Summer Jacket Recommendation?

Daboo

Daboo

Joined
Apr 10, 2018
Messages
812
Location
Lynnwood
Bike
F900 XR
I'm asking the collective brains on the forum for a summer jacket recommendation. My Olympia Dakar jacket is finally needing to be replaced. It has definitely served me well. If Olympia still sold gear, I'd buy another.

So what do you recommend? Why do you recommend it?
If you have something now and found later that you don't like it...what do you recommend not getting. That could be more revealing than you'd think at first.


I'm not sold on the idea that more $$$ equals better value. The top brand names have catchy phrases for their proprietary material...but is it better really? Is polyester still polyester even by another name?

So help me out here please.

Chris
 
I found olympia moto gear fairly easy. My jackets are old and no longer made...joe rocket has been a great jacket....trying to find something balanced between airfow and skid protection....without being black....no luck here so far.....my pet peave is jacket color. I will never understand black summer gear...jmo
Report what you decide on.....
 
I bought Tourmaster Ridgecrest mesh jackets after my crash.
I was wearing a Tourmaster Sonora Air in my get off but they don't make those anymore and the Ridgecrest was the closest to it.
The jack held up fine with very few 'burn throughs' considering the speed and distance I body surfed.
Mainly at the elbows but I got no upper body road rash at all.
Since I had 'tested' their jacket I felt comfortable going with them again.
Also it is very difficult for me to find jackets that fit because I need a 4XL to fit my shoulder width.
 
As a bit of an addendum to the CDN sourced Olympia gear......I bought a pair of their Airglide 7 pants last year and find their quality equal to the "higher end" brands. Bonus is the adjustable leg length.
 
I just shake my head on why Motovan bought out Olympia riding gear and then through some bad business decisions, almost drove it in the ground. What they have now, has a very limited market. From what I can tell, they only ship to Canada. I can see them being upset with the USA perhaps, but not to offer shipping to Europe or Australia?

And then there's the price/brand conundrum to solve. Most if not all of the high end brands have their proprietary name brands with claims of how abrasion resistant they are. In the end, I wonder if it is all polyester? And the only way to test it is to do an Uncle Phil on the road.

Then there is the price/origin conundrum. By that I mean that probably all the gear (except Aerostitch) is made in China or other parts of Southeast Asia. Klim has an office in the USA, but their products are made in China, Vietnam, etc. So how much of a premium to do I pay for their office location versus something similar without the USA office? :unsure:


I looked at some jackets on Amazon for part of my research. I was astonished.

The Zyxformis jacket was an eye-opener. I mistakenly bought their waterproof jacket, not their mesh jacket. But if I needed a Fall/Winter/Spring jacket, I'd give this one serious consideration. Everything about it seemed top-quality. It was $93 on sale. I may order their mesh jacket instead.

1782766795853.png

This one from Cuber seems top-notch too, with one exception. The heavier impact material over the collarbone doesn't extend over the shoulder. The shoulder pad is there, but will it stay in place? Price = $70.

1782766963552.png

This one from HWK is nice except for the one thing some of you mentioned. It is black. Why anyone makes a "summer" "hot weather" jacket in black is beyond me. At least make it grey. Price = $64. I have their pants. The company is based somewhere around Georgia and run by motorcyclists. Gear is made probably in China.

1782767127878.png


I don't mind paying a premium price for gear. One trip to the emergency room and the months of healing are enough to pay for the priciest gear. But I'd like to not feel like I'm being taken for a fool.

Chris
 
Daboo said:
I don't mind paying a premium price for gear. One trip to the emergency room and the months of healing are enough to pay for the priciest gear. But I'd like to not feel like I'm being taken for a fool.

Chris
Click to expand...
The only real problem is you don't know how good the stuff is - regardless of price - until you need it.
Then it can be a really good choice or a rather unpleasant choice. ;)
 
Most of the cheaper units are just a one and done usage. Where Aerostich can be repaired as many times as you survive.
I'm still looking for the ..do it all... dream gear...waterproof, cool in the heat, slides like your on oil....lol
HWK look decent
 
Couple of data points:
- my Olympia Airglide 7 pants are made in Vietnam (same country as my Klim gear for what that is worth).
- I had a 50mph get off wearing Alpinestar Andes jacket and pants. Both were beyond repair but I did not have any bruises or scrapes. They did the job they were supposed to do.

Seems, more and more, one must rely on theQC stipulated in contracts rather than country of manufacture. In this day and age of maximizing profits, the QC stipulations are not necessarily something that one can assume are to the best.
 
I love my Klim Induction jacket as well. Just don't get it in dark gray like me, I had one in light gray and it was a bit cooler in the sun.

Either way once I'm going above 25mph it's like I'm not even wearing it tons of airflow. Has armor if you're into that. I can't comment on how it works in a crash as I haven't, but Klim has a good reputation and it seems built well.
 
Uncle Phil said:
The only real problem is you don't know how good the stuff is - regardless of price - until you need it.
Then it can be a really good choice or a rather unpleasant choice. ;)
Click to expand...
If I buy one of the $90 or less jackets, would you test it for me in your unique and comprehensive way?
 
Another vote for the Klim Induction - I've had mine now for 5 years - it still looks new. Very tough materials and high quality stitching etc. You can often find 2 year old models at a good discount.
 
Daboo said:
I just shake my head on why Motovan bought out Olympia riding gear and then through some bad business decisions, almost drove it in the ground. What they have now, has a very limited market. From what I can tell, they only ship to Canada. I can see them being upset with the USA perhaps, but not to offer shipping to Europe or Australia?

And then there's the price/brand conundrum to solve. Most if not all of the high end brands have their proprietary name brands with claims of how abrasion resistant they are. In the end, I wonder if it is all polyester? And the only way to test it is to do an Uncle Phil on the road.

Then there is the price/origin conundrum. By that I mean that probably all the gear (except Aerostitch) is made in China or other parts of Southeast Asia. Klim has an office in the USA, but their products are made in China, Vietnam, etc. So how much of a premium to do I pay for their office location versus something similar without the USA office? :unsure:


I looked at some jackets on Amazon for part of my research. I was astonished.

The Zyxformis jacket was an eye-opener. I mistakenly bought their waterproof jacket, not their mesh jacket. But if I needed a Fall/Winter/Spring jacket, I'd give this one serious consideration. Everything about it seemed top-quality. It was $93 on sale. I may order their mesh jacket instead.
[/URL][/URL]

1782766795853.png

This one from Cuber seems top-notch too, with one exception. The heavier impact material over the collarbone doesn't extend over the shoulder. The shoulder pad is there, but will it stay in place? Price = $70.
[/URL][/URL]

1782766963552.png

This one from HWK is nice except for the one thing some of you mentioned. It is black. Why anyone makes a "summer" "hot weather" jacket in black is beyond me. At least make it grey. Price = $64. I have their pants. The company is based somewhere around Georgia and run by motorcyclists. Gear is made probably in China.
[/URL][/URL]

1782767127878.png


I don't mind paying a premium price for gear. One trip to the emergency room and the months of healing are enough to pay for the priciest gear. But I'd like to not feel like I'm being taken for a fool.

Chris
Click to expand...
I've had Scorpion gear and it's well made. Look at this, the price is right, better looking too.

https://motorcyclecloseouts.com/scorpion-vortex-air-mesh-hi-viz-jacket/
 
Riding in the heat of summer, you need a mesh Jacket.
I bought one two or three years ago, from Joe Rocket, a canadian manufacturer.
The price was OK. Around 200 CAD if I recall correctly.

But, what a difference it made. I can now feel the breeze passing thru my jacket as I ride.
And I still have the same elbow and back protection. There is an adjustable belt at the base.
I also have a removable zippered thin protection layer against rain, if I need it.

Very happy with this product. Comfortable, effective, and good looking too. ;)

https://joerocket.ca/collections/jackets
 
Based in Europe, so out of competition, but I'm quite happy with the Rev'it Eclipse...

revitsport.com

Eclipse Motorcycle Jacket - Stay cool in summer

The Eclipse 2 Motorcycle Jacket is a lightweight jacket that cools you down and keeps you protected, ideal for warm summer days. Learn more >
revitsport.com revitsport.com
091224093604_83598068083074435.jpg


yeah, that bright silver/beige stains up rather quick, but reflects the sun, the mesh lining is very comfortable (also on bare forearms), the protectors are easily removed,
the jacket turns out nicely in the washer and dries like overnight...
 
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