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Best summer jacket?

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Triumphter

Triumphter

Joined
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Corpus and SA area
I am looking at and have tried on a few nylon type ventilated/mesh jackets.

Just looking for peoples thoughts on various brands and styles they have.
 
I have really liked my Olympia Dallas Jacket. I rode in 96 degree weather yesterday with it and it flows air very good. The CE level 2 foam is nice. I got it on sale for $133 at that place in Pennsylvania.
 
I'm a fan of Fieldsheer and Tourmaster. Have had a few throughout the years and they work. Nothing fancy but the quality is there. I'd recommend upgrading the back armor though, as the ones that come with the jackets aren't CE rated and are usually just foam.
 
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We use Olympia also, top and bottom. Very satisfied with the wear and function. They're going on about 6 years and are starting to show their age. Thinking next year maybe get some more.
 
Some info here. Lots of personal opinion. I figure we can solve he best tire next and then maybe the best oil.:-P

www.twtex.com

Texas Summer Riding Gear?

I'm a new rider and trying to wear as much protection as possible, but also understand how hot it gets in Texas summers. I'd like to get input on the best way to go to get good protection and stay as cool as possible on the bike in the heat. When I bought my bike (Africa Twin) on Saturday, the...
www.twtex.com www.twtex.com

www.twtex.com

Recommendations for Texas-summer DS gear/clothing

I'm looking for advice on what clothing/gear I should be planning on getting for DS riding during the summer months. I've got a great helmet (Shoei Hornet DS) and I've got my eye on some relatively inexpensive riding boots that should do the trick - but I'm wondering what to do in between. I...
www.twtex.com www.twtex.com
 
I have the Scorpion Yosemite. I wore it all last summer and this one. I find it to be cooler than my full mesh jacket I used to wear.
 
I wear a Tourmeister, but it is about shot. Bought Klim mesh/armor pants recently: very impressed with quality. I will probably buy a new Klim next spring. A good mesh jacket is a necessity when riding in TEXAS...
 
What you wear under the mesh jacket is just as important, if not more so. For the brutal hot Summers we have around here, some type of compression underlayer is a must. Everybody has their favorite brands. CycleGear's Heat-Out has worked out very well for me.

As for the mesh jacket, as long as it passes enough air, the rest is mostly down to your personal preference for style, features (vents, pockets, add-on layers, etc.), and length. I prefer 3/4-length jackets for the better coverage and way more pockets than waist-length "sport" jackets.

If you ride a naked or roadster in the extreme heat (much over 93F), there is such a thing as flowing too much hot air. A jacket with some control of the amount of air let through would be a good idea.
 
I purchased the Dallas as a summer only jacket it has no liner but I do like the CE Level 2 in elbows, shoulder and back protector. I wear it over my work shirts, mostly polo style or golf shirt style when I commute to work, when I am out on the weekends its a slight compression t-shirt usually.
 
I just took my DarienLight jacket on a two day trip to F'Berg and and back. No jacket sold in will ever make South Texas humidity cool. But this jacket ventilated very well and continues to maintain the Goretex inner skin to keep me dry in those routine pop up summer showers. I personally find it far superior to the full mesh solution which I never felt cool in.
I have a bit of a crackpot theory that too much ventilation is a bad thing - particularly in extremely hot, humid environments like Houston. You want enough controlled ventilation, where it matters, while still blocking the external heat from radiated pavement, traffic, etc that exceeds the 98.whatever normal body temp. My crackpot thinking is that sometimes it feels cooler to lock up much of the 98.whatever inside the jacket and keep the 100+ outside the jacket. Strategic venting will channel that hot air in and out where the body sweats most (armpits) providing most of the cooling effect needed, without exposing the other areas to the external heat.
This is based solely on personal experience and does not attempt to call upon any scientific rationale. Just my own crackpot way of thinking. YMMV.

Dave.
 
Before you decide on the mesh jacket, you might want to consider how you'll upgrade the armor. Most jackets come with decent elbow and shoulder CE-armor, although they are typically not very breathable. The back armor is usually just a thin piece of polyurethane foam, which I do not like and ALWAYS upgrade. I've used several, but my favorite is D3O, especially for Summer jackets because it is very comfortable and breathable. Take a look at the brands that they make direct replacements for: https://www.d3o.com/motorcycle/ For brands they do not have direct replacements, you can usually trim one of their back protectors a little bit to fit.

I have retired old jackets and reused the armor pieces in another jacket. I have even shared armor pieces between Summer and Winter jackets. Well worth the investment to get good armor.
 
You want a good mesh jacket to be protected but also to allow some airflow to keep cool? First thing to check for: Make sure the pockets are made of mesh. If a mesh jacket has big solid nylon pockets, it's pretty ineffective. Mesh pockets are a must.
 
Remember above 94 degrees heat transfers into your body not out. Below 90 mesh is ok. Look at the dudes out in the desert, they are covered and insulated.

With a good sweat going and a little air flow in the right places it will feel like air conditioning.....well sort of[emoji23]
 
Got a Tourmaster Intake 2 from my wife as a bd present and have rode in it for years. I like the mesh-wind/rain liner-and quilted insulated liner making a good year round jacket. Hi viz color shows up well too.
 
Commuting I enjoy my Tourmaster Transition 4 jacket, moving 97F feels fine, 95F feels cool, my cotton polo for the office is the wrong shirt under for 98F+ days, but overall the jacket is fine. For longer trips a nice long sleeve wicking shirt like Hanes Cool-Dri makes the setup perfect.

In mesh, when I tried it, I feel feverish exhausted afterwards, so I avoid those now and instead make my Transition 4 a four season jacket.


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I went with a Bilt jacket. I have no idea if it is good. It fits perfect and I rode about 150 miles today in the Texas heat and it is a game changer for me. It was rather inexpensive as well and I liked the fit more than any of the pricer jackets.

For now this is a solution. If I want something else I will get it as well.

F9E6B9AF-3A5C-4E46-B158-A746BBF10CE8.jpeg

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misterk said:
Remember above 94 degrees heat transfers into your body not out. Below 90 mesh is ok. Look at the dudes out in the desert, they are covered and insulated.

With a good sweat going and a little air flow in the right places it will feel like air conditioning.....well sort of[emoji23]
Click to expand...

I haven't mustered up the cajones to put my Latitude on above 94 degrees to test this theory out yet.

I feel like I'd heat stroke by the end of the street.

I rode mesh last Saturday and Sunday and it was pretty hot in the afternoons and evenings, but with all the air flow on the Speed Triple, I didn't notice the heat much.
 
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