Best Jacket for on and off the bike

[Spiney]

Hi all. I’m loosely considering another motorcycle and wanted some advice on this . Really not a fan of the out and out bike jackets that are probably excellent on the bike but ( to me anyway) , look a little odd when walking around.

 

[jonbuilder]

Langlitz Cascade with a shirt collar if it makes you feel better in seal brown

 

[yellowfever]

What works best for you may depend on the type of bike you plan to ride. Bikes with an upright riding position allow for slightly longer jackets to be comfortably worn, especially if they have a two way main zip. Such jackets tend to look more ‘normal’ off the bike. Ditto ones with collars though in this case a snap down collar may be advisable to avoid it flapping in the breeze when riding. More sporty bikes where you ride leaned over will need a jacket with a short front to be comfortable, which can look a bit odd off the bike. Then there’s the question of whether an old school looking jacket looks odd with a modern bike and vice-versa... though personally I just wear and ride whatever I like.

Lancer front jackets (aka cross-zip or double rider) are also typically considered biker jackets, so a centre zip jacket may help tone down the biker vibes and look more casual/street if that’s what you’re going for. You may also want to consider the leather colour. Black jackets are synonymous with biking, so for a more non-biking look maybe go for brown leather. A darker shade of brown may be best to hide inevitable road grime marks from riding...

The other question is your personal attitude to safety. I’d suggest getting a proper motorbike jacket constructed and stitched together with safety in mind by a maker of motorbike leathers, not one by a company making purely fashion jackets (however thick their leather may be). That still leaves plenty of options (eg vanson, langlitz) that look good off the bike too. A trickier question is whether you want to ride with body armour. Jackets with proper body armour fitted are obviously much safer in the event of a crash, but they are clearly going to cramp your style off the bike. A compromise is to not have armour in the jacket, but to wear an armoured undershirt, but you’ll have to make sure the jacket will fit over the undershirt ok for riding whilst also looking ok without the undershirt on for casual wear off the bike.

Hope that helps encourage you to get a sweet bike and a sweet jacket

 

[JMax]

In the end it will depend on what you find acceptable for off bike wear. I agree that jackets designed for track use can look and feel a bit wonky off the bike. IMO, many MC jackets can fill the walking around role (perfecto, nice Cals, simplified straight-zip CHPs, pick your CR, pick your D pocket), but my favorite is the Trojan. I have the LW version. Schott also used to make one and @jonbuilder just found a white vintage one, though the originals are rare. It is awesome on the bike and has plenty of cool details that allow one to wear it even in more formal settings. A beautiful and classy jacket that screams "I have many leather bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany".

 

[Monitor]

Yeah, that's a tough question to help you with. What jacket style do you like?

 

[Carlos840]

Hi all. I’m loosely considering another motorcycle and wanted some advice on this . Really not a fan of the out and out bike jackets that are probably excellent on the bike but ( to me anyway) , look a little odd when walking around.

There is literally no answer to that question.
We all like different things in leather jackets, value different characteristics, it's a very personnal thing.
I would recommend Vanson, Langlitz and Lost worlds, IMO they do the best vintage style riding jackets.

 

[Spiney]

Thanks for all your answers.

 

[bn1966]

Personally I’ve gone the armoured shirt route which in my case comes from Knox. Over the top I wear whatever jacket meets the days requirements. Have stripped out the armour in jackets that came with it.
Off the scooter I remove the Knox shirt, roll it up and put it under my seat.

Whilst on the subject I do something similar with the other half of my body, Draggin K Kevlar long-johns, then Knox armour, then whatever pants / trousers meet the days needs.

https://www.planet-knox.com/category/mens-body-armour/

 

[Herresbach]

there is, of course, only one answer: a two pocket one piece back CR jacket!

everyone trying to make you believe something else is a heretic!

just kidding, that‘s like asking what’s the best ice cream.
which is chocolate.

 

[bn1966]

there is, of course, only one answer: a two pocket one piece back CR jacket!

everyone trying to make you believe something else is a heretic!

just kidding, that‘s like asking what’s the best ice cream.
which is chocolate.

I do think a CR is a good choice for on and off the bike, I have a vintage Brooks to cover that base..

 

[Spiney]

I really wasn’t very specific was I !!! I much prefer traditional/vintage styles and someone here mentioned what type of bike. If ( and it’s currently a big if) I get a bike it’ll be a Ducati Diavel.

 

[Spiney]

there is, of course, only one answer: a two pocket one piece back CR jacket!

everyone trying to make you believe something else is a heretic!

just kidding, that‘s like asking what’s the best ice cream.
which isnt chocolate.

Fixed that.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Welcome to FL Spiney! Hope this is a source of good and occasionally useful information for you, and not just an opprotunity to drain your wallet in needess "excessive" jackets. That does happen here too!

There are many, many choices out there and one thing I suggest is to pick up a jacket (possible a used one first) and get the fit knocked out of the park. That's a little harder than it sounds. Before you get a bike, start breaking in your new jacket, and then consider bikes as well. I have not been riding in several years now, but plenty of members on here do ride.

 

[MrProper]

I haven't ridden a motorcycle for a long time, but when I still did, I wore either a textile motorcycle or normal leather jackets (e.g. Aero CR) within the city. Outside of touring, I wore a protective shirt under leather. The jacket has to be one or two sizes bigger. But I didn't care which leather jacket.
The first question is certainly how important is the protective function to you?

 

[Spiney]

I haven't ridden a motorcycle for a long time, but when I still did, I wore either a textile motorcycle or normal leather jackets (e.g. Aero CR) within the city. Outside of touring, I wore a protective shirt under leather. The jacket has to be one or two sizes bigger. But I didn't care which leather jacket.
The first question is certainly how important is the protective function to you?
View attachment 302847

I’d definitely want armour of some sort. Had it in my last jacket (Richa). That jacket was incredibly uncomfortable, never got any better.

 

[Schambach]

Possibly hearsay around these parts, but I've got a Roland Sands Ronin jacket, that has armor, and is very comfortable, both on and off the bike. It's definitely a warm weather jacket though.

 

[Carlos840]

I’d definitely want armour of some sort. Had it in my last jacket (Richa). That jacket was incredibly uncomfortable, never got any better.

I think that was the exception rather than the rule...
Although i have something like 10 Vanson and 10 LW riding jackets the one i use the most is a $49 Richa:

It is the most comfortable one on the bike, has built in armour, looks kinda cool, and most importanly it is so cheap i really don't care if anything happens to it...
It also has a removable liner which most "nice jackets" don't have.

 

[ProteinNerd]

Possibly hearsay around these parts, but I've got a Roland Sands Ronin jacket, that has armor, and is very comfortable, both on and off the bike. It's definitely a warm weather jacket though.

If you only want 1 jacket to cover both bases, I'd recommend this as well

 

[Edward]

Personally I’ve gone the armoured shirt route which in my case comes from Knox. Over the top I wear whatever jacket meets the days requirements. Have stripped out the armour in jackets that came with it.
Off the scooter I remove the Knox shirt, roll it up and put it under my seat.

That's probably the easiest way to go for a classic look. I've even seen plenty of riding shirt that are kevlar lined, d30 armoured and don't' really seem any bigger when worn like a normal shirt than, well... a normal shirt. Throw on favourite Aero, job done. For something classic looking with the armour in the jacket, there's the Lewis models done with Urban Rider (though not cheap, and only a couple of their 70s style jackets so far). Goldtop seem so far to be about the only mid level (£300-£400) price which have the armour built in as standard.

I do think a CR is a good choice for on and off the bike, I have a vintage Brooks to cover that base..

I keep being weirdly tempted by an Aero Board Racer... I did have a nice cafe racer type but sold it about fifteen years ago because I was never convinced it looked quite right with a collared shirt, which is the bulk of what I wear (I think I have two t-shirts now that I would wear out as an outer- layer, both acquired in the last month - one in a sale, one a Christmas present - after about twelve years since I last did).

 

[OneEyeMan]

Vanson Enfield