Can anyone recommend a decent textile jacket for those times when it’s too hot/cold/wet for the leathers? Preferably something with decent protection. Anyone had any good or bad experiences with them?
AdrenalinX do some very nice Dainese textile jackets that are adaptable for year-round protection. We’ve just secured a 15% members discount with them, details of which will be online shortly. For now, have a look over:
If anything catches your eye, I can forward you the discount code. I’ve used Dainese textile jackets before, and they are brilliant, great quality and very good protection from the road and weather! I’m getting one myself for the winter.
I agree with jay! dainese is great but it will cost almost 3 times more than Hein gericke, which will do the job as well as and look cool either!
Mmm, I hear what you’re saying - but I wouldn’t mind paying a bit extra if I thought it was going to last a couple of seasons…
Cheers Jay, I’ll have a check on the site now!
I’ve just bought some BMW street gear 2 stuff (full suit for my girlfriend and jacket for me). It’s got a UV reflective coating that’s ment to keep you 12 degrees cooler when it’s hot (I’v e heard very good things about the coating), and under arm vents. The girlfriend loves it, but I don’t think i’m getting the full benifit of it commuting accross town. The kit is very well put together. It’s gortex so should be great in winter, and it comes with a removable lining as well as a zip on storm neck.
My only critism of it so far is that it’s not a racing collar, so I find it a bit high but it’s not a problem when I’m on the bike. Also the cuffs are not what I’m used to, I could try to expain but it would be more confusing.
I’d recommend taking a look at it. I’ve bought it for function and quality over design and realise it’s not to everybodies taste.
Spidi do a nice jacket called Spidi Easy for £119.00, waterproof and armour (not bulky) black with two strips down the arm.
you can see one in the latest Fast Bikes mag August edition.
The key points here depending on budget are as follows
-
Gore-tex lined is essential if you are going to use in wet weather, the waterproofing is the same as in most jackets brands but the importance here is the breathability factor (About 50% better than any generic brand) Otherwise you are liable to end up very damp through perspiration condensing. Also having Gore-tex in is a great way to ensure all round quality because if your Gore-tex jacket is proved to be leaking its them that stand by the warranty and actually buy you a new jacket from the manufacturer. Because of this they instigate extremely strict quality control procedures. However effective gore-tex is its only as good as your base layer - avoid Natural materials such as cotton, silk wool etc as these absorb any perspiration and dont allow it to flow through to be dispersed by the gore-tex. Use a coolmax / wicking type material that is really effective at this and make a tremendous difference to your comfort.
-
Body Armour should be incorporated and should be of a good standard - Dainese scores highest here as the armour is the same as in most of there Leather race-suits and do make gore-tex lined jackets. It is worth mentioning that instead of going for an integral back protector it is better to go for one that fits to you and will also cover the all important coccyx area that built in ones usually dont unless the jacket is really really long at the back.
-
The outer fabric should be at the very least 500 Dupont Cordura and not a generic brand - the cheaper ones have a much higher Nylon content and are liable to burn you as it heats up when sliding down the black stuff.
-
Ideally the garment should have a zip to match to either Leather and / or Textile trousers, because the garment is generally looser fitting than leather it really needs to be anchored to stop it riding up in a spill or at high speeds.
All said and done I would suggest that there are two brands that are worth considering if you can spend a little more - Dainese & Rukka but avoid the cheaper Dainese textile jackets if you can as they dont offer the same abrasion resistance / gore-tex that the dearer ones do - When I worked for Dainese you could get a goretex jacket for £230 that had everything youd need.
I had a top spec Dainese Goretex outfit a few years back and frankly it was rubbish. Leaked, zippers corroded (Newcastle winters), and not especially warm. Could’ve stuffed the £700 inside me leathers and been warmer. Looked good and tough, and armour was fantastic. But never again.
For the last 3 winters I’ve relied on Bar Muffs (absolutely essential - if you’ve never tried them, you’ll be amazed - no more wet cold gloves), quality breathable layers (EDZ and goretx fleece) and a breathable FT oversuit over my leathers to cut out rain and cold air.
It all works a treat, doesn’t clutter the flat during the summer, and each bit can be used separately so making the hard earned go further.
Good waterproof gloves are the only specific bit of kit I use. Oh, and the carrier bag inside the boots trick.
My tenpennth worth. 
Andyd3o, brilliant insight, thanks! I’m in the market for a textile setup as well, for the winter, and I was sold on a combination, but now I’m going to have to have a second look now! I was going to go for the Arlen Ness Marquee jacket, and Slam Pant’s, they’re proper tough looking, and Foxy has the same jacket, so I know how good it is, I just don’t know if it has Gore-Tex in it or not…
I borrowed a friends Dainese textile jacket last year, and was amazed at how good it was, but their catalogue this year is a bit depressing, not very inspiring, I hate that, the real technical stuff never looks very good, and the best looking stuff just gets pipped by the former!
“The quality of Arlen-Ness has to be seen to be believed. Vented outer material, removable waterproof liner. Removable thermal liner, CE Armour. strong Cordura construction. and utility waistcoat (can be worn separately) THE WORLDS MOST TECHNICAL JACKET”
“Removable fleece winter lining. Ce armour. 100% waterproof. Pockets everywhere. A true all year round textile pant with cordura construction. Zips to all arlen - ness jackets.”
Definately spend good money on decent textiles…leathers are good, but they are not waterproof and they are not warm…errr this is england where its usually raining and cold
My advise is stick to the top brands however if you cant decide between Dainese and Rukka ill make it simple for you…
Dainese gore tex offer a two year warranty ( limited ) Rukka offer a FIVE year no quibble warranty…its also machine washable and tumble dryable unlike Dainese. In the event that you need warranty work Rukka will loan you a jacket or trousers while yours are back at the factory
Its not cheap mind starting at RRP £380 and going upto RRP £1000 just for a jacket …buts its the best there is
Oh yeah all my waterproof kit made by Dainese ( jacket £549 and trs £199 ) and both only came with a 1 year warranty…ive had them both 4 years and they have never leaked…they are just a bit smelly so when I replace them it will be with Rukka so that I can wash them
The recored at our store is a rukka jacket worn by a courier for 9 years ( approx 360 000 miles
) which Gore who make Gore-Tex replaced under the lifetime warranty because they found a fault!! You really cant complain about that level of service.
That sounds like a great bit of kit and well worth them Money. I wouldn’t trust dainese to be water proof.
Soap box.
Every bit of Dainese kit I’ve bought has had several reapirs. I’ve had 2 faults with my Mona one peice suit, stiching coming apart on the thigh and some armour fell off the lining. Dragon Fly leather pants, the zip broke on the first pair the third time I wore them, the stiching around the crotch came apart on the replacement pair within the first few weeks of wearing them, got that repaired, then the zip puller came off (not a hugh problem, but there £300 pants from the market leader) a few weeks ago the popper broke, while I was at nine lives getting it sorted the zip broke on them as well. There not a year old as yet. I have written to Dainese and spoken to Steve there UK rep, they don’t seem bothered about the faults I’ve had with there kit. I can’t recommend it to anyone. Which is a shame as it’s comfortable and feel secure, but i wouldn’t want an off in any of it, god knows what would break.
Sorry, rant over.
Wheeeyy Midlife - at last someone who’ll side with me against the mighty D!! 
We’re prob exceptions tho…
But I’ll never spend my cash with them. I reckon Hein G do good textiles, but they’re not my thing really.
If a good base layer and vented leathers with the zip a little open can’t keep you cool, best not bother I reckon. And while textiles may be waterproof, they’ll still be wet and heavy won’t they?
A good wet/oversuit is my choice.
Dainese as all manufacturers do have problems with kit - most of the time it is from confectioned product that they have no control over - Zips / Poppers etc - although they buy the best spiral zips by opti & ykk.
Beyond that the problems such as stitching seem to come from the product that is put together in Eastern Europe / China - Only the premium priced suits are now entirely made at the manufacturing facility in Molvena. The leather / armour etc is the same but the cheaper labour outside of Italy enables higher profitability, increased production - Also as all the Italian motorcycle apparel manuf. seem to be within a 50 mile radius there is a real shortage of skilled labour.
Have to agree about Rukka - they are superb, they are specialists in the field and apart from golfwear concentrate totally on high end goretex motorcycle clothing & gloves. they are working on some really cutting edge stuff, including a jacket that would cost about 2k
The difference in customer service comes from the fact that Dainese & Alpine stars deal directly with the dealer. Whereas Rukka and most others use a distributor - the customer service is from the wholesaler and as the Italians are very commercially arrogant this is where they fall down terribly - they dont want to know about returns from the dealer, returns are dealt with and usually end up coming out the dealers deep pockets (And we all know how short most of their arms can be). The only downside is that a non-direct distributed product will usually always be around 30% more expensive than it should be as you are paying an extra margin to the wholesaler. A classic example of this is Arai helmets, compare the prices in the states to what we pay here - there are no plausible arguements as to why we are paying in some cases £400 for a $400 helmet
If a garment has goretex then it really is very rare for it to leak unless it has been punctured (Always look where the dealer has placed the security tag - you wouldnt believe it but often they put the spike straight through the membrane)! Seams not heat taped correctly - unlikely as there is about half inch overlap on seam. Or most likely but still rare the Goretex has delaminated. Most problems with Goretex seem to come from the consumer using the wrong layering, they do not allow transpiration of perspiration and you end up soaking wet from sweat. Also wicking is a real problem, the rain gets soaked into the extremities of the garment and then “Wicks” towards the inside of the garment giving the impression that it is leaking.
I have personally seen the techniques that Gore use to test garments that are supposedly leaking, they but the membrane under quite a lot of pressure and if there is as much as a pin prick it is immediately apparent - out of the 10 garments they tested not one was leaking. Goretex (Polytetrafluroethane) is also used in some fascinating applications, they use it in over 50 different applications inside the human body from veins to replacement heart valves.
It is Gore that stands behind the waterproofing guarantee, they actually buy a garment from the manufacturer to give to the consumer if proven to be leaking - because of this they demand exacting standards from the manufacturers and extreme test at every step.
I agree with Andyd3o, if you want waterproof then stick to Gore-Tex
In this country for a product to be sold as ‘waterproof’ it has to go through something called the collum test…basically a long tube (vertical) is filled with water and a sample of the material is placed at the bottom…it is the pressure wich causes the material to leak. In England the pass score is a pathetic 2 psi! This is why Ride magazines fave Aerostitch is ‘waterproof’ in England, but NOT waterproof in the States where its made!
Now Gore-Tex passes the collum test within the region of 35-45 psi depending on which form is being used. I know which i would put my faith in!
I just bought an Arlen Ness Gotetax jacket. Reduced form about £350 to £200 due to it being last years design. Must admit I have been using with out the lining and it is Great. So far cant fault it, wouldnt buy Alpine Stars or Dianese just dont think you get what you pay for
andrew&7 lets take the D down. £1200 worth of kit, all faulty, even at my most tollerant that’s a crap track record. If it was electrical stuff you’d never accept it and you’d want compensation, 2 items, 1 replacement and 6 faults within a year.
Andyd3o, some very interesting info there.
Binned my sh1t stuff ages ago, couldn’t be ar5ed draggin it down from Newcastle.
But we know the truth…
If a van load of heavies with the devil’s head logo tattoed on their thick necks pulls up - do a runner. We’ll go underground with it.
Kept the back protector from it if anyone is interested?
What kind is it? I could do with a half decent one as the Furygan one I have drives me wild (and not in a good way).
No idea of version/model - I’ll see if I can dig it out and bring it up to the Ace one night.
i’ve got a Spada jacket and its got a liner that you can unzip out its a warm, wind and rainproof the only problem i’ve got with it is the collar it has a detachable inner collar that is held on with velcro and it can cause discomfort but apart from that its a great jacket