Jackets Need Advice/Info - Firstgear Meh-Tex II Jacket

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BeBeep

Need Advice/Info - Firstgear Mesh-Tex II Jacket

Hi Folks,

I am looking for a summer jacket and I have sorta narrowed it down to the Firstgear Mesh-Tex II jacket. I have read many great reviews and it seems like this is a good choice.

I have a few questions and am hoping you folks may be able to help. I have never owned true motorcycle gear before so I am totally ignorant on the subject. I only know (think I know) what I have learned on this board.

1. Do these jackets run large or small? I normally wear XXL, so do I need to order XXL or XL?

2. If you have this jacket, what do you think about it? Good or bad is very welcomed.

3. Is there anything else I should know or consider?

Thank you very much for any and all help.

meshtex_black.jpg
 
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I have the mesh tex II and the size seems right on. There are size charts available on the first gear site to help.

I have not been riding with mine for all that long but so far it is a great jacket. I combined it with the mesh tex pants for warm weather and the HT overpants for cooler/wet weather. So far I like the combo. Don't ask me how I know but the jacket does not like open flame.:o: :o:
 
I like my Mesh Tex II alot. It's comfortable and keeps air moving through the jacket w/out the liner. I've never ridden in weather cooler than 50 degrees with it but, with the liner attached, I've never been cold. Probably because the ST protects pretty well.

No complaints yet with quality.

My only concern is with the foam protection. Seems weak. The Joe Rocket stuff seems alot better. I've been meaning to add some armor from newenough.com...just havn't gotten around to it yet.

I also got the Mesh air pants-- like em alot too.

--Bryan
04 ST1300A
STOC# 5197
:04biker:
 
AZST - My only concern is with the foam protection. Seems weak. The Joe Rocket stuff seems alot better. I've been meaning to add some armor from newenough.com...just havn't gotten around to it yet.
Click to expand...

I stopped looking at the Joe Rocket stuff because of negative reviews I had read. Some were that the stitching was weak and the mesh was larger and did not keep it's shape.

It seems that the Firstgear stuf had much better reviews.
 
BeBeep said:
I am surprised too. I figured the best time to look for a good deal on a summer jacket is the winter (cough cough) time. Texas winter anyway.:D
Click to expand...

I got to ride with my Advanced jacket for a whole 2 days before I had to break my Mesh II back out... LOL!!! As everyone said, size is right on. The liner works pretty good on 60-65 degree chilly days :D
 
BeBeep said:
Hi Folks,

I am looking for a summer jacket and I have sorta narrowed it down to the Firstgear Mesh-Tex II jacket. I have read many great reviews and it seems like this is a good choice.

I have a few questions and am hoping you folks may be able to help. I have never owned true motorcycle gear before so I am totally ignorant on the subject. I only know (think I know) what I have learned on this board.

1. Do these jackets run large or small? I normally wear XXL, so do I need to order XXL or XL?

2. If you have this jacket, what do you think about it? Good or bad is very welcomed.

3. Is there anything else I should know or consider?

Thank you very much for any and all help.

meshtex_black.jpg
Click to expand...

I just bought my FG Mesh-Tex II jacket and pants from Cyclegear last week. I don't have any long term experience yet but, to answer your questions:

1. I wear size XXL (6'2", 260 pounds) and it fits perfectly. It is not too snug nor is it loose.

2. Today it was 85 outside and I went for an hour's ride. The jacket was surprisingly cool when moving, almost like it was insulating me from the heat while cooling me with the breeze. It is the faster silver color.:D The odd, but good, thing I noticed was when I put my windshield all the way up, I could feel the back pressure blowing in the rear of the jacket. It felt good. It didn't heat up when I stopped at lights even though there was no breeze blowing.

3. It's heavier than it looks. Seems very substantial. The quality is okay. I would not say it was exceptional but what do you want from Vietnam? Cyclegear had it and the pants for $139.00 each but have a 20% off sale.

In case you're interested, I bought the Mesh-Tex pants too. I wear a 44 waist and the size 44 FG pants fit over my jeans perfectly. The pants and jacket can zip together although I haven't tested that yet.

Fred:03biker:
 
I bought the same jacket last summer. I concur that the size seems accurate. I'm 6'6" & 245lbs, the XLT fits as expected.

I also own a Aerostich Roadcrafter two piece that has served me well for years. There are just have too many VERY hot days in Texas. When it gets much over 90 the Sitch is too hot for me.

The Mesh Tex does a good job of keeping me cool. However, it feels SIGNIFICANTLY less substantial than the Stich. It should provide a little protection, but I wouldn't expect much. The pads are thin and I've since read some scary reports of these type of synthetic mesh jackets melting into the skin when subjected to the heat friction of a slide.

I'd take a look at the Kevlar Air Mesh line from Motoport (www.motoport.com). They're expensive, but appear to be high quality protection that you can comfortably wear year round.

Chuck
 
cv_rider said:
I'd take a look at the Kevlar Air Mesh line from Motoport (www.motoport.com). They're expensive, but appear to be high quality protection that you can comfortably wear year round.

Chuck
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Several others on the Forum had high praise for the Kevlar Air Mesh, especially as a four season outfit. And it's made to order so sizing is not a factor. However, I'll have to wait until a rich relative dies before I can afford one. Seems to be around $900/set. Too many farkles/not enough cash!

Fred:03biker:
 
I've only used the First Gear Mesh-Tex II jacket for one season so far, but I've found that it's extremely comfortable in temps up to around 90 degrees. I've managed to wear it in higher temps but lets face it, nothing is comfortable when it really hot. The liner is nothing more than a windbreaker, so it really doesn't suffice as a cold weather jacket. The fit is excellent... I just used their sizing chart and the end result was good. Be aware that the Mesh-Tex II IS NOT water resistant. New Enough has a sale going on right now and you can get the jacket for $107.50. http://www.newenough.com/firstgear_meshtex2_jacket_page.htm

All in all, I have been pleased with my purchase...
 
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Thank you for all the replies, I have the info I need to make my decision. The Kevlar stuff is very nice but out of the present budget.

Thanks Again!:bow1: :bow1:
 
I'm happy with mine. A couple of points:

The stock "armor" isn't. It's just thin, flimsy foam pads. Better than nothing, I suppose. But you can get CE approved armor from FirstGear. I bought my jacket and the armor from www.newenough.com. Great people, great prices. They currently have the MeshTex II on sale for $107.50. The upgraded armor is $9 a piece, and you'll need 4 pieces. (2 for shoulders, 2 for the elbows).

The removable liner that comes with the jacket is pretty weak. FirstGear sells a separate zip in liner that may be better. An option you might want to think about is the MeshTex Venom at $99 (which doesn't include a liner) + the separate liner for $27. Total cost is higher, but the overal product is probably better.

I've got an old Joe Rocket liner that doesn't zip in, but can be worn separately underneath. With a liner inside, and a windbreaker outside, the MeshTex will keep you surprisingly warm. By itself, it passes a lot of air when you're moving. At 95 degrees and 80% humidty, sitting at a traffic light, you'll still get hot.

Oh, and one very important thing: While no Mesh jacket is going to protect as well as a Roadcrafter from Aerostich, I've read to reports from people who crashed and slid in a MeshTex. Both reported it held up very well, and protected them from serious injury.
 
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I've had the Mesh-Tex jacket for 2 seasons now and think it is an excellent value. It's been fantastic in hot weather (without the liner) and OK to about 45 degrees with the liner depending on what I wear under it. I would agree the the liner is a bit flimsy but, really, this is a warm weather jacket and 95% of the time I'm wearing it without. It's funny but I've actually found this jacket to be cooler (and obviously safer) in *very* hot weather than wearing just a t-shirt. As you sweat, the jacket helps to keep evaporation controlled and the cooling effects close to your body. It almost feels like air-conditioning. BTW, the liner rolls up to about the size of a softball, so you can easily tuck it in a pannier without sacrificing a lot of precious cargo space.

Size-wise, I'm 6' @ 225 lbs. and normally wear a 46L jacket. I purchased the XLT but, if I had to do it again, I might not go with the tall size. The XLT does fit just the way I like it when I'm standing (like in the dressing room where I was trying them on). However, when I'm riding, the extra length kind of pushes the front of my jacket up, causing unsightly puffiness and pushing the top of the zipper into my neck a little bit. I get around this by folding the bottom front of the jacket up a little after I hop on the bike, so it's no big deal. The arm length was the same on the XL and XLT. The XLT just buys you the extra length at the waist.

This summer I also purchased the HT Air Overpants. I'd highly recommend them for warm (and even cool) weather riding as well.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the First Gear products I own. I haven't need to use the protective features at all (knock wood), so I can't speak to that, but I do like the way they fit and look. They're not designed quite as flashy as some but that actually suits my style better. Both the jacket and pants incorporate reflective piping for increased nightime visibility.
 
Uh-huh, 30 degrees this morning, my FG Mesh-tex is in the closet. Gerbing's all the way now.

But I do like the Mesh-tex A LOT, however I did upgrade the armor from New Enough.

-John
 
cv_rider said:
The Mesh Tex does a good job of keeping me cool. However, it feels SIGNIFICANTLY less substantial than the Stich. It should provide a little protection, but I wouldn't expect much. The pads are thin and I've since read some scary reports of these type of synthetic mesh jackets melting into the skin when subjected to the heat friction of a slide.

I'd take a look at the Kevlar Air Mesh line from Motoport (www.motoport.com). They're expensive, but appear to be high quality protection that you can comfortably wear year round.

Chuck
Click to expand...

The stock FG pads are weak and I bought the optional core comp armor for the elbows. When I read about how weak polyester is, let alone PU coating, it made me think. Nearly all mesh jackets are made of polyester. To make a long story short, I ended up at Cycleport.
 
I bought the Mesh-Tex II along with the optional CE armor from NewEnough this past Spring. I love the jacket, fits exactly as I wanted. I've been waiting for a good cold weather jacket, so I've been wearing the Mesh-Tex so far down to the mid-30's. I had to have extra stuff on underneath for insulation, though. With just a shirt and the liner, it's good to around 45 -50 during the day, 50- 55 at night. Mine's black, so it picks up some warmth during the day.

In warmer months, it's pretty amazing how the air circulates inside the thing - feels really nice when you're hot!

I'm very satisfied with it!
 
I saw a blue one at Westoc and recently ordered one as well. I am 6'2 and the XL fits well for me.
 
I've had my silver Mesh Tex II jacket for two seasons now and love it. It's an awsome hot weather jacket I think. The size is what you'd normally wear. Medium for me so that's what I have. I've ridden it on a ride from UT to CO that was 103 degrees air temp ... higher on the blacktop of course. As long as your moving in those temps it was great. I highly recommend it.

The liner is just a windbreaker liner. Windproof and waterproof but no insulation to it. But it does keep the wind off of you as long as you're wearing something long sleeved.

My wife just bought me the Olympia Airglide jacket as a wedding gift. Whereas the FG jacket is Meshtex all over, the Olympia has mesh and textile. So, what I'm expecting to find out is that the FG is a better "cooler" jacket at Hot temps and the Olympia is a good cool - hot jacket. More than likely I'll wear the FG in July and August when we're doing our 90-105 degree days and the Olympia otherwise. What the Olympia seems to have over the FG is a great insulated liner that is water/wind proof.

However, I do love my FG Meshtex jacket!!!!
 
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