- This topic has 12 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 6 months ago by ilnam.
3/4 Length Jacket
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August 29, 2008 at 5:28 am #1991AndrewParticipant
I’m looking for a good first jacket at a good price that I can wear commuting and in different weather conditions. The Denali from FirstGear looks like it fits the bill. It is a 3/4 jacket though and I wondered how comfortable that would be while riding? I also wish it had more color to enhance visibility.
August 29, 2008 at 8:37 am #11361BanditryParticipantHi Andrew,
That looks like a good jacket with everything you need — waterproof/breathable, CE-approved protectors and at a great price. First Gear has a good reputation, although I haven’t tried that brand.
I was also recently looking for a good jacket/pants combination for commuting that would keep me safe while also providing good ventilation. I settled on Motoport’s Air Mesh Kevlar jacket and pants and can’t speak highly enough of them. Ventilation/comfort in hot/humid weather is outstanding, and the protection is as good as, if not better than leather.
http://www.motoport.com/August 29, 2008 at 12:40 pm #11371CBennettParticipantI got this one its not a 3/4 but fits great and was $100 LESS than that one and I think the cordura may be a heavier duty type also. I got the yellow like that one you posted for visibility also.
August 29, 2008 at 5:22 pm #11377RabParticipantI have a Tourmaster Transition 2 which is reasonably priced and works for most weather (waterproof membrane, removable liner and zippered vents). I only wear it in the cooler months though as it’s almost certainly too sweaty for our California summers (80-90+ typical, 100+ sometimes). In the summer I wear an Olympia Motosports Airglide jacket and pants (see my comments on that review on the home page).
The Transition (3/4 length) is comfortable enough and you can unzip it from the bottom if necessary (to accomodate splayed legs). Comes in nice bright (Hi-Visibility) colors too.
Here’s the original Transition for a good price of $134.99
http://www.derbycycles.com/cgi-bin/eShop/index.cgi?pid=3363
and the Transition Series 2 for 152.99 (I paid $172.99 at a local dealer).
Here’s a combo deal on Jacket, Pants and Winter Gloves
Other sites that often have good deals are http://www.ironpony.com and http://www.compacc.com
You can often get really good close-out deals on last years model of clothing, and unless you’ve got to be wearing the latest “fashions”, who cares…
August 29, 2008 at 5:26 pm #11382AndrewParticipantNice. The Yellow Hi-Viz looks green to my eyes. So the 3/4 length doesn’t interfere with riding once the bottom is unzipped? I’m in Illinois so it does get bloody hot in summer but Spring and Fall are the months where I will need to handle the cooler and wetter weather. I do have an old classic leather biker jacket that I’m using now but it’s not waterproof and it doesn’t have any armor in it. It’s 20 years old but in decent nick other wise.
I am also thinking about these 2 Tourmaster sport jackets:
http://www.newenough.com/protective_apparel/textile_jackets_and_pants/cortech_by_tour_master/fsx_textile_motorcycle_jacket.htmlThe first one is $117 which is an attractive price. They also both come in a 38 which is my size.
For pants I’m looking at getting the FirstGear Textile Over pants that have been reviewed here.
August 29, 2008 at 6:07 pm #11379RabParticipantThe jacket you’re looking at looks just fine and I like the leather patches. Could maybe use a little more venting though?
Whatever you get, make sure it has CE, removable (for occasional washing) armour, a waterproof membrane (so you don’t have to also carry a PVC rain jacket) if you intend riding in the rain (many people won’t), vents for the Summer, a quilted liner (removable, for the hotter weather) and reflective piping/tape for night-riding (if you must). Hi-Viz colors are good too. Pockets? Yes, but you often can’t fit much in them due to the close fit or the fact that they double as vents. Note: You don’t want loose, baggy motorcycle clothing as it can ride-up in an accident.
The nearest I’ve seen to all weather clothing is the Olympia Motosports “Mesh Tech 3-in-One Systems” gear. It has a CE armoured mesh and cordura outer shell jacket and also a waterproof, “windproof” (not 100% due to mesh outer jacket), quilted liner jacket. You can wear one or both together as the weather dictates. If you’re wearing just the mesh jacket/pants, you need to carry the liner jacket/pants in a backpack though; just in case…
http://olympiamotosports.com/home.html
Don’t agonize over it though (been there, done that), so long as they have a minimum feature set (see above), they’re pretty much all good, so shoot for a good price on last year’s fashions.
August 29, 2008 at 6:10 pm #11391RabParticipantWow! Great price on a decent looking jacket.
August 29, 2008 at 6:20 pm #11390RabParticipantIf you mean the Transition 2, if you unzip the jacket a little, from the bottom up, it won’t get in the way. I never needed to on my last bike (a Bonneville) but haven’t yet worn that jacket on my new bike (GSX650F) which has a wider tank. I’m certain it’ll work though.
I’ve seen these in the store and the yellow is a bright canary yellow (although yes, it does look Hi-Viz green in the thumbnail on that web page). I have the bright red one.
I love the classic (Schott Perfecto) style leather motorcycle jacket. They look totally cool, but they do have their drawbacks in that they usually have no armour and being leather, they’re a real pain in the posterior if they get soaked, no neck wind protection either.
You’ll probably wind up with (at least) two jackets, one (3/4 length) for the winter and one (“shortie” with mesh panels) for the Summer. That’s what works for me and I commute by motorcycle all year (no off-season). For hot weather, you can also buy “cooling vests” that you charge-up with cold water and they’re supposed to cool you on the “wet T-shirt” principle (evaporative cooling). For those, you’re not supposed to wear mesh as the water will evaporate too quickly. I don’t know how well they work, but apparently evaporative cooling won’t work in very humid climates.
‘ Doesn’t get *really* cold here, if it did, I’d use a heated liner vest. I do intend to buy (Tourmaster) heated gloves this Winter though. Last Winter I used “Oxford” heated grip wraps (which are a great comfort) but they left my thumbs freezing out in the breeze, so I’ll try the heated gloves this year.
Another great comfort in the cold is a fleecy neck tube to keep your neck warm. I’d say it’s been one of the best things I’ve bought since I started commuting by motorcycle. Balaclavas and face masks are good too, but the couple I’ve tried, don’t work well with glasses as they cover my nose, forcing my breath upwards thus steaming-up my glasses. Ah! The joys of motorcycle commuting
Anyway, I’ve found Tourmaster/Cortech to be decent gear at a good price
August 29, 2008 at 11:55 pm #11407RabParticipantLooks like they’ve added “Hi-Viz” yellow (green) to the line, the “canary yellow” one I was talking about is indeed yellow.
August 30, 2008 at 2:12 pm #11430AndrewParticipantMy bike is candy blue so I’ll have to decide which color combination will be least bad. The red and yellow probably work better than the green. I’m leaning towards the red or the green. The green kind of appeals to me but the red would give me a red, white and blue color scheme.
September 9, 2008 at 2:34 pm #11882AndrewParticipantI’m wondering if I really need a 3/4 length jacket. I’m only 5’4 and a regular short jacket will probably drop a little longer on me anyway. I will be wearing some over pants for my commuting.
September 9, 2008 at 3:57 pm #11888bioGuruParticipantThanks for the link. I just placed my order on New Enough for the FirstGear Denali Textile Jacket. ADMINS: There is a donate link on their site if you want to sign this place up you guys get $1 for each order or something.
I have been looking for a 3/4 jacket because I have a CHL and carry just behind my hip. A jacket cut at the waist would cause a problem when bent over the bike and a 3/4 length ensures concealment when just walking around. Won’t need the liner much around here (Houston area) but might be nice to have if I ever ride way up north like Oklahoma (ha!).
As far as the colors go I think I am going to stick with the standard black so that it will match whatever bike I might be on.
September 9, 2008 at 5:32 pm #11896ilnamParticipantI like most of the ones linked above. Personally, I’ve ordered this Teknic closeout jacket to try.
http://www.newenough.com/closeouts/textile_jackets_and_pants/teknic/chicane_textile_motorcycle_jacket.html
If I don’t like it, then I’ll get this Joe Rocket Atomic 3 jacket since I saw it at a local dealer and it fit nice.
http://www.newenough.com/protective_apparel/textile_jackets_and_pants/joe_rocket/atomic_3_textile_motorcycle_jacket.htmlOr maybe I’ll get both. I also saw a heavier cold weather jacket at the dealer which I really liked. It was made by Castle which I really can’t find too well online but it might have been the slate or escape versions shown here
http://www.castlesales.com/html/products.psp?catid=5&&useid=4&&typeid=36 -
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