. So this weekend I rode into the city, met up with a buddy and we generally rode our bottoms off, but the first place we rode to was a bike shop where I bought myself this Alpinestars jacket(too slow hunny, I beat you this time 
).Then I put it on and went riding..... so far, I love it! It is much less prone to whip around and pull in the wind at hiway(or better) speeds, seals the air out of the neck opening wonderfully, and it is water resistant, if not water proof. It may be water proof, we got soaked good lastnight several times, and not a drop got through. Time will tell how water proof it really is. It is nice and warm(much bigger issue for me than keeping cool) and has a removable insulated liner. In the heat of the day, in stop and crawl traffic, it was a bit warm with the liner in. Take it out and it's sweetness and light again. The jacket had 2 zippered vents on the chest that fill and circulate air all throught the jacket when opened. The arms have zippered opening all the way up them to allow access to the armor, but also work well as vents.
The jacket has armour in the elbows/forearms, shoulders and in the back, which I like. Being a dirtrat, I am used to and preffer to covered in firm plastic protection. It also has cinchstraps to tighten or loosen the fit around the waist area, a good thing, and it will give the missus something to hold on to. It is long enough to cover my lower back while sitting on the bike, keeping my skinny little butt warm, and keeping cold air from sneaking in and up my back and making me cranky. And pockets. Man, do I got pockets. Enough pockets to lose something on my own person. Quick mental count yields at least 12... I'm not sure I've even found all of them yet.
So overall, I'm very happy with it. It is fantastic compared to my old, slightly billowy, jacket on the road, I'm not being pulled and jerked around by the wind anymore. It's great for airflow management, either lots or none, as I choose. I could carry enough junk to last a week in it, if I wanted. Good protection if I do take a header. The only problem? Once Lana seen it, she anounced she was jealous and wanted one of her own. Patience Hunny..... stop buying 6 pairs of shoes every 2 weeks and you'll get it that much sooner. Not sure if the logic of that sunk in yet or not.....
I paid $330 with tax for it, more than I wanted to spend, but not more than I was willing to..... I probably could have found it cheaper by hunting and searching around online, if I was inclined to be bothered(I'm not) and I would have never guessed a Large fit me best, I was thinking a meduim at most..... a major reason I like buying clothing I can try on instead of guessing, returning and guessing again. I have no time or patience for such activities. I tryed to get a purple one(yeeeaahhh, right) but chose a red and black one instead. Black and dark blue bike, black lid, black gloves.... I figured a little visibility couldn't hurt. And it's not eyeball searing yellow.
I put about 300 hundred miles on while wearing it so far, in heavy city traffic, light city traffic and open road burning, in rain and shine, daylight and darkness and am happy as that stupid clam you always hear about with it. And I finally convinced the wife she can't buy a good riding jacket at Sears. It is specilized equipment, you can't buy one to work on the bike and wear to a wedding. Well I would, but she wouldn't be caught dead at a wedding wearing one.
Next.... some good riding pants.
And the riding was great
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