I'm in Southern Cali and it gets into the 90's here and many times with some humidity which can get pretty uncomfortable with anything more than a T shirt. A lot of times i ride with just a T shirt or will throw on my leather vest. Being a little more paranoid this summer I want to wear something with protection/Armor. I'm looking at the Rev'it Eclipse mesh jacket or Alpinestars T-Jaws Air. These shouldn't look too awkward on the Thruxton. Do any of you have these jackets? If not what do you wear and how do you like it for hot riding days?
I'm in SoCal too. I have a Joe Rocket Phoenix 5.0 mesh jacket that I just busted out again this week. It works great in our weather... has elbow, shoulder and back armor, and definitely lets the air flow through! If I take the back armor out, I honestly feel like I'm just wearing my t-shirt for the most part.
It came with a liner as well if you ride in cool morning air and need to remove it later. I haven't needed it so far, even though I leave for work at 3:30am. Feels good having the cool "air conditining" running. Haha!
Can't say I've crash tested it, but I did crash about a year ago with no gear on but my helmet. Never again will I ride with just a shirt!
I'm pleased with the Triumph Jerez jacket, below. It's armored at elbows and shoulders, and has a pocket for back armor. It comes with a zip out rain liner which can be stowed in an interior pocket when not needed. These run a little large; you might consider ordering the next size smaller. I think this model has been discontinued so you might find a nice deals on some that remain in stock.
I am going to price up both of these jackets because even though l do have a lightweight Leatherup mesh jacket it looks like crap & makes it difficult to maintain my macho image!!!! :wink2:
I live in Alabama where the humidity can be oppressive and I wear a Joe Rocket Sonic perforated. It is neutral in style so I am comfortable wearing it on my Speed Triple and my Rocket, and will gladly wear it on a modern classic when I can finally afford to add one to my garage. And the perforation does allow the air to flow, as long as I am moving. Nothing will keep you cool at the red light.
If we ever get more than that one 96 degree blast of torture we had this week I'll be wearing an old Fox Creek leather jacket with all sorts of air vents in it.
One jacket which I plan on getting eventually is the Vanson with the zippers and mesh - you unzip the leather portion to expose just the mesh. That looks pretty slick although I wonder if it won't look funny with lots of bulges with the solid leather portion unzipped. http://www.vansonleathers.com/prod-COBRA_Mark2-307.aspx?
I have this jacket! It's nice, well made, and good air flow with the liner removed. Not the lightest of mesh jackets but I feel protected and am comfortable at speed.
I'm in Southern Nevada. 100 degrees f plus all summer. Usually ware Harley mesh jacket i've had for a few years.
Usually ride out of this valley to a higher altitude, even 3 thou feet is 15 degrees cooler
Tourmaster flex. Live in central New York - not Alabama heat I know but works good for me. Pretty rain and wind tight with shell on. Sun comes out and it gets 30 degrees warmer shell off and wind flows right through the mesh. Pretty much same as a t shirt.
Alpinestars T-GP Plus Air - Black/Black (Not the 'R' model.)
Lightweight, Tons of mesh for air-flow, fits firm so it's not baggy & 'swooshy' like other mesh jackets I've had in the past, And looks cool! (To me.)
A Joe Rocket Phoenix I've had for 10 years. I replaced the armor with Dainese pads and I also wear a ForceField Back Protector. I hope I never crash test a mesh jacket at speed but it beats all hell out of black leather in plus 90 degree heat.
Nobody has mentioned cooling vests. They are just a higher tech version of the old soak a T-shirt trick, but if you put a soaked cooling vest in the freezer for 10 minutes before you step out into the inferno, the first half hour is bliss - like riding with air conditioning. When I'm touring through hot areas I soak the cooling vest and throw it in the ice chest at the gas station, then it's nice and chilled when I'm ready to roll.
I live in sth oz summers are scorches,i wear a draggin long sleeve kevlar top
not the protection of some jackets,but good airflow,and better than a Tshirt
Firstgear also has some nice offerings. I currently use their Meshtex jacket. Mesh is a little more dense than my old Joe Rocket. Good armor and comes with an inner liner.
I have the Sedici Alexi Jacket. It has two removable liners, so that I can adjust for temperature and rain. I replaced the stock back pad with d3o protection.
The jacket I have is not all black. It has some panels of light gray on the front, back and sleeves for better visibility. When I remove both liners, it fells like I a wearing just a shirt; because the jacket allows such good air flow.
I have a River Road Laughlin Jacket. It's really good, nice vents, sturdy construction and comes with shoulder, elbow and back pads. Removable liner too and lots of pockets. I think they are discontinued now but I'm sure they are still available.
Not terribly warm in Seattle, but it do get into the 80s from time to time. I'm wearing a Viking leather jacket, non perforated. Plain black with reflective stripes. Looks the part and has all the pads. Don't leave home without it...
I've had this one (or one very similar to it) for years, and it's held up great. Not a loose stitch, very light (considering). I live in North East CA where summers routinely hit 100. Cannot imagine wearing anything heavier.
The shops start offering close outs on the mesh jackets about august/september and you can get them for literally half off list price. Think I spent $150 for it in 2013.
Dainese Razon Perforated Leather for longer rides - good airflow when moving, leather gets hot when in traffic or city lights. Layer helps in cooler nights.
REV'IT Tracer for local rides. No perforation, but light and usually wear it unzipped. Nice casual look on and off bike.
Olympia Switchback. I'll replace it with an Airglide next season.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Triumph Rat Motorcycle Forums
3.9M posts
167.7K members
Since 2002
A forum community dedicated to Triumph Motorcycle owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, racing, cafe racers, bobbers, riding, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!