what type of jacket do you wear?

Thought it would be interesting to see what you guys prefer and or recommend? Leather or cloth type jackets?
I have a cloth with the armoured sholders and such...
Mac

 

i have a leather jacket for when its cold but in the summer i usually just ride in a tshirt. how are the cloth types when its hot out?

 

I have a leather jacket for the ride to work in the morning, then I usually just wear a t-shirt the rest of the time. Probably should get something a little safer though.

 

I've been a leather guy for 20 years now, but after research, talking with some long time riders, and seeing how well a good textile jacket can perform -- I'm strongly thinking about changing.

Over at the Pashnit forums one of the members just went down in a traffic mishap wearing an Alpinstars jacket and Motoport pants.
The Alpinstars he credits with the armour in it breaking his collarbone when he went down, but overall it survived quite well and did an exemplary job. He's planing on replacing it with a jacket from Motoport.
The Motoport pants barely have a mark on them, and the company will fix/replace for free anyway. Also did a perfect job.

Pretty stellar support from a professional rider (he's a motorcycle police officer), so I'm considering their gear.

For anyone interested (and I have no financial interest in this) their website can be found here:
Motoport Website

Cheap looking website, fantastic gear (from what I'm told).

I'm a proponent of the ATGATT philosophy - All The Gear, All The Time.

Textiles are so good now, it's really just a personal decision.
Leather is the best, but textiles are lighter, cooler in summer, warmer in cooler weather, easier to take care of, more water resistant, and more flexible.

 

This is simmilar to what I have. My model was dicontinued. I paid ~$100

I like textile as long as it keeps me warm. Leather when it gets a bit chillier. Year round rider, most of the time-all the time.

 

Joe Rocket Meteor 4. Textile with removeable armor in the shoulders, forearms and a backpad. It also has a removeable liner for cold-weather riding and a few vents for when it gets hot. Even on hot days I don't find it unbearable unless I'm sitting in traffic, in which case it doesn't really matter what you're wearing. It's got a few pockets to stash things in too, which is nice...

 

Fruit Of The Loom -- or -- Jockey.

George Foreman Comfort XXL T-shirts dyed Orange or High-viz safety Green.

 

Joe Rocket Meteor 4 also, zippers on the cuffs jam unless your careful

 

I'm a newbie and I'm currently using a leather jacket I've had for years. I'm planning on replacing it with a motorcycle jacket with vents and armor. I haven't decided on leather or textile.

mikeg

 

I've been wearing textile with shoulder and elbow armor for a while now. The removeable liners make them good three season gear. not the warmest thing in the world when its 30 degrees out. Like altus i have no financial gain from this shameless plug but Leatherup.com has a huge selection of all tyoes of gear. They also give you a discount card for 10% off all your orders after the first one. Had I known this I would have bought something for like ten bucks and then bout my jacket. Made by Xelement by the way. knock off brand or generic one might say but great quality. Read reviews before ordering anything for sizing purposes.

 

i just bought an EXL from moto direct, cost $89.00 for an all weather textile with vents front and rear, removable liners for rain, cold, or fixed mesh liner, and has armor in elbows, shoulders, and back, with lots of pockets too. nice jacket to for the money, cuz times are tight right now! :wink:

 

I was fortunate enough to have a first gear "kilmanjaro" jacket given to me a few years ago. You could ride in a snowstorm wearing this jacket. But in the summer it is HOT. But you could also survive a fall from an airplane with this jacket, so I guess it is a trade off. Also sweet when you hit birds at 60.

 

Tour Master Intake Mesh Jacket
Mesh for summer, then zip in the rain or winter liner for other weather.
I've used this jacket for a whole year and have been very pleased with it's versatility for the price.
And it helps that I bought mine off Craigslist for only $75.
Coolest jacket you can wear in the 100F heat we get here in Texas, and it kept me warm down to 20F during the winter.

 

How about during the summer? Does it get too hot or do you wear something else?

 

My leather is a Mega Force.
It looks like this one.

It features full sleeve zip out lining, 4 air vents (2 on front and 2 on back) to let air flow through during those hot summer days. It has reinforced shoulders and elbows, a windflap that continues up into the collar for complete air protection, lacings on the sides and a drop back. Mine also has a synthetic mesh lining through out the body to let air move around inside and zippered cuffs.
Awsome jacket, looks good and with the liner out and vents open 80-85 degrees is do able.
I've riden with nothing on underneath, with the mesh liner it doesn't stick to much.

 

I wear it down to about 60f and all through summer. 106 was the highest I have used it in. If you stop for extended times it will begin to heat up.
But heck, just wearing a tshirt here in the summer is painfull. If you get one with liners it will be usable in colder seasons, but leather is the optimum though.

 

I never start the bike without my Icon textile TiMax 2 jacket.

 

I wear a lether vest and a t shirt

 

5.11 Sabre for wind and rain. Mil issue fleece gortex liner added for warmth when needed.

 

Steve&Barrys custom tube motorcycle jacket. For night and cool riding.

And an L.L. bean parka over my motorcycle jacket for rainy days.

 

FirstGear Kilimanjaro Air - I've ridden at 35 degrees with the liner and I was sweating. Without the liner it's a see-through mesh - very cool so long as you're not sitting still.

 

Showing my age here but I'm wearing an old waxed cotton jacket Ive had for more than 20yrs I've slept in it next to god knows how many campfires,got shamefully drunk in it even more times and been incredibly sick in it just as many times.Kept through 5 different bikes,come to think of it I met the love of my life wearing this jacket[thank god she could see past that]Having said all that I was looking for a leather jacket but it gets too hot here[27 celsius today its autumn]so that tourmaster looks good.
That jacket is an old friend.
Not to mention the old rips and tears from meeting the road in the past.
Glenn

 

Is that from the new Batman movie? whats with the abs? after reading this thread im thinking about picking up something textile for warmer riding thats more protective than a tshirt. although a denim vest sounds pretty cool.

 

I wear a joe rocket ballastic 3...

In the winter I put my modified liner in with heating built in.
In the spring/fall I ride with my liner in.
For the rest of the year I ride liner-less... and pop the vents open when it gets hot.

Good value for money - the pockets are convienient. Motorcycle specific gear is infinitely better than off the rack fashion stuff... pockets, weather protection, armour and stitch patterns are very different

 

I'm rockin a Joe Rocket Pheonix 4 I got on closeout from newenough. Without the liner, its almost like wearing a t-shirt. Shoulder, Elbow, Back armor. Makes me and the wife feel safer with me on that bike!

 

I have an Xelement - leather and textile and only was on sale for 79.00 but I think they are out of stock right now. Great jacket if you can find one.

 

LOL no, but I love it. Nice and light and comes with a removable liner. And the abs make me look even more 'tank' at 6'1" and 220lbs lol

 

I wear a mesh (and half-helmet) in warm weather, and switch to leather (and a full face) when it's cold. My mesh jackets are an Icon Tarmac and a First Gear. Leathers are an LBZ and a Z1R. Thanks to eBay I havent paid over $100 for any of them. The only problem is the huge discrepancy in size from one company's large to another's large. Try them on first if possible, if not, check out a catalog like Dennis Kirk, that has most of the major mfr's dimensions listed.

 

I wear a Firstgear Horsepower jacket anywhere between 50 and 90. It has vents, armor, and the parts by your armpits are textile so that lets in some air, but when it gets too hot in the summer I switch to a Shift Cammer Kevlar textile jacket. It has a removable liner, kevlar wrists and shoulders, back armor, and vents that are always open. I keep the cuffs a little loose and I can be protected no matter how hot it is. I don't like riding in a t-shirt. It's like not wearing your seat belt in a car. Sure, the odds are against it, but today could be the day that something happens, and you were unprepared. No thanks. I'll wear my jacket.

 

When I bought my BMW i went corporate and bought a BMW Commuter II textile jacket. It is similar to the Kilimanjaro with a zip out water and wind-proof liner and zip open vents on sleeves chest and back. it also has armor on the back, shoulders and elbows. i wear that most of the time unless it is really hot in the summer.

i also usually wear a full face helmet.

ken k

 

Went out last year and spend good money on a Spidi Motorsport Collection jacket and pants set and they're bloody good... Textile/leather combo with padding/armour in all the nessessary places and removable thermal liner in both jacket and pants. Zip together, pockets galore, vents and zips all over the place

 

I wear a leather biker type jacket, unless it's too warm out. Then usually just a t-shirt and vest.

 

X 2

 

Tourmaster Intake
Very affordable textile jackt. Perfect for hot weather riding. Very flexible with weather change with its 3 layers. Lots of nice features. Has elbow, arm, shoulder and back padding/armor. Very easy to wash. Because it has so many layers, the jacket can get either too loose or too tight. I highly recommend Tourmaster products.

 

Oh yea... One other thing I forgot to mention....

All the gear, ALL the time.

I'm not risking high speed gravel rash for anything or anyone

 

I agree 100%
Plus the gear makes me look cool. The cool factor alone should be enough to get anybody to wear their gear

 

I just picked up a scorpion Jacket and Helmet Saturday... Jacket kept me very warm while riding in about 45 degree F weather.



Definitely need to pick up a pair of pants though.

 

im rocking a TOP GEAR zip apart suit it is awesome and the best price out there

 

I'll second RangerG's Motodirect EXL model. I like mine a lot, and they have great cust service. Cant beat it for less than $100

also got a modular helmet from them i really like.

 

Leather jacket

 

Okay - from their website it seems like nearly ALL their jackets start with "EXL" -- so what model have you guys been buying?

 

GF has an ICON, For drag racing I use a two part zip together suit from Fieldsheer, not sure what my regular day to day jacket is. All of my jackets have armor in them. I do have an armored mesh jacket but it just doesn't give me the sense of security the full jacket does,

Sean

 

I just picked up a mesh jacket with CE armor. It's my first foray into textile protective gear. A Nitro 1500 from Vega.

With the liner removed it will be cool enough to wear on the hottest summer day. Something I could never do with my leathers.

I also got a set of cold/wet weather gear for the wife and my self... Nitro Millennium.

These seem to be warm enough to get us through till the roads are too icy to ride on.

 

When its HOT just a t-shirt or no shirt!! While its chillier/cold a T-shirt or maybe a longsleeve-shirt!

 

Must be really cold there then :mrgreen:

 

I have a Cortech Fusion, Textile, zip out liner and great venting...
Also a pair of Mesh overpants, and JR boots

 

Racer with Stripe
Nice racer style jacket with white reflective stripe. Removable lining and large zippered vent on back. Removable neck wrap. Also available in other color striping.


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