Question about a Jacket

[Moustache]

Halooo

I found this Jacket at a second hand shop, I like the style and colours and would have bought it but wife had the money. She insisted I research it bit first.   

Does anyone have experience with this company or material?





Thanks.

[ariwhiteboy]

Did it have any sort of armor in it? Never heard of the brand personally but I wouldn't trust a jacket without armor.

[happycommuter]

I'll advise everyone to add some extra search terms besides "bullmaster" when Googling.  Trust me.

Anyway, 3M Scotchlite is just the reflective material the piping is made from.  Good for nighttime visibility; a sign that some effort and quality material was put into the thing.

CE armor tags would be nice when looking at an unkown brand item, but this may well predate them.

[Moustache]

Yeah, thanks HC.  I was on the net there and discovered the info about the piping.   
What is the CE rating. I guess I can google that to, but a chance to be social missed, is a chance wasted.
It does have armour Ari, on the spine, shoulders, elbows down the fore arm to the wrist.   
It's 60$ cdn so like 100 us$  today, maybe 40 us$ tomorrow. 

I liked the looks, and it's alot more visible than the black leather I picked up at a different thrift shop.
Also it has no signs of wear and is a good fit.

I guess the question I'm asking then is 60$ a reasonable price, or could I get something new in your opinions that is comprable in price?
Again, for the sake of being social, as well as getting advice form those that actually use the gear and not just an impersonal website that will never highlight a piece of gears weaknesses.

[Burgi]

I'll advise everyone to add some extra search terms besides "bullmaster" when Googling.  Trust me.

  Thanks for taking one for the team HC. 

Sometimes armor is stamped CE. You might take a look. I've had some that is marked, some that isn't, no guarantee.
Since you have different shipping fees it maybe hard for many of us to judge what is a good price in your market.

[happycommuter]

CE, as pertains to motorcycle garment armor, is the European standard test for impact absorption or something.  It's pretty much required to be taken seriously, although:
1. I don't think CE labels have  common in the US for even ten years yet.
2. Some good stuff is not designed to pass the test, so not approved.  The whacko armor in my Aerostich Roadcrafter is not CE approved because its wierd way of stiffening up on impact doesn't register right however they do the test.

Like the 3M Scotchlite tag (and waterproofing, insulation, etc.) if they paid for something good, they usually paid for a tag and they're displaying it somewhere.  I had some pair of  gloves that had like four or five of those goofy tags stacked on top of each other.

Armor should be reasonably firm.  I've seen stuff that had a thin foam layer resembling a Dr. Scholl's insert and have no faith in that.   Punch the armor with you fist and see if it dampens the blow acceptably.  If you hurt your other hand, move on.

The armor being, and staying in the right place is important.  It should comfortably bend with you and not inhibit reasonable motion.  Put it on, get in a riding position with a slight forward lean at the waist, arms up and bent.  Wiggle around, Crouch into a fetal position.

The armor should stay centered and not shift around at all.  If you hit the ground, you want the friction between the jacket and the road, not you and the jacket.  Also, elbow armor that slides around to the wrong part of your elbow is no help.  This is why you want a fairly snug fit.  Many newbs want some loose oversize fit like they wear for street clothes.  Besides flapping in the wind, this is not safe.

[Moustache]

Damn fine advice HC, thanks.
I went to a powersport gear distributor after work today and tried on a bunch of stuff and got an idea for fit and style and construction.

I am partial to the longer style jacket right now.  Something that will be suitable for spring and summer and fall.  A three season Jacker if you will. Are these jackets with zip out liners able to meet the grade?   Last summer the it was 30 degrees and up for quite awhile here (86 american)  do you end up roasting in the gear or what?  I can't imagine riding pants in that weather?  What I want to avoid is shelling out some $ now for spring riding and then more $$ for summer. Or is $$$ the nature getting established as an ATGATT rider?

 

[happycommuter]

Compromises are compromises.  Seasonal gear is best.  Otherwise, there will be compromises.  I'm not big on removable insulated linings because they are too snug when you want to wear more underneath, too loose when you wear just a t-shirt with no liner.

IMHO, standard gear works fine on normal summer days if you get airflow.  For any real travel, I wear my 500 denier cordura nylon w/Gore-Tex suit.  It can get a bit misty if heat and humidity rise, or airflow stops.  Most modern gear has vents that can be opened up, usually vertical zippers.

Mesh gear can be bought pretty inexpensively and is great for real heat.  It stinks in the rain.  Some people just layer under mesh year round.  Depends on your expectations, intensity, budget.