Jacket Recommendations ??

[RichInFla]

I've been looking for a lightweight, mesh jacket, since I'll be riding during the day for work in the sweltering heat of Florida. I've narrowed it down to the FirstGear Mesh-Tex and the Teknic Supermesh. This is based on articles I've read online and what not.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a lightweight, breathable jacket ? Leather would just be too dang hot during the day.

Thanks,
Rich

p/s: Went out for my first real ride this weekend. After about 10 miles, felt really better about being on the bike (we kind of bonded !!). After that, the next 30 miles felt really good as far as handling, braking, etc...Still need more practice, but I feel a whole lot more confident riding it now.

[LilNinja77]

Ok, not trying to be an a$$ or anything, but you say you JUST went for your first real ride yet already know if leather will be too hot or not? Eh, never mind. I won't do my whole preaching thing, everyone ride their own ride.

Just make sure your jacket fits well, that's really the most important thing.......though with mesh I'm not even sure about that. Take a fall and it won't really matter if it had fit properly. A riding buddy of mine has the FirstGear one you mentioned and it *seems* to be of reasonably good quality FWIW. I don't have any personal experience with Teknic gear.

If you're looking for lightweight breathable protection, you could look in to the under-style armor that you wear under your regular clothes if that would be a viable option. Several of the major gear-makers have this (Alpinestars, Thor, Teknic, etc) and I think the most well known one would be the Bohn under-armor (there are pants and shirts). Honestly this would probably give you the same amount of protection as a mesh jacket will, they are essentially the same thing; one is meant for under and one is meant for over.

Eh, hope this was somewhat useful :)
Ride safe

[Orpheus]

I was under the impression that the only mesh jackets that provided the same protection as leather were pretty much the same as wearing leather (as far as heat retention and such). I was going to look into mesh jackets for the summer, but was told that leather was about the same, as long as it didn't have a liner. Am I wrong about this?

[patrick_777]

Perforated leather is cool like mesh, but with abrasion-resistance about equal to a full textile jacket (ergo, not as good as thick road-leathers). There are, however, more expensive mesh and textile jackets lined with Kevlar and other very abrasive-resistant and much lighter materials. Some of these have rated abrasion tests as long or longer than some common leathers, but like I said, they are expensive.

Some here have a very strict "all-leather-all-the-time" mentality and will always deny the plausibility of mesh gear, but seriously, if your choice is between wearing a mesh jacket or not wearing any armour at all, go with the mesh...or just park the bike until the heat indices drop below 110.

For the record, I wear a Firstgear mesh jacket when the heat index gets over 90 degrees and leather all other times.

[cconleyjr]

I think johnathan posted something about having a summer jacket for sale in the for sale thread said he didn't wear it much may want to check into that looked like a pretty good deal other than that i couldn't really reccomend anything i rarely wear a jacket unless its cold

[LilNinja77]

Perforated leather is cool like mesh, but with abrasion-resistance about equal to a full textile jacket (ergo, not as good as thick road-leathers). There are, however, more expensive mesh and textile jackets lined with Kevlar and other very abrasive-resistant and much lighter materials. Some of these have rated abrasion tests as long or longer than some common leathers, but like I said, they are expensive.

Hmm, all of the modern perforated leather jackets I've seen (including my own) are actually thicker than their non-perforated counterparts. The perforations are so tiny that they *shouldn't* have any negative effect on abrasion resistance........I say *shouldn't* because I haven't taken the initiative to personally crash test any of my gear :cool: As for what Orpheus asked, I can't say I've ever heard of any mesh textile jacket providing the same protection as a leather jacket.....I could be wrong, just saying. As for the kevlar-textile, I don't think I've ever seen any mesh-style jackets with the kevlar, only full textile jackets. On the last thread about this I asked for anyone to please post a mesh jacket with kevlar if they knew of one...........

Here are some pics of my perforated leather jacket to show the perforations for anyone who may be interested.:

http://www.postimage.org/gx183WxJ.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx183WxJ)

http://www.postimage.org/gx184mZi.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx184mZi)

The perforations are on the stomach, chest, upper arms and shoulders. There are air-scoops on the shoulders, vents in the back, and the inner-arm portion is also a breathable textile. Having both a perforated and non-perf. leather jacket, the difference is quite apparent while riding. This is effectively a "mesh-leather" jacket, but the simple fact that it's thick leather gives it a higher quality of protection IMO than any mesh-textile. FWIW, I'm NOT bashing textile gear at all; I absolutely love my Tour Master textile gear. Textile gear is of great quality these days and is WAAAY more affordable than expensive leather gear. Also, textile gear is much more weather proof right out of the box, which is one of the big selling points to year-round riders.

Anyone looking for gear should just get what they want, I'm not trying to make everyone wear what I wear; it just seems like there are a lot of people around here who feel confused about different kinds of gear.....just trying to help out with info. If mesh is the most you'll wear, then just get the best quailty mesh you can. To me the most important thing is to actually try the jacket out before you buy it, don't just order it online without having seen it in person.
Ride safe

[LilNinja77]

Here we go, I stand corrected:
http://www.motoport.com/Product.asp?Clv=102302
See, even a smart ass like me can admit when they are wrong. Supposedly this is like, the absolute top of the line in mesh-style gear. It's actually more expensive than my perforated leather jacket, but hey, it sure is neat. If I didn't already have riding gear had the money to spend, I'd give it a try.

Once again, wear what you'll be comfortable wearing, it's as simple as that. The rule is this: Any gear is better than no gear, and qualtiy gear is better than cheap gear.

Ride safe

[RichInFla]

Here we go, I stand corrected:
http://www.motoport.com/Product.asp?Clv=102302
See, even a smart ass like me can admit when they are wrong. Supposedly this is like, the absolute top of the line in mesh-style gear. It's actually more expensive than my perforated leather jacket, but hey, it sure is neat. If I didn't already have riding gear had the money to spend, I'd give it a try.

Once again, wear what you'll be comfortable wearing, it's as simple as that. The rule is this: Any gear is better than no gear, and qualtiy gear is better than cheap gear.

Ride safe

First of all, I welcome any and all opinions. Second, you have to understand that my choice to ride was based on economy, not "for the love of the ride" (which may come later, and I'm sure makes me an outcast here). My neighbor, who's been riding HD's since he was born, tools off to work in nothing more than his jeans and tank top (no helmet), he's an old Oklahoma boy. So, I'm at least thinking of the bad things that can happen. I rejected recommendations for a 3/4 or no helmet, and bought a full face helmet, and yes, that gets pretty warm when the heat index is typically 95-100+ from June to August here in Florida (we don't really have a winter !!).

So, I'm looking for something that is light and breathable, because I often do short trips around town, a couple miles here, a couple miles there to my works different locations. If leather is the same as textile, I have no problem with that, but I need something economical as well.

Anyway, like I said, I'm open to suggestions, just remember that I need to find something I can easily put on/take off, because underneath are work clothes (dockers and collar shirt, yes, another "outcast" flag). It's not like I'm just going riding for a couple of hours. Hope that makes sense.

Thanks again to everyone for all of your input.

[LilNinja77]

What kind of price range are you looking at? As others had mentioned, the really high quality mesh gear is pretty pricey. Regular mesh-textile jackets can be had for quite cheap, if that's what you're interested in buying. Despite my often-negative attitude towards the stuff, it is definitely better than nothing. As for the leather, I'd guess that you'd be needing to spend quite a bit more for one that would breathe really well. IMO full textile jackets breathe less than full leather jackets, but that's just been my experience, YMMV.

My neighbor, who's been riding HD's since he was born, tools off to work in nothing more than his jeans and tank top (no helmet), he's an old Oklahoma boy
Don't worry, we all know one (or 20) of those......even over here in VA with helmet laws, I see them all the time during the summer. God I can't wait for winter so I can ride in peace again. Once the temp. drops below 50 I'm happy :2tup:....below 40 and I'm even happier. Only rode in the snow a few times, but those were the only days of snow out here last winter.

Good luck with your gear-choices, keep us posted!
Ride safe

[RichInFla]

What kind of price range are you looking at? As others had mentioned, the really high quality mesh gear is pretty pricey. Regular mesh-textile jackets can be had for quite cheap, if that's what you're interested in buying. Despite my often-negative attitude towards the stuff, it is definitely better than nothing. As for the leather, I'd guess that you'd be needing to spend quite a bit more for one that would breathe really well. IMO full textile jackets breathe less than full leather jackets, but that's just been my experience, YMMV

To keep an open mind, I went looking on the web for leather jackets. I found "vented", which I figure is probably different than "perforated". Here's the link for a perforated one, any comments ?

http://www.cbxmanmotorcycles.com/produc ... 1&affid=4# (http://www.cbxmanmotorcycles.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=AC-7030-01&affid=4#)

I see "breathable leather" as well (guessing same as perforated?). Prices range on most from $150 to almost $600 !! We do have a HD dealer in Melbourne, so I guess I should go take a look and try some on. Not a lot of choices as in, say, Daytona (1 hour away) or Orlando (1 1/2 hours away), I'm sure they have more dealers and more selection.

I'd like to keep it under $200 if possible, so if anyone has any ones I can check out online, please let me know. I know LilNinja said to go try it on, so that will probably be this weekend at the local HD dealer. Comfort and fit are very important, but if I find a decent looking one online, I might take a chance. Thanks again !!

Also, on a lighter note: If I have one too many beers one night, I might post my bike pic so you all can see what a "computer geek" from Florida looks like on his GZ250 !! Have a safe day everyone !!

[finallyinthesaddle]

What kind of price range are you looking at? As others had mentioned, the really high quality mesh gear is pretty pricey. Regular mesh-textile jackets can be had for quite cheap, if that's what you're interested in buying. Despite my often-negative attitude towards the stuff, it is definitely better than nothing. As for the leather, I'd guess that you'd be needing to spend quite a bit more for one that would breathe really well. IMO full textile jackets breathe less than full leather jackets, but that's just been my experience, YMMV

To keep an open mind, I went looking on the web for leather jackets. I found "vented", which I figure is probably different than "perforated". Here's the link for a perforated one, any comments ?

http://www.cbxmanmotorcycles.com/produc ... 1&affid=4# (http://www.cbxmanmotorcycles.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=AC-7030-01&affid=4#)

I see "breathable leather" as well (guessing same as perforated?). Prices range on most from $150 to almost $600 !! We do have a HD dealer in Melbourne, so I guess I should go take a look and try some on. Not a lot of choices as in, say, Daytona (1 hour away) or Orlando (1 1/2 hours away), I'm sure they have more dealers and more selection.

I'd like to keep it under $200 if possible, so if anyone has any ones I can check out online, please let me know. I know LilNinja said to go try it on, so that will probably be this weekend at the local HD dealer. Comfort and fit are very important, but if I find a decent looking one online, I might take a chance. Thanks again !!

Also, on a lighter note: If I have one too many beers one night, I might post my bike pic so you all can see what a "computer geek" from Florida looks like on his GZ250 !! Have a safe day everyone !!

The jacket that I have is made by "U.S.A. Biker's Dream Apparel" or something like that. I like it a lot. It has two zip-open vents in the front, one in the back, and all of them have zippers that are covered by leather. I can wear it in 90-degree weather and not get TOO hot at 35+mph. Sitting at stoplights sucks, though. I think I've seen them online for about $125. I got mine at a local flea-market for $79.00.

[LilNinja77]

For under $200, you'll likely be going the textile route, unless you find a good deal on leather
good deals ARE out there:
http://www.newenough.com/protective_app ... acket.html (http://www.newenough.com/protective_apparel/mesh_jackets_and_pants/power_trip/intercooled_leather_mesh_motorcycle_jacket.html)
I have a PowerTrip jacket and it's of really good quality, I'd buy this jacket if I didn't already have a perforated leather jacket.

Regular mesh jackets can be had for very little more than $100.

Take your pick, though I would say that this isn't really the place to skimp with $$.....nothing's more important than your tires, your brakes, and your gear......well ok, your chain/sprockets too.

FWIW, the jackets and gear at most cruiser-oriented shops (like a Harley dealer) are going to be more aimed at style than protection. Generally (not always) gear designed for sport riders is more safety-oriented, just my .02.

Oh, the jacket you linked *appears* to be fine, can't really say by just looking at a picture :) I think "perforated" jackets are noted by the actual little perforations, the little holes; "vented" I believe refers to zipper-style vents.....I could be wrong, but that's what it seems like to me normally.
Ride safe

[patrick_777]

For under $200, you'll likely be going the textile route, unless you find a good deal on leather
good deals ARE out there:

FWIW, the jackets and gear at most cruiser-oriented shops (like a Harley dealer) are going to be more aimed at style than protection. Generally (not always) gear designed for sport riders is more safety-oriented, just my .02.

Oh, the jacket you linked *appears* to be fine, can't really say by just looking at a picture :) I think "perforated" jackets are noted by the actual little perforations, the little holes; "vented" I believe refers to zipper-style vents.....I could be wrong, but that's what it seems like to me normally.

This is all true. However, I've found that the cruiser-oriented sites and shops DO carry good safety gear, it's just set at a premium price because a lot of the clientele are really only looking for looks or warmth. Like LN said, your best bet for the safest, and most affordable gear is to shop in the sportbike section or talk to some sportbike riders in your area.

That's also not discounting eBay or Craigslist. I just picked up a 2007 model black-label Alpinestars leather jacket, with CE armor and a LOT of padding and very thick leather (seriously, this thing weighs >10 lbs) for less than $150. If you look for the best deal, and snipe the auction (however controversial this is) then you can usually pick up good gear for a song.

The constant problem with buying gear online is fitting (especially ebay). If it doesn't fit well, or at all, you're pretty much stuck with reselling it yourself instead of returning. Not a problem for some, but if you don't want to go through the trouble and don't want to collect gear that doesn't fit, then you should try something more return-friendly, or personal. Craigslist is alright because you can usually fit gear before you buy, but there are more risks associated with that than eBay or a brick & mortar shop.

I've said this before in the other thread too, but I'll reiterate it here. I believe unless the price is substantially different online, you should always try to buy from a brick & mortar store. You can usually get good deals there, and sometimes can negotiate for an even better deal. Additionally, you support your local economy, and can keep good personal contacts with your community riders. The better the personal connection is to that community, the more likely they are to help out in many ways other than just a discount on gear or services.

[RichInFla]

I've said this before in the other thread too, but I'll reiterate it here. I believe unless the price is substantially different online, you should always try to buy from a brick & mortar store. You can usually get good deals there, and sometimes can negotiate for an even better deal. Additionally, you support your local economy, and can keep good personal contacts with your community riders. The better the personal connection is to that community, the more likely they are to help out in many ways other than just a discount on gear or services.

I took Patrick's advice and went to my local "brick & mortar" shop called Cycle Gear. The guys were great and helped me figure out the best jacket for me. Sorry, LilNinja, the leather AND perforated leather was just a little too heavy. Ended up buying a "Joe Rocket Alter-Ego 2" jacket. It's pretty cool. The textile is a lighter weight, but it still has CE armor. The forearms unzip so it can actually become mesh from the forearms down. Also comes with a built-in rain liner which zips in. It'll probably take me hours to figure out how to get from textile to mesh, but the guy at the shop said Joe Rocket thinks of some really "sick" stuff, and he's right, it's almost like having 3 jackets in one. The sales guy also said it comes with pretty good "back armor", unlike other textiles, and you can add the CE armor later if you buy it.

Here's the link in case anyone wants to "opinionate":
http://www.newenough.com/protective_app ... acket.html (http://www.newenough.com/protective_apparel/convertible_textile_mesh_jackets_and_pants/joe_rocket/alter_ego_2_textile_mesh_motorcycle_jacket.html)

They ended up having a 25% off sale (ended up being about $186), so I went ahead and spent the 25% on a little Manta Magnetic Tank bag as well. Pretty dang cool. The sales guy put it on the metal table and dang if he didn't have to pull like heck sideways to get it off, but just pulling up made it come right off. The magnets also "tuck in" so it looks like an over-the-shoulder bag when it's not on the tank. At least it'll help me keep stuff out of my front pockets which makes it more comfortable to ride.
Here's the link to that just in case anyone wants to see: http://www.bikebandit.com/product/4985?WT.mc_id=666111

So, that's the choice, we'll see how it goes...He had to order it since I wanted red, so stay tuned for pics.

[patrick_777]

That's an awesome deal on that Alter Ego jacket. CG's website is listing it at $233-$250. Nice work.

[LilNinja77]

Those Alter-Ego jackets are pretty popular, a bunch of people over on the ninja250 forum wear them. Also, nothing to say sorry for, you're the one who lives in that sauna called Florida :tongue: You did the absolute best thing though, you went and tried on jackets in person and found one that ultimately was right for you; and that's the most important thing. Too many people just order crap online without ever knowing how it's going to fit. You just can't beat a brick and mortar store IMO, I'm happy to pay a little bit more in order to actually deal with someone face-to-face. Hope you enjoy the new jacket and tank-bag! :rawk:
Ride safe

[patrick_777]

You just can't beat a brick and mortar store IMO, I'm happy to pay a little bit more in order to actually deal with someone face-to-face.

...except that he actually got it cheaper from the store than online, which rocks even more. :rawk:

[RichInFla]

You just can't beat a brick and mortar store IMO, I'm happy to pay a little bit more in order to actually deal with someone face-to-face.

That ended up being a good thing that it was on sale !! Actually, the sale was on mesh jackets, and the "kid" who helped me, really nice, but young !! He wasn't sure if the combo mesh was included, but said "what the heck, it must be, it's part mesh, so why not". It was actually listed for $249, so I guess the price was comparable online. Bummer is that the tank bag was backordered. I could have ordered online for $5 less, not including shipping, but I figure I'll wait for the red one.

I saw both "Joe Rocket Alter Ego" and "Joe Rocket Alter Ego 2.0" online, so I actually got the 2.0 version. We'll see how it goes. Due to come in on Thursday. I'll see if I can post some pics of it, just in case anyone else is curious.

[Magnar Infectus]

Here's what I ended up with for a Jacket:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/magnarinfectus/Jacket.jpg
It's a 2008 Z1R Dart Jacket. It's all leather except for the grey panels under the arms. Those zip out and leave a thin mesh for better air flow. It has armor in the shoulders, elbows, and back. I tried on about 20 jackets before I picked it. It was the one of 4 jackets in the store (where I bought my bike) that I liked, but the only one in the store that fit properly. I got it for at $50 less that the cheapest price I saw online for it. I'm happy with it.
*edit. Also it has a removable washable liner.

[patrick_777]

It's a 2008 Z1R Dart Jacket. It's all leather except for the grey panels under the arms. Those zip out and leave a thin mesh for better air flow. It has armor in the shoulders, elbows, and back. I tried on about 20 jackets before I picked it. It was the one of 4 jackets in the store (where I bought my bike) that I liked, but the only one in the store that fit properly. I got it for at $50 less that the cheapest price I saw online for it. I'm happy with it.
*edit. Also it has a removable washable liner.

Sounds like you did everything just right in buying your jacket. Good job! :2tup:

Have you been able to test the airflow with those mesh panels yet?

[Magnar Infectus]

I start my class this Thursday night, but he riding portion starts Saturday morning, so I won't really know till then.
I've had it on and ran around like an idiot for a bit. It didn't get that hot. Heat has never reall bothered me that much though. I used to work in irrigation/groundskeeping when I was in HS/College. I'd go all day in the florida sun and i'd be fine. Thought I wasn't wearing a leather cocoon. Also I could zip out the liner for less padding.

[Easy Rider]

Also I could zip out the liner for less padding.

Indeed. The liner is not there to provide "padding" but to provide warmth and a wind/rain barrier when needed.
When those things are NOT needed and cooling IS, then the liner should be removed. :tup: