New rider looking for a jacket

[adangelo]

Hi everyone. I've been lurking on these boards for a while trying to absorb all the information I can. This place is a great source of information. Thanks.

I just completed the MSF - BRC (which was definitely the right way to start). I wore a friends gear for the course, but obviously now need my own gear. I plan on buying a standard or a cruiser style bike for some around the city driving, but mainly for escaping the city and cruising through the countryside. I live in DC which is known for being hot and incredibly humid during the summer.

I'm wondering if a leather jacket would be too hot to be comfortable, even if it's perforated. Am I better off looking at textile jackets?

Thanks in advance!

[dean owens]

i grew up in chesapeake, va and now live in nc... so i understand the temps and humidity. for me, i can't imagine getting a leather jacket for summer riding. i guess if it had really good vents it's possible. i don't know that i'll ever try.

we live in a climate where there is no one jacket that will do it all. i have two jackets and do ok. for summer/early fall/late spring i have a joe rocket alter ego jacket. for the summer i can use it as a mesh jacket. when it's colder i can put on the outer shell. when i get thinner i might look into the leather version of the alter ego jacket. for the colder temps i got a fieldsheer (i think it's aqua tour) jacket. it keeps me nice and warm. and it has a warmer liner that can come out so if my joe rocket isn't doing it's job i can wear the fieldsheer with no liner for warmer temps.

another mesh you could look into (if not the leather joe rocket) is either a tourmaster or a fieldsheer. they are mesh but have a warmer liner that zips in the inside of the jacket, as opposed to a mesh jacket with an outer shell like the joe rocket.

hope that helps.

[Lion_Lady]

I live outside Baltimore and do a lot of riding all around the DC/Balt area, year 'round. I don't own any leather gear, except gloves and boots. Leather provides superior protection, but the difference isn't likely to be apparent in any "typical" street-speed crash. I've crashed in my textile gear. It absolutely did the job.

Leather tends to be more expensive and heavy. Its hard to find in lighter colors... a dark color will roast you on a sunny day, around here.

I've got the Olympia Stealth (mesh) one piece for really hot days (I can wear it over my shorts) and an assortment of vented and mesh stuff for various other temps. The great thing is, that when it gets bug/crud stained, most textile gear can be washed.

Textile gear is fine. Get the best you can afford (a name brand), with armor.

P

[tymanthius]

I live in Louisiana, and originally started in March with a full leather suit b/c I picked it up CHEAP from a retiree. It is nice, but when it actually started to get warm I pulled into my local Cycle Gear & picked up a Tourmaster jacket that is mesh with armour. It has 2 removable liners. One is water/wind resistant. The other is insulated. You can put either one, or both in.

Just putting the wind/water liner in makes the jacket much warmer (for here). I paid about $180 for it.

I still wear the leather pants. I can put with that heat, but I want new ones I can put on & take off w/o taking my boots off.

[storysunfolding]

I'm inside the beltway too. I typically wear either a mesh jacket or a blue and white perforated leather jacket. I run a large assortment of leg protection though since that's the hardest to deal with. I have riding pants in leather, textile and mesh in addition to draggin jeans and icon field armor. Now I just dress to match the ride. However, starting out I'd grab a nice mesh jacket with a rain liner, nice perforated leather gloves, good boots and some sort of leg protection.

[adangelo]

Thanks for the replies.

Any recommendations for places to shop for gear in the DC metro area?

Other people have recommended: Coleman Powersports in Falls Church, Battley Cycle in Gaithersburg, and Heyser Cycle in Laurel.

[Lion_Lady]

Try Morton's BMW down in Fredericksburg. They'll have a good assortment of the Olympia line. Plus an amazing assortment of other gear and "comfort" stuff, like gloves, boots, helmet liners (help keep the helmet from getting icky as fast), etc.

P

[havegunjoe]

I’ve been doing some research and checking Craig’s List and other sites for an armored leather riding jacket. I was looking for inexpensive but good quality as I can’t afford the high price tag of a new jacket. By chance I told a coworker that I was looking and he said he had one I might like. He had recently sold his bike and was selling his other riding equipment too. Let me tell you this is One-Great-Jacket. It is armored, has vents in the front and back, has a zip out lining with wrap around neck protector from the cold, zippered sleeves at the wrist, and lots of pockets which I like. He told me he wore this as his summer jacket and I can attest to the fact that the vents really work. The brand is USmotorcyclegear. I tried to do a search but the domain name has expired so I assume they are no longer in business. Too bad as this is an excellent, quality made jacket. If you are looking for a jacket and can find one of these I think you will like it.

[roncg41677]

I live in central FL and wear a FirstGear Earl leather jacket year round. It has armor on the elbows and shoulders with zippered vents in the front and back. It's really not too bad, and I sweat at the drop of a hat. Granted, I'm not doing a lot of stop and go traffic, it's mostly tree lined 2 laners the whole way with nary a stop .

If you'll be in a very urban area with a lot of stop lights, it may be better to go with a mesh or textile, but otherwise leather offers better protection, better durability, and it just smells good .

[Greg .]

I live very near dean owens and I can attest to the nasty summers here in NC. For that reason, I am thinking textiles with zip in liners.

I'm wondering : How do the textiles hold up to abrasion vs. the leather garments??