website and saw two options for shipping to Alberta, Canada. One was free while the other cost $11 and there were no details about the timeframe to differentiate them.
Mosko Moto pays half the shipping for warranty repairs, while Klim pays all costs both ways. Both companies offer a crash replacement program for riding gear as well.
The Basilisk costs $50 less than the Raptor GTX and based on my testing may never need any warranty repairs for the life of the product.
So there it is. The Basilisk is the better value purchase.
The Final Verdict: Klim or Mosko Moto?
After a most excellent round of competition, the Jesus Lizard jacket retains the adventure overshell crown… for now at least! The designers at Mosko Moto are riding a well-earned wave of popularity with their growing repertoire of riding gear.
If you aren’t watching their social media accounts or checking out their gear at adventure rallies you’re missing out. In case you didn’t know, Mosko also excels at building soft luggage.
The Fallout
Klim has produced an excellent jacket in the Raptor GTX that I’ll continue wearing out in the field because it has earned my respect despite some issues encountered with it. There are some things I like better about the Raptor GTX as evidenced by the two 100% scores I awarded it.
I can’t adequately explain why the Raptor GTX failed to perform at least as well as the Basilisk did during testing. In fact, it’s perplexing to me it isn’t BETTER built, considering Klim has been a major force in riding gear since 1999 while Mosko Moto only appeared in 2013.
No New Changes for the Raptor GTX
While visiting the Klim HQ in Idaho I shared my impressions with Jayson Plummer, the Director of Motorcycle & Off-Road riding gear, and I asked whether there will be any changes to the Raptor GTX in the near future. The answer was no.
What If It Went Differently?
If the vent zipper teeth and the pull tabs hadn’t failed on my test jacket I would have awarded the Raptor GTX a Build Quality score of 88%. That change would have raised the overall score from 85% to 88% and closed the gap to a measly 4% margin. In truth, 7% isn’t a landslide victory for the Basilisk, either.
Was this experience absolutely indicative of how every Raptor GTX jacket or Basilisk jacket will perform? Possibly, but as always your mileage may vary from mine. All I can do is report accurately what I experienced and saw with my own eyes.
- Jim
Important Links/Where to Buy:
- Mosko Moto Basilisk:
- Klim Raptor GTX:
Specs
| Basilisk | Raptor GTX | |
| Manufacturer | Mosko Moto | Klim |
| Price When Tested (USD) | $599 | $649 |
| Made In | Bangladesh | Vietnam |
| Sizes | SM, MD, LG, XL, 2XL | SM, MD, LG, XL, 2XL, 3XL |
| Colors | 3 choices | 2 choices |
| Original Review Date | May 1 2021 | Oct 15 2021 |
Mosko Moto Basilisk vs Klim Raptor GTX Jacket Image Gallery
