Leather Jacket suggestions?

[MOO]

Hello all,

The newb is back again! I was in the market for a nice leather jacket...have a joe rocket ballistic mesh which is fine, but I want a little more protection. Any suggestions?

I've heard Joe Rocket, Icon, they are kinda flimsy...was thinking about a nice Kushitani jacket but at 700+ it may be a little outta my price range. (Maybe if I do well at the poker tables) Please help!

Thanks doods...

[Savage]

I don't have alot of experience but I picked up the tour master Cortech Impulse jacket from Newenough. perferated leather breaths nicely, nice inside lining that you can unzip the sleeves. Vents on the shoulders shoot air down your back. Nice protection in the back, shoulders and elbows. Worth checking out.

http://www.newenough.com/cortech_impulse_jacket_page.htm
http://www.newenough.com/cortech_impulse_jacket_pictures.htm

[cucamonga]

Alpinestars has some nice ones for around $300...

[Dragonhawk]

Site with fantastic information on different types of motorcycle safety gear like proper jackets and gloves and helmets and things like that:
http://www.best-motorcycle-gear.com

Great brick-and-mortar stores to actually buy gear:
http://www.cyclegear.com
http://www.cycletrends.com

A few of the top makers of motorcycle gear are listed here:
http://www.aerostich.com
http://www.alpinestars.com
http://www.dainese.com
http://www.vansonleathers.com
http://www.joerocket.com
http://www.frank-thomas.co.uk

[o4trix]

Hey man! Glad to hear that you've got a jacket that you're already rockin! I'm also SUPER glad to hear that you recognize the need for more protection; as motorcyclists we need as much protection as possible !:cool: Leather is definitely the way to go, when you're looking at jackets you should keep in mind that in the future you're probably going to want to be able to zip together a pair of leather pants to make a 2 piece suit. I have a First Gear 2 piece suit that I bought from newenough.com and I'm very pleased with it. I think that it's on sale right now for $500 for both the jacket and pants... Heres a link...
http://newenough.com/package_deal_speed_freak_pilot.htm


I can attest that the jacket has GREAT ventilation for the summer months when it gets really hot. It also comes with a liner that zips in for when it gets cold... For the money I think this is definitely your best bet! :D

[SVNerd]

For protection - leather. If your looking for weather protection too, then Cordura/Kevlar (with Gore-Tex) is the way to go (yes, many of these have armor also).

Leather: I like Vanson - 'cause you can't put a price tag on your skin. Oh, and I really don't like the never-going-to-go-away "Power Ranger" look of most gear. Plus Vanson can do mods, repairs, cleaning, and even re-dying. Try getting any of this done factory direct with other brands ...

You can find a lot of NEW pieces on E-bay, at great prices, but you really gotta know your size, for a given brand, when buying this way. o4trix's suggestion of newenough is good too.

AND its sale season on street gear, just about everywhere (end of season, end of model year). The latest CycleGear catalog has a 15% off coupon in it.

Good luck !

[summitsix]

I recommend AS TZ-1

I've heard Dainese fits very nice and has kangaroo leather so the abrasion protection is really good.

[mcbandit]

dainese are super expensive though

[Manx]

Unless you know EXACTLY what you want and in what size, it's best to go and actually try them on. You need a good fit so that if you go skipping down the asphalt, the armor will stay in place and do its job. Try Cycle Gear and your local dealers - and look for the sale racks, since it's the "off" season.

[Darth Lefty]

Haha my "local dealer" has a lot of motocross armor and a little bit of useless cruiser leathers - you know, vests and do-rags and chaps.

[hchou]

I bought a Teknic Lighting jacket. Actually went down in the jacket during a track day over the weekend (going about 40mph?). I fell on my left side, my hip taking the majority of the fall, then rolled over onto my stomach as I slowed down. I hit my left forearm / elbow. The jacket held up VERY well. No bruise on my elbow (the jacket has padding in the elbow, shoulder, and back). I ended up with very minor roadrash on my forearm; just below the elbow padding. The inner mesh tore a little where the jacket attached to the pants, blew out some stitching, but that's it. The leather is cow leather.

I also have a pair of Teknic leather pants, the goat leather. I think they are the Chicane model. The leather held up, and I have even less road rash on my thigh / hip than my forearm. The little zipper tab broke off when I rolled over onto my stomach, but the zipper still works. The leather on the area that I fell is pretty chewed up, but it did it's job. As I said before, the road rash on my forearm is worse than my leg. There's no padding in the pants, so I'm bruised up pretty badly; looks worse than it actually is (maybe I'll post some pics on a separate thread). I also had a pair of Teknic Chicane gloves. The palms blew out but no bruises or road rash on either hand.

Sorry if this sounds like a shamless Teknic promotion. I had Sidi boots and those things are bomb-proof.

Hope this helps. Ride safe!

[BlackSun]

Ive tried dainese (most of its regular old cow leather, not kangaroo I believe), alpinestars and teknic. The dainese is very nice, but I actually had some quality control issues like stitching coming undone on both my jacket and my touring boots. Astars was nice, but the leather didnt seem quite as nice as the dainese. My wife has a teknic violator, which I also briefly owned before selling it since I didnt want us to look like dorky twins (same color and everyting). I was actually really impressed with the quality of the teknic, perhaps since I expected it to suck. But nice leather, good quality, I would buy again.

I actually wear kushitani right now. the overall construction and quality of the leather just seems light years ahead of the others. I love it, and the perforations keep you very cool even in 90 degree weather (if you are moving, at a traffic stop it will suck). In fact, I cant even wear it once it gets below 60-65 without first putting on some thermals or a windbreaker, since it cools so well.

I picked up a kushi 1 piece off ebay for $300. I got very lucky, and there isnt much kushi on ebay. But just keep looking and you might find a deal.

rs taichi is another high quality manf. to consider.

[D_Castillo]

I think alpinestars has a pretty good lineup of jackets and some aren't too expensive. I'm sure you can find something good from AS.

Dainese has some cool stuff also. I've tried some on and they feel really comfortable. Don't own one so wouldn't know how good it actually is down the road.

I would recommend A-Stars' TZ-1 like summitsix.

Anyone know anything about "Frank Thomas?"

[Dragonhawk]

Originally posted by D_Castillo
Anyone know anything about "Frank Thomas?"
Frank Thomas is great stuff. It saved my butt a few times.

[Ikazuchi]

I'd get one that doesn't suck.





Just my $0.02







:D

[yeknomlana]

I Love my JR 990, crash tested and I still wear it. 30mph low side, just bearly scuffed