Which jacket?

[bajakirch]

This riding season I'm hoping to replace my beat-up old leather jacket (c. 1990) and get a real riding jacket. I've been keeping a watch on CL, but I've seen surprisingly few jackets that I like. I thought maybe some of you could help me direct my search.

So far, here's what I know I DON'T like:
- The traditional black leather 'harley' jacket'
- Anything emblazoned with a giant logo of the company that made it (a la Alpinestar, Fox, etc.)
- Racetrack wannabes, with multiple colors and 'sponsor' patches

What I DO like:
- Black in color, or black w/ gray, black w/ silver, etc.
- 3/4 length (i.e. one that goes down to my hips rather than one that stops at my waist)
- Textile with some armor
- Some reflective accents

With all the riders here, I thought maybe you could make some suggestions. If you could provide links or photos to show what the jackets look like, even better.

Thanks.

[snuff217]

try www.newenough.com

[ariwhiteboy]

I wear one a Joe Rocket Reactor 2.0 that I got used for $50 on ebay.  It has armor in the shoulders, arms, and spine and is really a great overall jacket.  I commute every day year round and this jacket does it all. 

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/39/402/ITEM/Joe-Rocket-Reactor-2-0-Jacket.aspx

[hppants]

www.Newenough.com

+1

They regularly has an armored textile Joe Rocket Honda jacket on sale for a ridiculous price (I've seen as low as $30.00).  It's 1st quality merchandise, but last year's left over inventory, so size/color choices will be limited.  But that changes from day to day.

[drdubb]

I've got a first gear Kathmandu. I really like the jacket, but I haven't used it in really hot weather. It' pricey, but its a quality item.
I has a hood that will go into your helmet for rainy days, a water bladder and is the 3/4 length. I sometimes wish I'd have gotten the Kilamanjaro model. It's similar, but I like the pocket arrangements.

[82CB750SC]

I've gotten stuff from Leatherup.com

I'm not sure how the brand Xelement matches up against others, but I got my black and gray textile jacket with armor and a removable liner for $80 with shipping.  newenough is also a great site, gotten stuff off of there too.

[JB1290]

+100 on www.newenough.com. I bought jackets for me, my wife and kids from there and the service has been great. They have some great closeouts there. The problem is, I keep finding more gear that I want from there when I don't need more. 

[skramer360]

If you find a jacket you like, but it has a bunch of logos on it, don't rule it out. Most of the logos are sewn on and can be easily removed with a seam ripper in not too long.

[happycommuter]

If you're keeping stuff for the long haul, take a look at Aerostich or maybe Motoport.  Or Belstaff if you want Anglo/retro.

If there is a BMW motorcycle dealer around, they usually sell very nice stuff too.

The list of  gear reviews at WebBikeWorld.com rivals the commendable NewEnough.

[9c1]

I've liked motorcyclecloseouts.com and newenough.com as noted.

I have a Tourmaster 3/4 textile, can't remember the model.  It's waterproof, has armor, and comes with a zip-out insulated liner.   Kinda like this one:  http://www.newenough.com/street/protective_apparel/textile_jackets_and_pants/tour_master/rincon_textile_motorcycle_jacket.html

It's a great cold/cool jacket, but I did get a Fieldsheer mesh jacket for hot weather riding.  Can't beat the mesh/armor jackets in 80+ degree weather!

[atb]

Scorpion jackets seem to be routinely on sale at newenough and sportbiketrackgear.com, I have the assault which is a great, versatile jacket but is short. They make a very similar 3/4 length as well. I find them to be great quality without the huge price

[bajakirch]

I found thishttp://madison.craigslist.org/mcy/1755120001.html on CL the other day, and I'm going to see the guy about it tomorrow. Can hardly beat the price for a waterproof jacket with armor and a removable liner. If condition is 70% or better, I'll probably pick it up.

But I'm going to keep my eye on newenough. I've seen it mentioned many times here, but I've never really paid it much attention.

[OhCrap]

I think I put on around 500km's on my bike last week just to visit stores around the country looking for my perfect leather jacket. I bought a really nice goretex jacket the other day for cheap. It was really warm and comfy on the way back, but I felt so sorry when I got home. It just ruins the look of the bike imo, and it just wasn't me so I returned it the next day. Yesterday I finally found my perfect jacket. Short, black, leather, full CE protection, zippers for pants, removable liner and removable inner waterproof liner. But it was twice the price I had in mind....

I have 3 more stores to check out, but if I can't find anything there I'm afraid I just have to up the budget..

[bajakirch]

Well I checked out the jacket I found on CL and, I have to say, I think I got a steal of a deal. It turned out to be a Wiese Dynatech (English manfucaturer) the guy bought new when he worked in Ireland a few years back. Used it to ride for 2 seasons, then moved back to the States and put it in storage.

It's waterproof, has a removeable quilted liner, is armored and is almost the exact style I was looking for. According to a quick web search, new versions of the jacket go for $250+.

Only down side is that it doesn't have any vents. Riding home in 85-degree weather after I bought it -- even with the liner removed -- caused me to have to unzip it a bit to get some air flowing through it.

No doubt it will serve nicely until I save enough (or Santa is very good to me) to buy a new jacket. Now I have to start trolling CL for a similar deal on a mesh jacket...

[OhCrap]

Pictures?

I bought this one myself yesterday:





I think the white stripe goes nicely with the color of my bike. It has full protection (had to buy a CE protector for the back because there was just foam in there), and a removable liner for when it's colder/hotter. Now all I need is a pair of pants to match and a rainsuit and I'm done, finally. Then I've spend just as much on clothing as on my bike, lol.