Want a new mesh textile jacket for this summer

[HondaTech]

Hey guys, I have been shopping around for a new mesh hot weather jacket for this summer and am wondering if any of you have experience or specific opinions about some of the jackets or brands I am considering. Basically my budget is $200 or less (the wife prefers less) The jackets I am considering are:
Fieldsheer Mach 7 or Mach 8:

Fieldsheer Mach 7 Mesh Jacket - Motorcycle Superstore

Fieldsheer Mach 8 Mesh Jacket - Motorcycle Superstore

Joe rocket CBR mesh jacket:
Joe Rocket Honda Branded Gear CBR Mesh Motorcycle Jacket :: New Enough, LTD

Or something from Alpinestars like the following:
Alpinestars T-Breeze Air-Flo Jacket - Motorcycle Superstore

or: Alpinestars Sniper Air-Flo Jacket - Motorcycle Superstore

Or is there something else I should be considering? Thanks for the help.

[derstuka]

All I can offer for advice is make sure that they have good armor reinforcement in the shoulder, elbows/forearm, and back.....and very important to me is that they have adjustable "cinching straps" of some sort that allow you to tighten the waistband area to help lessen the jacket wanting to "ride up" on your person in the event of a get-off. You want the jacket to fit snug in the arms, and waist, not loose so I can ride up on your body exposing your flesh.

I ordered one of the jackets that you listed (see below), but I immediately returned it, as it felt very unsafe to me as far as "riding up" and having no lower cinch strap. No point in wearing a jacket to me if it is going to bunched up around my shoulders (exposing my back, and stomach) in a crash.

Alpinestars T-Breeze Air-Flo Jacket - Motorcycle Superstore

The "very meshy" and/or flimsy (nice word I made up) ones I have seen cause bad burns in a slide when the material heated up, and actually burnt the skin. Joe Rocket Phoenix is bad for this.

[drewl]

Thanks, now I want the A* sniper.

[KC-10 FE]

I wouldn't get any of those listed. If I had to pick one of the ones you listed, I would go with the Fieldsheer. I am for the most part happy with my Icon TiMax, but it does have it's drawbacks. Now that I have significantly increased my riding abilities & knowledge enough to be able to teach others to ride, I have completely reenforced my belief that you get what you pay for when it comes to protective gear. As a general rule, every jacket you buy is going to have an inferior back protector. If you look, most will say "CE Approved Armor". They're talking about the armor in the shoulders & elbows. It is well worth the investment to buy a top-notch back protector & cross load it into whatever jacket you're wearing at the time.

If I were in the market for an all-purpose mesh jacket, it would either be:

Firstgear Torrent Mesh Jacket - Motorcycle Superstore

or

Olympia Moto Sports - Mens Airglide 2 Mesh Tech Jacket

KC-10 FE out...

[Craig in Alabama]

Hi Folks,
I would save up until I could afford a perforated leather jacket. I got a Cortech vented leather jacket from New Enough and it's great. Flows plenty of air, and has good armor and a back protector. And I paid almost half of what I paid for one that was cut off of me by the MedFlight people!
New Enough has this one that is in your price range:
Tour Master Coaster Air Series 2 Motorcycle Jacket :: New Enough, LTD

I've always been happy with Cortech stuff.

Cheers!

Craig

[Knife]

A-1 on NewEnough! Great people to do business with.

I'm actively looking for warm weather gear also, but I want a perforated/vented leather jacket and perforated leather pants this time. I've found some jackets that might fill the bill, but am having trouble finding the pants without the pucks. Anybody have a recommendation?

I just don't feel so good in mesh or textile any more. I'm thinking leather gives you a much better chance of keeping your hide safe.

[HondaTech]

Well currently I have a Tourmaster Pivot 2 that I have been wearing since it got cooler, and I like it quite a bit, but really want a mesh jacket for when the heat comes. I understand the saftey benefits of leather but just think even with a perf. leather jacket it would be too hot when the temp is regularly in the 90's or higher. My tourmaster jacket is very similar to the firstgear jacket recommended, except it is a waist length instead of a hip length, though if I was buying it again I would do the hip length jacket

[HondaTech]

Originally Posted by drewl

Thanks, now I want the A* sniper.

Sorry 'bout that bro- it is pretty bitchin' looking....

[pm_wizard]

I am happy with my Spidi jacket and trousers. The suit has cinch straps a the knees and elbows, armour and/or reinforcement all over the place. I wear it with a Knox back protector. The jacket depends on a snap loop strap to go around the belt to stop it from riding up, which is the one weakness of the suit.

John

[HondaTech]

The downside to Spidi stuff would be the price- my wife would never approve that kind of purchase right now unfortunately.

[02 VFR Rider]

best to try on any textile jackets first.
I have a small joe rocket honda so it fits tight and will not bunch up like the medium does.
I also have a leather jacket, feel much safer w/ it then textile but on the hot days leather a no go. Textile is like having AC.
also I always wear my spine protector ( foam pad in text comes out ) in either jacket, just not impressed w/ foam pads.

[Pliskin]

I'm a fan of First Gear and that's what all my jackets are. Fortunately, I can't attest to the durability and whether or not the mesh will melt to your skin if you go down, so not much use there.

But it is comfortable, plenty of straps, and reasonably priced. I believe its the Venture AT (?? not exactly sure if that was the 2008 model), but it was less than $200. Maybe $180ish?

[HondaTech]

Well I went to several of my local and not-so-local motorcycle shops and found my new jacket, the Scorpion Hat Trick:
Scorpion Hat Trick Jacket - Motorcycle Superstore

I have a pair of the Dues pants that use the same mesh and vent quite well, it fits me perfectly both with and without the liners. I have been really happy with the Scorpion pants and helmet I have and really think I will like the jacket as well. I kinda wish the bulk of it wasn't black, but I do like the look so I guess it's fine. It also was a bit higher than my budgeted $200 ($225) but I really like it and can use it with all the liners it came with way more often than a purely mesh jacket. Thanks for all the comments and opinions!

[malcster]

I got a Tourmaster Intake2 last summer from Comp Access..came in tall size lg I needed.2liners(1waterproof,1quilted)make it warm! or cool.versatility.$150.Leather slides better.If I had a sugamomma,I'd be A-star all the way.I like my jacket,still wan't a sugamomma

[Raro]

I just bought a Joe Rocket Alter Ego jacket. Its more versatile than a straight mesh. Now I just have to get the spine pad.

[Got_Wings?]

Anybody heard this new co. Speed and Strength? Speed and Strength - FASTER.STRONGER. 2009

The guy at my local shop said it's a designer from Joe Rocket that left and basically improved upon the areas he saw lacking in Joe Rocket. I've tried on the Moment of Truth SP textile jacket, fit very nicely, I liked it. $179.

[Raro]

I don't care for jackets with giant logos painted all over them. I have been pleased with the JR jacket I bought, and still use. Its just too warm in mid summer riding. Next I am looking at some Puma boots. I tried some on and they were really nice. However, its hard to find them at a decent price.

[HondaTech]

Yeah I fear my Tourmaster Solution waterproof boots are gonna become too hot when summer rolls around..

[KC-10 FE]

Rev'it Air Jacket - webBikeWorld

I've finally seen REV'IT gear upclose & personal. All of the items I saw looked top shelf. Now that I've finally seen the above jacket, it should be on everyone's list to check out when in the market for a mesh jacket.

Since the dealer in question carried REV'IT & Olympia, I was able to compare the REV'IT Air & the Olympia AirGlide side by side. If it was my money, I would get the Olympia by a slight margin. The Olympia was more comfortable & seemed more heavy duty but the REV'IT is $50 cheaper. Since Olympia is carried by just about every dealer in the country (even HD dealers carry the brand) & I've only seen REV'IT in one dealer since I heard about them about a year ago, that makes the decision that much easier. Why? The $50 could easily be spent driving around to various dealers to attempt to locate a REV'IT jacket to try on. I will not order anything from the internet until I've tried the actual aritcle on in person.

KC-10 FE out...

[SilverSurfer800]

I've herd very good things about the Tourmaster GX2 Air. Brazillian leather shoulders and forarms but the body is mesh. There's a liner also for colder times. A little expensive ($275) but very well put together. I tried one on at the motorcycle show and loved it.

[Fizz]

Joe Rocket Reactor 2.0 Leather/Mesh Motorcycle Jacket :: New Enough, LTD

In my experience the Joe Rocket Reactor jacket is a Top notch product, it breathes really well and has one VERY important feature; the arms, shoulders are all perforated leather. It comes with a full back spine pad and as mentioned has optional for CE rated spine protector. The mesh is multilayered, there's 3-4 layers of THICK super heavy mesh fabric; in the event of a crash the mesh layers rub against eachother and won't cheeze grater/burn your skin. This also equates to a fabric that is probably thicker/stronger/more abrasive resistant than leather (albeit, not an actual road tested theory)

Keep in mind, my experience with the reactor jacket is limited to the first generation model; the one I linked is the second, though from what I can tell it's all a change for the better, with added features for things like a pocket for a replacement face shield.

[Comicus]

Originally Posted by KC-10 FE

Olympia Moto Sports - Mens Airglide 2 Mesh Tech Jacket

KC-10 FE out...

FAG

[KC-10 FE]

Originally Posted by Comicus

FAG

Any particular reason for the insult?

KC-10 FE out...

[Rollin_Again]

Let me add that some manufacturers design their jackets so that they can easily snap or zip together with their pants. I love my Fieldsheer jacket/pant combo because when zipped together the pants do not slide down and stay securely at my waistline. Check to see if the pants you currently wear have a snap or zipper system and consider purchasing the jacket to complete the combo. The only disadvantage to this is that is makes it very difficult to moon people while riding LOL!

Regards,
Rollin

[Fizz]

Originally Posted by KC-10 FE

Any particular reason for the insult?

KC-10 FE out...

"Men's AirGlide" Enough said.

[KC-10 FE]

Originally Posted by Comicus

FAG

Originally Posted by Fizz

"Men's AirGlide" Enough said.

Insults belong in the "Anything Goes" section. Sheesh... I thought everyone knew that.

KC-10 FE out...

[HondaTech]

In case anyone didn't know, motorcyclesuperstore.com has all fieldsheer stuff on sale right now for 50% off or so and they sent me a booklet that gives $20 off orders over $200 (use coupon code c409ctlg20) and $5 off anything over $100 (c409ctlg5)

[V4FRider]

I have a Fieldsheer High Temp. Feels and looks like it is put together very well. If I am not going to wear the leather then this fits the bill for commuting and local slow speed rides. I would think the 7 and 8 would be good.

[Keager]

Check out the Joe Rocket Interceptor jacket. The sleeves unzip for the mesh to be revealed, but also comes with a liner. 3 jackets in one, almost....

[jasonsmith]

I'm very happy with my Teknic Stinger (red).

Teknic 2009 - Stinger Jacket