randomSV650
06-24-2007, 10:51 PM
So I do alot of test riding at work,anytime I'm done working on a bike I usually ride it and make sure everything is in order before it goes back to the customer. It's usually a nice ride in,sometimes a little chilly, so the partially perforated leather jacket is nice. But, alot of times it gets pretty hot during the day and very humid, so putting the jacket on and off gets to be a pain, especially because it's so humid.
So, I decided on a lighter jacket to get to wear to work and at work. I looked around a long time, read many reviews, looked at many pictures, and decided on the Alpinestars ACR Air Flo mesh/textile jacket. Now, I know mesh/textile doesn't provide the level of protection leather does, that's not why I bought it; I bought it for HOT HUMID days. If I'm going out to hit the twisties or roll down the freeway, I'll be wearing my leather jacket.
First impression, out of the box:
This jacket is much better quality than most mesh jackets I've seen. My dad has a Joe rocket which he had given to him, the mesh on that is very soft and light, likely to melt very quickly in a get-off. I had read the A* jacket had a "heavier" mesh, and it certainly does. It's more abrasive and tighter woven, I'm sure it too would melt in a crash, but definitely not as fast as the typical mesh gear. The padding is typical foam CE armor in the shoulders/elbows, then foam pad in the back (will be using my CE approved on the body back armor though). I do like the adjustments on the sleeves, you can really get it to fit snug so the armor doesn't move around, which is a big plus for me, as I have pretty skinny arms. The textile material on the shoulders and back is not mesh, it's more just a textile used to reinforce the more crucial areas. Also has exterior padding on the back, which always helps.
Jacket also comes with a wind/water resistant (thin) zip in liner, which will be nice on the cooler rides in to work, have yet to test that out. The jacket breathes,onviously, very well. I went for a ride today in the 80s and was very cool/comfortable. The jacket fits pretty snug and feels secure when riding. 2 outside pockets, and 3 inside pockets,2 of which appear to be "waterproof". Overall I'm very impressed,retails for $179.00, a bit much for mesh jacket maybe, but this is a really nice jacket, if I had to go down wearing a mesh jacket, it'd be this one.
Some pictures from New Enough (.com).
http://newenough.com/image/path/773/small/Default.jpg?1176273189
http://newenough.com/image/path/769/small/Default.jpg?1176273251
http://newenough.com/image/path/773/small/Default.jpg?1176273189
So, I decided on a lighter jacket to get to wear to work and at work. I looked around a long time, read many reviews, looked at many pictures, and decided on the Alpinestars ACR Air Flo mesh/textile jacket. Now, I know mesh/textile doesn't provide the level of protection leather does, that's not why I bought it; I bought it for HOT HUMID days. If I'm going out to hit the twisties or roll down the freeway, I'll be wearing my leather jacket.
First impression, out of the box:
This jacket is much better quality than most mesh jackets I've seen. My dad has a Joe rocket which he had given to him, the mesh on that is very soft and light, likely to melt very quickly in a get-off. I had read the A* jacket had a "heavier" mesh, and it certainly does. It's more abrasive and tighter woven, I'm sure it too would melt in a crash, but definitely not as fast as the typical mesh gear. The padding is typical foam CE armor in the shoulders/elbows, then foam pad in the back (will be using my CE approved on the body back armor though). I do like the adjustments on the sleeves, you can really get it to fit snug so the armor doesn't move around, which is a big plus for me, as I have pretty skinny arms. The textile material on the shoulders and back is not mesh, it's more just a textile used to reinforce the more crucial areas. Also has exterior padding on the back, which always helps.
Jacket also comes with a wind/water resistant (thin) zip in liner, which will be nice on the cooler rides in to work, have yet to test that out. The jacket breathes,onviously, very well. I went for a ride today in the 80s and was very cool/comfortable. The jacket fits pretty snug and feels secure when riding. 2 outside pockets, and 3 inside pockets,2 of which appear to be "waterproof". Overall I'm very impressed,retails for $179.00, a bit much for mesh jacket maybe, but this is a really nice jacket, if I had to go down wearing a mesh jacket, it'd be this one.
Some pictures from New Enough (.com).
http://newenough.com/image/path/773/small/Default.jpg?1176273189
http://newenough.com/image/path/769/small/Default.jpg?1176273251
http://newenough.com/image/path/773/small/Default.jpg?1176273189