Thursday, August 28, 2008

One Year Review -Tour Master Transition Motorcycle Jacket


I've evolved in some ways over the years and have slowly but surely replaced my riding gear from no helmet, to 3/4 helmet, to full face helmet. From shorts to jeans, from tennis shoes to boots, from tank top to leather jacket to the textile "Tourmaster Transition" motorcycle jacket I'm going to discuss today.

Have I become paranoid or just plain ol'wiser? I would vote for the latter rather than the former.

It's been a little more than a year ago since I bought my motorcycle jacket. So it has endured nearly daily riding through all four Pacific Northwest seasons from stifling 100 degree heat, to below freezing and all points in-between. Rain, snow and hail put my new jacket to the test.

I'm happy to report that one test wasn't carried out however and that would be the crash test.

In warm weather, I removed the zip-out liner and opened all the vents. The air circulation was better than my leather jacket but I still found it pretty toasty at temperatures above 80. But then wouldn't any jacket be the same?

With cold weather, I added the liner and it kept my torso warm enough down to about 40 degrees. Adding another layer of clothing like a sweatshirt kept me comfortable enough down to about 29 degrees on short rides. If I had cold weather long distance riding in mind however, I might look for a warmer jacket or add more layers of clothing.

Rain was not a problem for the jacket. It retained water-tightness and everything in my pockets stayed dry.

The zippers still work flawlessly.

So, I've found the Transition jacket to be high quality for the $150.00 price tag and expect it to last many more years to come.

Do you have a particularly good riding jacket? Or one that is so bad that you wouldn't even recommend it to Bin Laden?

Previous Post: "My New Motorcycle Jacket"

TOURMASTER/CORTECH TRANSITION 2 MOTORCYCLE JACKET BLACK/BROWN

Tourmaster Transition Series 2 Silver Motorcycle Jacket

TOURMASTER/CORTECH TRANSITION 2 MOTORCYCLE JACKET WOMEN HIGH VISIBILITY YELLOW

Motorcycle Apparel & Gear at BikeBandit.com!


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5 comments:

Sojourner's Moto Tales said...

Hi Kano,

I own the Transition jacket too and agree with your evaluation. The only small thing I don't like about it, which probably doesn't bother anyone but me, is that I can't get the waist adjusters snug enough, so the jacket fits a bit boxy on me. Other than that, it's a good almost year 'round jacket. My favorite jacket, however, is the FirstGear Kilimanjaro 4.0 jacket. It cost around $300 but it is worth every penny. Nice review!

Lance said...

Thanks for the review Kano - I've been thinking of getting some "real" motorcycle gear, and your review is very helpful!

Baron's Life said...

Hi Kano,
Very good review. Useful info
Seems like an all around good jacket.
Berge

Kano said...

sojourner rides -Thank you for the comment. I've heard good things about the "Kilimanjaro" and will add it to my Christmas list!

lance -Motorcycle gear is important for safety, protection and visability. I've got to admit though, "real motorcycle gear" is something I don't quite have a bunch of either.

baron's life -Yep, it is a good jacket and am really happy with it. I think the $150.00 investment on my part for a jacket that will last at least a life time, was well worth it. There are jackets out there that may be cooler in the heat and warmer in the cold but this jacket was intended to be a jack of all trades, master of none, which is fine by me for the type of riding I do. If I was going to be out riding for more extended periods of time I would go for the Kilimanjaro jacket that "sojourner rides" mentioned in her comment.

Faport International said...

I am willing to introduce motorcycle clothing , made in Leather and Textile.
We are also having a range of accessories like safety jacket and gloves for bikers.