[kugino]

hey you bike riders out there...i'm looking for a touring jacket for fairly long commutes this coming fall/winter in northern cali. it doesn't get extremely cold, but i will be commuting 1.5 hours one-way and it does rain a bit in the winter here. so, i'm looking for something waterproof, protective, and inexpensive. any ideas? webbikeworld did a writeup on the olympia jacket that looks promising (not that color, though) and motorcycle.com has some nice jacket reviews. the BMW jackets look nice but they're out of my price range...

 

[JohnyBlaze]

Check out www.advrider.com and look in the equipment forum, lots of great info there, from what i've been reading Aerostich (www.aerostich.com) makes some great riding jackets but they are on the slightly more expensive end of the spectrum, still less expensive then BMW gear however.

Also take a look at www.newenough.com, they have decent prices on new gear and there are usually some good deals in their closeout sections, right now under textiles they have a bunch of Tour Master and Joe Rocket touring jacket's which may be what your looking for. I have ordered from them in the past with much success from Canada.

Best of luck, I'm shopping around for some touring pants right now as well

 

[Claus1100xx]

newenough is a great site for good deals. I'm a big fan of Dainese gear. They truly have some great products but you need to plunk down some dineros. Personally I use a Joe Rocket Ballistic jacket. It is so versatile. It is super warm in the winter and you can take just about anything out for the summer and it becomes livable during the hot months. It has a good ventilation system and the matching pants zip right up.
And it's cheap and no jacket I have owned so far has kept the water out like this one. Not even my 5times more expensive Dainese gear

 

[kugino]

thanks for the tips, guys. i've bought from newenough before - a joerocket ballistic jacket

knowing me i'll buy a relatively pricey jacket b/c i'll tell myself that it's "a good investment"

any suggestions for pants? the joe rocket 5.0 pants on newenough looks pretty good...

 

[mikuhf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kugino thanks for the tips, guys. i've bought from newenough before - a joerocket ballistic jacket knowing me i'll buy a relatively pricey jacket b/c i'll tell myself that it's "a good investment" any suggestions for pants? the joe rocket 5.0 pants on newenough looks pretty good...

craigslist is another good option, and a lot of m/c forums have F/S sections. (advrider is great...).

Personally, I'd go with BMW, Rukka, Rev-it, Aerostich, Motoport. Some of the Triumph gear is good, as well as Belstaff. I guess Alpinestars or Dainese are good for street gear, but I've never liked their touring stuff. I steer clear of Joe Rocket, Olympia and Icon -- personal choice.

My Aerostich Darien is just a little too hot (ie limited airflow) around here, so my next jacket will be either a BMW Rallye 2 (3, 4, whatever...), the Motoport Kevlar Air, or the Rev-it equivalent.

Michael

 

[guzziguy]

I'll second the recommendations for Aerostich. They are not cheap, but their quality is first class. I'm still commuting in a Roadcrafter suit that I bought in 1990. I haven't seen anything better for commuting. You just wear it over your work clothes, so it's easy. you just have to deal with the shoes/boot thing. If you just want a jacket, look at either a Roadcrafter or Darien. Both are superb.

-ken

 

[Snake]

Yeah, NewEnough is great - I have gotten many things from them, from my armored Oxtar Infinity's to Held Galaxy's to some pants.

My current "love" in terms of great gear is Tour Master - I bought a Magnum and it's beautifully built, I'm telling you. Much better than almost anything else I've worn / tried at twice the price - it's a true stunner, feels like you'll survive a nuclear attack (and after 3 "incidents", I should know...

).

Whatever you choose (you may want to look at Joe Rocket Ballistic 6.0's, waterproof, removable liners, long enough to keep you dry, not expensive at all because of heavy discounting, not the best but "OK") get CE-rated armor (nothing else will do once you've had to rely on it).

Aerostitch makes GREAT! stuff but certainly not inexpensive - but you do get your money's worth. I like AGV better than Alpinestars because A-star just seems WAY overpriced for the quality (their gloves, for instance, are junk (I use them now only for non-riding, "daily" wear) until you get into the upper brackets, but then you can get a Held for that price with good shopping (and once you've been in a Held, you can't go to anything else)) but try on a AGV for fit, cut and quality before buying (sometimes they can vary, based upon where they were put together).

While I haven't owned everything I have either tried many things or owned many things, and I'm really happy with what I have now. Make sure you get waterproof boots!!! (overboots only work in a pinch but suck otherwise). Think of layering, rather than just getting 1 heavy garment - layer is much more effective and allows you to alter yourself precisely to the conditions. If you ride in the late fall / winter get a jacket that is cut full, rather than "snug", so you can get a vest underneath. Passive heating (a vest) is OK for temps to, say 45-55 (depending upon your personal tolerance) but active heating (a heated vest) rocks this world (and I've got to get one, when / if I can ride again).

Good luck and keep the rubber side down!

 

[Snake]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikuhf My Aerostich Darien is just a little too hot (ie limited airflow) around here, so my next jacket will be either a BMW Rallye 2 (3, 4, whatever...), the Motoport Kevlar Air, or the Rev-it equivalent.

The Motoport Kevlars are cut snug and "athletic" - if that's your body then they fit real nice (I have that body type). But if you are not, or need a bit of layering, make sure you try 1 size larger, just in case!

 

[kugino]

the aerostich stuff looks great...like patagonia for motocyclists

what's the difference between the darien and the roadcrafter lines? i couldn't tell on their website...they have a sale on some older darien jackets that might be perfect for me...

 

[Snake]

The Darien line is a loose fit, with the jacket's full-length tails over the pants, in the "Touring" jacket model.

Quote:

Designed for extreme temperature variances with a longer, looser cut and wider comfort range

The Roadcrafter jacket is shorter at the waist, a modified (loose) "sport" fit with a more rotated sleeve that can serve on a sporty-bike. They are available as a 1 or 2 piece suit while the Darien is only available in 2 piece.

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snake The Darien line is a loose fit, with the jacket's full-length tails over the pants, in the "Touring" jacket model. The Roadcrafter jacket is shorter at the waist, a modified (loose) "sport" fit with a more rotated sleeve that can serve on a sporty-bike. They are available as a 1 or 2 piece suit while the Darien is only available in 2 piece.

thanks...after a lot of research i've narrowed it down to one of the rev'it, motoport, or the first gear kilimanjaro jackets. i've tried the rev'it jackets and they look and feel great, but some think that they're not as well-made...i've not seen the motoport kevlars but people swear by them and they're custom-made...i haven't seen or tried the kilimanjaro but they get great reviews. since i sold my amp and cd player i think i can buy a nice jacket...just have to see which one...

 

[cpw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by guzziguy I'll second the recommendations for Aerostich. They are not cheap, but their quality is first class. I'm still commuting in a Roadcrafter suit that I bought in 1990. I haven't seen anything better for commuting. You just wear it over your work clothes, so it's easy. you just have to deal with the shoes/boot thing. If you just want a jacket, look at either a Roadcrafter or Darien. Both are superb. -ken

I'll second this.
If you just want a jacket: Darien
2 piece roadcrafter is more versatile and completely waterproof.
Tough to beat.
CPW

 

[warrior05]

i used to have an Aerostich 2 piece Roadcrafter and it was quality through and through. i only sold it because... well... it didn't match with the paint scheme on my new bike. ugh... how superficial is THAT?!

anyway, i've sinced bought a couple of Tour Master jackets and i am pretty impressed with them. nice padding in the right places and good placement of pockets. my most recent purchase is their Intake perforated jacket. this thing has both an insulating liner and a windproof liner which makes it damn near a 3 season jacket (i'm in upstate ny so it can get pretty cold). it's my first perforated jacket and talk about ventilation!!! i should've done this years ago. big thumbs up on this jacket.

Tour Master also makes pants to pull on over street clothes and their jackets have zippers in the back to attach it to the pants.

 

[Snake]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warrior05 anyway, i've sinced bought a couple of Tour Master jackets and i am pretty impressed with them. nice padding in the right places and good placement of pockets. my most recent purchase is their Intake perforated jacket. this thing has both an insulating liner and a windproof liner which makes it damn near a 3 season jacket (i'm in upstate ny so it can get pretty cold). it's my first perforated jacket and talk about ventilation!!! i should've done this years ago. big thumbs up on this jacket. Tour Master also makes pants to pull on over street clothes and their jackets have zippers in the back to attach it to the pants.

Yeah, like I mentioned before, now that I have one I'll agree with a Tour Master recommendation. The jacket is so good that I even get "Wow, nice jacket!" comments from non-riders when I'm walking down the street. The stuff is really great, and fairly priced to boot, what's not to like? I love my Tour Master Magnum's wrist key pocket - why can't others do this? These jackets are really designed by people who ride, and ride a hell of a lot.

I have tried on Motoport GP-2's quite a number of times, and almost bought one. I will recommend the built quality based upon my fittings but I'll say it again - check the fit, the are **SNUG**!! They are "stretch Kevlar" and that ain't no joke - the GP-2's fit super-sport snug and need that stretchy (pay close attention to the photos on the web site - see how "sleek" they seem to fit on the people?) The Ultra 2's seem full cut but I haven't tried them on yet - if you are trim either will be a good choice, if you are big around the middle make sure you fit before you buy.

 

[geek707]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kugino thanks...after a lot of research i've narrowed it down to one of the rev'it, motoport, or the first gear kilimanjaro jackets. i've tried the rev'it jackets and they look and feel great, but some think that they're not as well-made...i've not seen the motoport kevlars but people swear by them and they're custom-made...i haven't seen or tried the kilimanjaro but they get great reviews. since i sold my amp and cd player i think i can buy a nice jacket...just have to see which one...

Since you are not shy about spending the $$ on your gear (a good thing IMHO), I would take a look at your local BMW dealers selection. Most of the branded gear is top of the line. I would look at some of their leather touring gear, not racer like at all, and still the best protection in a fall.
I have heard good things about Motoport gear, but cannot get past the way it looks. If you want one really good piece of fabric gear that works, an Aerostitch Roadcrafter is hard to beat. They are not as protective as full leathers, but I personally know a number of people who have gone down with one on that the suit has done it's job very well for.
The Rev'it gear is hard to get a handle on. I like it, but have heard QC issues with it too. The other problem is availity, some of their stuff can be hard to get in the states.
The Olympia jacket that you mentioned in your first post accually looks like a good jacket for the money, I tried one on a couple of months ago, and was impressed by what you got.
The main thing to remember is that what ever you buy will not do squat if it's hanging in a closet when you ride, so get something that you will wear every time you go out.