Modern Buddy

I need your experience! Do you *love* your jacket? Why/why not? What kind is it, who makes it, how long have you had it? Does it have a removable liner for cold weather? Does it have vents for hot weather? Is it armored (or removable armor)? What should I avoid?

I see ads for Cortech/Tourmaster, Corazzo, Prima Pullman; does anyone have these? What do you like/dislike about them? I'm looking for your best objectivity—no vendors please.

I got a Fieldsheer Air Tour Mesh Jacket and I like it a lot.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VL ... ss_product

The liner is warm, windproof, and waterproof and comes out pretty easily.
It has armor on the shoulders, elbows and fore arms. It also has nice adjustments available.

I think I should have gotten a small instead of a medium though.

Croatoan, do you mind telling what your shirt measurements are? (neck, sleeve, chest) I'm not a big guy and usually fit into a medium everything.

Well, I do not know my measurements, but I weigh 140lbs and I am about 5'11". And I have narrow shoulders as well.

I am on the borderline between medium and small. It might be that it just feels big on me because it is not a normal jacket, ya know? But all the fittings are on the smallest settings. I am sure if I got a smal it would have been too small feeling.

I've got the Corazzo 5.0, and thinks its about the most versatile jacket I've found so far.It does well in the cold, with the Corazzo underhoodie I've worn it down to 6F. Its got several vents that make it good up till about 70F.
Its stylish, and durable. I've been riding in it for 3 years now and it still looks nearly new.

Its also well armored, and friction resistant. I took a 45mph slide in it, and it didn't leave so much as a mark on it.

I'd highly recommend Corazzo's gear.

+1 on the Corazzo 5.0. I got it in white/red so it stays cool enough so long as I'm moving. I'll be getting a corazzo mesh coat at some point this summer. Have 3 Corazzo coats: 5.0, Tempeste, Hoody Max and love them all.

I have two jackets. Both are Fieldsheer brand.

One is the High Flow Mesh which only sounds like something you'd buy at Hustler but in reality is a great mesh jacket. I've had it for over two years and it's in great shape. It's mostly mesh but has cordura on the shoulders, elbows and part of the arms. The air flow is great. The armor (back, shoulder, and elbow/forearm) is held in place well thanks to arm straps. It has a thin liner that doesn't really do a lot so when it's colder I either put a sweatshirt beneath it or wear my other Fieldsheer which is similar but all cordura/ballistic nylon/whatever it is. Same deal with the armor and arm straps. This one also has a very warm quilted liner.

I'd love to get a Corazzo jacket as I like their style better and like that they are a smaller scooter-centric company, but I am confident in my two jackets and don't have any reason to replace them other than what I just mentioned.

There are some good reviews in our review section, all written by actual members and users!

Just got the Little Miss Dangerous Jacket by Speed and Strength. So far I'm loving it. It has armor, a removable lepord print liner, snap closure high neckline, lots of vents and pockets. Comes in black or green. I got the green.....because of Sophia.

I've got the Rev'it Womens Air Jacket. They also make one for men as well. It's perfect for the New Mexico heat.

http://www.revzilla.com/product/revit-womens-air-jacket

Another +1 on the Corazzo 5.0. I've had mine since mid-September and have used it through the winter. I've worn it down to 16 degrees, in pouring rain, wind and hail. I use a zip front fleece jacket underneath it, as it does not have a liner. I've come to prefer this arrangement over having a liner, as it gives me a jacket that I can wear around during the day. Since I got it in September, I haven't tried it in really hot weather yet, but I'm expecting to be comfortable up into the 80's.

One of my favorite niceties on this jacket: the deep, fuzzy pockets. It feels great after a chilly ride to stick my cold hands in them.

I also have Fieldsheer mesh jacket with waterproof liner. No protection from the cold (I bought under hoodie for colder weather). The mesh is the way to go in the summer. Still have armor and stay cool. My main reason for buying this particular brand was because it was on sale. I figured armored jacket at $69.00-can't go wrong especially since same jacket was $125.00 in a store.

dakotamouse wrote:Just got the Little Miss Dangerous Jacket by Speed and Strength. So far I'm loving it. It has armor, a removable lepord print liner, snap closure high neckline, lots of vents and pockets. Comes in black or green. I got the green.....because of Sopia.

I like that one but bast year I brought a Brosh Kevelar/Coolmax jacket from http://www.brosh.com/new/default.asp?cid=1&L=1 it isn't as stylish but iving in Houston I need something for hot & humid this time of the year. I've tried regular mesh but this one even with the amour in it is still cooler than any mesh or other jacket I've tried.

Jackets I like a lot: My Corrazo Max and my Prima Pullman. I'd like the Prima more if I hadn't, uh, outgrown it a little. The price is great and it comes with features like a full zip-out liner that you only see in much more expensive jackets.
The Max was my almost-everyday rider for a couple years. It's been discontinued and is available on closeout from Corazzo and at many dealers. For SoCal, it's a 3-season jacket. In the summer, at about 85 or so, it got a bit hot for me.

Jacket I love: My Corazzo Tempeste. Actually fits me better than the Max. The style is much nicer (to me). Another great 3-season jacket. Very comfortable and versatile. Some of the minor details and fit & finish aspects aren't quite as good as jackets that cost three to four times as much, but I can live with that.

Jacket I'm enjoying: Corazzo Ventata full mesh. Yes, it's mesh season already here. They style is a little sporty for me, but it's really hard to do a mesh jacket that doesn't look like a mesh jacket. It performs well and the mesh is really great, letting the air circulate and keeping me cool. Looking forward to trying it when it gets even hotter out.

dakotamouse wrote:Just got the Little Miss Dangerous Jacket by Speed and Strength. So far I'm loving it. It has armor, a removable lepord print liner, snap closure high neckline, lots of vents and pockets. Comes in black or green. I got the green.....because of Sophia.

is it weird that i kinda like this one. other than the girly, swirly thing on the fore arm. i don't like it enough to wear it...just sayin.

bigbropgo wrote:

dakotamouse wrote:Just got the Little Miss Dangerous Jacket by Speed and Strength. So far I'm loving it. It has armor, a removable lepord print liner, snap closure high neckline, lots of vents and pockets. Comes in black or green. I got the green.....because of Sophia.

is it weird that i kinda like this one. other than the girly, swirly thing on the fore arm. i don't like it enough to wear it...just sayin.

Ditto. It looks like it would fit in a trench in a WWI movie. Like it.

Rant: I hate all of my jackets. I hate almost every jacket I've tried on. None of them fit me. NONE. I mean, I know I'm plus-sized, but really? REALLY, NONE OF THEM?! Come ON, I know I am not the fattest person to ever ride a scooter. The ones that have come closest to fitting are the Cortech Hoodie & the Tourmaster Intake Mesh jacket. Notice how neither of these are womens jackets. That's because womens riding jackets are ugly and just as ill-fitting. If I'm gonna pay hundreds of dollars for a jacket, it had better fit. That's why I usually wear fashion leather, sigh. I got the Tourmaster cheap from NewEnough & I won the Cortech hoodie from a rally. /end rant

I CANNOT WAIT FOR GOGO GEAR TO ARRIVE IN PHILLY OMG.

Have a Tourmaster Draft jacket. Great for summer riding and you can add a liner for when it gets cooler. It's another don't make me look like a Power Ranger jacket.

About a year or so ago, I was looking at an Orvis catalog. Their prices are ridiculous, but it's a good read. Anyway, I spotted a Barbour International motorcycle jacket, priced at $400. It is black, waxed cotton like all the other Barbour jackets, no armor, no padding or removable liner, but it's a classic 1930s jacket. It would be the perfect complement to a classic J.A. Prestwick, Triumph or BSA motorcycle. Throwing common sense aside, I bought it. When I was living in New England, I always wanted a Barbour jacket; it was perfect for the region's nasty weather, but having to pay off a mortgage and put two kids through college, it was out of the question. Now, I'm in southern Arizona and the kids are grown and on their own. The jacket looks great, it's incredibly comfortable, I can now afford such things and, if I drop my scooter, WTF. Yeah, the waxed cotton finish sometimes leaves black marks on my British Tan deerhide Pirate Upholstery seat. Oh, well.

Poli, you are not alone in the jacket frustration. I have yet to find a jacket to fit me right! I found one (Shift Airborne mesh jacket) that seemed to fit to my satisfaction, but I ended up having to return it because it rubbed on my neck real bad. I won a Corazzo Ventata at the Big Easy Weekender... it was too big so I traded in for the next size down. It will be few more days until they send me the new one, but judging by the cut of the one I got, even the right size will likely not fit me.

Its always the same... really baggy around the upper arms and chest, way too tight around the hips, and the sleeves are way too long. every time. Maybe my E.T.-like proportions are not helping matters.

i just wear a lands end jacket. its not exactly safe but the pockets hold my leathe gloves and its long enough to hide my serious girth.

russell

KRUSTYburger wrote:Poli, you are not alone in the jacket frustration. I have yet to find a jacket to fit me right! I found one (Shift Airborne mesh jacket) that seemed to fit to my satisfaction, but I ended up having to return it because it rubbed on my neck real bad. I won a Corazzo Ventata at the Big Easy Weekender... it was too big so I traded in for the next size down. It will be few more days until they send me the new one, but judging by the cut of the one I got, even the right size will likely not fit me.

Its always the same... really baggy around the upper arms and chest, way too tight around the hips, and the sleeves are way too long. every time. Maybe my E.T.-like proportions are not helping matters.

No, it's not your proportions. It's the fact that there are NO riding jackets out there made for women. GoGo Gear is the only one! (Please, I beg -- nay DARE -- someone to prove me wrong.) Womens' bodies are shaped differently than mens'. 50% of scooters are sold to women, so where's our gear?

It's easy for me to blame my size for difficulties in finding suitable riding gear, but I've heard time & time again that women of all sizes have a harder time with gear than men. The ones who I know who are happy with their gear are those who spent the money to get something custom made, or women who aren't very curvy (regardless if they wear a big or small size).

I'm gonna stop now because I am ranting again!

I have the Corazzo Shop Jacket, can't complain too much about it, I got a GREAT deal on it from a MB member.
I had tried them on once and felt the mediun was too small yet the large is a tad too big, uggg.....
YES the colar flapping right below my ears makes me nuts (not a long trip) but I'll live with that.
ONLY complaint, the armor tends to slip about some, maybe because it's a bit too big on me.
I did notice that last week when it was hot as hell here 90 +/- it was too warm, but I'd expect that...

I ended up getting a Joe Rocket Phoenix 5.0. Its as meshy of a jacket that I could find in non-black. Its comfortable to wear in 85 degree weather (all I have been out in so far) and its not that bad looking. It does come with a liner, which is a big reason that I stayed away from the Corazzo Ventata. Another is that it is white, as opposed to the Ventata's grey. (As a side note, I'm a little disappointed in Corazzo for not having that included with the jacket. The zippers are already there, and all of the other $100+ mesh jackets I was looking at included one.) The only problem with it is that it doesn't have any reflective panels on it, but I am going to sew-on some as soon as the reflective tape shows up.

As for my wife, she found a white Harley jacket that fits her perfectly. She is only 5' and was having a really tough time finding a mesh jacket that fit her. We found that one on clearance for a great price. I know that some of you may be opposed to anything Harley coming in contact with a Buddy, but safety trumps everything else.

+1 on The Phoenix 5.0. It runs one size small. I usually wear a large everything but with the Phoenix 5.o I need an xl. I just bought the Phoenix 2.0 pants from Motorcycle Superstore (should be delivered on Monday) in an xl. The are able to attatch to one another in the back. Both are mesh with a removable waterproof liner.

LOVE my Alpinestars Bovver Aggro. Perfect in every way.

Like my Corazzo Ventata (Armor moves around too much)

I got my jacket from a small company in cali called motoport. They make each jacket custom to your measurments so you don't have to worry about it fitting properly. The main shell is kevlar mesh which is great for hot weather. I wear it year round and on those 80-90 degree days I'm damn glad to be wearing kevlar mesh rather than leather. It also has two liners; one is a wind and water proff liner which is awesome and I keep it in until it hits about 75 degrees. The other is a quilted liners which zips into the wind/rain liner and keeps me warm to 28 degrees fahrenheit. The jacket is not attractive so if you are looking for something that screams stylish the motoport jackets are not for you. It is an awesome jacket with a custom fit and full armor that is much more comfortable than the CE armor that the corazo jackets have in them. The down side is that my jacket with both liners and shipping ran me close to $700 but I highly doubt I'll ever need a new jacket and they have an 8 year crash garenttee so if I crash and the jacket cannot be repaired they will replace it free of charge. That's a company that stands behinf thier product!

PeterC wrote:About a year or so ago, I was looking at an Orvis catalog. Their prices are ridiculous, but it's a good read. Anyway, I spotted a Barbour International motorcycle jacket, priced at $400. It is black, waxed cotton like all the other Barbour jackets, no armor, no padding or removable liner, but it's a classic 1930s jacket. It would be the perfect complement to a classic J.A. Prestwick, Triumph or BSA motorcycle. Throwing common sense aside, I bought it. When I was living in New England, I always wanted a Barbour jacket; it was perfect for the region's nasty weather, but having to pay off a mortgage and put two kids through college, it was out of the question. Now, I'm in southern Arizona and the kids are grown and on their own. The jacket looks great, it's incredibly comfortable, I can now afford such things and, if I drop my scooter, WTF. Yeah, the waxed cotton finish sometimes leaves black marks on my British Tan deerhide Pirate Upholstery seat. Oh, well.

You can always wear armour under the jacket. That's what my b/f does under his ratty old Belstaff; he always look so much better than me when walking around off the bikes. And the thing is insanely warm and waterproof.

I wear an Olympia AST (all-season touring) in hi-viz for most of my riding (3-season). It's hideous, but it can accommodate the liner AND a fleece jacket underneath, as well as nothing but a blouse because of all the cinches and straps. It's got great ventilation, tons of pockets, and it's been waterproof (I've not been in hours and hours of downpours riding at 70mph, but I've been in torrential rains for an hour at 45mph and it's been great). I absolutely love it. And the other hi-viz freaks give me the sign.

Poli, have you tried the Olympia stuff? Have you gone to Revzilla's shop to see if they may have some suggestions? I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have a jacket that made me feel comfortable and protected. I feel for you hon! Maybe check out the Aerostich Darien as they can custom it for you. It is ugly as sin, but it's got good protection.[/b]

dakotamouse wrote:

OMG Want.

I use the corazzo speedway mens jacket, and it is pretty durable and held up well when I had to dump the scoot a few weeks ago. In the colder weather I wear a NorthFace fleece underneith for extra warmth, and an Under Armour cold weather turtleneck baselayer for extra extra warmth under the two.

I also just got the Rev'it Air flow which is durable, highly water resistant, and has a removable liner that holds up on colder days. For pants in the winter, I go with Carhartts insulated bib, but FYI they're only minimally water resistant, but very warm. I could ride naked under them in the winter if that's how I get down.

LisaLisa wrote:

dakotamouse wrote:

OMG Want.

What you can't see is the leopard print liner. The zipper has a little rhinestone imbeded in the tab. It also has a fitted waist. It has armor in the shoulders and forearms. I feel they run a little small so I ordered one size larger than I ususally wear.

^I saw that jacket about a month ago while surfing online. It definitely caught my eye. Let us know how it works for you. It's tres chic, in a Mao sort-of-way.

I love my Scorpion Hat Trick. I paid 250. You can buy it now for 114. I think I saw it on Amazon. That is an awesome deal.

chloefpuff wrote:^I saw that jacket about a month ago while surfing online. It definitely caught my eye. Let us know how it works for you. It's tres chic, in a Mao sort-of-way.

I'm happy it isn't black. I have a light weight black leather jacket and when the weather is cool...it's great! But when it is hot and the sun hits that black I feel like I'm in a slow cooker!

I was looking for something that wouldn't clash with the green of my Italia, that had vents, armor and a high neckline to keep bees out of my bra!!