xeris

Finally getting around to posting a review of a warm weather moto jacket I purchased in late July.
A little background first. I purchased my Hawk two years ago this November. This is the first bike I've owned since I was a teenager. This is significant because back then "motorcycle gear" meant, at best, gloves and maybe a helmet for dirt riding and sunglasses for the street. So the depth of my gear experience is limited. With that said, I'm very picky about quality, fit and finish when I'm laying down hard earned cash. Another factor is that I'm a difficult fit when it comes to clothing. On-line shopping is a challenge as I don't have an average American physique. I'm 6' 1" tall, and weigh in at 155 on my fat days, (OK, when you stop laughing, that's the same weight as 40 years ago). I measure at 38" chest, 32" from base of neck to wrist, or 25.5" from shoulder seem to wrist. I have included these measurements for a helpful reference. I found when reading dozens of reviews that while the reviewer sometimes stated the size that they wear, it was mostly "I bought a size xx and if fit fine". Not very helpful. The selection of clothing in the two motorcycle stores in my area is very poor at best. So the internet was my only real option.
I was thinking a mesh jacket was what I wanted. However the thought of having a get off with something that looked like heavy duty window screen did bother me some. One major factor in the slection of a jacket was I wanted a simple, poser free styling. This requirement eliminated many of the choices on the market. Also I really wanted just a warm weather jacket. Not multi season thing. I have another jacket that I can layer up under and be fine for the colder times of the year. Rain (what's that?) is not an issue, and if it is I'll get a outer rain suit if it is.

I went full circle in what I was considering. From low end like Power Trip Power shift II (ordered one and sent it back) and
Scorpion Hat Trick Phantom (ordered one of these also and sent it back) to high end models from Dianese, Revit, and Motoport.
After spending long hours (over a couple of months) reading reviews of jackets trying to decipher if the fit will be compatible to my tall, skinny frame I decided that I was going to run out of summer before I ran out of reviews. At this point it came to me that a vented leather jacket needed to be on the list of choices. One with no removable liners, zippers, snaps, and buttons. Simple, protective and hopefully a good fit.

I found this jacket at Motorcycle Gear.
AGV Sport Topanga Perforated Leather Jacket :: MotorcycleGear.com
Muted graphics, no liners, simple venting system, sparse but good reviews. All that for under $200. I ordered one in size 40.
The only real criticism I have is with the sleeve and torso length. It is a little short on me. Someone with a closer to average body shape should be fine. I might have been able to go to a 42. I was going to order one in that size to compare and send back the worst fit. I ended up going for a long ride with the new jacket and got really spattered by bugs, so it was mine to keep now.
This is a very nice jacket. The leather is thick to provide good protection yet is supple enough that it broke in quickly. Quality zippers from YKK. Neoprene lined collar. Small issue when zipped all the way up. There is some pressure on my Adams apple when standing up straight but fine when in the riding position. As the jacket is breaking in that standing pressure is going away. In any case not a deal breaker. The end of the sleeves have nice snaps on a tab in addition to zippers. I wear a gauntlet style glove over the jacket sleeve. The zippered opening is exposed above the glove and provides some air flow up the sleeve. Unless the glove was very thin I don't think that you would be able the wear it under the sleeve. The sleeves are somewhat small in diameter. They fit me fine and the armor doesn't move around, but if you have very muscluar arms this might be an issue.
The stitching, leather grade, overall build quality, cut and fit are, IMO, very good to excellent, especially at this price point.
The shoulder and elbow armor seems good. It's CE rated and hopefully it is the real stuff. The back pad is just that, a foam pad. Same thing that most jackets on the market come with even some of the high end ones. I up-graded with a Klim d30 Viper.
I had to do a little trimming to get it to fit. Very simple with a sharp utility knife. The Viper is thicker that the foam pad and I was worried about it making the fit of the jacket to tight across the chest. It worked out, but I'm not going to ware any but a thin shirt underneath.
Enough pockets to satisfy me. I don't carry a lot and I don't, as yet, travel/tour with the bike.
The biggest surprise and a pleasant one was the difference I experienced in how much better this jacket is in it's lack on air resistance at speed. My other jacket is at least a size too big and really acts like a sail at speed.
Overall I very pleased with the purchase. AGV will be high on my list when I go shopping for the next piece of gear.