Buying your first motorcycle jacket can be a costly experience if you don’t buy the correct one that fits you correctly or is not designed for the type of motorcycle riding you will be carrying out
I have written this article to help you navigate the whole process of buying your first motorcycle jacket so that the jacket you eventually buy will be the correct one for you and last you for many years to come.
The cost of a motorcycle jacket can vary significantly from under $100 to over $1000 for the latest designs. You should buy the best one you can afford as your motorcycle jacket can save you from serious injury in the event of an accident.
What Are The 6 Top Tips For Buying your first motorcycle jacket?
Here they are:
- Make sure the jacket fits well
- Check the jacket has full armour built-in
- Make sure the jacket has good stitching
- How many panels is the jacket built with?
- Inspect the zips
- Buy the correct jacket for your style of riding
Now, let’s dive deeper into this list:
1. Make sure the jacket fits well
When you’re purchasing a motorcycle jacket, you must consider why you are buying the jacket in the first place.
In my opinion, the most important reason for purchasing a motorcycle jacket is to be well-protected if you have the misfortune to come off your motorcycle.
You should make sure that the jacket fits snuggly when you are wearing your normal riding clothes. You should also consider any extra layers of clothing you may be wearing if you ride your bike in colder weather.
Extra layers such as a thermal bottom layer and possibly a jumper or even an extra jacket under your motorcycle jacket.
I ride all year long. I regularly wear a padded jacket under my motorcycle jacket and a thermal layer in freezing weather. I took this into account when I purchased my first motorcycle jacket but now have a slightly larger adventure-type jacket to wear in the colder months and wear my leather jacket from springtime until Autumn.
If you are not planning on riding your motorcycle in the winter this will not be an issue for you.
Taking my own experience into account, when purchasing your first motorcycle jacket, you should buy one that fits you snugly when wearing your everyday clothing from spring to the autumn months. You could then buy another jacket for the winter months if you were riding your bike in the colder weather.
Purchasing a separate motorcycle jacket to use in the winter months will make sure that you have a jacket that fits correctly throughout the year, which is, in fact, a crucial point when purchasing a motorcycle jacket that is primarily to protect you.
Also, I would like to make you aware that a new leather motorcycle jacket will ‘give’ with wear over time and start to fit your own body uniquely.
2. Check the jacket has full Armor built-in
Making sure any motorcycle jacket you purchase has full armour built-in is another important point when making a purchase, whether it be a leather or fabric type jacket such as an adventure-styled motorcycle jacket.
The purpose of the armour is to absorb the initial shock from any crash you may have. An unexpected incident may not necessarily be a high-speed crash but could result from a low-speed accident or just falling off your motorcycle while taking it off-road while negotiating rocks or similar.
You will need to make sure that CE-approved armour is present in the jacket and check that none of the armour within the jacket digs into you when you move your arms or turn your head from left to right.
As you can see from the photograph, the back armour of my motorcycle jacket is removable. Make sure you feel comfortable wearing the jacket so you can fully concentrate on riding your motorcycle rather than keeping on having to adjust a jacket.
3. Make sure the jacket has good stitching
You should check all the jacket’s stitching to make sure that there are no faults in it. A good quality motorcycle jacket should have overlay stitching or triple stitching, which will add to the jacket’s longevity.
The outer stitching on my motorcycle jacket is still intact after 10-plus years
I have had my Alpinestars leather motorcycle jacket for over ten years, and it’s still in excellent condition. You can check out the latest price of my top pick Alpinestars Jacket by clicking here.
4. How many panels is the jacket built with?
In my own opinion, the fewer panels the jacket is built with, the better. More panels mean more chance of one of them tearing at the seams if you are in an accident whilst your jacket is taking the initial shock from the incident.
If the jacket is going to be protecting you when sliding along the tarmac, then there is less of a chance of the jacket starting to come apart if there are fewer panels built into the jacket.
5. Inspect the zips
Check to ensure that all the zips on the jacket are high quality, as you will be using them more than a regular jacket.
If the jacket is a heavy leather jacket, the zips will be dealing with more force just holding the jacket together due to its excess weight. I recommend that you check all of the zips’ stitching, including any internal zips the jacket may have.
Motorcycle jackets can also come with a zip around the inside waist area. This is so that you can attach the same manufacturer’s motorcycle trousers to the jacket.
If you buy a pair of protective motorcycle trousers simultaneously with purchasing the jacket, make sure that the trousers are compatible with your purchasing jacket.
6. Buy the correct jacket for your style of riding
Some motorcycle jackets are specifically manufactured for riding a sports bike, and others are made for more natural riding, such as adventure-style bikes.
Some of the more sports-orientated jackets may have pre-curved seams and arms, which will help the rider create the sports bike riding position. If you are riding a motorcycle where you will be sitting up more, the sportier jacket will be very uncomfortable.
Making sure the motorcycle jacket you purchase will be compatible with your particular riding style is extremely important, so think about the riding you will be mainly carried out on your new motorcycle.
Best Overall Leather Motorcycle jacket
Alpinestars Men’s Faster Airflow Leather Street Motorcycle Jacket, Black/Black
This is my pick for the best overall motorcycle jacket for men. It’s a fantastic jacket. High quality, well designed, and offers exceptional protection.
As you would expect, Alpinestars’ leather motorcycle jacket is excellently made and feels that it has the ability to protect you when necessary. It feels every bit high quality.
- This jacket has a Multi-fabric shell construction with mesh panels on the chest, back, and sleeves for improved cooling performance.
- Large stretch panels help movement and comfort on the bike and feature a hook and loop strap on the waist adjustment for improved riding fit.
- It has two zippered hand pockets, and the zips feel excellent quality and are very usable.
- The low-profile collar construction with microfiber comfort edging plus 3D textured fabric inner collar lining for comfort, in my opinion, makes this jacket an excellent purchase.
As the price changes fairly regularly, you can view this jacket and get the up-to-date cost of this excellent motorcycle leather jacket by clicking:
CLICK HERE to view the latest price on Amazon
Best Overall Adventure Style Jacket
Alpinestars Men’s Andes v2 Drystar Motorcycle Jacket, Military Green/Black/Red
- This fantastic motorcycle jacket has a removable long-sleeve thermal liner (100g body 80g sleeves) that ensures comfort on hot or cold days.
- This jacket has pre-contoured sleeves with accordion stretch panels on the elbows for improved riding performance, plus volume adjustment to ensure a close fit.
- A velcro-closing waist adjustment belt allows for a highly customizable fit.
- There are external zippered pockets for safe peace-of-mind storage.
- This jacket is also optimized for using the Andes DRYSTAR V2 Pants with an internal waist connection zipper.
To view the latest price on Amazon for this jacket you can just:
CLICK HERE to view the latest price on Amazon
Happy riding!
