Motorcycle Jackets

Motorcycling and leather are forever linked. The relationship goes back to the origins of the sport. I guess that's why I like leather jackets with a classic look and feel. The REV'IT! CR Leather Jacket fits this bill. I can't help but think the "CR" stands ...

I know this jacket, because I OWN this jacket. In the summer, I see a lot of riders wearing T-shirts where I live. Some think you have to choose either protection or comfort in hot weather. Not true.

Armored mesh jackets are the answer. The Dainese ...

The Fly Racing Patrol Jacket is a model of dirt apparel versatility. Just listen to what it can do. In cool weather, leave everything zipped and attached. As things cool, you can remove the sleeves and open the vents. If you need to remove the jacket ...

When the discussion of ultra-premium racing gear comes up in sport-bike circles, Dainese will certainly be mentioned early and often. The Dainese Racing Leather Jacket is a new offering by the legendary Italian company. It will cost you, but if you want to ride in a jacket ...

The Icon TiMax 2 textile jacket is a rider favorite for good reason. Interestingly, the titanium is not just a sales ploy (although it is certainly that, too). There is actually exterior titanium armor plating and titanium reinforced textile panels in critical areas.

The TiMax 2 comes ...

What we have here is an incredible jacket with a Shakespearean fatal flaw.

The Speed and Strength Hell 'n Back Jacket has a list of features and functions I have never seen in any other jacket. It has a body constructed of water-resistant AR-600 textile. That body has what ...

Most riders avoid weather extremes like rain, hail, snow, sleet, and blazing heat. I know adventure riders who actually seek out these extremes -- preferably in the same day! Obviously, riders with this mindset seek out gear with the ability to adapt to this full palette ...

When I begin a review of adventure touring apparel, I first turn to a forum called Adventure Rider Motorcycle Forum (ADV). What I am looking for are early reactions by my fellow rabid adventure tourers. When I searched for notes on the Klim Adventure Rally Jacket (and matching ...

I am intrigued by the premium (and pricey) motorcycle apparel brands as much as anyone. However, in these tough times, finding a company that continually produces quality protective wear at an affordable price is nice. Olympia is just such a company. I have found Olympia gear ...

In some people's eyes, the problem with armored motorcycles jackets is… well, they look like armored motorcycle jackets. The Teknic Women's Diamond Jacket offers a good measure of protection while still looking good off the bike.

Let's start, as we should, with protection. The Teknic Diamond features Knox Lite ...

The Dainese Santa Monica Perforated Leather Jacket carries a name that conjures the beauty of the West Coast. This varied terrain ranges from cool coastal temperatures to the toasty desert inland. This jacket should perform well in this spectrum of temperatures.

First off, this jacket is perforated for ...

I recently watched a TV documentary on the workings of the Alpinestars factory in Italy. I was more than impressed with the attention to detail of everyone featured, from the engineers to the testers and fabricators. They all seemed passionate about producing a quality product. There is ...

Speed and Strength (SS) is a company with an eye for appearance but also solid attention to detail. The Speed And Strength Moment Of Truth SP Men's Mesh Motorcycle Jacket is no exception. It is a good-looking jacket that will keep you cool and protected in ...

The Alpinestars Royal Drystar Textile Motorcycle Jacket is a true foul-weather friend. This piece of riding apparel has features that will protect in extreme conditions. It is geared toward the commuter or the full-on touring rider.

The shell is nylon with PU-coating construction for strength and abrasion resistance. It ...

Transition… now that's a good name for this jacket. The Tour Master Transition Series 2 jacket is well equipped to make the transition from warm, to cold, to wet riding conditions.

This three-quarter length touring jacket has a 600 denier shell and a warming 100-gram Polyfill removable ...

I like Dainese gear. It's not cheap, and I mean that in both implications of the word. Dainese leather gear often has a price that puts it out of the reach of the budget-constrained rider. However, Dainese is becoming a much bigger player in the textile market, ...

The Icon Men's Accelerant leather jacket is simply a quality piece of riding apparel. Icon has a reputation for being a company that appeals to the young and trendy segment of the riding community. Some of their gear is, in my opinion, a little "over the top" ...

Mt. Kilimanjaro is an extreme mountain environment in Tanzania. The Firstgear Men's Kilimanjaro Waterproof Jacket is a jacket designed for extreme motorcycling conditions. If you spend much time around touring and adventure motorcyclists, certain jackets tend to come up in conversation. Premium and extremely pricey jackets like ...

Having lived in Arizona for over 4 decades, I know a little something about heat. Having been a motorcyclist for almost as long, I know a little something about hot weather gear. I don't know if Joe Rocket invented the armored mesh jacket, but they are at least ...

Leather is protective, heavy, and expensive. Cordura textile is versatile, waterproof, and relatively affordable. An increasing number of quality motorcycle jackets are mating these two materials with very positive results. By placing leather in the impact-prone zones of the jacket, like the forearms and shoulders, the ...

Personally, I'm not into the whole "fear and intimidation" aspect in a lot of today's motorcycling gear. I have never donned flames, bones, or skulls. However, I am a realist, and I know this is a marketable aspect of our sport.

Icon's Men's Skull Leather Motorcycle Jacket plays ...

Riding to work at this time of year has its appeals. You tough out the cold morning, the street still untouched by the warming massage of all those particles of light, and you receive your afternoon reward of a beautiful fall ride past fields and fauna. These are, at least, my circumstances.

Tour Master ...

Armored coats always make me feel like Ralphie's little brother in "A Christmas Story," wrapped head to toe for weather, holding my arms straight out at my sides, and only then realizing I have to go to the bathroom. But armored coats, once you get used to the feel ...

The streetbike community is overrun, drowning in a deluge of textile jackets. Don't get me wrong; there are companies, like Icon, that make some great leathers for the street rider. There is, however, a particular style to this kind of jacket, and manufacturers will charge you an arm and a leg ...

Sometimes you look at a product and you don't have to give two thoughts about its purpose. River Road's Basic leather motorcycle jacket is just that: a basic motorcycle jacket. You look at it and you know that it's cut and designed for riding because it looks like the jackets ...

August went out with a heat wave here, but now that September has arrived, it's been cool. This is not the best weather for me to be thinking about a mesh textile jacket, but last month, stuck in traffic with the heat beating down on me, I gave some serious consideration ...

I like green. I like jackets. This is a green jacket. Two things I like! And, you get it through the American Motorcyclists Association, so a portion of what you spend goes back into defending your rights as a motorcyclist. Not a bad deal and a ...

Anyone who knows me knows that I like versatility. I'm terrible at making the big decisions because I always want to make the "right" one. Any product that can assure me it will accommodate me during a sudden snowstorm in a desert has my vote. Maybe the AGV Sport Evolution/Rally ...

My brother-in-law just bought his third riding jacket. Third. He has a leather, a textile, and now another textile that has "Kawasaki" written on it. Each of these serve a purpose to deal with specific riding conditions, including that riding condition where people are looking at you and wondering what brand ...

I don't know if it's coincidence or just luck, but Honda always seems to know what I like: simple, strong, and easy on the eye. The Honda CBR textile jacket is all of these. It is even sold in my colors: black and white.

The cut is a traditional taper, which complements ...

No one wants to admit it, but folks who ride light on the personal protection gear are usually doing it for style. Some will claim tradition, but they are only functioning within the style of that tradition, and therefore it still falls down to looking good. Today, where there's so much ...

At Xelement they make a variety of leather apparel items as well as saddlebags. New for their lineup is the Cruiser Premium Vented jacket. It's called a vented jacket because the two upper zippers are actually vents, and there's a matching pair of zippered vents on the lower ...

Just because you're not riding, that doesn't mean you're not thinking about it. You can't very well wear your Alpinestars riding gear everywhere you go unless you want one of those clever nicknames that are handed out to the downtown crazies. You can, however, wear the Alpinestars fleece hoody just ...

Most things are designed to last these days, and what doesn't last is so fragile that it wears out before it wears in. You hardly ever see a nicely worn leather jacket anymore. My riding partner has had his jacket for seven years and it still looks new. Yes, I ...

Here's something for the ladies: A textile riding jacket that is soft yet rugged and replete with CE-approved armor in the elbows and shoulders. Tour Master's Trinity Series jacket offers the rider more flexibility than leather, and nearly as much protection. No textile jacket is going to give the abrasion resistance ...

Sometimes, you have to see something to believe it. If someone described the Power Trip Stiletto jacket with the zebra design, all I would think would be, "Yeah, that will catch some attention, a zebra on fire!" Power Trip seems to have pulled off the design better than I could ...

If you're keen on Icon quality, but not so keen on Icon prices, they feel your pain. Icon makes a great jacket and they're worth the cost, but they're not so despotic as to leave those of us with light wallets light on protection.

Icon's Merc women's textile is one of their cheapest riding jackets. ...

The Tour Master Saber Series 2 jacket is prepared for anything. The design makes this a great riding jacket for rain, shine, cold, hot, day, or night riding. My first response to any textile is to balk at the thought of replacing my leather, but I've had to spend time under ...

Last week, I noticed something disconcerting. The seams on my riding jacket are beginning to fray. I'm sure I can stitch it back together, but I will not put my money on dime store thread when it does battle with pavement. It might be time to look for some more robust ...

Even with all the advances in textile riding gear, even if they were just as abrasion resistant, I believe there would still be riders who wear leather. The only event that could stop them would be the extinction of the cow. This is why companies like Scorpion Sports are still ...

I've always worn a leather jacket with armor, but it isn't the most comfortable item in my closet. If everyone around you is ranting and raving about the leathers, but you're just not interested in cow hide, Tourmaster offers their Range denim jacket made for bikers.

In appearance the Range looks ...

Despite the vast selection we have for riding jackets, I always come back to the basics: simple, black leather. The leather jacket has been around since the dawn of motorcycles, and it will persist despite advancements in textiles. No one ever buries their face in their new textile jacket to breath ...

Unfortunately, most of the products on the market that call themselves "retro" are purchased as a sad attempt to recapture an experience the buyer never had. For example: high school kids in 1996 wearing reproduction clothing to emulate the original Woodstock look.

Icon has not bought into that concept of purchasing ...

Leather: it's for your senses -- even "sense-ual," as it were. Even the word "leather" has a nice feel and sound to it. And with this thick-skinned and slightly oversized Alpinestars jacket, you'll get a nice feel as well as the creaking sound of good, finished leather. Gotta love that smell, ...

I've always said that the key to cutting edge fashion is to wear something ugly as sin and still look good. I'm not saying that Honda's Repsol textile jacket is ugly; it's just not a modern style. This is the kind of jacket you pull out of your closet after ...

By the nature of a competitive market, there is a wide selection of leather jackets available, so Icon had to understand the specific needs of the rider to make their Motorhead leather worth the coin they're asking. Fortunately, Icon does their homework.

Icon's Motorhead leather is constructed of durable cowhide with excellent ...

Suzuki and Joe Rocket have brought women riders a jacket that has gone the extra mile in fit and function. I've got to give them kudos on the physical structure of the Superstock jacket. A waist that narrows and then flares out at the hip provides a perfect fit for the ...

We all knew it would happen: the fashions of the '70s are back. I'm not talking about pants that are way too tight or wall hair, but the simple, multilayered striping. Regardless of its status as a fashion zombie, the Xelement armored jacket gives a lot of bang for the buck.

A ...

Some folks like to show off the armor they're wearing as a way of saying, "Yes, I do dangerous things." If you're proud of the fact that you need molded thermoplastic rubber shoulders and elbows, then show them off with Joe Rocket's RASP textile jacket.

In addition to the cushioning ...

It is difficult to decide between textile and leather. Both have their advantages, but riders shouldn't have to compromise between comfort and protection. Icon's ARC mesh jacket brings together the best of both worlds.

The body of the ARC is constructed of durable fighter mesh nylon that provides comfortable flexibility and airflow ...