Non leather riding Jacket?

You can always get a Kevlar shirt and wear any jacket you like

The Barbour stuff has a few classy pieces, but most of it looks like it's trying too hard. I didn't see where any had armor available either. :-\

Vanson leathers. They have a few good looking options:

Trophy and Stormer jackets are legit options...

http://vansonleathers.com/main_page/chapters/mens/metro.html

those are nice and pricey. more than I can afford right now. thank you though

Thanks to this thread I ordered a nice Corazzo 5.0 textile jacket. Can't wait!

-Matt

BOOM! another convert!. If you need a new pair of riding gloves, their Enzo gloves are great. They are leather though, the "Carbone" are the same gloves but in textiles mesh.

Blake said:

Vanson leathers. They have a few good looking options:

Trophy and Stormer jackets are legit options...

http://vansonleathers.com/main_page/chapters/mens/metro.html

Click to expand...

The Trophy Jacket is bad ass! I would buy that in a heartbeat but it doesn't really seem to have all that much protection. Dumb to buy a riding jacket without?

The Giant Robot Co. said:

The Trophy Jacket is bad ass! I would buy that in a heartbeat but it doesn't really seem to have all that much protection. Dumb to buy a riding jacket without?

Click to expand...

It's waxed cotton with no armor. Ultra-traditional material and kind of abrasion resistant compared to many other basic fabrics, just like the Barbour style jackets that don't have armor. It's part of Vanson's fashion line, not their protective line. That said, hopefully it's still at least cut like a riding jacket for comfort and utility while on the bike. I tried on a different waxed-cotton jacket model in their showroom a few years ago and it felt like it was cut for riding but not in an extreme way, so there were compromises both on and off the bike, but it worked well enough for both. I'm sure Vanson will give you the scoop on the fit if you call them. They're great people.

Dumb to buy? Depends. If you'll wear it as opposed to a less-protective garment (denim jacket, t-shirt, whatever) it's a good idea. If there's something with armor that you like just as much and will wear just as much, probably a better idea to go with that.

If you want something for lower speeds around town and looking good, not too awkward when you've gotten where you want to go, this might be a great option. It's not cheap, though...Vanson gear

You can't always get into the complete ninja-turtle gear if you ride your bike as a practical matter. Protection's always good when seen in a vacuum, but what you choose to wear in a given situation is a matter of risk mitigation within your accepted parameters.


Bates Leathers makes a fairly cool casual armored textile jacket that I've considered, myself. But the sizing doesn't seem right for me. I'm long and thin, the jackets look squat and boxy. Forgot to mention these earlier. Not as traditional cafe-racer as something like that Vanson, though.

http://www.batesleathers.com/streetwear/jackets_nylon.php

Ok, so my Corazzo 5.0 jacket came in today and I'm VERY pleased with it. I typically wear a XL or XL-T in jackets but I was told to typically order a size up in motorcycle jackets, especially if Im going to layer. Well, I couldn't get ahold of Corazzo to ask about their fit, so I called their closest distributer (Vespa of Lexington LOL) and they just happened to have a XXL in the jacket I wanted and sold it to me at 20% off. It doesn't match the bike perfectly since the bike is blue, but whatever. I may repaint it red anyways. That said, the jacket fits AWESOME. And it's long enough...which was my main concern. This is the exact type of jacket I wanted. Something with a "retro" look to it (somewhat anyways) but still have all of today's modern safety technology.

Pics:




With the helmet on! Im going to get a smoke visor for it.


The length is great. Falls just under the bottom of my belt!




Yes, Ill clean my mirror.

-Matt

For the record, I'm 6'4 230lbs.

Sooooo......is it just the phone camera or is it pink? ???

Phone camera and I didnt have good lighting in the bathroom. It's definitely very red.

This is a better display of the color:

Vespa of Lexington!? Where are you from? That is literally at the end of the street from my house!

Im in Cincinnati. Just up the road from ya! There was a dealer in Dayton, but they dont keep inventory, so I called the next closest one. Spoke with Michael down there and he was a huge help.

-Matt

Those guys run a rad little scoot shop. Good people and they have a nice weekly ride for all the Vespa. I got all excited for a second. Thought I might have a riding buddy here in town. There is literally one other guy on here from Lex that i can find that garage builds/rides cafe bikes. If it isn't a harley these guys just aren't gonna touch it around here.

Are you doing the Cincy mods/rockers? I will be there with the Rust Revival booth.

Im not sure yet. Im a newbie to the whole scene but I post actively on the Cincy Cafe Racer facebook page. I was Tim Burke mentioned you were going to be there slinging some shirts!

-Matt

Aha! It is red!
Photography is a tricksy bitch

I wear an Armadillo hoodie. It's pretty comfortable.

http://armadilloscooterwear.com/collection/mens/hoody

Dear sweet Jesus is that a $150 hooded sweatshirt?