Mesh jacket recommendations

[cwhowardjr17]

I’m a new rider. I am looking for suggestions for summer protection and from the summer heat in NM? I just been riding in a long sleeve shirt. I have everything else.

Thanks for any advice.

[JayBros]

https://www.firstgear-usa.com/produc...-jacket/hi-viz

[jcthorne]

I'm pretty partial to my Joe Rocket Phoenix mesh jacket.

Silver, NOT BLACK Black absorbs heat, silver reflects it.
Full mesh, no solid wind blocking sections top to bottom.

I actually had one of the First gear jackets (silver not hi vis yellow) but gave it away as too hot as its about half solid panels, not mesh and blocks too much air.

[Haze]

I wear a Silver & Black Element Mesh jacket.
I understand the heat. I went to college in Socorro at NMIMT.

[rjinaz86323]

I wear a Sedici Marco. Great jacket with separate rain liner.

[Wmoater]

Klim induction!

[pegasus1300]

I am also Partial to the Joe Rocket Phoenix. I still have and use the one I bought 20 years ago. Phoenix1.0. I think BajaRon Has access to them and his prices are great on gear.

[njfishfan]

Klim Induction

[Pirate]

I wear the Dainese Air tex D1. Its comfortable and has a removable wind liner. Comes with elbow armor as standard and you can add a back protector.

[troop]

Prices have gone up, but this is a pretty nice jacket for the $$ ... https://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Vi...1&rps=1&sr=8-2

[Briorick]

Prices have gone up, but this is a pretty nice jacket for the $$ ... https://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Vi...1&rps=1&sr=8-2

I just recently purchased 2 of these Mesh Jackets. Yellow and Silver Jackets. I was impressed. Very good quality, light weight, not bulky, with protective Armor placed throughout the jacket. Has a liner for cooler / winter wearing which is removable. Great Air flow throughout the jacket, which is huge plus for myself for I'm an easy sweater. Overall, a good fit and comfortable.

[VegasDan]

Joe Rocket Phoenix. It is what I wear in Las Vegas. Armor and mesh is just about perfect.

[ks4hcoach]

Last year I was fortunate enough to buy a Motoport https://www.motoport.com/shop/ full suit in Kevlar Air Mesh from one of the members here who had to quit riding due to back and neck issues that were aggravated by riding. This was a custom- made, custom-fitted suit for him but after verifying a few measurements, he and I were very close in size and a was fortunate to purchase one of the best riding suits available for a great price. Both the Marathon Air Mesh Jacket and the Ultra II Air Mesh Pants are made with the Kevlar Air Mesh fabric. These breath extremely well, especially the jacket.

Note that I have had an Aerostich Roadcrafter 2-piece suit for 10 plus years and really like it...but after buying a 2021 RTL last year, with its great wind protection, I was too hot in the 100-plus heat index summer days of eastern KS and looking for something that was cooler in these conditions. I had ridden with the Roadcrafter on my Ducatis, and on my 2009 Spyder GS and was able to survive in the worst conditions...but they didn't have the wind protection of the RTL. Above 90F, the Roadcrafter was too hot, even when moving.

The Motoport Kevlar mesh, for me is much better in the worst of the KS heat and humidity vs the Roadcrafter, and, probably offers better crash protection than virtually any suit available. It's not as trim and close fitting as the Roadcrafter, but breathes and cools much better in the heat, and offers room for the waterproof and/or insulated liners as well. It also has a large coverage of well positioned armor padding that stay where it should.

Now I typically wear the Roadcrafter when it is cooler, but get the Motoport Kevlar mesh suit out when hot and humid. BOTH are great suits with great crash protection (I think the Motoport would be the one I would want to be in if I knew I was to be in a crash), great quality, and will stand up to years and years of heavy use. As a matter of fact, we are planning to get a Motoport suit for my wife since she likes to ride in warmer rather than cooler conditions.

There are some bargains out there in top shelf riding suits if you are patient and don't be afraid to look in the "For Sale" section in this forum. It worked out well for me! In any case, having several types of riding suits to chose from not only offers much improved crash protection and safety, but also lets you better dress and prepare for the riding conditions at hand.

Thanks,
Rod

[mecsw500]

My wife and I use Klim jackets. They seem to be good quality and work well. You can get them from CycleGear, some BMW dealers etc. Most of the Klim stuff seems well made, not the cheapest, but seems to last well.

[honsfun]

+1 on the MOTOPORT- best crash protection, based on experience!!

[cruisinTX]

I buy nearly all of my gear used on IBMWR.org. Those beemer guys buy good stuff and if it doesn't fit perfectly, they sell it off pretty quickly for half of new price or lower. The two summer jackets I have now (both Joe Rocket) were purchased there at least 15 years ago and looked nearly new when they arrived. The best way to go about it on IBMWR is to start a dialog either online or by phone as the site requires phone #s when placing an ad. Request a picture or two then discuss condition, and size. Be specific on your measurements and ask the seller does the same so you can get a good fit. Most of them are more than cooperative in making sure you get what you want. Out of about 8 articles of clothing bought there, I have yet to get a bad deal.

If you just have to have new stuff, check out Motorcyclegear.com. They frequently buy whole inventories of last year's lots from larger vendors or manufacturers and offer great prices. They are close enough to me, I can ride down for test fittings when the item I want is stocked. They do drop-ship a lot of things to though so you will need to know what's there and what's not if you are close enough and decide to drive out to Shallowater, Tx. It's about 7 miles NW of Lubbock.

While you're working toward staying cooler in the NM summer heat, you might also consider adding an evaporative cooling vest. I bought my wife and I one each from an industrial safety supplier. They are usually much cheaper than motorcycle specific outfitters. A fully soaked evaporative vest worn under a mesh jacket will keep you about 20° cooler for about two hours in 100° heat. If you plan to ride all day in the heat, it's wise to put a 2 gallon zip-lock bag in a saddlebag or trunk to re-wet the vest occasionally when you are unable to find a convenient water source.

[GFrog]

I also used the Joe Rocket Phoenix 13.0 Mesh Jacket In both hot and cold weather. I bought mine a size larger and wear a Hoody under the jacket when it's cold. I also comes with a rain liner that you can wear inside or outside the jacket.

I also use Joe Rocket Mission Moto Shoes They offer good protection, are waterproof and are very comfortable.

[cruisinTX]

GFrog, I do something very similar when temps begin to drop off here in mid-November. I go with a T-shirt, heavy, long-sleeved turtleneck, insulated liner zipped into the jacket and a lightweight water-resistant windbreaker over all of that. The air pocket created by the mesh jacket between the windbreaker and insulated liner makes for a very efficient layer of insulation. As it gets colder, I switch to a slightly heavier outer jacket that was purchased large enough to go over the riding gear. It's a great way to dress in layers that can be shed or added as conditions change without having to worry a lot about the need for a true winter riding jacket, which I have but rarely use because I just don't ride a lot in the dead of winter now that I am retired and have no desire to ride when it's really cold like I did when commuting to work about 180 days per year on average.

[GFrog]

It's a great way to dress in layers that can be shed or added as conditions change without having to worry a lot about the need for a true winter riding jacket

Layers is the way to go!

[Tadpoll]

Another vote for Motoport. I had them for about 15 years. I now have Olympia X Moto 2 jacket & pants with mesh panels that work well & cost about 1/3 the price of Motoport. Great gear, just couldn’t justify the price this time. Was more affordable back then.

[Rednaxs60]

Bought another Olympia mesh jacket - Alpha jacket slate colour. Had one before but the cut was not quite right. This jacket fits well. The one feature that I really like is the rain liner can be worn inside the jacket or overtop of the jacket. It doubles as a wind break when worn over top of the jacket.

[RayBJ]

Just to state the obvious, Jackets fit differently across and within brands. Pretty much everyone makes a mesh jacket so the FIT is 1st. Armor is 2nd and features like rain and warm layers are 3rd. Price range is very wide with Rukka probably at the top. If there are bike dealers within reach, TRY THEM ON.

[RayBJ]

. A fully soaked evaporative vest worn under a mesh jacket will keep you about 20° cooler for about two hours in 100° heat. If you plan to ride all day in the heat, it's wise to put a 2 gallon zip-lock bag in a saddlebag or trunk to re-wet the vest occasionally when you are unable to find a convenient water source.

My experience with evap jackets in high heat is 20 minutes before dry. Odd as it may sound, I found that wearing my solid jacket and light merino wool base gear when temps are +100 works best at maintaining my body temp. What's the logic of having a hair dryer (+100*) blowing onto your 98.6* body?

[Rednaxs60]

Just to state the obvious, Jackets fit differently across and within brands. Pretty much everyone makes a mesh jacket so the FIT is 1st. Armor is 2nd and features like rain and warm layers are 3rd. Price range is very wide with Rukka probably at the top. If there are bike dealers within reach, TRY THEM ON.

Agree. The Olympia mesh jacket I bought is a 4XL, and I am not a 4XL at 6'2" and 230 pounds.

[cruisinTX]

My experience with evap jackets in high heat is 20 minutes before dry. Odd as it may sound, I found that wearing my solid jacket and light merino wool base gear when temps are +100 works best at maintaining my body temp. What's the logic of having a hair dryer (+100*) blowing onto your 98.6* body?

This makes me have to ask a few questions.

1. are you wearing it over a jacket or inside?

2. are you using with a mesh or solid jacket?

3. are you using the vest only over a shirt of some type?

4. how long do you allow it to soak in water before use?

5. are you using a quality vest from industrial safety sources of one purchased from a motorcycle dealer? There are different levels.

Just for reference, I always soak mine for at least an hour before use and always wear it under the blue mesh jacket with the tightest weave (smallest holes). I tested that a few times by having it in the water in a large zip-lock bag in my saddlebag and donned it right after work as described then kept a close eye on the time while taking the long way home. This was done the first summer I had the vest and I wanted to ascertain a good timeline. I picked days to do this based on forecast highs of 95 or more and came up with same results here in the Texas Panhandle where summer humidity is typically less than 10%.

Not wanting a debate; just adding to knowledge base for myself and others.