| Author | Message | ||
     Dagwood |
OPINIONS? LET 'EM FLY!!! | ||
| Blake |
What type of jacket are you looking for? Sport? Race? Cruiser? Touring? Need more info.  | ||
| Dagwood |
I've got an XB man...sport! I'm looking at Icon Motorhead, Alpinestars P1, Dainese Monza, etc. | ||
| M1combat |
I like Vanson. | ||
| Dagwood |
Vanson...they are nice, but $$$. I like the Buell versions. | ||
| Bjack |
Vanson. They are pricey but well worth it. I bought mine on Ebay. Lightly used and like new condition for less than half price of retail. Just keep tabs on Ebay and you can get some great jackets cheap. I have the Cobra sport rider jacket with the perforated front and panels that zip up inside the front for cool weather riding. Great 3 season jacket. | ||
| Lowflyer |
I picked up the Icon Motorhead jacket when I bought my Uly. It's a good quality jacket for the money. I paid $325 for mine, but I have buddies that found theirs on sale for $170. | ||
| Chainsaw |
I've got the ICON Motorhead. I love the jacket. Good jacket in the 60-90 degree range. Below that the perforated sleeves freeze you, above that better keep moving. Venting works very well. Has a cell phone pocket and a couple of small outer chest pockets, no traditional outer pockets. If you're riding in the rain, expect water intrusion on the shoulder vent zippers and the chest pocket zippers. Decent armor in the elbows and shoulders, lightweight foam back armor. | ||
| Coolice |
I have the Vanson Buell jacket with the Pegasus on the back. Blue/white/black, its on Vanson's website. I like it with the perforated panels that zip down for warm weather. Great quality. Before this jacket I bought a Buell leather jacket, which I "tested" at Road America, saved my skin but my bones.....The jacket survived and is still usable. I like the Vanson best. | ||
| Lake_bueller |
I'm also partial to the Vanson jackets. They have a great fit & finish. With an added liner, they make a great jacket for almost all weather conditions. I'll wear mine from the 30's up to the mid-80's. Once it gets colder, I wear my Buell Adventure jacket. I'm still looking for the right hot weather jacket. | ||
| Luvthemtorts |
I have the Icon Skull jacket. Best $400.00 I ever spent on clothing! The jacket is heavy but the vents do a fine job of keeping you cool even in relatively hot weather. The zip in liner keeps you toasty in slightly cool temps but a sweatshirt is required for temps below 55 degrees. An all around great jacket and the chicks dig it too. Shame they all seem to be in their teens LOL! I bet if they knew there was a 34 year old balding dude uner that full face helmet they would stop yelling at me. | ||
| Djkaplan |
I have a Vanson, but I can't recommend the perforated ones. Mine balloons up at speed pretty badly. It's perforated for hot weather, but I can't wear it in the summer in Georgia, it's just too hot here. | ||
| Typeone |
New England rider.. . I've owned 4 jackets over past few years... 1 Vanson (EXO), leather and 3 Joe Rockets (Reactor, Reactor S, Blaster), two of them textile/leather combos, one full leather... they don't even compare to my Vanson. The leather Blaster in particular would bind and cut my throat when in full-tuck. Hated it. Other two Reactors were comfy but felt VERY temporary should a get-off occur. I'll never give up my Vanson EXO. Cut is perfect, ventilation works really well (wore it all summer without perf center piece) and craftsmanship is top notch. Even though Vanson is expensive, you'll have it forever. If you can visit the shop in person you can usually get great deals. I got $200 off on my EXO. The sales/used racks have even better savings. (Message edited by typeone on October 11, 2005) | ||
| Dagwood |
I'm looking at a leather jacket for winter riding/commuting in Arizona. The temps rarely drop below 40 or so where I live so it doesn't have to look like Ralphy's little brother's jacket in "A Christmas Story". I have a Joe Rocket Phoenix 3.0 for the brutal summers here, but need something that can take over for the next couple months. Does anyone have an Icon Super Duty? Is it warm enough? I know it's 1/2 leather, 1/2 waxed cotton. What about a recommendation on a non-perf. jacket? Thanks. | ||
| Dagwood |
BUMP... ANYONE? | ||
| Road_thing |
You can't go wrong with Vanson or Schott, in my opinion. Pick the style and features you like, but the quality of materials and workmanship of either of those two brands will not diasppoint you. rt | ||
| Henrik |
Don't know anything about Icon, other than one guy I met was ditching a pair or their pants he bought - these were the second pair after warranty replacement, and the seams were falling apart on his second pair as well. Just a point of reference. Other than that, I'll second r.t.'s recommendation of Vanson. Their leather is very heavy and it'll take you awhile to break in a jacket. But their stuff lasts and holds up to crashing very well. I own one of their suits and have crash tested it 3 times so far. Last time at very high speed. It's still holding up. Henrik | ||
| Gearheart |
I recently bought a Icon pursuit jacket which my local store ended up with as someone ordered it and never picked it up. It seems to be quite good with fairly thick but perforated leather and a few pieces of hard armor it is cut very well but feels heavy in comparison to my previous leather jacket which is not necessarily a bad thing. As to the quality it feels well made but I have had the experience of a pair of Icon gloves which were losing their threading so not sure how it will hold up. All in all a very nice jacket and a bit of a surprise. Also it should be noted as a perforated jacket even with the liner in it is quite brisk wearing it when the temperatures are below 50. | ||
| Jersey_thunder |
ICON...TOP NOTCH VANSON...TOP NOTCH can't go wrong...just get the jacket that fits you!! you have to try them on.. JT | ||
| Jon |
Vansen... | ||
| Jak |
I have a Vanson Mark 2 CSRX and an Icon Neo Daytona that I just picked up. Both of these jackets are awesome, but very different. The Vanson is overpriced. Nearly $600 but you can find good deals on ebay. The style is a bit plain for me, it's all black and race cut, but I like the weight and quality. It's the kind of jacket that you'll forget you're wearing because it just right. My Icon Neo Daytona is my pimp'n jacket. I got a black one with the white stripe and it has all the patches. Much heavier than the Vanson and the leather feels different, but not in a bad way. Comes with a zip out liner and padding(back, shoulders,elbows). The thing I like most is I can wear it anywhere and not feel weird. I actually had some girl come up to me today in Lowes because she saw my jacket and wanted the details...sorry I'm married... Anywho, I was going to sell the Vanson to help pay for the Icon, but now I'm considering keeping both and wearing them as I please. One of my good friends bought a Ducati Dianese jacket when he bought his 748. It reminded me of the weight and feel of my Icon, but the expense of the Vanson. I looked at Dianese, but I couldn't find a style(graphics) that I liked so I passed and at this point I'm glad I did. | ||
| Bandirola |
I ride a shadow as well as my S3T so I got a jacket for both. I have a Teknic Sturgis model. Heavy leather with a full zip out liner and neck gauntlet. Removable pads in the elbows, shoulders, and back. Zipper to attach to pants for track days. Vents well with zipper vents on chest, back, and arms. Very comfortable and still looks like new after 20k miles over the last 2 years. | ||
| Bretp |
I have the ICON Motorhead Jacket, and I love it. For the price I felt like it was the best choice and I haven't been disappointed. The zip out liner works great for cool weather, and I like the cut. I dig the way it looks as well. | ||
| Deltacruiser |
I've got an ICON Motorhead jacket too and love it. Not as pricey as a Vanson, but its a nice jacket. My only complaint is that it isn't really warm, even with the liner in below 50 degrees or so. Air seems to get through the perforations anyway. I'd buy it again though. | ||
| Diablobrian |
I got a great deal on a firstgear jacket/pant suit at newenough.com. It looks like they sold out of them, but they do have good service and good prices there. | ||
| Ginzero |
I got an Alpinestars Alloy leather jacket for XMAS.. I'm really liking it so far.. My old jacket was a leather firstgear blue light special... | ||
| Grimace308 |
im in the market for a new jacket and i was wondering what thickness of leather you all recommend? ive seen it from 1.1mm-1.6mm and was wondering if the 1.2mm is enough protection? are there different grades of leather that resist abrasion better than others and dont need to be as thick? does my fat butt need thicker leather as i will be sliding a long, long ways and hitting the tarmac with 235lbs of butter behind it? as a sport tourer (xb12X)guy, hypersonic speeds wont be in the picture and this would be for freeway speeds. as the dual material fabric/leather jackets are cheaper, do they still offer enough protection with leather reinforced elbows, shoulders and back? is ce or dual density armor recommended or a luxury? thanks, chris | ||
| Grimace308 |
icon motorhead 3xl yellow jacket on order. good price and nothing but good reviews from. http://www.motorcyclegearreview.com/reviews.php?prodID=993 will add review once its here. ebay helmet, shoei x-11 for $285 vs $600. life is good. | ||
| Lorazepam |
I am a huge fan of First Gear stuff. I have First Gear leathers. They have CE armor, and a 10 year warranty. I also have the Kilimanjaro jacket and HT overpants. They keep me dry, and warm in Ohio when used with a vest. I like them better than an Aerostich suit, for way less bucks, with armor and a fleece liner included. I buy from Motorcycle Closeouts. What he sells are last years models as closeouts. Since the leathers wear a long time, and the Kili will last many seasons, they will be *out of style* anyway. http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/prodman.asp?ManId=4 | ||
| Chiefiron |
wow wish i had seen this thread sooner, dont know if newenough would be any cheaper than what Daves quoted me but i just bought a Joe rocket GPX two piece suit from him. i really love the Vanson also and was going to order the Buell gear but it doesnt attach via zipper to the pants and i didnt wan to custom order one. but for street riding i just bought my first textile jacket from the Harley Buell dealership where i bought the bike. really cool black race style with red tribal design spider webs and sculls on the sleeves i dont even know who makes it but i had to have it even though the price was a little high... i think.. like $275 or something. Tim |
