Looking for a new mesh jacket...
#1
02-09-2010, 06:53 PM
Looking for a new mesh jacket...
My last Fieldsheer didn't fit the bill... it was comfortable and great for the super warm summer months, but the quality was not there...
I know I have plenty of time to decide, but both of these jackets look pretty good..
I have a textile Teknic jacket that will work fine through the end of May, so like I said.. no rush.. just wanted to hear some opinions..
Joe Rocket Honda Mesh Jacket
http://www.newenough.com/closeouts/b...le_jacket.html
Has armor and flows good air. I like it.. not sure about Rocket stuff.. I hear good and bad about it... this one is only available in the black for me (size large) and while it looks good.. it might be hot in black.. who knows..
Scorpion Cool Rod Mesh Jacket
http://www.newenough.com/closeouts/m...le_jacket.html
Seems to offer great protection and airflow... I could get white/black or all black.. sportbiketrackgear gave it favorable reviews as well. I like it as well.
Opinions and experiences welcome..
Adam
I know I have plenty of time to decide, but both of these jackets look pretty good..
I have a textile Teknic jacket that will work fine through the end of May, so like I said.. no rush.. just wanted to hear some opinions..
Joe Rocket Honda Mesh Jacket
http://www.newenough.com/closeouts/b...le_jacket.html
Has armor and flows good air. I like it.. not sure about Rocket stuff.. I hear good and bad about it... this one is only available in the black for me (size large) and while it looks good.. it might be hot in black.. who knows..
Scorpion Cool Rod Mesh Jacket
http://www.newenough.com/closeouts/m...le_jacket.html
Seems to offer great protection and airflow... I could get white/black or all black.. sportbiketrackgear gave it favorable reviews as well. I like it as well.
Opinions and experiences welcome..
Adam
#2
02-09-2010, 07:45 PM
Playful God will prolly be by later to yell "LEATHER" at you 
Understandably, not everyone has (nor wants) Leather Underoos like he does. But I still wouldn't touch mesh. Newenough has some Scorpion textile jackets for not much more. Like:
http://www.newenough.com/closeouts/t...le_jacket.html
I'm just saying that the primary reason for a jacket is to protect the skin. Most inexpensive mesh will do the opposite: melt into the road rash making it worse.
Understandably, not everyone has (nor wants) Leather Underoos like he does. But I still wouldn't touch mesh. Newenough has some Scorpion textile jackets for not much more. Like:
http://www.newenough.com/closeouts/t...le_jacket.html
I'm just saying that the primary reason for a jacket is to protect the skin. Most inexpensive mesh will do the opposite: melt into the road rash making it worse.
#3
02-09-2010, 07:48 PM
Senior Member
#4
02-09-2010, 08:19 PM
like I said. I do have a textile jacket.. but it doesnt have much ventilation at all.. that's why last summer (Julyish) I bought the mesh jacket...
If I could find a textile that offered better ventilation so that I would be comfortable with the temps in teh 80s and 90s, that would be an option.. I know its better to sweat than bleed.... but my Teknic jacket is a hotbox in the 'real heat'
Adam
If I could find a textile that offered better ventilation so that I would be comfortable with the temps in teh 80s and 90s, that would be an option.. I know its better to sweat than bleed.... but my Teknic jacket is a hotbox in the 'real heat'
Adam
#5
02-09-2010, 08:24 PM
#6
02-09-2010, 08:45 PM
Senior Member
like I said. I do have a textile jacket.. but it doesnt have much ventilation at all.. that's why last summer (Julyish) I bought the mesh jacket...
If I could find a textile that offered better ventilation so that I would be comfortable with the temps in teh 80s and 90s, that would be an option.. I know its better to sweat than bleed.... but my Teknic jacket is a hotbox in the 'real heat'
Adam
If I could find a textile that offered better ventilation so that I would be comfortable with the temps in teh 80s and 90s, that would be an option.. I know its better to sweat than bleed.... but my Teknic jacket is a hotbox in the 'real heat'
Adam
#7
02-10-2010, 08:43 AM
If I can do leather year-round in central FL commuting, you can too!
(Ok, I pretty much use my A* textile religiously now since I got it a few months ago... but my Joe Rocket leather doesn't hold a candle to the A*'s fit and finish!
)
#9
02-10-2010, 08:56 AM
Senior Member
My summer Jacket is perforated leather (Joe Rocket)
My next new jacket/pants will be A*!!!
#10
02-10-2010, 10:38 AM
Ok, I'll give you the whole breakdown on my trip through motorcycle jackets thus far and maybe it'll help you some...
This is what I started with. I was at the local honda/yammy/kawi dealer, about to go pick up my bike, and I needed a helmet, jacket and gloves. I went mostly on the cheap end for all three and was pretty satisfied with the price. 280 for gloves, jacket and helmet ain't bad. lol The thing about this jacket... and I say this mostly looking back... is that the fit was very baggy. I don't mean the size was wrong... the torso fit pretty well, but there was a lot of room in the arms and they just moved and twisted a lot. On top of that, there was a lot of cheap stitching and what-not all over and in several spots is would poke and rub and just make me uncomfortable on any length ride. That and the fact that it was super light and offered little in wind protection led me to look for leather and I found this deal at newenough.com.
(I was wrong -- I was thinking it was Joe Rocket but it's Power Trip. I was under the impression it was an off-brand JR jacket for the army, but it seems I might have been mistaken.)
Anyway, the deal is really quite awesome for the money. I just cut the stitching on all the patches and took them off except for the flag, because I'm not in the army, and I was good to go. The jacket is pretty solid leather. The fit is generally good, much better than my first jacket. The one thing I had about this jacket was it's tendencey to ride up some. I don't know if it's too short or what. The arms fit well and it fits in the chest pretty good but something about the lower torso was just weird for me. Anyway, I can stuff a hoodie underneath and throw the liner in and it blocks the wind well on a cold day. I've ridden in the upper 40s here around early december for recreation (not a forced commute) and was pretty comfortable in this thing. It's a little loose around the elbows for me, though the wrists and shoulders are fairly snug, but there's a strap that you can lock in at the elbow which takes up some slack. Not perfect, but it was a HUGE improvement over my original SS jacket and of course the protection is totally on another level.
Finally, I was in the market around october for some new gear and went into the local Cycle Gear store. Now before I get into it, let me tell you 2 things that I HIGHLY recomend that helped me a ton. First... get online (like you're doing) and get an idea of some jackets that have the features you want and are in your price range. Check out the website and others to find the deals before you go in. This is particularly important because cycle gear matches their online prices in all stores and they were marked easily 25% higher at the store near me. Doing the research ahead of time probably saved me $150 between gloves, pants, and the jacket. Awesome. Second, GO INTO THE STORE AND TRY IT ON. Even if you're going to buy online, go to the store and make sure it fits. Don't chance it online and just settle for a guess.
Ok... so I went in and was looking at Joe Rocket perforated leather jackets initially because I wanted to stay leather. They were the best deals I found on reputable leather on the website, so I tried a few on and was pretty sold until one of the guys who worked there came over to help out. The clerk suggested I try this jacket, talking about the quality of A* and how he used the jacket when he wasn't at the track. In my head I'm thinking he's going for his commission and was just going to try it on to make him happy... fully intending to go with the JR leather. At this point, I'm sold on saving money and in my head was skeptical... let me tell you, I put it on and the fit and the feel is just on another level. I know I sound like a salesman right now, but I really believe that if you go into the store and try a few jackets on that you will agree 100%. There really is a difference between the bargains and something you pay a little more for.
Anyway, I spent almost twice as much on it as I was looking to spend on the JR leather, but I felt good about it then and I couldn't be happier about my choice now. The seams are very well hidden and it really feels like a fluid/seamless piece of material instead of some sections of material stitched together. The fit is great. It's very good in the torso and the arms are snug all the way down. It doesn't have the zippered vents that my other jackets had, but I still stay cooler. It's not mesh, but it does breathe fairly well. I've also worn it with a sweater underneath on some very cool days, which is pretty snug I admit, and stayed warm. (My hands get cold long before my body ever will -- that's always the hard part of keeping warm riding for me.)
I just can't say enough how much I love the fit and how comfy it is. I got the additional CE armor for the back and I really just use this thing all the time now except on particularly long trips or during cold snaps, where I grab my leather one.
It's really just no comparison to me. Hope that helps!
Here's a little pic idling through the traffic at Biketoberfest with it
This is what I started with. I was at the local honda/yammy/kawi dealer, about to go pick up my bike, and I needed a helmet, jacket and gloves. I went mostly on the cheap end for all three and was pretty satisfied with the price. 280 for gloves, jacket and helmet ain't bad. lol The thing about this jacket... and I say this mostly looking back... is that the fit was very baggy. I don't mean the size was wrong... the torso fit pretty well, but there was a lot of room in the arms and they just moved and twisted a lot. On top of that, there was a lot of cheap stitching and what-not all over and in several spots is would poke and rub and just make me uncomfortable on any length ride. That and the fact that it was super light and offered little in wind protection led me to look for leather and I found this deal at newenough.com.
(I was wrong -- I was thinking it was Joe Rocket but it's Power Trip. I was under the impression it was an off-brand JR jacket for the army, but it seems I might have been mistaken.)
Anyway, the deal is really quite awesome for the money. I just cut the stitching on all the patches and took them off except for the flag, because I'm not in the army, and I was good to go. The jacket is pretty solid leather. The fit is generally good, much better than my first jacket. The one thing I had about this jacket was it's tendencey to ride up some. I don't know if it's too short or what. The arms fit well and it fits in the chest pretty good but something about the lower torso was just weird for me. Anyway, I can stuff a hoodie underneath and throw the liner in and it blocks the wind well on a cold day. I've ridden in the upper 40s here around early december for recreation (not a forced commute) and was pretty comfortable in this thing. It's a little loose around the elbows for me, though the wrists and shoulders are fairly snug, but there's a strap that you can lock in at the elbow which takes up some slack. Not perfect, but it was a HUGE improvement over my original SS jacket and of course the protection is totally on another level.
Finally, I was in the market around october for some new gear and went into the local Cycle Gear store. Now before I get into it, let me tell you 2 things that I HIGHLY recomend that helped me a ton. First... get online (like you're doing) and get an idea of some jackets that have the features you want and are in your price range. Check out the website and others to find the deals before you go in. This is particularly important because cycle gear matches their online prices in all stores and they were marked easily 25% higher at the store near me. Doing the research ahead of time probably saved me $150 between gloves, pants, and the jacket. Awesome. Second, GO INTO THE STORE AND TRY IT ON. Even if you're going to buy online, go to the store and make sure it fits. Don't chance it online and just settle for a guess.
Ok... so I went in and was looking at Joe Rocket perforated leather jackets initially because I wanted to stay leather. They were the best deals I found on reputable leather on the website, so I tried a few on and was pretty sold until one of the guys who worked there came over to help out. The clerk suggested I try this jacket, talking about the quality of A* and how he used the jacket when he wasn't at the track. In my head I'm thinking he's going for his commission and was just going to try it on to make him happy... fully intending to go with the JR leather. At this point, I'm sold on saving money and in my head was skeptical... let me tell you, I put it on and the fit and the feel is just on another level. I know I sound like a salesman right now, but I really believe that if you go into the store and try a few jackets on that you will agree 100%. There really is a difference between the bargains and something you pay a little more for.
Anyway, I spent almost twice as much on it as I was looking to spend on the JR leather, but I felt good about it then and I couldn't be happier about my choice now. The seams are very well hidden and it really feels like a fluid/seamless piece of material instead of some sections of material stitched together. The fit is great. It's very good in the torso and the arms are snug all the way down. It doesn't have the zippered vents that my other jackets had, but I still stay cooler. It's not mesh, but it does breathe fairly well. I've also worn it with a sweater underneath on some very cool days, which is pretty snug I admit, and stayed warm. (My hands get cold long before my body ever will -- that's always the hard part of keeping warm riding for me.)
I just can't say enough how much I love the fit and how comfy it is. I got the additional CE armor for the back and I really just use this thing all the time now except on particularly long trips or during cold snaps, where I grab my leather one.
It's really just no comparison to me. Hope that helps!
Here's a little pic idling through the traffic at Biketoberfest with it
