Last Updated on March 6, 2020
When it comes to optimizing your protection on the road then you need to know what to look for in a motorcycle jacket.
Armor inserts, factors of comfortability and overall materials used are some of the more important elements to look into when you’re trying to find a good motorcycle jacket.
What To Look For In A Motorcycle Jacket
There is a lot more involved to a high quality motorcycle jacket than how nice it looks or feeling the need to rep up a specific brand.
Notable brands don’t always have complete safety in mind. When you’re in the market for a new jacket then you should have the levels of protection, having a true fit and knowing exactly what it’s made out of in mind before you come to a final decision.
That’s what we plan to help you do within this post. After reading through this we hope that you’ll feel more confident when you move forward into getting your perfect motorcycle jacket.
Armor
Armor is arguably the most important part when it comes to deciding on any jacket.
Why?
Because it’s the armor’s durability and protective chunks that’ll ultimately be the difference between you having insane abrasions on your skin or possibly only having some bruising going on in the event of an accident.
Most protective jackets have armor inserts which you could replace with other pieces of armor if you determined that to be necessary but they’ll almost always come with CE approved armor in those inserts.
Most of these armors are made out of Cordura or Kevlar which are types of fabrics that are made entirely for the purpose of maximizing protection.
CE approved armor means that a number of portions of a jacket were tested in certified facilities and have been given credit to meet or exceed the required standards in all zones.
In the context of armor in a jacket, you need to look out for CE approval labels. This will ensure that you know that a jacket has armor that has been through the tests which have been proven to maximize overall protection.
But be careful and do your research – not every jacket manufacturer out there is completely honest about their CE approved labelling.
Be sure to research thoroughly through real customer reviews and other means of proof before 100% trusting in a company that states that their armor is CE approved.
Comfortability
Comfort is more important than you’d think not only when it comes to the right things to look for in a jacket but also in terms of overall protection.
Be wary of any jacket’s sizing charts and be sure to follow them accurately. For the most part, the sizing charts that come from the company are purposely made to be as accurate as possible to however they’ve measured their jacket.
Following the sizing charts will help you with making sure that the jacket has a true fit.
What does that mean?
A true fit in a jacket is when the jacket feels nice and snug but you’re still able to have full freedom of motion while wearing the jacket.
Some of the better jackets out there will have adjustable portions to it where you’ll be able to change up how tight it is on the arms and lower half of the jacket.
It’s not an essential piece to look for in a jacket but it’s nice to have when you’re trying to get the best possible true fit.
Having full-range of motion also helps with protection in the occurrence of an accident. You’ll want to be able to move your arms however you need to when you’re in the middle of a bail.
And as with trying on any article of clothing, you want to be sure that wearing it feels good in the sense that there aren’t any parts of the jacket that feels uncomfortable on the inside.
Most online companies that you could potentially order from will offer good return policies and you should definitely take note of them. Try on the jacket and if it doesn’t feel quite as right as you hoped then it’s nice to be able to make a smooth return / replacement.
Materials Used
Jackets are mainly made out of leather or synthetic textiles.
Leather jackets are protective but they aren’t going to be able to be waterproof and it comes down to a leather jacket’s thickness to determine overall durability.
Heavyweight leather is what you’ll want to be on the lookout for if you’re mostly interested in having any kind of leather jacket. Heavyweight leather hide is where it’s at if safety is your main concern with a leather jacket.
A synthetic textile motorcycle jacket also provides excellent protection. Textiles have advanced quite a bit in terms of how they’re made with today’s technologies.
Heavy leather jackets are going to have very good abrasion resistance which helps when you’re sliding on the pavement.
Textile jackets usually have armor padding to help more with impact resistance while also being made out of a material that’ll resist abrasions.
There are some nice leather jackets out there that also have armor padding included. These are what would provide some of the most protection. They cost a pretty penny, but your life is worth the pretty penny.
Real Ratings
Besides the elements of any jacket, you also want to be on the lookout for some real customer reviews and ratings.
Real riders actually using the jacket and sharing their opinions on them – you’ll need to look for rider’s real opinions. Be sure to look for the little things, even little negative points about any jacket will be worth looking into.
There isn’t any jacket that’s going to be absolutely perfect for you. Everyone is different and what one jacket provides will simply not be enough or what another rider would consider to be their ideal jacket.
Be nit picky when it comes to finding your jacket.
Purposely look for the good, the bad and the ugly.
You’ll most likely be using the jacket that you decide on for some years to come so you might as well take all the time you can to be certain that the jacket is going to be great for you.
Where To Find Them
You can always shop locally and most of the local gear shops will let you try on different jackets. I encourage you to do this as you’ll get a general idea of how a certain type of jacket is going to fit with you.
With different companies having different sizing charts and what not… Shopping locally isn’t always the answer. When you look online for a jacket you’ll have access to almost any kind of jacket you could think of.
Be sure to look into some of the best websites for finding gear online when you do go to buy jackets online.
Search for the factors we’ve mentioned here – Armor labelling, sizing charts, real rider opinions and if the company is sharing the materials that they use to make the jacket.
If you’re interested in knowing the jacket that I personally use then check out the Viking Cycle Warlock jacket review for yourself. I’ve been using that jacket for a couple of years now and it’s a nice, affordable and protective jacket.
We hope that this post helped you with what to look for in a motorcycle jacket!
Are there some jackets that you’ve been keeping an eye on?
Which jackets are you thinking about getting?
Let us know in the comments below!
What’s up! I’m Colton, the main guy behind Moto Gear Knowledge. Gear has always been my #1 priority when it comes to riding.
I share my experiences regarding gear and anything else moto related with you here. 👍
Great info! Really liked how you explained the importance of safety in the beginning part of the article.
Fit and protective features are important. There’s more to jackets than simply knowing there is some kind of protective characteristic about it, you’ve gotta make sure that it’s the right fit and that the brand didn’t cut corners for the sake of max profit. Appreciate the comment! 👍