Second choice for jacket

[BulletTrain]

No luck findin' the sweet lookin' FirstGear Speed jacket that I wanted so I've went back to the drawing board and followed a suggestion made by our ol' pal Revlis. He hit me up with a PM and suggested that I might be better off goin' with a mesh style jacket for the time bein' since I was gonna be losin' weight and droppin' sizes over the months to come. Well, at first I wasn't too keen on this idea. I didn't know how much faith I could put in the mesh designs as far as protection goes. Then it occurred to me that they'd be a heck of a lot more protective than the long sleeve t-shirts I wear now.

Ok, so I go back to the drawing board and browse through the mesh jackets at NewEnough.com. I think I've found a jacket that will get me by for a while and not rape my wallet like the FirstGear Speed would have. Anyway, I think I'm going to call NewEnough.com tomorrow morning and order a Joe Rocket Phoenix 3.0 mesh jacket in silver/black.

I can get the Phoenix 3.0 for $107 and shipping. That's $102 cheaper than the cheapest price I found on the SPEED jacket. Considering that everyone else was considerably higher than that, if I had found one in my size in stock it could have cost me up to around $290 according to the prices on other dealers' sites. So, I can buy a XXXL, wear it until it doesn't fit anymore, buy a XXL when the time comes and STILL have change left over compared to buyin' one SPEED jacket! Much easier to swallow! Besides, I figure an XXL will just about take me down to where I'll prolly end up weight/size wise. Hopefully I'll only go through two of these jackets before I can get into some leather!

I know the size will work out with the Joe Rocket jacket. I've tried on JR jackets in dealers before. The XXXL was on the verge of bein' snug. It would work but only with the waist let all the way out. That was a couple months ago before I made my fitness commitment and lost some weight. Considering what I've lost and how my clothes fit looser now I'm certain that the JR XXXL size will fit just about perfect now and I should be somewhere in the bigger end of the waist adjustment but have room to go either way with it to get the perfect fit for me.

So, unless someone here can get me a better price on this jacket, or convince me that I shouldn't get this particular jacket for some reason I'm gonna call NewEnough.com tomorrow morning and get one on the way. Any feedback on this jacket? Yer thoughts on going this route until I stop droppin' sizes?

I know it ain't leather, but at least it's SOMETHING! And I'm gettin' less and less comfortable ridin' with NOTHIN'!

TIA

 

[STUNNAH]

Bullet...Believe it or not I have that jacket in the same color...It should do fine...I haven't seen the results of it from a fall but I think it will offer good protection...My dealer stocks them for a $100 so your price is competitive...  

 

[sageronin]

BT,

Good choice man ... I'm a big fan of JR gear. I own four of their jackets and the Sahara vest. I probably can't give an impartial judgement, but their gear equals superb quality and looks good too! My vote is yes ... go for it bro. I also use new enough and wow do they ship fast!!

DJ

 

[BulletTrain]

So far it looks like I'll be callin' and orderin' in the mornin'.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[GJoker]

This is the jacket I use also (the blue version)~ Very good, comfortable fit~ Works well in cold weather with the liner... and in the hotter weather without~ It's the 2nd JR jacket I've owned~ Can't say, either, from personal experience anyways, how it does in a fall... but have known some people that went down while wearing the JR product (just not this particular model)and it has done it's job just fine~
Sorry I can't be any more help, for you, then that~ I will say it is a good jacket for the money though~  

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[BulletTrain]

This is the jacket I use also (the blue version)~ Very good, comfortable fit~ Works well in cold weather with the liner... and in the hotter weather without~ It's the 2nd JR jacket I've owned~ Can't say, either, from personal experience anyways, how it does in a fall... but have known some people that went down while wearing the JR product (just not this particular model)and it has done it's job just fine~
Sorry I can't be any more help, for you, then that~ I will say it is a good jacket for the money though~  

Thanks GJ. Maybe I've underestimatin' the mesh gear. I hope I never have to find out how it does in a crash. Again, though, I'm 100% certain it beats a cotton t-shirt!

In all honesty, even once I lose my weight and get leathers I'll prolly still end up keepin' some sort of mesh or textile gear as well for when I'm not pushin' the limits. I'll save the sweaty leathers for the drag strip and hittin' the twisties hard.

Thanks again everybody. I'm feelin' pretty good about this choice so far.

 

[BigBSBusa]

BT, I would have to go with the FirstGear Mesh Tex 2 Jacket. It's very breathable and comes with a liner. The fit is very nice and comfortable. It is also sold by NewEnough and you can get the matching pants as well. I know you have probably made up your mind, but I would say think about that jacket at least.

 

[Warrior58d]

Dude...check out the Joe Rocket Alter Ego. It has all the liner you need and is good for hot weather and cold. BTW, I did dump in my old JR jacket and it held up very very nicely and protected the hell out of me. I belive in the textile jackets from either first gear or joe rocket...they do work and work well.

 

[BulletTrain]

BT, I would have to go with the FirstGear Mesh Tex 2 Jacket.  It's very breathable and comes with a liner.  The fit is very nice and comfortable.  It is also sold by NewEnough and you can get the matching pants as well.  I know you have probably made up your mind, but I would say think about that jacket at least.

Hmmm. It is a bit more $$$ wise but the styling looks nice. I think I like the tighter weave mesh material of the FirstGear better. I think I'd have to go with the all black in that one though. Don't like the looks of the silver/black in that one. When I call this morning I think I'll talk with them about the sizing of the FirstGear MeshTex 2. If it fits similar to the sizing of Joe Rocket stuff I just might spring for it instead. Thanks for the heads up, BigBS. I don't know how I overlooked that one when I was goin' through the mesh jackets.

 

[BulletTrain]

Dude...check out the Joe Rocket Alter Ego. It has all the liner you need and is good for hot weather and cold. BTW, I did dump in my old JR jacket and it held up very very nicely and protected the hell out of me. I belive in the textile jackets from either first gear or joe rocket...they do work and work well.

That's a sweet lookin' jacket but I've decided to go with a lower price range jacket this go around since I'm losin' my weight pretty fast and will have to buy again for a smaller size fairly soon. I'll certainly consider that one when I get where I want to be weight wise. Looks like a good hot weather/easy ridin' alternative to leathers. Thanks for the suggestion and the feedback from after the dump! Looks like my lack of faith in the textile stuff was prolly unwarranted.

 

[busapilot911]

Dude, I am with you on the size thing. It is hard to find decent stuff that fits well. I am looking at shedding some weight to get into some leathers also. I went with the JR Alter Ego jacket (XXXL). It is very versatile. It has zip off panels that reveal a mesh jacket. Cool mornings with them zipped on, and zip them off as it warms up. Comes with a liner (wind/waterproof) and a little backpack to stow the panels in. Just a thought. Got from New Enough for right around 2 bills.

 

[BigBSBusa]

The black one is the one that I've got! In fact, I am wearing in the avatar and banner shots! Let us know what you wind up gettin'!



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[Revlis]

Go ahead and get the Phoenix jacket man. Anything is better than a t-shirt. The Phoenix Line and all the mesh gear for that matter ALL OF IT. IS Better than nothing by 1000% but still should be considered suspect, they do not offer anywhere near the protection of leather. I know, I still recommend it, but soon as you get to your goal and get squared away, hook yourself up with a quality perforated leather. I have found that my Full Perf leather Flows allmost as much air as my Phoenix Jacket, and I don't have that concern about "will this thing work or not?" I have seen on other boards and around here as well, the phoenix lines biggest problem is that the armor will not stay in place and the jockets tend to roll off the armor the mesh burns right through and your left with skin on road. Even worse, they will roll up in the back, the fabric is just too flexible too soft.

Anyhoo, I agree the Phoenix 3.0 would be the way to go, inexpensive but still a hell of a lot better than a t-shirt, and will prolly do a pretty good job of keeping you intact in most instances.

Rev

 

[BulletTrain]

Ok, I went with the FirstGear MeshTex 2 jacket in all black. I went with it over the Joe Rocket for a few reasons...

#1- I liked the looks of the sleeve/wrist adjustment better on the FirstGear jacket. Joe Rocket had snaps that would limit the adjustment to the increments between the snaps. FirstGear has velcro straps that offer infinite adjustment between the limits.

#2- The tighter woven mesh pattern. Looks better and just makes me feel better with a bit denser material between me and the ground. Maybe just a psychological advantage for me, but if I'm more comfortable with it, it's worth the few extra bucks in my opinion.

#3- Slightly better quality/workmanship according to the sales person at NewEnough.com. She didn't knock JR by any means but in answering my questions about quality and workmanship she said that the FirstGear was excellent quality. She said that the only problems they'd really seen with JR stuff was an occasional snap or zipper defect. No huge thing and I'm sure I could get it taken care of.

I just feel that for the small price difference the FirstGear piece is probably the best quality jacket for the money. The only reason the JR would be cheaper anyway is the fact that NewEnough has sweet prices on JR gear. Regular price is apparently the same for both jackets... $139.

Thanks BigBS for the heads up on this jacket. Truth be known, there prolly ain't a penny's worth of difference between the two as far as protection goes. I do think I'll appreciate the quality and design of the FirstGear jacket more.

 

[BigBSBusa]

Not a problem, 'bro! You are probably right about there not being much difference between the two for protection, but I'm sure you will be satisfied with your decision.

 

[MET]

I love my JR I ahve the pants also.

 

[scottybusa]

When I was at the Suzuki Dealer, I came across a jacket that I really liked.............it was made by "leather gallery". Not a frilly HD jacket, but a nice looking all leather black Sport with extra padding, zip out liner, vents, etc. The dealer wanted $259, but I found it online for $169.............bought a couple sets of leather gloves and got free shipping. www.arcticwolfleather.com 407-nvz They seem to have pretty good prices on everything they sell.

 

[dezzy7]

I love my JR as well and also have the pants.

 

[BLU88]

i was thinkn of buying that jacket ..for a summer jacket ... or the first gear mesh jacket just because they make it in a tall size, and i have had good luck with first gear so far.

 

[bacharles]

Bullet...Believe it or not I have that jacket in the same color...It should do fine...I haven't seen the results of it from a fall but I think it will offer good protection...My dealer stocks them for a $100 so your price is competitive...  

Well guys/gals, you heard it here first. Let me be the first to testify for the power of the Joe Rocket Phoenix jacket. When I took my spill during my trip to Cali last year, the jacket protected me well and didn't rip in one place. I took my tumble in some pea-gravel, but the Phoenix definitely did it's job given the conditions. I would give this product my seal of approval to anyone.

Brian