R
RWhitehouse
Guest
I picked up a Joe Rocket Phoenix 4.0 jacket out of DennisKirk for $130 if I remember. It's the best warm-weather jacket I've used, though I bought it for my first street bike, all off-road before.
The whole jacket is a double weave coarse mesh, so air just breezes right through it, I've never had a jacket that vented this well. So far the hottest day I've worn it on was about 80, and I was completely comfortable, not hot whatsoever. It does have a zip-out waterproof nylon liner(air goes through the mesh easily, so does water). The liner does a fair job of blocking the airflow for cooler days, but for riding much below 60 you better have a sweatshirt or something warm on underneath.
It has a large armor plate in the back, as well as CE rated(whatever that means) armor in the shoulders and elbows/forearms. It all fits very well and does not get in the way at all. There are two elastic straps on each sleeve to snug the armor up, otherwise it tends to slide around. I did notice the sleeves are rather baggy, but the elastic keeps them from flapping around.
A neat trick is on the right side interior there is a "face shield storage" pocket that wraps around the right side of the jacket. A full size shield fits in there nicely, and you really don't even notice it's there. Another perk is that there is a waterproof(with or without liner) pocket for an audio device with a little rubber grommet near the collar to put the headphone wire.
Overall, I am very satisfied with this jacket. On hot days at slow speeds/in traffic it's a lifesaver. I'm doin' fine while my buddy in a leather jacket is about to die from the heat. The jacket comes in a few colors, there's a solid black, a black/red, black/blue, and a few others.
For the relatively low price, it's great to pick up as a second jacket for the hot weather rides
The whole jacket is a double weave coarse mesh, so air just breezes right through it, I've never had a jacket that vented this well. So far the hottest day I've worn it on was about 80, and I was completely comfortable, not hot whatsoever. It does have a zip-out waterproof nylon liner(air goes through the mesh easily, so does water). The liner does a fair job of blocking the airflow for cooler days, but for riding much below 60 you better have a sweatshirt or something warm on underneath.
It has a large armor plate in the back, as well as CE rated(whatever that means) armor in the shoulders and elbows/forearms. It all fits very well and does not get in the way at all. There are two elastic straps on each sleeve to snug the armor up, otherwise it tends to slide around. I did notice the sleeves are rather baggy, but the elastic keeps them from flapping around.
A neat trick is on the right side interior there is a "face shield storage" pocket that wraps around the right side of the jacket. A full size shield fits in there nicely, and you really don't even notice it's there. Another perk is that there is a waterproof(with or without liner) pocket for an audio device with a little rubber grommet near the collar to put the headphone wire.
Overall, I am very satisfied with this jacket. On hot days at slow speeds/in traffic it's a lifesaver. I'm doin' fine while my buddy in a leather jacket is about to die from the heat. The jacket comes in a few colors, there's a solid black, a black/red, black/blue, and a few others.
For the relatively low price, it's great to pick up as a second jacket for the hot weather rides