Where Can I Buy A Motorcycle Jacket

The motorcycle riding shirt is exactly what it sounds like: a shirt on steroids. Manufacturers take casual styling and hide moto features and protection inside. A riding shirt might look like a flannel, a work shirt, a hoodie, or a denim jacket on the outside. Inside, they could conceal armor, aramid fibers, or helpful liners. For riders who are frequently on and off the bike, these pieces are ideal for around-town riding. Riding shirts fit right in with street clothes, so you can just leave it on once you arrive at your destination. In exchange for their stealthy good looks, riding shirts are typically less capable of protecting a rider at high speeds, and they sometimes lack more technical features like waterproofing or liners. In addition, they often lack armor, though they might have pockets to carry it if the rider decides to upgrade.

where can i buy a motorcycle jacket

Stepping up in protection, the mesh jacket brings greater slide and abrasion resistance than the riding shirt. The casual styling is traded off for a more riding-focused experience. Mesh jackets really shine in hot summer months, when their huge mesh panels can flow plenty of air to sweltering riders. Armor is commonly included in the shoulders and elbows of these jackets, along with at least a pocket for a back protector. Liners to protect against wind and rain might also be included. These features mean the mesh jacket will protect once the pace picks up, unlike the riding shirt. If staying cool is your goal, a mesh jacket will be very hard to beat.

But not all of us live and ride in high heat. For riders looking to conquer any weather with a versatile jacket, the full textile is the only way to fly, They also offer the best protection of any textile option. Full textile jackets rely on a range of materials to defend against abrasion, impacts, and the weather. They typically feature waterproofing, windproofing, and a thermal liner for cold rides. Most offer vents that can be opened in hot weather, though they do not flow as much air as a mesh jacket. Full textile jackets are the choice of adventurers, tourers, hardcore commuters, and riders who just want to get out there every day they can!

For the last measurement, take your waist measurement by running the tape around your torso, about an inch above your belly button. Your waist measurement is not the same as your pants size, which can be confusing to some. Waist measurements are the least important of the three here, since they can really vary. Also, many jackets feature some adjustability at the waist, so you can usually get the fit where you want it.

To the untrained eye and/or motorcycling neophytes, the two jackets illustrated above could pass as being equal in value for motorcycling purposes, and the fashion-store leather jacket could even be perceived as being more valuable since its more expensive and hip-looking than the affordable motorcycle jacket with reinforced leather and armor.

You can click on any of the above categories to go directly to them, although we recommend that you first continue reading this guide so as to learn all about buying the right motorcycle jacket for you!

The good news is that, despite their different uses and intentions, all high-quality motorcycle jackets under these wildly-varying 11 categories concentrate on the aforementioned three essential elements that matter in the real world:

As a bare minimum, a motorcycle jacket must come with inner pockets at the elbows, shoulders and back in order to house armored pads. Ideally, though, the jacket should come with stock CE-certified armored pads at the elbows and shoulders.

Most motorcycle jackets, including the very-expensive ones, frequently come with stock elbow and shoulder armored pads but no stock back armor; you have to thus buy the back-armor pad as an upgrade to the jacket.

Under the latest EN 1621-1 iteration (2012), there are two levels of CE certification for motorcycle armor: Level 1 and Level 2. CE Level 2 armor offers approximately 50% more impact protection than CE Level 1 armor.

You can always buy top-quality elbow armor and shoulder armor to wear inside the armor pockets of your jacket in lieu of the stock armor; it takes seconds to replace the stock armor in a motorcycle jacket with high-quality replacement armor as listed in the two previous links.

Thus, motorcycle jackets launched post-2018 by European companies have to be CE-certified as PPE in order to be sold within the European Union as actual motorcycle jackets (a motorcycle jacket that fails the testing is then regarded as fashion-wear and not suitable for motorcycling).

In fact, if the back of your motorcycle jacket exposes your lower back when you reach for the handlebar as you sit on your motorcycle, then that jacket is too small for you. Likewise, if your motorcycle jacket bunches up on your upper chest so much that it rubs against your neck, then that jacket is too big for you.

Stretch accordion panels at the elbows are a habitual design feature in all high-end motorcycle jackets. Some motorcycle jackets implement stretch accordion panels in other areas of their chassis such as at the shoulder or flanks.

We do strongly advise that you get specifically-designed insulating layers and waterproof liners for serious piling up of miles since only touring motorcycle jackets and winter motorcycle jackets come with good-enough stock thermal and waterproof membranes.

This one here as an affordable thermal layer on Amazon as well as this other one as a cheap waterproof liner to go over your jacket (buy one size larger than your jacket) are superb extras for your motorcycling adventures. Use them together with whatever comes stock as waterproof/thermal membranes in your jacket.

As a rule of thumb, all motorcycle jackets must be comfortable to wear for one hour of non-stop riding; this too goes for racing and sport motorcycle jackets, which are intentionally designed to be very form-fitting.

Equally so, high-quality motorcycle jackets are comfortable to wear for hours on end independent of category. We will touch upon this topic individually on each of the 11 motorcycle-jacket categories reviewed in Part 3 of our guide.

As good-looking as a motorcycle jacket may look to you, do not allow yourself to fall into the common trap of choosing your jacket based on emotions. When buying a motorcycle jacket, keep it simple and objective first and foremost.

The motorcycle jacket. For someone that doesnt ride, images of the classic black leather jacket are sure to cometo mind. That's the iconic image that the media has used for years to portray motorcycle apparel. While thatstyle of jacket is still wildly popular among riders, especially in the cruiser and vintage crowds, there are somany more options available for riders.

No matter how and what you ride, there is a motorcycle jacket that will fit your style and needs. The wide arrayof motorcycle jackets does pose a problem, though. How do you choose the right motorcycle jacket that will best fityour style of riding? A leather cruiser jacket may be the best option for a cruiser rider, but it could be the worstfor and Adventure touring rider.

In this guide, we will break down all of the intricacies that separate the types of motorcycle jackets from eachother. By the end, you should have a pretty good idea of which style and type of construction is best for you andyour riding style.

Motorcycle jackets can be broken down into four major categories: Cruiser,Racing, Sport/Street and Adventure Touring/Dual Sport. The jackets of each category are tailored to fit the specificneeds of each style of riding. There are both leather and textile options for each style, giving riders the choiceof their preferred material in the style of jacket that best fits their riding style. While many jackets adhere to aspecific style, there is a growing number of jackets that blur the lines between the styles to accommodate riderswho want the best of each. Listed below are the four main motorcycle jacket categories.

The classic styles of motorcycle jackets that have become synonymous with motorcycling all fall under thecategory of cruiser jackets. Leather is far and away the most common material used to construct cruiser jackets.That being said, synthetic textiles and cotton are growing in popularity. Fashion and comfort are the twolargest driving factors behind cruiser jackets. The fit is generally on the looser side to provide more room forcomfort. Armor is usually little to none, though more and more offerings are starting to come with the jacket asthe armor technology improves and becomes less intrusive.

Sport jackets are often seen as a more casual or relaxed version of a racing jacket with a few more features.The cut is very similar to meet the needs of the sport bike riding position, but the fit is a bit more loose andrelaxed. Unlike racing jackets, street jackets are commonly made with textiles. There are quite a few leatheroptions as well and there are also combinations of both. For more seasonal versatility, venting and removableliners are often included in sport bike jackets. Pockets are still minimal, but there are usually more on asport jacket compared to a race jacket. Armor is very common in most sport bike jackets.

Motorcycle racing jackets need to be constructed with high abrasion resistant materials due to the risk ofhigh speed offs. A thick cowhide is often the best and most common material used for the jacket's mainchassis due to its excellent abrasion resistance. Synthetic stretch panels are placed in key areas to aid inrider mobility. Internal armor and external TPU sliders are common to provide protection against high speedimpacts and slides. Pockets are minimal to none. Motorcycle racing jackets have a very tight fit to be moreaerodynamic. The sleeves are pre-curved to fit the tucked riding position, which helps to reduce rider fatigue.A zipper is often included on the bottom hem of the jacket to attach it to a pair of racing pants. This willprevent the jacket from sliding up during a slide. 041b061a72