dont know if its a crappy jacket or not,but i seen one at the local harley dealer that you can wear as a jacket and then you can remove the arms and its a vest,think it was about what you want to spend on one,,good luck with your search,

 

 

I have a Lil Joe's Leather (LJL) jacket, if you are looking for a great quality, customer service....I recommend Mike at Lil Joe's Leather. If I were to put a vest over the jacket then I would go with a cheap vest over a quality jacket.

 

I got a really nice $300 wilson jacket on ebay for $100. I bet you could find a nice vest for cheap if you kept at it. Then you could have both on a budget.

 

While this might seem like a good idea - you won't find out it was the wrong one until its too late. I recall reading a test of leather roadrace suits that looked great and had all the do dads on them to make any boy racer happy but when they went down things fell apart.............I mean that literally. Some of them burned through but most of them have the stitches fail and the seams exposed body parts to the pavement whereas the quality brands such as Vanson, Bates, etc could withstand muliple crashes without failure.


Then the choice is clear, no comparison the FOx Creek jacket will beat Pakitani leather all day long for a decent price and will last for ages or until you get too fat for it. LOL Their vests are just as good, I bought one to go over my FXRG jacket and had I done it the other way around I'd probably get a FC jacket too - FXRG is nice but the FC is better made with better leather.

That said, being in a warmish climate and since you plan to wear the vest often, if you use the vest with a fleece jacket it does surprsingly well in cooler weather, if its cool but not cold a mesh jacket under the vest is just the right combo or put a wind proof liner under the mesh jacket with the vest over it and its good for most conditions that aren't actually COLD.

I'd get the jacket now and the vest in the spring though.

 

Just got a thick/heavy/soft leather jacket by Texportusa with a removable "thinsulate" liner for $179. Zipper vents all over for warmer weather. Looks to be built to last.

 

There are deer everywhere right now. I'm getting in the truck and running one down right now. I'll make my own jacket with a deer head helmet and all! Free!

 

I know, I know...Pakistani crap...Blah, blah, blah.

I'm on my 2nd year with this jacket.
http://www.leatherup.com/p/Mens-Moto...ets/52139.html

I couldn't be happier. I got into it for under $200 delivered (keep an eye out for e-coupons. I scored a 20%off). I tried on the FXRG (which I lusted over heavily but couldnt justify the $700) for sizing and it was spot on. It's a high quality jacket and sturdy as hell. The only thing you have to lose is the shipping cost if you try it and decide it's not for you. The FXRG has a few more bells and whistles (kidney belt etc...) but in terms of leather and workmanship I'd say it's pretty comparable

My vest and chaps came from a local leather shop

http://us1leather.com/

They will alter anything they make or custom make you anything you want. They custom fit anything off the shelf as well. Nice people and they attend most of the big rallys. Super high quality

 

Exactly. A good jacket is protective gear. It may save your hide. A good vest is a fashion accessory. It will make you feel like you look cool.

 

I love my leather jacket from Leatherup.com. It is heavy naked American cowhide. It is essentially a copy of a Fox Creek jacket that costs 3 times as much. See photos. Yes, I realize it is sewn in Pakistan (although the leather is US) but the H-D jackets are sewn in China, so what does it matter.

I also got a great leather vest, chaps and boots from Leatherup. All good quality at a great price. I could have afforded to pay 3 times as much for H-D gear but just couldn't figure out why I would want to. (I'm not big on having everything say H-D, except my bike)