From Testing Abrasion Resistance To Trying To Look Cool, We Get Hands On To Review Motorcycle Jackets In Order To Help You Pick The Right One For Your Riding Style

Every rider is different and every use case is different so when it comes to finding the perfect motorcycle jacket the goal isn’t trying to find the “best”, it is finding the “right” jacket for your needs. The bad news of course is that with all the options, styles, materials and so on available when shopping for jackets, it takes some real effort to find the right one. At webBikeworld we’ve been reviewing motorcycle jackets for over twenty years so we know a thing or two about getting it right. Read our reviews on the best leather, mesh, textile, adventure jackets and much more below.

Our review process for testing motorcycle jackets normally takes four to six weeks. We will wear a jacket on long rides and short rides (about 10 hours of riding). We are looking for ventilation, comfort and quality while riding. Back in our testing facility (our garage) we will inspect the construction, materials and abrasion resistance as well as look at things like zippers, pockets, vents and all the things that matter from a practicality standpoint.

In terms of types of jackets on the market these days there really are tons to choose from. Leather motorcycle jackets are the traditional choice and the sheer number of recent designs, colors and innovation in leather jackets means they are still the go to choice for most riders who are cruising on a bad boy bike.

I’d Rather Be A Rider for a Minute Than A Spectator for a LifetimeUnknown

From a safety perspective, leather jackets are typically thicker and have superior abrasion resistance to textiles. Textile jackets have advantages too, they are available in many more designs, colors and styles due to the versatility of textiles in manufacturing. Textile jackets are also better in terms of staying dry and well ventilated (important if you mainly ride in warm weather climates where a leather jacket can get hot quickly).

In short, you probably need different jackets for different occasions and uses. Unlike helmets we have found that most of our readers do indeed have multiple jackets, which is why researching the right jacket by diving into our reviews make sense. Don’t settle on a “do it all” jacket and instead find the right jacket for the right situation and consider buying more than one.

Recent Jacket Reviews

Reviews by Jacket Manufacturers

Most riders don’t realize just how many motorcycle jacket brands exist. Over the years we have reviewed a lot of jackets and we can barely keep up with the new ones coming onto the market every year. Below, we have listed all the jacket brands we have tested (and some we haven’t). You can simply click on the link to see all the reviews we have conducted for each brand. We hope this makes finding the right jacket for you a little easier.

Jacket Reviews By Type

The perfect motorcycle jacket means different things to different people. If you’re cruising on a Harley you better be wearing a cool leather jacket. Same goes for the cafe racers out there. For sportbike riders a cool looking (and normally brightly colored) race jacket may be more your style. The good news is that here at webBikeWorld we’ve reviewed them all. Narrow down your search below:

Shopping Now? We Recommend:

webBikeWorld has worked closely with RevZilla over the years to provide our testers with products to review. In addition to being a great site to shop from, they’re also a great partner to work with. Amazon also stocks a big selection other clothes like Motorcycle GlovesMotorcycle Boots and Motorcycle Pants.

RevZilla

Free shipping on orders over $40
30-day no-nonsense return policy
Excellent selection of all major brands
Awesome pricing

Motorcycle Jackets on RevZilla

Amazon

Free shipping (with Amazon Prime)
30-day return policy
Excellent selection
Competitive pricing

Motorcycle Jackets on Amazon

Recent Reviews

In this section you will find all our recent hands on motorcycle jacket reviews

[Review] Richa Airstorm WP Jacket

[REVIEW] REV’IT! Tornado 3 Mesh Jacket

[REVIEW] KLIM Marrakesh Textile Jacket

[REVIEW] Knox Urbane Pro MKII Jacket

[REVIEW] REV’IT Arc Air Mesh Jacket

Gryphon Moto Vancouver Jacket Review

[Review] Mosko Moto Basilisk Adventure Jacket

Alpinestars Andes V3 Drystar Adventure Tourer Jacket Hands On Review

[REVIEW] Aerostich Transit 3.0 Two Piece Suit Review

Sedici Garda Waterproof Jacket Review

Recent Hands On

Motorcycle Jacket Reviews

A High-Visibility Basic Jacket The REV’IT! Horizon HV (High Visibility) jacket is a very nice upgrade from the REV’IT! Energy HV jacket we reviewed in 2011. The Horizon jacket, also available in light gray or black, would be an excellent choice for general four-season use. The major difference between the Horizon and the Energy is the addition …

Sliders “All Season 2” Jacket With Kevlar The Sliders All Season 2 jacket is a very good combination of protection and versatility for comfortable multi-season riding conditions. Compromise. That’s the first thought that comes to mind when I hear the phrase “All Season”. When applied to motorcycle tires, it means they are designed to cope with various …

Rukka “Airway” Jacket Review The Rukka Airway jacket and AirVision pants combo is designed for hot-weather riding. But unlike most mesh motorcycle clothing, this gear is built to take all you can dish out — and then some. The Airway/AirVision outfit is more successful in many ways than the Rukka Armas outfit (review), which is designed for cooler …

AGV Sport Element Vintage Leather Jacket Review The AGV Sport Element Vintage Leather Jacket is a modern take on the classic motorcycle jacket. It features modern touches like double-row stitching, removable CE-rated elbow and shoulder armor and an array of vents and pockets. The fit is nicely tailored and accurately sized. The lining is also very …

Rukka “Armas” Jacket Review The Rukka Armas jacket and pants represent the highest level of technology for motorcycle gear available today. It includes “everything but the kitchen sink”, as the idiom goes. This includes high-tech goodies like Gore-Tex Pro Shell With Armacor, Superfabric, an Outlast liner and the latest iteration of the Gore “Lockout” closure system (report). And …

Castle “Slate” Jacket Review The Castle Slate jacket is inexpensive but it has all the basics, including a Hitena nylon shell, a mid-weight removable liner and shoulder and elbow padding. The generic styling is fine at this price point and the jacket comes in several colors, including this vibrant yellow. The overall construction and quality …

Firstgear Jaunt T2 Jacket Review The newly revised Firstgear Jaunt T2 jacket could very well be the best 3/4-length motorcycle jacket bargain going today. Everyone who has seen it has been impressed, because there’s a lot here for not a lot of money. In fact, it pretty much beats all of our old favorite “cheap” jackets. …

Clover Crossover Airbag Jacket Preview The new 2013 Clover Crossover jacket was announced at the 2012 Intermot show in Cologne, Germany this week. The Crossover is the first three-layer jacket in the world that is equipped with a CE Level 2 (EN 1621-4) airbag back protector. The airbag meets CE Level 2 standards and it …

Joe Rocket Phoenix 5.0 Jacket Review The Joe Rocket Phoenix 5.0 jacket is, as its name implies, the fifth generation of what was once a ground-breaking design. But time has moved on and the Phoenix jacket hasn’t really improved as much as I’d hoped and expected. It still flows a huge amount of air. And …

Alpinestars Cape Town Air Drystar Jacket The Alpinestars Cape Town Air Drystar jacket is both unique and unusual. It’s a 3/4-length jacket but the outer shell is mostly mesh. A Drystar waterproof membrane removable liner is included. The Cape Town Air is very comfortable, with a correct shape and enough adjustments to custom fit anyone. It also …

AGV Sport “Breeze” is Breezy The AGV Sport Breeze jacket is a refreshingly simple and stylish jacket made from very soft and plush-feeling leather. Large sections of the leather are perforated, which gives the jacket excellent ventilation. All-around comfort and light weight make the Breeze a perfect “no polymer” alternative to textile mesh. The AGV …

Hillside Leather Jacket Review I just got back from a trip to the Grand Canyon that is 2,630 miles round trip from Magnolia, Texas. 2,630 miles in 6 days plus an extra day touring the Grand Canyon park — not bad for a 71 year old guy! The Hillside jacket worked as advertised. I rode in temperatures …

Dainese “Aspide” Jacket Review The Dainese Aspide jacket is new for 2012. It is a lighter-weight motorcycle jacket designed to provide good air flow with decent protection and a lot of style. The Aspide is not a mesh jacket, but the special Cordura fabric provides excellent air flow. Protection includes EC Level 1 shoulder and …

Dainese “Air Frame” Jacket Review The Dainese Air Frame jacket is also new for 2012. The Air Frame is a lighter-weight motorcycle jacket designed to provide excellent air flow with protective features and style. It provides maximum air flow due to the type of open-weave mesh used in the jacket shell. The jacket also includes …

Second Take on the BMG Adventure Jacket The British Motorcycle Gear BMG Adventure II jacket is a recent update to the original BMG Adventure jacket (review). The updates include the deletion of the removable sleeves (some originals with removable sleeves are still available). Also included in the Adventure II jacket is the use of new DuPont 2120D Cordura …

We have reviewed dozens and dozens of jackets over the years at WBW so we know a thing or two about which brands our editors love. We also see the analytics on the site too so we know which brands get the most views and attention from our readers. Between consumer interest, our editor’s opinions and generally who we think is really innovating in the jacket space, here are the most popular brands at the moment.

Alpinestars Jackets

Alpinestars Jackets

alpinestars logo

Alpinestars makes technical, high performance protective gear for Motorcycle, Motocross, and Auto Racing and more recently for action sports like Adventure/Touring, Mountain Biking and Cycling.

It all started in 1963 when a leather craftsman by the name of Sante Mazzarolo began creating the first Alpinestars branded products. At that time a new sport called motocross was establishing itself.

Alpinestars makes a massive range of motorcycle jackets from traditional leather motorcycle jackets to lightweight mesh motorcycle jackets and everything in between. Their lightweight mesh jackets have amazing venting and cooling for riders in warm weather while their leather jackets have that cool traditional look and sturdy build quality. There’s a reason Alpinestars tops our list in a lot of categories and their R&D and constant innovation plus reasonable prices and great quality are hard to beat. 

Helpful Links: Read Our Alpinestars Jacket Reviews.

Alpinestars Jackets on Amazon Alpinestars Jackets on RevZilla

Joe Rocket Jackets

Joe Rocket Jacket

Motorcycle gloves find the right balance between comfort, control and protection. It is one thing to have a glove that protects you but it is another to have a glove that protects you AND makes controlling your motorcycle easy. That’s where Joe Rocket gloves excel.

The other area of excellence for Joe Rocket is affordability and price point. Their jackets are a fraction of what you can pay for the same look and feel elsewhere. While there are a lot of copycat brands out there you can’t say that about Joe Rocket with their signature cool looking jackets. We love their leather classic jackets the most, perfect for the cafe racer in you.

Helpful Links: Read Our Joe Rocket Jacket Reviews.

Buy Joe Rocket Jacket on Amazon Buy Joe Rocket Jacket on RevZilla

Klim Motorcycle Jackets

klim motorcycle jackets

Klim Motorcycle Jackets

Klim (pronounced “climb”) is a U.S based designer and manufacturer or cool snowmobile and motorcycle clothing using the same.

Klim is an innovator in the space, focused on designing, developing and manufacturing the most advanced motor sports apparel for the snowmobile and motorcycle rider. Clearly with a focus on snowmobile you know that their motorcycle jackets are going to outperform other brands when it comes to waterproofing breathability, durability and comfort in cold weather. Klim really makes the best all-weather jackets.

Helpful Links: Read Our Klim Jacket Reviews.

Buy Klim Jackets on Amazon Buy Klim Jackets on RevZilla

Dainese Jackets

dainese motorcycle jackets

dainese logo

“Dainese uses innovation and new technology to create protective gear and clothing for motorcycle, bike, equestrian and winter sports” according to the Dainese official website.

Started in 1972 the team there makes not only motorcycle boots but all types of other protective gear (back protectors, gloves, airbags and more). A very focused R&D outfit, Dainese was the first to develop a super cool instant-deployment airbag suit and jacket system – it basically blows up like an inflatable balloon to protect you in a crash.

Dainese does the motorcycle jacket basics really well – from top quality materials, textile and leather jacket choices, top notch protection and loads of choices for any riding style. More than anything else though, we think Dainese jackets are really stylish and look awesome. They look and feel like they are designed by fashionistas who just want riders to look cool. Combine the basics and amazing looks and it is hard to look further than Dainese when buying a quality jacket.

Helpful Links: Read Our Dainese Jacket Reviews.

Buy Dainese Jackets on Amazon Buy Dainese Jackets on RevZilla

Icon Jackets

Icon Motorcycle Jackets

icon motorsports logo

Makers of Helmets, Jackets, Gloves, Pants, Footwear the team at Icon is one of the largest street based protective motorcycle apparel brands in the world.

Founded in 2002, ICON exploded onto the scene with unabashed attitude – maybe that’s why we love them so much. They focus on the modern performance rider who rides in the real world of messed up roads. Their core mission is “protecting riders whenever and however we can, knowing that reckoning day is coming for all of us”.

With a broad set of colors, styles, fits, and functionalities, Icon Jackets are among the most popular in the business. The relative upstart (in motorcycle gear years) knows how to create cool looking jackets with solid functionality and a unique quality. We are big fans.

Helpful Links: Read Our Icon Jacket Reviews.

Buy Icon Jackets on Amazon Buy Icon Jackets on RevZilla

REVIT Jacket

Revit Motorcycle Jackets

REV'IT Logo

With a focus on innovation and well designed motorcycle clothing, REV’IT knows how to make cool clothing and gear.

We’ve often described REV’IT as a company that “gets it”. Their focus on motorcycle gloves shows they know riders really well.  We love for example that most of the gloves are constructed with seasonality in mind, which most riders know make a huge difference.

We love that REVIT makes a wide range of jackets for both men and women. Available at a broad range of price points it is not hard to find a REVIT motorcycle jacket for every riding style, budget and body type out there. REVIT jackets are some of the highest rated by consumers and it is not hard to see why when you consider the amount of R&D and number of years of experience the team at REVIT has. Looking for a motorcycle jacket? Check these guys out.

Helpful Links: Read Our REV’IT Jacket Reviews.

Buy REV’IT Jackets on Amazon Buy REV’IT Jackets on RevZilla

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