I know i might get tons of different opinions on this but i was wondering whats the best motorcycle jacket to get??? i been browsing the net and so far i think the scorpion jackets and helments are bad ass

P.S. DONT BE AFRAID TO POST A PIC OR YOU JACKET

* Last updated by: lschevy on 1/22/2012 @ 6:27 PM *

heres what i wear. Leather all the way for me as far as protection plus it has 6 zippered vents which helps with the heat of summer

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Buy leather, perforated for spring and summer and another non-perforated for fall/ winter. You might get away with only one depending on your climate.

I like Taichi GMX Motion jackets and Dainese.

Stay away from mesh, the protection is never going to be as good as leather.

Get as tight a fit as you can stand, leather will stretch over time and conform to your shape.

Dainese race jacket

I agree with Kruz that leather is generally best for protection, but it is very expensive unless you buy junk.

Modern mesh with inserts if quite good in a slide, which is 99% of your potential problems where your gear even has a chance to protect you.

Statistically, most injury/fatality accidents involve collisions with cars and the injuries are not preventable by wearing leather or anything else. What it will do is keep you from getting road rash as insult to injury.

Also, if you are not a racer and are going to be in the saddle all day, tight is bad. Tight can't have heated put under it either.

But if all you do is zoom around emulating boy-racer, by all means buy tight leathers.

Hey IsChevy

Im with the rest of the guys here Leather for me as well!

I have the Joe Rocket Sonic Jackets one leather and one perforated leather here is the linky

Joe Rocket Sonic

Snuffy

Leather.

Lycra stretch panels inside of arm and acordian stitching above elbows and at the back of the shoulders.

Perforated has a much greater cooling effect than I expected.

Make sure the jacket can easily be zipped up to a leather pant. Plan on buying same brand of jacket and pant for easy zip together (there are a number of different sizes of zippers between manufacturers).

I am very happy with my AGV Sport Laguna jacket. Only thing, I have to sew a new zipper into it top zip to my Alpine Stars track leather pant. Fortunately, A stars included both sides of the zipper with the pants. The AGV zip iz not the right size.

The jacket can be snug--not tight. It will loosen up a small amount with wear. Do not go with tight on the pants. Try pants on and sit on a sportbike. The ankles will take up a few inches when you bend your leg. If it is a little on the short side standing, it will creep up to mid calf sitting. I would say if the pants are not comfortable on your waist as soon as you put them on, they are too small. Everyone's gut pops out somewhat when leaning forward.

Don't go wild on the "race tight" fit. I will always go a little loser rather than tight. Tight will stop you from moving around on the bike. I have found if you are honest with yourself and take measurements, you will getthe right size. Don't trust what your jeans size is. That is a couple inches understated. Leathers are no BS on the measurements.

Talk to a sales rep about fit. Order 2 and send one back. Worth the 20 bucks return ship to get the perfect size. You don't wan to have to replace this stuff once you get it.

I highly recommend Revzilla for sportbike apparel (and anything else they sell) great company to deal with. Great customer service and communication.

so is the mesh and textile crap?

I wear a First Gear mesh jacket. Replaced the foam protection with something more substantial though. I feel as safe wearing it as leather. I wear Bohn "pants" under my riding pants.

so is the mesh and textile crap?

Not crap, way better than bare skin in a slide on concrete but leather is still the gold standard for abrasion resistance. I've heard that textile is good for about a 50-60 mph sliding crash on dry pavement and some can actually heat up and melt to your skin. Not all textiles are the same, you'll need to do some home work here. Of course the surface texture of roads vary markedly. A fresh chip seal asphalt is going to burn through way quicker than a worn, smooth asphalt.

My opinion on gear is buy the best you can get and always wear it, even if you're making a run to the Dairy queen. You can go down anytime, anyplace and at any speed.

Also check out what racers wear, they do this for a living and fall down on a regular basis. A good set of leathers can withstand sliding from 150 mph without burn through.

As pointed out, if you hit a solid object such as a telephone pole, guardrail or get runover by a car, it doesn't make any difference what you're wearing, it's going to be a really bad day!

As far as tightness, I can't stand stuff flapping around at 130 mph. Use your judgement here but I have found skin tight does not restrict if you buy a quality jacket such as the Dainese Race or Taichi GMX Motion. They have accordion stretch panels and Keprotec inserts that allow unrestricted movement. The cheaper leather jackets do not have these features and a tight fit will restrict movement so buy quality and always try it on before you buy. I have a couple of loose fitting jackets and use them for mopping up oil spills in the garage...lool!

I got the Rev'It Ignition jacket this past season. Its a great compromise between protection and air flow for street riding, with leather in the most critical area and mesh to provide the ventilation. There's no comparison to my perforated leather jacket, this thing is reasonably comfortable up to the triple digits we see occasionally. And with the thermal vest in it I wore it through the fall into the high 30's pretty comfortably.

I HAD a Scorpion Shock jacket.almost full leather.VERY good protection VERY GOOD.However,the thing weighed a ton.Worth the money(300 something)..yes...I'd have to say it was well designed for a crash.Worth it IMO.Had a rear 8" zipper attachment already sewn in....would mach any pant zipper attachment that I know of.Worked nicely with my Scorpion AWE pants(which I still ride with).

I have a Fox Creek leather that I use on cold days but on warmer days I switch between a perforated Vanson and a Dainese jacket made from their D-Stone material. It is supposed to be as strong as leather. Not quite, but almost as breathable as the Vanson. The Dainese is so comfortable, it is my go to as long as it's warm enough.

thanks for the replies guys. i really like the joe rocket Kawasaki jacket but its not leather....and im leaning more towards an icon jacket

Icon Overlord perforated leather, comfortable from about 60 degrees to 85 degrees. I had to get something to match my green ZX and this is what I chose.

First Gear TexMesh jacket, 100% mesh, I use in 90+ deg temp

I also have a black Aerostich Transit jacket that is the most versatile jacket I have but I don't have a picture of it. It is leather with perforations and a layer of GoreTex that makes it wind and water proof. Comfortable from 30 deg with heated liner to 85 degrees.

I think my real need is two jackets: the mesh for the hottest weather and the Transit the rest of the time. The green Overlord is gravy

I wanted to match the "Green" of my black ZX-14 and went with this

85 degrees is the warmest I can go with that one and I don't sweat easily!

dragking

That Alpinestar is a very nice choice indeed. It looks like it has more perforations than my Icon Overlord, but the Icon has no collar at all and lets in a lot of air that way. Either way, looks like we both say 85 deg is max for these leather jackets.

yeah,I doubt that there is any leather jacket with decent protection that I can wear in 85 + degrees. I mean I can wear it but I'm not taking it off if I'm not home

I wore my Dainese leather jacket all last summer, temperatures as high as 111 F up here in Dallas. Opened the front and rear vent panels but it was still a sweat box for sure. I've had some experience asphalt surfing before and I wanted the protection, I ditched all of my mesh jackets, just don't trust 'em. You're mileage may vary.

taichi makes some nice mesh jacket. I'm going to give those a try this summer. Hopefully I won't crash test it!
Oh and I got rear ended with my AStar mesh jacket, I didn't have a back protector then and I fell on my right shoulder, the slider did its job and my shoulder was fine! The car that hit was doing probably 30 miles an hour, I slid quite a bit. For a faster slide... you'd have to wear leather.

* Last updated by: dragking on 1/31/2012 @ 2:22 PM *

Check out the Taichi GMX Motion perforated leather jackets on the Pilot Leathers thread. I picked up a blue/white/black and a black/red/grey one last summer.

Decently cool even in 100+ degree Texas summers as long as you stay moving and the amount of stretch panels is awesome. The cut is Japanese which means tight and cut for a trim shape, try one size larger than I'n the Dainese. 58 is a near perfect fit for me in the Taichis. I know you're pretty slim, I wouldn't recommend it for anyone with a beer gut....lol!

* Last updated by: Kruz on 1/31/2012 @ 7:36 PM *

http://stores.sportbiketrackgear.com/Detail.bok?no=11494

Here ya go Drag, this is the one you want, try a 56 first but I'm guessing a 58 is going to hit the spot.

MotoLiberty in San Antonio has a bunch in stock, it would be worth a ride down there on Saturday to check it out and try one on.

First gear make really good leathers,a lot more affordable then Daianese.I have a Daianese vintage jacket really nice spring fall jacket, but no ventilation