Motorcycle Forum / General / Sportbikes / June 2004

here in central/western virginia i ride in 85 degrees plenty....i have
purchased a leather jacket that has four zippers to reveal a mesh
interior...it does great in 85+ with 80%+ humidity...as long as you
are moving...<G>....the jacket is okay and it has the extra leather
where needed(elbows, shoulders, etc) and a removable "thinsulate"
liner for cooler weather...
JT

I believe Dainese can be had for a reasonable price if one shops carefully.
Over four or five crashes, I doubt the mesh jackets have a cost advantage.
When you add the cost of skin grafts, I'd go with leather.

In the event of a rip, what crash protection do you have?

I have to agree with you. To each his own, of course, decide for yerself and
all that, but for me, I'll give up a little comfort for a what I perceive to
be a huge leap in protective capability. I've seen the mesh jackets and when
I compare them to my Vanson leathers, the mesh seems slightly more durable
than plain denim... maybe.

Sure, there's armor, but the damn things are so floppy who's to say your
elbow pad is going to stay on your elbow if you go pavement surfing? I've
crashed in leathers three times, and never once had any road rash. Once on
the street at around 45 mph with my Hein Gericke V-Pilots and twice at the
track (80 mph & 50 mph, approx) with my Vansons. The Vansons are solid as a
rock. I have a few scuffs, and I had to have one stitch repaired by the
factory for $40, but other than that they're good as new.

As for comfort, some of us enjoy living in an area where the climate isn't
actually trying to kill every living thing. Right now in Seattle it's sunny
and upper 60s, with a nice breeze. I think it's supposed to get into the
upper 70s later. Lovely. :)

But don't think I haven't experienced "real" heat in full leather. Try Death
Valley at 2pm in early July sometime. Or Las Vegas when it's 110°F and
you're stuck in traffic on the black asphalt. I've been through both at
least a couple of times, and I remember doing it when I was younger and
stupider only wearing short sleeves and no serious protective gear. That was
misery and very, very dangerous.

Later, after I'd wised up a bit, I rode through DV and LV wearing full
leathers that were *not* perforated, and still I was much more comfortable
than I had been the time before. When the air temp is higher than your skin
or core temp, you're best off staying covered up and keeping the air off
your body as much a possible. You might feel like you're getting cooled down
with the evaporative effect of your sweat, but the air is actually *adding*
heat to your body when it's that hot out.

Yes, my friend's Hayabusa was almost as lovely as my Duc. As the saying
goes, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Even more to my liking was the
sounds it make at idle. It had this silken quality with pulses, so refined
for such as beast. Now it was slightly modified with a single exhaust and
15+ more hp, as if one needed more power with that bike. In any case, it was
a thing of beauty, period.

Now, on jackets, I saw some Vansons at Cyclebarn, but their finish was too
glossy for me. I generally prefer the Italian approach to style.  My days of
suffering in the heat are over.