10 Recommended Textile Motorcycle Jackets Under $500

A Note On Sizing

Sizing for jackets can vary wildly from manufacturer to manufacturer. To simply the sizing, we will use the following descriptions:

Sport: Expect a tighter fit, precurved arms, and should feel comfortable in a tuck or three-quarters position

Touring: Designed to fit a little looser so that the rider can comfortably ride sitting upright in a standard posture, but tight enough to not be billowing or flapping in the wind

Cruiser: A relaxed fit that fits comfortably around the shoulders and waist, allowing for great reach forwards to the handlebars.

Tight/Moderate/Generous: 

Tight fit is when the jacket will feel like it’s compressing you ever so slightly.

Moderate fit is where you have good range of motion, but may feel tight in some areas that are reinforced or designed for protection.

Loose fit is when the entire jacket feels loose in all areas of your torso without being too far from the body.

About Our Selections

When it comes to recommending gear, we consider everything from safety certifications to armor types and placement, quality of materials used, and everything in between. To make it on this list, a textile jacket has to provide the best protection for its price above all else, with considerations given to ventilation, intended riding style, natural and/or synthetic materials, and the like.

However, there is no "magic formula" that definitively says "This is the only jacket to use." These selections are made with educated opinions, sometimes even on-bike time with the jacket for a review, but the best way to find which textile jacket works for you is to is to head down to your local gear shop and try a few on. This is especially important because of the sizing of jackets varies wildly, as we noted above.

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Scorpion Optima

Designed to be the optimal all-weather budget touring jacket without compromising on features

Rev'It! Offtrack 2 H2O

For the adventure tourer that plans on conquering every trail they come across, rain or shine

Dainese Energyca Air

A jacket from the Italians that is designed purely for the sport touring market

Rev'It! Tornado 3 Mesh

When the mercury rises, this is a jacket you should reach for

ICON Stormhawk CE

A Spring/Fall textile jacket packed with features, but keeps a subtle, understated aesthetic about it

Merlin Axe Shirt

A stealthy motorcycle jacket that looks like a flannel long sleeve, but is anything but!

Klim Dakar

Designed for the overlanding off-road ADV rider that doesn't know what the word "trail" means

Alpinestars Andes V3

A true four-season jacket designed for any riding style where the word "touring" appears

ICON Mesh AF

Yes, the AF stands for what you think it stands for... "Air Flow"

Alpinestars T-GP R v2 WP Drystar

A mouthful to say, but an excellent street sport jacket with everything you want and a kitchen sink as well