[battlewagon]

There are lots of choices and I definitely want shoulder and elbow armour and full leather. But how do you differentiate a well made quality leather jacket from a high priced P.O.S. made with junk leather etc.

The Alpinestars are made in China but they seem well made. Was also thinking about a Shift jacket.

Thanks for any insights as I have no clue about leather quality etc.

[Rab]

Check out http://www.leatherup.com

Lots of buyer reviews and they’ve recently updated their descriptions to included any armour the jackets may or may not have.

On the whole, they seem like solid jackets at great prices.

The Tourmaster Coaster 2 available at loads of places (in perforated and non-perforated versions) looks like a good value too. I tried on the Coaster and it feels much more substantial than it looks in the photos.

BTW: Men’s motorcycle leather jackets are supposed to be relatively tight fitting and are often cut for a young man’s physique. If you’re older and/or have a beer gut (like many of us), you’ll look silly in many of them when you’re in a seated position, like you’ve got breasts; then again, if you’re really overweight, maybe you have

Do an internet search with keywords “leather jacket quality split naked” and you’ll find some guides on leather buying; naked is another name for Full Grain leather BTW

[Jim]

I bought HT Overpants for riding to work, http://www.newenough.com/protective_apparel/textile_jackets_and_pants/first_gear/ht_ii_textile_motorcycle_overpants.html
They fit well over my work dockers, the are warm, but breakdown with two layersm and they handle the weather well. Take 1 min to get in and out of them. There is a review of them on the site . https://bestbeginnermotorcycles.com/first-gear-textile-overpants-crash-tested

[fotobits]

Newenough.com has some good deals ($150) on the Teknic Chicane leather jackets. Check their Closeouts section. I have one, and it is a very good jacket for the money. Enough perforations to be comfortable in hot weather, and good armor too. The back pad is the weak point, but is good enough for street use and easily upgradeable.

I’m thinking of buying some Tour Master perforated riding pants ($220) to use with my Teknic jacket. Right now I’m using First Gear mesh pants (check the review on this site) because it is still 95+ degrees in Texas and black leather pants, even perforated, aren’t an option in this weather.

If your budget is higher, check out Vanson’s gear. Can’t beat it at any price, but it ain’t cheap.

After checking out the jackets and pants at leatherup.com (thanks Rab) it seems they have some good deals. Whatever you get, look for something that has good armor in the elbows, shoulders and back.

[battlewagon]

Shift Racing Vendetta Black/Red.

This one had all my criteria:

1. Color accents for visibility.
2. Thick 1.2-1.4mm leather.
3. Elbow/Shoulder armour.
4. Good looks and quality and fit.
5. Moderately priced.

So I got all my ATGATT now.

[Author]

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