I am relatively new to riding and wanting to get a leather jacket. I have these two picked out and not sure which to purchase (Alpinestars GP Plus R Perforated Jacket & ICON OVERLORD PRIME HERO JACKET)? Any suggestions.....
I ride a '06 919 looking to commute to work daily.
If you are looking to commute daily, what weather will you primarily deal with? What is your budget? If you need one jacket to do a lot of things, a leather jacket is not the way to go.
I really like my GP Plus. I have the earlier version. Here in Pennsylvania the weather gets hot and humid in the summer, so the perforated jacket is great for that. A good leather jacket should last you a life time, granted it doesn't sustain heavy damage in a fall.
Personally I find alpinestars gear to be a higher quality. With that being said. I have a nice full leather jacket from alpinestar. I also have a winter jacket from icon.
Leather in 95o weather isn't that bad. Leather in 45o weather sucks.
I've been eyeing that A* jacket too but it's a warm, dry weather only jacket. I have a non perforated leather jacket with a zip-in insulated liner and it's handled the winter (dry) weather just fine if I wear something around my neck. It's acceptable now but some summer duds would be welcome.
I just bought a new non-perf version of the GP , and I love it so far. It fits really, really well and feels like much more money than it costs. I know it's summertime, and I ride in the desert, but I hate being cold much more than being hot, so no perf is the version for me.
If you intend on doing any kind of riding in the rain for your commute you really should look more at touring jackets instead of leathers. The leathers don't like getting wet to much.
Forgot to add: I have an older icon perforated leather jacket that I absolutely love. Wasn't cheap at the time but well worth the investment.
Some icon lines are just cheap stuff riding the icon brand so be sure to check internet reviews.
I should mention that both of these jackets also have the zipper for the pants, and I've used both jackets with the set of pants I also picked up. It sure is more comfy riding with an extra layer on the legs, even in the heat!
Man, you must have quite the dilemma when picking riding gear then, haha.
I have a black leather perforated GP- Plus and an SMX Air Flo jacket
GP Plus:
SMX Air Flo:
The Air Flo I got from some guy for $200 when I think it was worth $600 or something back when it was new. Unfortunately, it's a bit big on me. It does have a thermal, water proof lining on it, which is very nice.
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