Jackets Best Jacket?

Aerostich has a few jackets that would work just fine. These are made right here in MN (Duluth) and could ahve a custom jacket made if needed.
 
Merrill,

Ride up to Duluth and get the in-store discount on an Aerostich RoadCrafter (BTDTx2) or Darien jacket. You're a Minnesotan... this is a no-brainer. Get the pants too.

Regards, John [Minnesota born and raised]
 
+1 for Aerostich ... Especially if you are so close ... I have had both the Darien and the Roadcrafter. The Darien served me well year round in Northern Illinois and in the Washington DC area. Good against water, especially if maintained (i.e treated regularly) ... I just was never happy with the cut/fit of the Darien jacket. I switched to a Roadcrafter two piece a couple of years back, and couldn't be happier. In the high heat days of teh summer, I will forego the pants for the daily commute, and open the vents. In the winter, I close everything up, and do fine on my 20 minute commute down to around 20-25 ...

-Adam
 
Have tourmaster Flex 2.Silver color. Rode in pouring down rain, thunder shower, dry. Hot day went down to mesh only. cool. Rode to New York about 2 weeks ago cool in morning. With both liners very warm. Have large fit is great. I'm between a large and x large. Jacket is heavy. alot of waterproof zippers.
Over all very satisfied. I was planning on giving a run down after a couple more trips. After this Summers STOC events.
Ace
 
First Gear Torrent Mesh 3/4 Jacket

 
Merrill said:
....I'm looking for a good all-around piece.
....I do desire, though, to feel secure while riding everyday and confident if ever in an accident.
....I'm not as concerned about price as quality and versatility.
....Please help with any real experiences with these and other jackets.
Click to expand...

Hi again, Merrill. Adding a few comments for your consideration, based on the above quotes.... one does-it-all jacket, crashworthy, versatile...

I'm not a fan of the mesh stuff with a waterproof liner (see below). Also, with the liner out I don't think you can trust the inserted crash pads to stay put during a getoff; at least there's enough anecdotal evidence to put me off them; e.g., Ian Smith at WeSTOC a few years ago.

I wrote this about the Motoport (now Cycleport?) a while back, but you get my drift:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MotoPort Scenario:

You get caught in the rain before you can change, so it's already wet, and
you probably are too. You finally find a safe(?) place (interstate overpass?...
yeah, sure...) and stop while traffic whizzes by at 70+. Take off the wet
suit. Strip off wet underclothes if necessary (pack them wet) and put on dry
ones, and then the very expensive Gore-Tex liner. Then put the WET Port back
on. Ride with the outer getting completely sopped, completely NEGATING the
breathability feature of the Gore-Tex (might as well use coated nylon or a sauna
suit).

OK, then the rain stops. You stop because you can't stand the heat and
humidity inside your double 'wrapper'... you're wringing wet with sweat inside.
OR it was cold rain and you're cold because of the evaporative and conductive
heat loss from the wet outer layer. Take off heavy, sopping wet outer suit.
Take off expensive (sweaty on the inside if it was hot, and wet on the outside
in all cases) Gore-Tex liner. Stow somewhere while still damp. Put the wet
outer suit on over what dry undergarments you still have and ride off, hoping
the wind dries everything real soon...

What's wrong with this picture...? (:^)

The only real use I can see for the Gore-Tex liner is as a windproof liner on
cooler, dry days as the Port fabric itself is draftier than other textile
suits' fabrics. [Hmmm... why not have the windproof Gore-Tex layer already built
into the outer layer and wear an electric vest and/or some nice fleece
under... now there's a concept.] OTOH, for the heat, most quality textile suits
have excellent venting; and if the temps are >~90?F, one should have on a cooling
vest for safety anyway.

If one is bound and determined to buy a Port, save some money and don't buy
the Gore-Tex liners. Buy a quality rainsuit and put it on OVER the Port,
BEFORE it gets soaked. OR, if warm weather riding is your priority, just buy a
crash-worthy mesh suit (an oxymoron?) or preforated leathers, and a good
rainsuit...

On the other hand, with the other quality, waterproof/breathable fabric
textile suits (I'm partial to my 12 year old Stich RC 2pc and its better crash
worthiness, but the Darien is more nearly 'waterproof') - when it starts to rain,
just close the vents as necessary and KEEP RIDING. When it stops raining,
open them up again and KEEP RIDING. If it gets colder, flick the electric vest
switch and KEEP RIDING. When you do finally stop for the night, just shake the
water off and hang it. [With the Port - find a clothes dryer after
apologizing for dripping all over the lobby.] Personally, I don't like to stop for
anything but gas. (:^)

Anyway, I guess I just don't get the idea of a waterproof (but no longer
breathable) layer UNDER a WET riding suit. But the Port advocates are very
defensive when someone points out the obvious problems with their rationalization
(IMHO) of a very expensive purchase. I know I won't change their minds (believe
me I know... some of them are my friends!), but if one is going to buy a new
riding suit, I think my comments on the Port 'system' are at least worth
considering.

Oh yeah - don't get suckered by the "Kevlar" hype and pay a premium for a few
threads of it woven into some Cordura. All the good, heavyweight textile
suits are good for one serious get-off.

Bottom line?...:

- Protection and all-round - Stich RC *2pc*
- Waterproof and breathable - Darien or First Gear (and some of the newer
entries)
[Accept no substitute for Gore-Tex, but that's JMO]
- Best crash and weather protection - leather with quality rainsuit
- Cheaper - quality non-waterproof, well padded textile suit with quality
rainsuit

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FWIW, YMMV, etc...

Regards, John [with my now 20yr old RC 2-pc]
 
The only deal about the Stich... and I had one... wear it in 95* and 90+ humidity weather... let me know how that works for ya ;)

I wore a rain cover over my Motoport so I could get some venting thru the mesh during the summer ;)
 
Wow there's a mouth full. I like the CYCLEPORT mesh over the FirstGear, the test is as simple as touching the fabrics, very little rationalization beyond wow that's heavy mesh!

As for
I guess I just don't get the idea of a waterproof (but no longer
breathable) layer UNDER a WET riding suit. But the Port advocates are very
defensive when someone points out the obvious problems with their rationalization
(IMHO) of a very expensive purchase. I know I won't change their minds (believe
me I know... some of them are my friends!), but if one is going to buy a new
riding suit, I think my comments on the Port 'system' are at least worth
considering.
Click to expand...

The rain liners for the PORT stuff fits on the outside of the gear too. Just put it on last weekend in a popup... The scenario was a ride in the rain and get wet... Short of riding in a rain suit that happens. Now the First Gear (FG) liners dont fit over the outside. Neither do a lot of others. So you will have to undress too get the liners in FG. Another one of my rationalizations for using the PORT gear, the liners fit on the outside.

The down side of the PORT rain liners is visibility, they need to work on that area. Dark grey in a rain storm :nuts1:
So I wear a bright yellow FG rain coat and the PORT pants on the outside of my mesh.
 
sherob said:
The only deal about the Stich... and I had one... wear it in 95* and 90+ humidity weather... let me know how that works for ya ;)

I wore a rain cover over my Motoport so I could get some venting thru the mesh during the summer ;)
Click to expand...


Rob, which one did you have?... the Darien or Roadcrafter?
 
sherob said:
The only deal about the Stich... and I had one... wear it in 95* and 90+ humidity weather... let me know how that works for ya
Click to expand...

BTDT Too many times to count. Even a few hours at an honest 115?F at the end of an all-day ≥ 90?F. Like I said above, with a proper cooling vest (hydroweave fabric) I do just fine, thank you.

John
 
Mick said:
Rob, which one did you have?... the Darien or Roadcrafter?
Click to expand...

I had a RC... and a cooling vest won't do squat in high humidty... you're just adding moisture on top of moisture... and in the case of the RC, no real venting to do anything with that moisture :o:

Mine was recalled with the hi-viz fade :( It was great during the winter/fall/spring months riding to work up here in the no humidity Denver area... ;) I would have died in Houston riding in it :o:
 
sherob said:
I had a RC... and a cooling vest won't do squat in high humidty... you're just adding moisture on top of moisture... and in the case of the RC, no real venting to do anything with that moisture :o:
Click to expand...

The Darien has MUCH bigger vents than the RC, and you're right, having a cooling vest down here along the gulf coast would probably not do a whole lot of good.

For John O.,.. I just picked up one of those fancy hydroweave cooling ve$t$ from Silver Eagle for my trip west in a couple of months. As much as that darn thing cost, I sure hope it works as good as you guys claim.

up here in the no humidity Denver area... ;)
Click to expand...

Please don't rub it in. It's not nice to make fun of the less fortunate.:D
 
To be truly comfortable you need two coats. No matter how many vents you open or liners you take out of a heavy coat, you'll never be cool enough, especially in MN heat. Firstgear sells great winter coats and nice summer mesh jackets. You don't have to spend a fortune either.
 
Mick said:
The Darien has MUCH bigger vents than the RC, and you're right, having a cooling vest down here along the gulf coast would probably not do a whole lot of good.

For John O.,.. I just picked up one of those fancy hydroweave cooling ve$ from Silver Eagle for my trip west in a couple of months. As much as that darn thing cost, I sure hope it works as good as you guys claim.

Please don't rub it in. It's not nice to make fun of the less fortunate.:D
Click to expand...

Hi Mick,

Just curious, what did you pay for your vest? Back in '01 my Marsee vest was $125.

BTW, saying a cooling vest doesn't work or is worthless in high humidity is just wrong. If you're moving it's working. Sure, you feel warm and clammy but your core temp is being better maintained than any other method short of chemical phase-change or powered A/C systems. Much better than hot air on hot dry skin, your body not being able to produce enough sweat to keep up the need to cool your body's core. Equating dry skin and the sensation of cooling from the airstream (as your core temp rises), with cooler and safe is just dangerous.

When you stop, of course, the evaporative cooling process is greatly reduced and after a few minutes you'll have to start shedding outer garments. Gotta move to make it work. Same goes for mesh with sweaty skin or a water-soaked T-shirt under it. The cooling vest just works far longer and saves your physiological cooling system from working full/overtime (stress/fatique/exhaustion).

Just my opinion (and experience), of course. FWIW, YMMV and probably will. :)

John
 
Merril, I really like my Joe Rocket Alter Ego jacket. It's a 3 in 1 waist length. Inner rain liner,zip off outer shell and the middle is a mesh jacket with decent armour on the shoulders,elbows and a back pad. Comes in about 4 or 5 colours with some hi-viz stripes. It's a non-current model now so you could probably get it for a good price as well. JMHO
 
Thanks for all the awesome feedback.

I tried on a 3/4 length jacket yesterday and sat on a ST1300 in the bike shop. I noticed that the jacket pushes up on my neck from the bottom. So I just opened the double zipper to remedy the issue. Now I'm wondering if this will cause another issue of the plastic zipper scratching the tank. This probably isn't an issue with a standard jacket. But I prefer the 3/4 length.

I assume this is the same issue on a ST1100. Any thoughts or remedies?

Merrill
 
Recently bought Fieldsheer Adventure after owning several leather jackets. What a difference. Appreciate the armor, vents w/velcro plus zipper air/watertight closures. Plenty of pockets. Has a detachable kind of dickey thing for the neck. Waterproof and has highly reflective surfaces, including a zip-out reflective piece across the shoulder blades. Very nice liner w/ ultrasoft neckpiece. Outer jacket also has two rows of cinch snaps per arm to cut off air infiltration up sleeve. In cold weather I will use heated Gerbing liner.

The Fieldsheer Adventure jacket has been on sale at BikeBandit and Motorcycle Superstore. Got mine for $170, I think. Pam Gleason, Customer Service Rep, is stellar - she got me some replacement snaps with zero hassle. Best jacket I've owned, and boy does it look good! I live in Maine, and riding here is always tricky temperature-wise. Commonly fifteen degree difference in temp between my house and coast within an hour's ride.
 
+1 for Aerostitch, have a one piece Roadcrafter, and have ridden many miles in the mid to upper 90's and as long as I was moving its pretty comfortable.
 
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