Trying a textile mesh motorcycle jacket after years of wearing leather

October 18, 4:15 PMMotorcycle ExaminerKen Bingenheimer

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My new FirstGear textile mesh motorcycle jacket

In motorcycle gear, I've always been a leather kind of guy. I've got a leather jacket, leather chaps, leather gloves, and leather boots. All black. And let's face it, sometimes that has meant I've roasted on the bike, especially when stopped in heavy traffic on hot summer days.

Most of my buddies wear leather, too, but there is one--Friggs--who has a textile jacket. You know, that type with the armor in the elbows and shoulders and down your spine. I asked him about comfort one hot day this summer and Friggs said he was pretty comfortable, that the jacket was pretty cool.

Taking the plunge

That did it for me. I decided it was time to give textile a try.

Fortunately, the nearby MotoGear Outlet store was having a close-out on last year's FirstGear summer-weight jacket. I paid about $70. This jacket has the basic armor, velcro-adjustable cuffs and waist, a zip-out wind-breaking liner, two zippered side pockets and a zippered inside pocket that is perfect for stashing your wallet securely. The liner also has a small breast pocket clearly designed for a cell phone.
What I'm comparing this new jacket to is my 20-year-old basic leather motorcycle jacket. This jacket has been through everything with me and the only issues I've ever had with it were the disintegrating pocket linings, which I finally had replaced. And of course, being really hot on a hot day. It's got three large outer pockets plus a small one that is perfect for earplugs, extra keys, or other small stuff. Inside, there are two breast pockets. The liner does not zip out. Leather thong lacing adjusts tightness around the middle and a belt keeps it all together. Zippers on the cuffs allow for snugness adjustment there. There are epaulets on the shoulders but I've never had much use for them.

How is it?

If you're accustomed to a leather jacket there's no question going to a textile one is an adjustment. The most disconcerting thing for me was that the armor in the shoulders and elbows didn't seem to want to sit where I thought it ought to be. I would try to shift it to where it "ought" to be, and kind of get it there, but it never did feel quite right.

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You can only fiddle with something for so long, however, before you just say to heck with it, and that's invariably what I did. I'd just go ride wearing the jacket. And you know what? After awhile it always seemed that the armor found its own way to the right position. And maybe what doesn't feel like the right position when you're standing is in fact the right position when you're riding.

Whatever the explanation, what matters as far as I'm concerned is that now I just throw the jacket on and go. Once I'm on the bike the jacket fades from consciousness and I don't give the armor a second thought.
And it's cool. In fact, it's very cool, which is to say that this is not a winter jacket. With the liner out in mid-summer your body gets a breeze and doesn't overheat. With the liner in you can handle temperatures a bit cooler in the fall but not much cooler. I did, however, go for a ride on a cool day with an electric vest underneath, just to see how that combination worked. The vest kept me warm up to a point, although after about an hour the cold was creeping in. This is definitely not a cold-weather jacket, but it was never intended to be.

The one issue I do have with the FirstGear jacket is that when turning my head, the shoulder armor sometimes interferes with my helmet when I turn my head to change lanes. I'm going to have to experiment with this a bit more. It's not a huge deal but it is an isssue.

The bottom line

Do I like it? Will I continue to wear it? Oh yeah, you bet. In summer I will often opt not to wear a jacket at all because of the heat issue. This gives me a different option. And while I've never had a bad spill, I like the idea of the armor in the elbows just in case I should need it. No, the fabric won't hold up as well in a slide as the leather would but it will do better than my uncovered skin would.

Since buying this jacket I've spoken with a number of motorcyclists who have made the switch from leather to fabric. I haven't spoken to anyone who has made the switch in the other direction. I can't see giving up leather but adding textile seems like a good thing.

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