I am looking around for a new riding jacket for the summer. I would like some armor seeing as I am a newer rider. I am from GA so breath ability would be nice to. I was curious if anyone had any suggestions.

 

There are lots of mesh jackets, including some from H-D. The idea with mesh is to let the air flow through the material, which they do very well. These provide good ventilation in hot weather and a good degree of protection from the sun. Riders who wear only tee shirts aren't cooler than those in flow through jackets. In fact, they are usually warmer and sun burnt. Also, as you noted they have no abrasion or impact protection. Many of the flow through jackets can support armor.
Whatever jacket you prefer, you'll want to have some clothing on under the jacket so you can wet that clothing down. You'll find the flow through jacket will allow the under garments to dry out fairly quickly. There are special cooling vests made which will retain dampness longer but they require several minutes to re-charge by soaking in water.

As for my personal preference, I like the Cortech DSX denim jacket. It has lots of pockets (which provide easy access for lots of water being poured through to reach the under garment) and comes with a great liner for riding in weather down to around 50 degrees with proper layering. It just doesn't provide rain resistance in cold weather, so you'll need to pack a good rain suit. But this jacket has armor and is substantial in construction and material. It is also very reasonably priced, if you look around.

Whatever you wear, be prepared to sweat in warm weather. In fact, that's one of the advantages of dousing yourself, including your head: you get to rinse off some of the sweat. But, hey, we're bikers, and don't expect or want air conditioning.
Finally, I have an 07 RK, as my latest of 4 bikes. It has over 24K on it. I'm retired and have put on lots of miles over the years. I think a helmet and riding jacket with armor is very wise, along with abrasion resistant riding jeans or other pants or leathers. No matter how "new" you are.
Good luck and enjoy the riding experience.

 

i have the river road yuma..the liner sucks but can be used..i usually carry liner from other jacket.. i do like the jacket and use it all the time..fits the cruiser look i wanted..good for 60(w/thermal top) to 90(w/t-shirt) F..foam pad on back/elbows and shoulders

 

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...sh-Jacket.aspx

 

another jacket choice: fieldsheer..
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...sh-Jacket.aspx

 

1-for the most protection the pads should be CE rated and i believe neither of the above are CE.
2-also jackets are to fit as tight as possible...i do not like that because then it just does not feel or look right.
3-jacket should have adjustments on arms so pads do not rotate..
* for me it ended as a compromise..i wanted a cruiser look..not heavy..and something i would wear at a reasonable price..and provided some protection...the harley FXRG jackets are nice but a bit heavy for summer and many harley jackets lack back protection.

 

Joe Rocket model Phoenix works for me. Black mesh is the only color for me, but be colorful if you prefer. The liner is a light, very tightly woven jacket that is windproof. I carry the liner in a saddlebag for cool weather. So, you can use either jacket independently, or combine them. The armor is ce rated and pretty comfortable. The only negative is that the large back armor will get a little hot and sticky in the warmest weather.

You can start out on a cool morning and have four different options as the weather and your needs change during the day.

Enjoy the ride.

 

I've got a Tourmaster Sabre Series II jacket. It has removable armour and also a removable liner. I like it.

http://www.tourmaster.com/xcart/prod...ctid=242&cat=3

 

check out newenough.com

 

Mesh jackets are awesome. They breath as if you have no jacket on at all and as said above they protect you from the sun beating on your skin. I can feel the breeze blowing through the mesh even when stopped at a stop light. When you're at speed it's as if in a tshirt.

My Tourmaster mesh jacket has full armor and I swear by it in summer.