I attended the Vancouver Canada Motorcycle show in January this year. Made the mistake of purchasing a nice looking, but low priced mesh riding jacket. Now after wearing it 10 times I know why it was under $150.00 The zipper failed, and the snaps are pulling through. Bummer... I looked at the BMW jackets and nearly fainted at the price.. Who makes a good Hi Visibility mesh jacket?
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Looking for a good quality armor riding jacket..
- Thread starter gonzo1066
- Start date
+1 to dwarthog's comment about the Motoport gear. If you can afford it, I doubt you can find higher quality mesh gear.
I didn't go that direction though. I ended up with a Sedici Arturo Mesh jacket.
I wanted hi-vis, but couldn't find what I wanted in a hi-vis colour...and it is hard to find a mesh jacket that isn't black. Why would anyone want a black jacket in hot weather...with the sun baking down at you...in stopped traffic? Crazy. So I picked a light grey colour.
I also wear a Hit-Air airbag vest that is in hi-vis yellow, so that provides my hi-vis even though the jacket itself doesn't have it. I checked out the armour in the shoulders and elbows on the jacket. It seems decent, as good as what I have in my Olympia jackets. I did pull the back protector out of an Olympia jacket I haven't been wearing to get a little more protection in the back.
I looked at a lot of jackets and like the features on the Sedici Arturo jacket seemed pretty decent...and if you catch it on sale, it's a steal. Cycle Gear has a lifetime warranty on their Sedici gear. No questions asked. If a snap or zipper fails, bring it in and they'll exchange it for a brand new jacket.
Chris
I didn't go that direction though. I ended up with a Sedici Arturo Mesh jacket.
I wanted hi-vis, but couldn't find what I wanted in a hi-vis colour...and it is hard to find a mesh jacket that isn't black. Why would anyone want a black jacket in hot weather...with the sun baking down at you...in stopped traffic? Crazy. So I picked a light grey colour.
I also wear a Hit-Air airbag vest that is in hi-vis yellow, so that provides my hi-vis even though the jacket itself doesn't have it. I checked out the armour in the shoulders and elbows on the jacket. It seems decent, as good as what I have in my Olympia jackets. I did pull the back protector out of an Olympia jacket I haven't been wearing to get a little more protection in the back.
I looked at a lot of jackets and like the features on the Sedici Arturo jacket seemed pretty decent...and if you catch it on sale, it's a steal. Cycle Gear has a lifetime warranty on their Sedici gear. No questions asked. If a snap or zipper fails, bring it in and they'll exchange it for a brand new jacket.
Chris
mikegalbicka
Back in the saddle again
Look at the Olympia HiViz Airglide. Their gear is well made at a reasonable price point. I wear both Airglide and Motoquest. Airglide works best in the very humid summer months here in Florida. I picked up a slightly used one here in the marketplace/panjo for $100 a few months ago.
http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/olympia-airglide-5-jacket
http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/olympia-airglide-5-jacket
Okay. So why mesh?
Motoport makes great gear, the stretch Kevlar is fantastic, however since you live in Sumas, know you will need rain gear.
Unless you are riding in a hot, high humidity environment mesh is not your friend. In a hot, non-humid environment, mesh will allow a lot of airflow, but also dehydrate you extremely quickly.
The BMW gear is fantastic, I have a street Guard jacket and pants, that have vents to allow airflow and are totally waterproof. Fantastic for this part of the country. I wear LD comfort shirt and underwear and when it's hot I pour water down my sleeves to wet the LD comfort and that wets the shirt and provides evaporative cooling with the vents open.
I also have a Motoport Black stretch Kevlar jacket and pants with high viz. yellow taping. Anyone behind me says I am extremely visible from at least 1 mile away. My only complaint with the Motoport gear is that when it rains, I need to do something, like add waterproof liners or waterproof jacket and pants so I don't get wet. Fantastic for California, Arizona, New Mexico and probably lower Utah. Not great in a climate where it rains.
If I lived in the eastern US or Ontario, where in the summer it not only gets hot but runs at 100% humidity, then I would look at a mesh jacket and pants.
I have used the Stretch Kevlar outfit for about 15 days of riding in total. It's brand-new, and I am planning to sell it, for the reasons mentioned above. From a comfort and protection perspective, this Motoport gear is absolutely fantastic.
I personally like the Klim gear from a protection padding perspective.
Also, note, I did have a mesh Motoport jacket, which I returned for the stretch Kevlar, one because it didn't fit, two because it's extremely stiff and takes a long time to break in, and three, and most importantly, too much dehydration in the climates I ride, which are not a 100% humidity climate.
clowry
Active member
My husband and I both wear Olympia Airglide jackets. His sees a lot of use - he commutes 80 km one way on his bike as much as possible. After 8 years as his only jacket, it's well worn and the yellow is a bit faded, but it's still fully functional. All zippers and snaps still work fine. The only 'flaw', if you could call it one, is with the Scotchlite piping.
mikegalbicka
Back in the saddle again
What happened to it?
+1 on MOTOPORT gear, drizzle to light rain stays dry, heavy rain it will absorb water. Found that some hiviz frogtoggs as outer cover works well and is easy on/off
clowry
Active member
The reflective coating is peeling off in spots. The rubber piping underneath is still intact. It's to be expected - the jacket is about 8 years old and has probably 100,000 km worth of wear. It's also been washed several times, which could be a bit hard on it.
mikegalbicka
Back in the saddle again
Bingo. They suggest hand wash in Woolite to keep that from happening.
http://olympiamotosports.com/faq/
dunc723
Peter D
I've worn a Joe Rocket mesh jacket for about 4 years x 3 seasons, still in great condition and not very expensive. Not high-vis, but they probably make something. And before someone disses Joe Rocket on its level of protection, I watched a woman in front of me hit a pothole, flip her bike and slide down the road 25 feet in Joe Rocket gear. Her jacket and pants were torn up some, but she was unharmed. Convinced me it's good gear for the price.
rockbottom
Steve
I'd recommend looking at what the mesh material is. The Motoport is at the top of the protectiveness level because it's kevlar. The Klim Induction is at the top of the traditional fabrics because of the "Karbonite" mesh material. Jackets using plain polyester mesh are more likely to disintegrate in even a short slide.
jandhumphreyme
Member
Ive had good luck with motoport gear as well, I've used their gear of different styles for almost 20 years. With out the waterproof liner my jacket flows a large amount of air and coupled with an LD shirt soaked with water temps in the 90's are very tolerable as was mentioned the power of evaporation is amazing. Comming back from Billings last summer I easily ran a SS1000 from Ft Wayne to my home in central Maine, temps in the 80's and 90's all day in reasonable comfortable I say reasonable because frankly speaking those temps are only tolerable on the best of days to this Polarbear.
+1
Back in 2007, I did a low side on a deep gravel road in Colorado at about 30 mph, wearing my Motoport mesh/armoured riding gear. Absolutely no harm to me and a few minor scratches on the riding gear. The left engine guard and pannier did not fare as well.
I have the liners, but prefer to carry a bright construction rain suit for either rain or cool weather. Quicker to put on and keeps me drier in the process.
The Motoport mesh gear does not have the air flow that my Joe Rocket mesh gear has (possibly because of the amount of armour) but I feel more secure in it.
I have ridden in it in temps up to 106F (while keeping my shirt wet) with no problems. Actually have worn it temps in the high 20s, with the liners and electrics.
My only complaint is the suit is rather bulky. Not a problem when riding, but it requires care to put the two pieces into the panniers at a stop.
This will be my tenth riding season with it and although a little faded, it continues to serve me well.
jamesevans
New member
I just used a Joe Rocket Alter Ego on a 5000km ride. It kept me dry when every other piece of my gear didn't, and stripped down to a mesh jacket when it got hot. It wasn't expensive, either.
EvryDayRide
John
Anyone try the Klim Adventure Rally Air Jacket? It is Kevlar also. How does it compare to Motoport?
John
John
That's an awesome jacket, with a matching price!
