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motorcycle jacket

Discussion in 'Hangout Lounge' started by Ltdave, Feb 11, 2009.

  1. Ltdave

    Ltdave Member

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    Location:
    as far east as you can get in michigan 43.027407,
    last year i rode locally with just longsleeve t-shirts and over the road a light weight jacket but not a motorcycle jacket (yeah yeah i know)...

    since i need a new jacket, how does everyone like theirs to fit? loose, relaxed, skin tight?

    im leaning toward looser than relaxed but not to the point of being able to billow out in the draft...

    most of the jackets ive seen in the online catalogs are either the 'sport jacket' touring kind with the long waist or a tight fitted jacket with a tapered waist...

    i no longer have a tapered physique so any suggestions?
     
  2. Deadulus

    Deadulus Member

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    I too no longer have the...ahem....tapered torso. But my Joe Rocket jacket works great for me. It came with armour in the shoulders and elbows and a spine protector, a waterproof lining that can be zipped out and worn independently.

    There are waist adjustments and forearm and upperarm adjusters...ummm...oh and vents for the arms and on each side of the torso...and better yet I got it off the web for $80. I am NOT a hot weather person, yet I wore it this summer when we were on a ride were it was 110 out and I did not get overly hot even when stopped.

    Sorry about the windiness of the reply Dave.....
     
  3. commitment-skateboards

    commitment-skateboards New Member

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    I am also a little wider in the middle then I used to be! But as far as the jacket goes, comfort is up to you. I personaly have three riding jackets that I use for diffrent things. Tight Joe rocket jacket for the track (or highway rocket riding!!) Heavy leather biker style for long road trips and a military pilot jacket for in town.
     
  4. xj650ss

    xj650ss Member

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    comfortable relaxed fit not loose! it would sort of defeat the purpose of an armoured riding jacket if it could slide out of place while you skid down the road, like wearing your helmet but not useing the strap, this is the worst case senerio of course but we should prepair for the worst and hope for the best right? of course as always this is just my opinion
    Shaun
     
  5. TheHound

    TheHound Active Member

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    I guess the first thing to decide is what material you want.
    Leather, Cordura, textile, then choose a style.
    My leather fits tight compared to other jackets I own.
    Never had a fatigue problem though.
     
  6. WesleyJN1975

    WesleyJN1975 Member

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    Also, forget about buying a jacket online unless you have tried on that model in a store. I'm a big guy, 2XL T-shirt, but my joe rocket jacket is a 4XL. The cut of the jacket varies from style to style and maker to maker. I strongly recommend trying the jacket on before you buy one. Hope this was helpful to you.

    Wesley
     
  7. MiCarl

    MiCarl Active Member

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    Ditto!

    I have a mesh jacket I bought on line, smaller than my regular size, and it is loose in the wrong spots.

    Dave, next time you're down you should try it on. Maybe you'll get lucky.

    For that matter, there's a parts and accessories shop just down the road that is pretty reasonable on FirstGear and Tourmaster.
     
  8. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    You don't want TOO tight, you want to be able to "layer" if need be. On the other hand, "loose" in the wrong spots makes for flapping in the wind which is no fun (I still haven't figured out fringed jackets yet.)

    I recommend trying on a particular brand/style even if you end up saving a few $$$ buying it on-line. Everyone's "version" of a given size is a bit different; a jacket that fits one person may not fit the next guy even if they are the same size.

    Are you familiar with Rocky's over in Burton (next door to Flint?) Probably only an hour or so run for you on I-69. http://www.motorcycleandoutdoors.com/ I'm a "regular." Don't go by what's on the website, they have a LOT more in the store. More than once I've gone there to try something on, and ended up buying it there. Good folks.
     
  9. wamaxim

    wamaxim Active Member

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    Sorry to hear about all you guys who have lost your tapered torso. I'm 51 years old and still have a tapered torso. Now, I will admit it tapers outward going from shoulders to waist but hey, it's still a taper!

    I am not a fan of leather riding gear. I prefer Cordura so I have a cordura jacket and pants to match. I bought 2XL and I'm much closer to an L. Both jackets and pants have zip out quilted liners. When the temp is below 25 deg. F I have a long sleeved light fleecey jacket thing that I wear inside the jacket for extra warmth. The waist has two velcro fasteners for taking up the extra around "the taper" and the sleeves have anti-flap in the breeze fasteners for riding without the liner.

    The pants are the same way. I customized them by adding a pair of genuine Carhartt suspenders in a lovely contrasting red color so that I can keep them up when I'm off the bike. Pretty classy I must say. (I believe the red suspenders take the ladies eyes off "the taper"! Like it matters they are laughing either way).

    You can get gear very reasonably from LeatherUp and Jafrum that seems to be reasonably good quality but lacking the big name flair and tags.

    I also bought a pair of harness boots on sale from LeatherUp and had a very high quality zipper put in them on the inside (medial aspect) of the shaft. My shoe guy then put a full length matching leather flap with a velcro hold down. My total cost was less than $70. They are really nice for ridding. Pretty sharp looking too.
     
  10. sushi_biker

    sushi_biker Member

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    I think it depends on the kind of riding you're going to do. Most cruiser-types buy a leather jacket that fits a little loosely. Sport bikers wear that form-fitting leather outfit.

    I bought a textile (non-leather, but very durable) sport bike jacket. It's pretty versatile. It came armor for elbows, shoulders and spine, and a removable liner. It has zippered vents in several places for warmer weather. For those of us that have odd physiques, it has snaps and velcro cinches to tighten up loose fabric on certain parts of the body so that you don't have parts of the jacket flapping in the wind when you've got the "hammer down".

    The brand is "Speed & Strength" (rolls eyes), very melodramatic I know. I think their target demographic is the younger set. I paid $80 at a shop that was having a 50% off sale.

    Although there is a certain amount of risk in buying online, I've had great luck with www.jafrum.com and www.leatherup.com.
     
  11. fuferman

    fuferman Member

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    i am in perfect shape "circle is a shape right?" anyways i bought online but before i did i went to a local gear shop and tried on a ton of jackets and found my size. most of them are the same no matter what the cut. keep in mind most jackets have ways to tighten them but none have a way to get more loose.
     
  12. kd5uzz

    kd5uzz Member

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    http://www.tourmaster.com/xcart/product ... =240&cat=3

    I had to choose between the color I wanted, or the fit I knew was better. I ended up with (IIRC) a large. I am 5'11" @ 220lb. I to have lost the prefered taper, but the jacket fits very well. The gut helps seal out the wind :)

    There are many ways to adjust the jacket, as well as many vents.

    I highly recommend it.
     
  13. redfire

    redfire Member

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    the online store I bought from (ebay I think) policy stated I could return the jacket if it didn't fit to my specifications as long as the tags were attached and it was in new condition.
     

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