The Evolution riding jacket comes with armor...need to know whether the armor is sewn in or removable.
Thanks! Ralph

 

Removable. It goes in the pockets provided. You can see them on the pictures of the jacket.

https://www.harley-davidson.com/stor...leather-jacket

 

Thanks much!

 

I bought one last January because it does have armor in the elbows and shoulders. I also bought it because it was on the discount rack for less than $250. It is a great jacket, with many features not found in most HD jackets.

 

There is only a pocket at the back for armor but no back armor. You need to purchase it separately from Knox, Dainese or similar company that makes back armor. Check our Revzilla . If you ever end up landing on your back you will want it to prevent possibly ending up a paraplegic.

There are two types of armor, CE level 1 and CE level 2. CE 2 is rated for better protection but is pricier. They have the same thickness, just different more expensive materials, so both should fit your jacket equally well. D3O armor, if you are not familiar with it, is one of the best types, it has unique physical properties that allow it to stay soft and supple but when impacted suddenly turns stiff and protective.

In my crash experience, a jacket will wear through on any pressure point with much weight, like your elbow or shoulder, very, very quickly in a slide. It will be the armor underneath that provides the real abrasion protection. I slid to a stop from 50mph with my right arm under my chest. It's just how I landed and slid. Most of my body weight was on this. There was hardly any damage to the jacket except the forearm/elbow which was worn through the leather to the armor underneath that seemed to take the brunt of the abrasion. No injuries or road rash though except my knee as I was wearing jeans.

 

I have the Evolution jacket, and bought the Harley CE Approved Lightweight Back Armor (which should have been included, but typical MoCo...). I looked for a while for an aftermarket solution for the missing back armor, and really would like to try a D3O piece. However, in looking at D3O armor, I didn't see any pieces that seemed like they matched the shape of the Harley back armor pocket. The link fat_tony posted to Revzilla shows a lot of back pads, but the shapes don't look like the Harley back pad. The Harley pad doesn't have a "t" shape at the top of the armor (you can see the pad in the link I posted). I really don't recall if the jacket's pocket would allow you to put a D3O pad that is for an Icon jacket into the Evolution jacket. I know I tried to use a foam pad from my Cortech mesh jacket, and the Evolution's pocket was too short and narrow. I don't have a ton of shops that stock armor nearby to take the jacket and compare fits, so I could be wrong about D3O pieces and their fitment. Also, the MoCo states only that their armor (both the back pad and the elbow/shoulder pads, which are interchangeable) is "CE Approved", but doesn't indicate what level.

At any rate, the Harley back pad fits, well, like it was made for the jacket. In use, it isn't overtly noticeable when I'm wearing the jacket, though the very bottom of the pad does tend to contact the top of my Corbin backrest, but not to the point of irritation. As I've gotten a bit older and creakier, I realize I don't bounce well and would rather have some help if/when I do end up crashing.

I would really like to try the D3O armor for it's advanced protection capability, and also because it's supposed to be less noticeable when wearing it. It just seems that the D3O stuff is made for Firstgear or Icon jackets, and they don't appear to be the same size/shape of the Harley armor.

 

Back protection armor is available in many levels of quality from many sources. Buy it, cut it to fit the Evolution jacket pocket and you're good to go.

Since the weather is now in cooler temperatures locally, I have both of the liners in place. With them both zipped up, I'm good to go without windshield.

It is an excellent jacket.