Gear Patrol - 5 Best Motorcycle Jackets

[Grayland]

Some of you may subscribe to Gear Patrol. They did a small write up on motorcycle jackets that may be of interest.

http://gearpatrol.com/2015/01/07/hi...d&utm_campaign=Feed:+gearpatrol+(Gear+Patrol)

 

[ProteinNerd]

LOL what timing, I picked up the Roland Sands Ronin Jacket (in Tobacco as pictured) reviewed here just 2 days ago....I love it.

 

[Stearmen]

As much as I hate to admit it, the Perfecto style jackets are still the best for riding! They knew what they were doing back then.

 

[rocketeer]

As much as I hate to admit it, the Perfecto style jackets are still the best for riding! They knew what they were doing back then.

Yes a great style, but I could never get on with the small pocket on the front. And the name of the jacket is not bad either. Nothing wrong with Roland Sands, ex bike racer etc, but what were Spidi thinking DIRTY SEVEN! I would be embarrassed to even ask for that.

 

[Damo]

LOL what timing, I picked up the Roland Sands Ronin Jacket (in Tobacco as pictured) reviewed here just 2 days ago....I love it.

What are your thoughts on the ronin??? Compared quality to vanson, aero, lost worlds etc.. Fit?? I've liked that jacket for a while. Thx

 

[Meerkat]

Some of you may subscribe to Gear Patrol. They did a small write up on motorcycle jackets that may be of interest.

http://gearpatrol.com/2015/01/07/hi...d&utm_campaign=Feed:+gearpatrol+(Gear+Patrol)

I suppose they would be nice posey jackets to pop down to pub in.......and as for the suggestion to wear denim jeans as a fashion accessory tsk tsk

 

[Edward]

Is there a version of this article with photos of the jackets? I'm only getting a very limited, text only blog type thing that doesn't look like it's the proper site. Am I missing the formatting or something?

 

[DougC]

I had the same problem with the pictures on my phone; cleared up when I used the computer. The pictures at the top of the article are in order...for what its worth.

 

[IXL]

I don't know about the other jackets on this list but I've handled the Icon and am of the opinion it wouldn't survive a light tricycle crash in one's driveway. Up close, it looked and felt quite cheap.
The Roland Sands design sure looks good!

 

[2wheelgrplr]

What are your thoughts on the ronin??? Compared quality to vanson, aero, lost worlds etc.. Fit?? I've liked that jacket for a while. Thx

I bought the Ronin some time ago but the fit was a bit off for me, medium was too small and large was just a bit too big, so it now resides in my brother's closet. It's a nice enough riding jacket, stylish and with option to add armor, same with some of the others I've checked out - the Pagnol, the Icon and the Revit - I liked the quality and fit of the Revit the best. The Pagnol is good quality stuff too, but I found it a bit too close-fitting, definitely not much layering underneath it. Wasn't as impressed with the Icon's quality as with the others.

Now, when you compare these to similar stuff from the likes of Vanson, Aero, Lost Worlds, etc. there's a definite difference. Firstly, Vanson, Aero, LW are usually much more substantial, thicker heavier-weight leather, stiff initially, requires breaking-in, and most come without armor options. RSD/Revit/Icon et al jackets are lighter weight, thinner leather and easier to wear from the get-go, many of these guys come standard with armor (usually elbow & shoulder, and pocket for optional back armor) and have stuff like nice mesh lining, zip out liner for colder weather, etc. (Vanson Model B and some others come with zip out liners too, but most LW, Aero, etc. don't seem to offer this option - not a deal breaker in my book).

I like my hard-core Vanson, LW, Aero, etc., often wearing armored undershirt underneath them. However, I like my Revit, Segura (French brand along the same lines) and others of the ilk too and happily wear them as well. But if I had to decide between the two types I'd stick to the Vanson/Aero/LW bunch. Hope this is helpful.

 

[2wheelgrplr]

What are your thoughts on the ronin??? Compared quality to vanson, aero, lost worlds etc.. Fit?? I've liked that jacket for a while. Thx

I bought the Ronin some time ago but the fit was a bit off for me, medium was too small and large was just a bit too big, so it now resides in my brother's closet. It's a nice enough riding jacket, stylish and with option to add armor, same with some of the others I've checked out - the Pagnol, the Icon and the Revit - I liked the quality and fit of the Revit the best. The Pagnol is good quality stuff too, but I found it a bit too close-fitting, definitely not much layering underneath it. Wasn't as impressed with the Icon's quality as with the others.

Now, when you compare these to similar stuff from the likes of Vanson, Aero, Lost Worlds, etc. there's a definite difference. Firstly, Vanson, Aero, LW are usually much more substantial, thicker heavier-weight leather, stiff initially, requires breaking-in, and most come without armor options. RSD/Revit/Icon et al jackets are lighter weight, thinner leather and easier to wear from the get-go, many of these guys come standard with armor (usually elbow & shoulder, and pocket for optional back armor) and have stuff like nice mesh lining, zip out liner for colder weather, etc. (Vanson Model B and some others come with zip out liners too, but most LW, Aero, etc. don't seem to offer this option - not a deal breaker in my book).

I like my hard-core Vanson, LW, Aero, etc., often wearing armored undershirt underneath them. However, I like my Revit, Segura (French brand along the same lines) and others of the ilk too and happily wear them as well. But if I had to decide between the two types I'd stick to the Vanson/Aero/LW bunch. Hope this is helpful.

 

[Damo]

2wheel.
What colour Ronin did you get? I may be interested in it if you'd like for it to find a good home...

 

[2wheelgrplr]

2wheel.
What colour Ronin did you get? I may be interested in it if you'd like for it to find a good home...

Wish I could bro, but sadly this jacket is now halfway round the world in the high mountains of South Asia. I had picked up the two tone oxblood/black colored one. My brother got a big kick seeing Roland Sands wearing this same color-combo Ronin while test-riding the new BMW RnineT in videos and magazines last year.

 

[ProteinNerd]

What are your thoughts on the ronin??? Compared quality to vanson, aero, lost worlds etc.. Fit?? I've liked that jacket for a while. Thx

I've only handled Aero's, Alexander Leathers and Diamond Dave jackets so thats all I can compare too.
The leather is thinner and much softer to the touch on the Roland Sands, its a completely different feel, not as heavy but it is still substantial, no need to break in at all. The waxed finish on the RS is nice though. It feels a lot like some of the Belstaff leather jackets that I have tried on with that slightly waxy feel to it.

It does seem to be sized fairly large. I'm normally about a 40 in jackets, the RS in a medium WITH the armour (shoulder, elbow and back) fits well on the shoulders but slightly large in the chest and body....I would definitely NOT call it a slim cut (or a thurston bros cut lol), just an average cut. I may get the waist taken in a little in a few months. I tried the size down but that was tight even without the armour inserts and a little short in the sleeves so the sizes seem to jump fairly significantly.

I was a little concerned about all the seems in a crash but reviews have been pretty positive....hopefully I'll never know first hand.
I really like the styling and the colour (can't believe I've bought another brown jacket!)
It has a lot of pockets, 2 of them actually surprisingly large which is something that the Aero's etc simply can't match. I find these very useful when on the bike...the more the better.

As far as I know, you need to buy the specific RS armour to fit the inserts but they are made by forcefield so they are pretty good quality.

Its not a track jacket and its not supposed to be. I think its a great jacket for someone that wants to take their bike out, but not look like a power ranger when they get there.

 

[msrtex]

Taken with a grain of salt. Some of these reviews are written after one day with the garment, if that.