Motorcycle Jackets

The are several reasons for getting a high quality motorcycle jacket. The two primary reasons are safety and comfort. In the event that your two wheels ever end up horizontal to the pavement, your going to want something to protect your torso and arms. The best protection for abrasion is either a good quality leather motorcycle jacket or a high quality Kevlar garment. The other important safety feature in a motorcycle jacket is armor. Most of the Kevlar motorcycle jackets and even some leather motorcycle jackets now come with armor in the elbows, sholder and back.

When it comes to comfort, look for a motorcycle jacket that does a good job of keeping the wind out and is also waterproof. For warm weather riding, consider getting a mesh motorcycle jacket. When I lived in Hawaii, the temperature would range from 90 degrees along the coast to 55 degrees over the mountain passes (Saddle Road or through Volcano Village.) On these rides I would wear my mesh motorcycle jacket in the hot areas and then add a waterproof (and wind proof) rain jacket when it got cold or wet. And if I needed extra warmth I would also put on my electric vest and turn that on and off, as needed.

This Motorcycle Jacket page shows you how to select a great quality motorcycle jacket, plus you'll find links to some great motorcycle jacket brands and other essential motorcycle apparel.

Let's look at the various types of jackets:

Summer or Warm Weather Jackets are usually mesh fabric (Cordura, made by DuPont) or a fabric called Hypertex. Personally, I'm a big fan of FirstGear products, as they are well constructed and highly functional. I've owned a FirstGear Scout jacket for almost 15 years, at it still looks like new. It has a ventilation system consisting of 2 zippers in the front and 2 zippers on the back, which I have found to be very effective in controlling body temperature. And both the Kilimanjaro jacket and the Scout jacket have the easily accessible pocket organizer system (see picture below), giving you a handy place to store your cell phone, camera, spare keys and glasses.

Here's a close up picture of the breast pocket storage system offered on the FirstGear jackets.