Quality Jacket?
ri...@filter.pcisys.net
to rectify this situation as fast as possible. I looked at a Joe
Rocket ballistic jacket yesterday that was wind/rain proof and (to my
untrained eye) appeared to provide the promise of decent protection.
However, the name "Joe Rocket" just smacks of being aimed at squidly
types and I want to ensure that this is a *quality* piece of
equipment. I can't afford to buy a top-of-the-line set of leathers
just yet but I want the best protection I can get for the roughly $300
I can spend. I already invested in a Shoei helmet and wear boots etc.
to try to help minimize the potential for catastrophic injury.
Advice, as always, would be appreciated. Also, for those who are like
me and are just really getting into the whole m/c thing, don't take
your damned test on a 600cc sportbike. Those cones were a bitch on a
bike that doesn't like to turn at such slow speeds! Now if I can just
stay alive long enough to make it to my Sept 22nd date for the local
MSF course...
--Fenris
Daniel
them that is very well made, ventilated and has very good armor.
Daniel
'00 YZF600R
Austin, TX
<ri...@FILTER.pcisys.net> wrote in message
news:39ae9552...@news.pcisys.net...
frequently frank
kinda into doing things in a higgeldy piggeldy order, arncha? better
order, i think, is FIRST msf, THEN moto AND gear, THEN license, THEN
ride. i bought a bike before my msf course (returning rider after a
break, actually) and didn't ride it until i'd taken the course. (yes i'm
being a superior so-and-so. but it took a lot of restraint and i'm happy
about my being able to have done it.)
boots and lid are a good start on the gear, though.
joe rocket has a middling to poor reputation, but for all i know
personally (nothing), they may be just fine. but i hear a lot of knocks
on them. where do you live? lotsa rain riding in your future? how about
hot weather vs. cold weather riding? makes a big difference in what you
might be looking for.
i have two jackets right now, and will be buying a third. first one i
bought was a firstgear kenya jacket. good enough, good enough price.
fabric, waterproof, squishy armor. but summer heat in texas is too
much, and i found a deal on a vanson perfed jacket i could (just barely)
afford. i want to sell the first gear and get a vanson cobra for
texas winter, actually... i think. but for now, the kenya is my cooler
weather jacket. it does have vents and all, but in real heat (90 plus)
its just too hot. i found it comfortable enough from about 35-40 or so
up to about 75 or 80, and bearable but hot from about 85 to 90
degrees... it was over 90 where it was just impossible. (it has a
removable thermal liner thingie).
--
99 SV650
DoD #X
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Robert Holmes
in Fall River, MA has clearance sales around 4 times/year. I bought a $700
leather jacket from them for about $300. They have a great selection of new
and used jackets, pants and race suits, and clearance items in many sizes.
If you live around there, I would definately check out one of their sales.
Good luck
-Bob
jmar...@my-deja.com
years now. They're both very well made and do live up to their
advertised performance...up to a point. The ballistic series jackets
are made for fair to cool climates. In the summer, it's simply too hot
to wear it even when you're moving. In extreme cold, it's not warm
enough. In fact, I've found that even in the California winters when
the temps gets down into the 50's, I needed to have a thick sweater
underneath to stay warm. I don't even want to think about wearing the
jacket in the summer. But for the price, it's a hard to beat. I got
my Ballistic jacket for $219 and the pants for $120. The pants fit
fine except they really need to put a stretch panel around the crotch
area to ease leg movement. In the rain, both jacket and pants held up
well. But I'm only talking light rain on a fully faired ZX11 for about
30 minutes. No cordura jacket will hold up forever in pouring rain for
very long. Not even the expensive Aerostitch ones. So the JR
Ballistic series is definitely a good value. The quality is pretty
good and they are durable. I've washed mine(in the washing machine)
several times and the jacket still looks like new. The stitching has
held up so far.
Borysd
Joao John Silva
Sometimes you can find good deals on last year's models of leather jackets.
Not sure what size you are, but check out some of the blowout prices on
last years Dainese jackets on www.motorace.com
I have one of the Dainese Classic 200 armored jackets (I bought it last
year for $520) it's pretty high quality and held up well through a crash
I had some months back, the armor protected my shoulder and elbow, and
the jacket is still usable despite a few scratches here's the URL for
the exact same model:
http://www.motorace.com/leather_jackets/200_classic_jackets_blowout.htm
I also have some matching armored Dainese leather pants.
Just make sure that you get some good armored gear, I know at first it
seems hard to justify the cost, but after a crash you really see the
value of great gear, especially if like me,it lets you walk away
relatively sore and bruised but uninjured. Now I never ride without
wearing my full gear.
--John
'00 F4
--
Daniel Bannon
>I'm currently (like an idiot) riding without a jacket and I'm trying
>to rectify this situation as fast as possible. I looked at a Joe
>Rocket ballistic jacket yesterday that was wind/rain proof and (to my
>untrained eye) appeared to provide the promise of decent protection.
>However, the name "Joe Rocket" just smacks of being aimed at squidly
>types and I want to ensure that this is a *quality* piece of
>equipment. I can't afford to buy a top-of-the-line set of leathers
>just yet but I want the best protection I can get for the roughly $300
>I can spend.
Yah, "Joe Rocket" sounds quite goofball. I thought I'd give them a
chance earlier this year when shopping for rain pants.
I bought a pair of Joe Rocket Ballistic pants. Thus far they've paid
for themselves a dozen times over: waterproof, armored, medium-duty
zippers, comfortable. I ride in Seattle rain (lots, in other words),
and for protection from the elements they work well in conjunction
with my Aerostich Darien jacket. I've not crashed in them yet. For
sure they won't protect as well as leather pants, though the armor
makes me feel better than just wearing jeans. Jeans fit fine
underneath the pants, BTW.
OK, sez I, the pants work, I'll try a leather jacket since I needed a
decent leather jacket this summer and didn't feel like spending all
the money to do it right ($550 for a Vanson or Dainese, i.e.). I
bought a Joe Rocket Stingray jacket at reduced price from the dealer I
frequent. The jackets:
http://www.joerocket.com/motorjack.htm
The Stingray looks a bit flashy in royal blue, but what the hell: I
have enough black gear, people think I'm the freakin' Grim Reaper
dressed all in black leather half the time. I'm a network admin, odd
demeanor and dress are almost expected from us I guess.
SO: the jacket zips to the pants. It has adjustable waist straps and
full armor, light-duty I'd say. Quality appears about medium-duty.
It broke in well and is comfortable as heck. I rode the whole kit for
six long-ass days down to Monterey and back for WSB last month. Both
items work great in warm to hot weather. I'm a big boy and took a
size 46, which fit perfectly.
A Joe Rocket executive sales rep approached me at WSB when he saw me
wearing all the stuff. We chatted for about twenty minutes. I
remarked how pleased I am with the gear. He solicited my opinion for
their new gear line for '01, and I had a few comments and constructive
criticisms. The guy listened, and maybe I helped improve a company
product line slightly (I'd like to think so, anyway).
Joe Rocket gear seems to me to be solid mid-range gear at an
attractive price. I'll buy more in the future.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Daniel Bannon
NW WA State, U.S.A.
2000 Aprilia RSV Mille
1996 Triumph Tiger
1995 GSX-R750W
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Brian Schwartz
hard elbow and shoulder armour.
think i payed 350 for it
<ri...@FILTER.pcisys.net> wrote in message
news:39ae9552...@news.pcisys.net...
Fenris
spake, saying:
>Take a look at Teknic www.teknicgear.com. I have a Hurricane jacket from
>them that is very well made, ventilated and has very good armor.
Thanks for the info. Looks like a good jacket and within my current
price range. Definitely a possibility.
Fenris
'94 GSX600FR
Colorado Springs, CO
Fenris
<frequent...@my-deja.com> spake, saying:
>kinda into doing things in a higgeldy piggeldy order, arncha? better
>order, i think, is FIRST msf, THEN moto AND gear, THEN license, THEN
>ride. i bought a bike before my msf course (returning rider after a
>break, actually) and didn't ride it until i'd taken the course. (yes i'm
>being a superior so-and-so. but it took a lot of restraint and i'm happy
>about my being able to have done it.)
You're a better man than I, then! Every time I look at my bike it
begs me to take it out for a ride. As far as the order of things
went, my situation was somewhat complicated by the fact that I'm in
the military (for right now) and was a considerable distance from my
home state. The original plan was to take the MSF course and then
send the certificate to Maryland's DMV to get an endorsement put on my
MD license. I was informed, however, that MD would require me to be
there in person to do it which would not have been a possibility. To
cut a long story short, I ended up getting Colorado residency and
bought a bike specifically so I could take the test here and get a m/c
endorsement. I had decided that it was time I filled my long-standing
desire for a motorcycle and thought that if I didn't do it now, it
might never get done. Logic and good sense went right out of the
window at that point! You're probably right on the order stuff
*should* have been done in, though.
>on them. where do you live? lotsa rain riding in your future? how about
>hot weather vs. cold weather riding? makes a big difference in what you
>might be looking for.
Sorry, I should have included that in my original post. I'm living in
Colorado Springs right now, which has a wonderful propensity for
dumping rain all over the place every afternoon. I've ridden in the
rain a few times and it doesn't bother me, although I must be truthful
in saying that a part of me keeps expecting the bike to gleefully drop
on to its side on the wet road. The weather here (assuming you're not
from the area) is very pleasant in the summer ranging from the high
80's to low 90's. The winter, on the other hand, is mind-numbingly
cold. I have about eight months left here and then I'll be heading
down to Florida to attend a flight school. Talk about extremes!
>i have two jackets right now, and will be buying a third. first one i
>bought was a firstgear kenya jacket. good enough, good enough price.
>fabric, waterproof, squishy armor. but summer heat in texas is too
>much, and i found a deal on a vanson perfed jacket i could (just barely)
>afford. i want to sell the first gear and get a vanson cobra for
>texas winter, actually... i think. but for now, the kenya is my cooler
>weather jacket. it does have vents and all, but in real heat (90 plus)
>its just too hot. i found it comfortable enough from about 35-40 or so
>up to about 75 or 80, and bearable but hot from about 85 to 90
>degrees... it was over 90 where it was just impossible. (it has a
>removable thermal liner thingie).
Hrm, I was looking at some firstgear stuff (albeit in passing). I'll
have to look at it again. Thanks for the advice, it's much
appreciated!
-Fenris
Fenris
<rho...@foster-miller.com> spake, saying:
>Rich, are you in the Massachusetts area? If so, the Vanson Leathers factory
>in Fall River, MA has clearance sales around 4 times/year. I bought a $700
>leather jacket from them for about $300. They have a great selection of new
>and used jackets, pants and race suits, and clearance items in many sizes.
>If you live around there, I would definately check out one of their sales.
>Good luck
Rats! Unfortunately I'm nowhere near that area. I checked out the
Vanson website and promptly left again when I saw the work "custom."
In due time I'd like to get a set of really good leathers and I'll
definitely keep your recommendation in mind when that magical time
comes! Cheers!
--Fenris
'95 GSX600FR
Colorado Springs, CO
Fenris
spake, saying:
>http://www.uswings.com/motorcycle.htm
> Try the above site, Good Leathers.
Hmm, I'm not sure about the motorcycle jackets but that's a site I'll
certainly remember for my aviation stuff. Thanks!
--Fenris
Fenris
>enough. In fact, I've found that even in the California winters when
>the temps gets down into the 50's, I needed to have a thick sweater
>underneath to stay warm. I don't even want to think about wearing the
Heh, don't come to Colorado then. You might blink and miss summer. I
wonder how such a jacket might hold up in the weather and temps we
have here in CO.
>jacket in the summer. But for the price, it's a hard to beat. I got
>my Ballistic jacket for $219 and the pants for $120. The pants fit
Agreed, I can pick up the jacket for slightly under $200 at Apex
motorsports in town here, which discounts it from the $219 price.
>very long. Not even the expensive Aerostitch ones. So the JR
>Ballistic series is definitely a good value. The quality is pretty
>good and they are durable. I've washed mine(in the washing machine)
>several times and the jacket still looks like new. The stitching has
>held up so far.
Cool, thanks for the info. Right now I'm leaning towards getting the
JR stuff to give me some protection for the moment and then save up to
buy some really good stuff down the road.
Fenris
spake, saying:
>Just make sure that you get some good armored gear, I know at first it
>seems hard to justify the cost, but after a crash you really see the
>value of great gear, especially if like me,it lets you walk away
>relatively sore and bruised but uninjured. Now I never ride without
>wearing my full gear.
Definitely. As I said in another post, I'm leaning towards getting
the Joe Rocket jacket I was looking at just to provide me with a
decent amount of protection while I save up for some high-quality
gear. Thanks for the advice.
Fenris
<Oog_2...@yahoo.com> spake, saying:
>The Stingray looks a bit flashy in royal blue, but what the hell: I
>have enough black gear, people think I'm the freakin' Grim Reaper
>dressed all in black leather half the time. I'm a network admin, odd
>demeanor and dress are almost expected from us I guess.
Heh, I have a good friend who worked as a network admin. He's
definitely odd!
>Joe Rocket gear seems to me to be solid mid-range gear at an
>attractive price. I'll buy more in the future.
Thanks for the info. The JR stuff seems to be a good choice to hold
me over until I can get some of the more high-range stuff. All the
safety equipment is expensive but hey, it's cheaper than an emergency
room visit, right?
rogue...@my-deja.com
ri...@FILTER.pcisys.net (Fenris) wrote:
>
> Heh, don't come to Colorado then. You might blink and miss summer. I
> wonder how such a jacket might hold up in the weather and temps we
> have here in CO.
>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I thought the sun shines 9 months of the year in CO??
Joao John Silva
last year, is now on closeout on the following website for $349 which is
a pretty good price for Dainese quality gear (and is probably close to
what you will pay for other stuff like Joe Rocket or Fieldsheer):
http://www.motorace.com/leather_jackets/200_classic_jackets_blowout.htm
I've been very happy with it.
--John
'00 F4
In article <39aff437...@news.pcisys.net>,
Fenris <ri...@FILTER.pcisys.net> wrote:
>Definitely. As I said in another post, I'm leaning towards getting
>the Joe Rocket jacket I was looking at just to provide me with a
>decent amount of protection while I save up for some high-quality
>gear. Thanks for the advice.
>
>--Fenris
>'94 GSX600FR
>Colorado Springs, CO
--
Fenris
saying:
>I thought the sun shines 9 months of the year in CO??
It does, but the atmosphere is so damned thin here that all the heat
burns off into space and it's bloody freezing here for a good bit of
the year. That said, it's been a rather pleasant summer.
Bill Cunningham
(including Vanson) that are used.
Check out: New Enough and The Leather Warehouse.
Both sell high quality, used leathers. I got a very nice used Vanson
Cobra jacket for $380. It is everything it is advertised to be. I have
worn it extensively in 90 degree Atlanta weather and been reasonably
comfortable (at least while moving). Get Vanson, you won't regret it.
Fenris
<bili...@bellsouth.net> spake, saying:
>Check out: New Enough and The Leather Warehouse.
>
>Both sell high quality, used leathers. I got a very nice used Vanson
>Cobra jacket for $380. It is everything it is advertised to be. I have
>worn it extensively in 90 degree Atlanta weather and been reasonably
>comfortable (at least while moving). Get Vanson, you won't regret it.
Thanks, I'll check 'em out.
bobfre...@my-deja.com
in the arms, and a light armor in the back area. The front is
preferated for summer riding and it also comes with a zip out lining.
I have been able to ride in high humidity and 95+ days as long as I am
moving. The hottest spots are the arms and back. The leather is 1.5mm
cow hide. One thing to be careful about is if you unzip it or any
other jacket to allow more air in it while in town is to watch the
zipper. I placed a nice small scratch in my tank from the zipper
sticking out. Other than that I am pleased with the jacket. I
purchased it from Dennis Kirk for 284 out the door. The main reason I
went with them was because of their liberal exchange policy 30 days
with full refund. So if it did not fit I would not get hit wit
restocking fees etc. Well I hope this helps.