#jacket

While in Spain on the 2024 Triumph Street Triple R/RS intro, I crashed during the street portion of the ride. As much as I’d like to let this mishap go down the memory hole, it gave me the opportunity to abrasion and impact test some gear. Let’s set the stage, shall we: By making a series of small mistakes in an S-bend that combined to tuck the front end and put me on the ground at about 60 mph, I landed on my left knee and hip, followed by my torso and the underside of the left arm – all fairly typical of this type of crash. In those few seconds of sliding, the Alpinestars Caliber Jacket did its job of protecting my hide by sacrificing its hide. I won’t get into the specifics of the Alpinestars Caliber Jacket’s construction in this review. You can read about it here. What I want to focus on is how it performed in the crash, how much damage it sustained, the repair process, and why I decided to have it repaired.

I’ve been searching for the perfect brown leather jacket for years. For some reason, this color appeals to me more than the classic black or multi-colored gear. However, to my eye, brown is a color that is difficult to get right. I’ve seen too many items with a burgundy tint that really doesn’t appeal to me. When I discovered the Alpinestars Caliber jacket, I knew I’d found the jacket I was looking for. 

I feel like an impostor in this jacket, really. I only rode in it in the rain once, and only for about a half hour. I stayed warm and dry, but the temperature was only in the low 50s F. Plus, I was behind a nice big fairing. I really can’t speak to how it would work for you Duluthians and people who ride 80 miles to work all winter in freezing sleet on an ‘86 XR600; I can’t even relate. When I moved to SoCal, I laid down one of those Scarlett O’Hara dictums: I swear, as God is my witness, I’ll never be cold again!

What I was looking for was a lighter-weight perforated leather jacket for use during the hotter parts of the year, when MO is most active, to share duties with my beautiful but aging Dainese Street Rider. When the Spidi box arrived, the light weight was there but not the perforations. Turns out there isn’t a perfed version, but maybe that’s only a personal problem for me, since my old unperforated  Vanson AR-3 has been my go-to black leather jacket for most of a decade now.

When riding off road, you want loose-fitting, breathable outer layers to allow airflow in the heat. However, a loose fit means armor can’t be attached to the outer layer as it would in more snugly-fitting street gear, because it will displace in a mishap and not protect as well. To get around this, riders have strapped armor to their elbows and arms and slipped into breastplates and back armor that look like they are designed for modern-day gladiators. The other option is to wear a lightweight-but-snug armored jacket that offers breathability and impact protection but little abrasion resistance under either a jersey or an abrasion protective shell. The REV’IT! Proteus Armored Jacket falls into the latter category.

Customization is a key tenet of motorcycling. As the object of our desire, we love our motorcycles. And while the manufacturers do a great job designing these bikes, it’s up to us to personalize them and make them our own. Shouldn’t the same mentality go into the gear we wear? First Manufacturing thinks so. Which is why its custom jacket/vest builder is so cool. 

I think I’m always going to think the one-piece Aerostich suit, be it R3 or Classic, is the best combination of protection, comfort, and convenience for people who ride their motorcycle a lot. But not necessarily for people who stop riding their motorcycle a lot, which is what the MO crew winds up doing since the invention of the Youtube. We find ourselves stopping along the side of the road to shoot video and photos. When you’re rolling, Aerostich airflow is good. When you’re stopped, it gets hot in there in a hurry. Whipping the suit off isn’t usually the answer, since most of the time we’re shooting in sun-blasted SoCal, where there’s not much shade.

Updated May 2021

Finding a balance of protection, ventilation, and versatility can be difficult when looking at summer jackets; however, the Super Speed textile jacket from Dainese does a pretty good job at the balancing act. While it is not new in Dainese’s line-up, it is year-after-year a bestseller that will keep you calm, cool, and collected on your summer rides.

You like good deals, right? Well, sometimes the best deals are for items with superficial blemishes, or products that have been out of its box and on display on the shelves. Every now and then Revzilla has blemished and/or display items they need to clear out, too, and this is your chance to get your hands on some great products that might have very minor imperfections. Below are a select few items up for grabs, but to see them all you need to click below.

It’s the start of a new week, which means Revzilla has a whole bunch of new deals and markdowns to sort through. In this week’s edition of Revzilla deals, we see communicators, luggage, and riding gear getting marked down, but this is only a small sampling. Head on over to Revzilla to see the full list of fresh price drops.

Happy first week of July, everyone. With summer in full swing, you’ve hopefully had the chance to get some riding in. If you have, by now you’re probably aware of any potential upgrades or replacements you need to make to your moto wardrobe. In this week’s edition of Revzilla deals, there are an assortment of products for Adventure, touring, and even off-road riders.

Anniversaries are a time for celebration, and this July 4th holiday, what better way to celebrate the 243rd anniversary of America’s independence than by getting some killer deals on gear to make your motorcycle ride even better. Here, we’ve rounded up a bunch of items that are on deep discount this July 4th holiday, with some big tickets items being offered at almost half-off full retail pricing. Take a look around, and if you see something that catches your eye, now is the time to act – these deals won’t last forever.

Summer, as in hot weather. So hot it’s tempting to take the car instead of the bike and turn up the AC. Don’t fall into that trap. From there it’s a short trip to sloth and gluttony, followed shortly by despair. It’s always going to be tough to stay cool when you’re stopped, but once rolling, the miracle of convective cooling means you can remain reasonably chill even when the temperature starts climbing into triple digits – if you’ve got the right gear. The key is being able to adjust the airflow around your body, staying hydrated, and using your built-in cooling system to convect heat away from yourself. Here’s a quick sampler of the right stuff.

Once upon a time, textile riding gear was the red-headed stepchild of motorcycle safety gear. Well, the manufacturers got wise and started producing high-quality riding gear made out of something other than the hides of dead critters. With textile gear, you now have the option of some of the most current protection technologies in styles that you’ll be happy wearing for years to come. So, we thought we’d put together a selection gear that shows the full breadth of what’s available from top-shelf gear makers.