Opinions on jackets for Texas riding.


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MidLifeCrisis

New Member
I live in Dallas and new to motorcycles. I am leaning toward leather because I like the looks mostly. And we are going into the colder months. It ranges from 40-80s here in the winter/fall/spring. I'll do my best to avoid days with rain in forecast.
Should I consider perforated? That sounds cold to me but I guess the liners still block wind well enough ? And I'm thinking I can get more use out of it until it gets Texas hot. It's super hot here in the summer so I think I'll just have to have separate summer gear. Crazy weather here in Texas and not a very rainy place.
 
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redwing-2001

New Member
MidLifeCrisis said:
I live in Dallas and new to motorcycles. I am leaning toward leather because I like the looks mostly. And we are going into the colder months. It ranges from 40-80s here in the winter/fall/spring. I'll do my best to avoid days with rain in forecast.
Should I consider perforated? That sounds cold to me but I guess the liners still block wind well enough ? And I'm thinking I can get more use out of it until it gets Texas hot. It's super hot here in the summer so I think I'll just have to have separate summer gear. Crazy weather here in Texas and not a very rainy place.
Click to expand...
Internatonal Motorcycle Show will be in Dallas on Nov 9-11. Talk, look, feel, try on just about everything.
 
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BrueThru

Sentient Being
Elite Member
jamesgarfield said:
leather, leather, leather, more leather, leather....
Click to expand...
I concur.

Whatever you get...make sure it has good armor and padding at the elbows, shoulders and back.
 
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pfcreed

New Member
i would get a mesh jacket with a lining because when its 100 degrees outside your gunnna take a long second look at that leather
 
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redbird00

New Member
Mesh chest, leather shoulders and arms, with elbow, shoulder and back pads.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2
 
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RoadTrip

New Member
Perforated leather with a liner is good for all temps in Texas up to around 90F (after that you typically have to go mesh). Don't limit yourself to only jackets that have liners, plenty of undergarments will do just fine, think ski undergarment gear (wool, silk, or even windblocker vests, all available at REI and whatnot). Don't order more than one size over, thin undergarments + leather is pretty warm, no need to go huge.

Shoot for Euro brands if you are thin, e.g. Alpinestars and Dainese, anything else is fine if you are bigger around the waist. Try and get zip together pants and jacket if possible, the prices will depress you, but good gear lasts a long time and is a real joy to wear and own. Don't go too flashy on the colors, you may regret it later, grey / black / white / maybe a bit of blue or red trim, it's all good. Finally, you gonna need winter gloves, I gots Held Freezer gloves, good stand alone down into the 40's, unnecessary above 65F, so use is limited. A gaiter is also a great thing to get, keeps cold air from slipping down the neck, typically only needed below 50F.

I often take both the winter gloves and the race gloves (tank or tail bag storage) and switch em out during rides as needed, winter gloves suck for feel and protection compared to race gloves. But don't let your hands freeze and be a tough guy, it's actually bad for your hands to subject them to cold temps like that. You looking at $600 - $1000 for this basic gear (albeit high end), good luck.
 
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swishh18

New Member
I live in Houston, like you I wasn't sure what to get. So I picked up a whole git-up on craigslist of Olympia MotorSports gear because it was pretty inexpensive and I had a dual sport at the time. Its made out of Cordura (basically Kevlar) so provides ultimate protection and there are pads in the shoulders, back, elbows. Lots of mesh so when i rode in the 100F summer as long as i was moving, the jacket and pants breathe great! The pants zip to the jacket easily in the back so #1, if you go down you prob wont tear your back up, and #2 it keeps the wind from entering the back. It comes with pant and jacket liners, but i've yet to test it out. I rode two days ago in 50F and i was fine with no liners and just a hoodie on. Lots of adjustments for the pads so it fits you correctly and pretty inexpensive IMO. High visibility piping as well, which i like a lot. check them out.

http://olympiamotosports.com/catalog/mesh-tech/mens-switchback-mesh-tech-jacket/

The company also has some good product videos on YouTube, which helped persuade my purchase.
 
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