Recommendation for a Touring Jacket

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mimico_polak

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Hope you guys had a fun time on the Algonquin Park Ride! I went up on Saturday and had a freaking blast! Except the fact I figured out my jacket blows in the cold weather!
I'm just waiting for some new gloves to arrive, and am now looking for a touring jacket for the cooler weather. I've currently got an Icon Contra (with liner it's ok), and a JR perforated leather jacket, but I find neither is a good cold weather option. I put on the yellow banana rain suit over my Icon jacket and it did definitely help so maybe a jacket that goes OVER my gear may be an option?

EDIT: or would a heated vest be an option to look into? Batter powered or direct connection to the bike's electrical system?

And if you have one for sale (size S/M) then please let me know!

Thanks!
 
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I got a Scorpion XDR Commander last year fairly cheap in the States. I think it might have been old stock. It is nice and toasty. I think Sturgess in Hamilton sells them, but at the Canadaian price.
 
Lyndsay said:
I got a Scorpion XDR Commander last year fairly cheap in the States. I think it might have been old stock. It is nice and toasty. I think Sturgess in Hamilton sells them, but at the Canadaian price.
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Does this jacket have a warm liner or do you put it on top of another jacket? Thanks.
 
Personally I dont wear a true touring jacket, relying on layering under a good 3-in-1 jacket, even for long multi-day trips.

I will warn though that a common problem with many 3-in-1 and 'vest'-based solutions is that while the body is toasty, your arms usually aren't and you still feel freezing. This is typical of jackets with leather or heavy material used for construction of the body and ligher, textile or mesh used on arm portions.

Look for a jacket that has an outer shell that offers consistent material across arms and body, stopping the wind from penetrating through the outer shell.
 
ICON Patrol Waterproof jacket. It is textile all throughout the torso and sleeves, with its insulated layer being long sleeve also. It's truely waterproof (not water resistant) and I swear once you have all the zippers closed, it's pretty wind proof as well. I've ridden in sub zero temp with it and it's pretty toasty from your own body temp. I do wear a turtle neck undernearth, plus another thin layer.

One thing I've learned to stay warm is not about the thickness of your layer under the jacket. It's all about multiple layers, even when they are thin layers. I don't ever wear thick fleece.
 
I have the Teknic Freeway jacket, which (if you close the vents) is highly water resistant/perhaps waterproof, and particularly warm with its liner installed.

http://www.teknicgear.com/freeway-jacket/

It goes for around $499, in the mid range for jackets, but well worth it. For some reason the version shown on the Teknic site doesn't look the same as mine, perhaps I have a 2011 model, but I absolutely vouch for it.

I've ridden through a few heavy downpours and not a drop got through it. I've ridden with it through hot and cold temperatures without issue, and didn't even need my heated jacket liner that I used with my old A* leather jacket during the winter. Keep in mind that due to its waterproof nature, you may find it a bit hot & sticky on days where it's say, 25C+ out there; I used my mesh jacket on those days just for the added comfort.
 
Try the Olympia Airglide 3 Mesh Tech jacket, my three season solution: http://olympiamotosports.com/catalog/mesh-tech/mens-airglide-3-mesh-tech-jacket/

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A 3 in 1, it flows lots of air for summer riding, keeps me toasty in spring and fall. I got mine at Snow City last year on sale for $230.00. Oakville Yamaha also carries Olympia.
 
Heated gear is great, jackets beat vests for warmth. You can find good touring stuff on closeout if you get lucky on size and aren"t too picky on colour etc. If you are looking for a ghetto solution, a basic dollar store nylon shell/hoody under any jacket will keep you warm. Just don't use a water proof/resistant one so it can breath.....and yes, layers are your friend.
 
ViperZ said:
Does this jacket have a warm liner or do you put it on top of another jacket? Thanks.
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Viper, it has two liners that can be removed so you can adjust to different temperatures. It also has a large pouch that you can stick the liners in, in the event that you wish to change mid-stream so to speak and don't have anything to carry them in. It also has a removeable neck portion which I use on the really cold days.
Edit: http://shopping.scorpionusa.com/C55...ackets&sc_id=C9315B511A3E43A1B0F7634AA6012CA2
 
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I'm not a fan of jackets that have a zip-in waterproof liner. Although the liner might keep you dry, you're still wearing a wet/heavy outer jacket after it rains.

IMHO, Either a waterproof exterior, or rain gear over top of the jacket, is the best route.
 
My XDR Commander is two seasons old. I use it for my longdistance touring plus spring and fall rides. It is warm and completely waterproof. Once I road under torrential rain from Pennsylvania all the way back home and it kept me toasty and dry.
 
TekNinja81 said:
I have the Teknic Freeway jacket, which (if you close the vents) is highly water resistant/perhaps waterproof, and particularly warm with its liner installed.

http://www.teknicgear.com/freeway-jacket/

It goes for around $499, in the mid range for jackets, but well worth it. For some reason the version shown on the Teknic site doesn't look the same as mine, perhaps I have a 2011 model, but I absolutely vouch for it.

I've ridden through a few heavy downpours and not a drop got through it. I've ridden with it through hot and cold temperatures without issue, and didn't even need my heated jacket liner that I used with my old A* leather jacket during the winter. Keep in mind that due to its waterproof nature, you may find it a bit hot & sticky on days where it's say, 25C+ out there; I used my mesh jacket on those days just for the added comfort.
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I have the same jacket (2012 version), works pretty well. Gets toasty above 30C, but most jackets do. Keeps me warm down to about 5C. I've put about 25k km on mine without any issues so far. I really like that the waterproof membrane is built into the jacket so you don't have two separate liners for it. As with any touring jacket, there are lots of pockets which are great. Don't know how I did without them.

A couple very minor complaints, the jacket gets cold very quick without the liner, 20C and below I'll put the liner in. Also the inner material sticks to your skin when you sweat, but it's not that bad.

Royal Distributing used to have them on clearance, don't know if they still do. I paid ~$300 from RD and got the matching pants for ~$140 from them as well.
 
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I got a tourmaster transition 3.0
Its a bargin for the price & it has good reviews

Sent from my phone using my paws
 
My first jacket was a no name piece of junk for under $100. You get what you pay for….most of the time.

I say most, because this is my current jacket. It can be had for $135. I have had it for 3 years now and it looks as good as the day I bought it, quite seriously. I ride between 15-25k yearly. I would buy this thing again in a heartbeat, if simply for value. I have been in downpours and stayed dry (mostly anyway, after a couple of hrs it starts to let some in) and with the liners and a fleece top, last year I rode home from work in 25f and wasn't cold. It has been said that this jacket does 80% of what really expensive jackets do and that you would have to easily spend 3-5 times the cost to get the rest of that 20%.

Yes Klim stuff is expensive, relly expensive for their top of the line stuff but the stuff is nearly bombproof from what I have read. You can however spend what I consider a normal amount of $ to get into Klim if you wanted to, of course all your padding is extra with that one. Goretex in motorcycle clothing is quite the debated issue, some swear by it to keep the elements out, some hate the fact that you sweat and get soaked from the inside out defeating the purpose of the stuff to begin with. Is it better to go with something that breathes better and get rain gear? Lots of info out there about the pros and cons of both. You'll have to decide for yourself.

I find the bike you ride to be another factor. If I ride the ST1300 with ample wind/element protection, I can easily get into the 20's with what I have. If I ride the Strom, I would be cold after a few minutes without some heated gear. If I were on a CBR250 and wanted to ride almost all year round, I would definitely be adding some heated gear. In fact the Gerbings heated vest in on my wish list already.
 
My current jacket is a 3 in 1. It was very hard to find one that fit me properly. While it's not bad if i had to do it again I would just get the best mesh jacket out there and I would buy a beater waterproof breathable jacket that fit on top. Something thats 20k/20k can be found for under $100. Much more versatile that waterproof motorcycle jackets.
 
Got an alpinestars scout jacket. Has an awesome liner thats lines the arms as well as the outer shell being waterproof. Has a cool neck warmer and lots of pockets.
Retail is almost 500 but can be had on ebay for 200-300.
Would definately recommend

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