The tourmaster Epic and Transition jackets are nice and the price is cheap but they seem to skimp on abrasion protection with the materials they use (polyester), I guess to get to a lower price point. Only issue is I need to use this on the highway so require better abrasion resistance. Tourmaster would probably be OK at city speeds but I'm not sure it would stand up on the the highway. From what I have read 500 denier polyester only has about 10% of the abrasion resistance of 1000 denier Dupont Cordura or 1.3mm leather, which are rated as having equivalent abrasion resistance. Want something that has similar protection to leather and don't mind paying a little extra to get it. Can't seem to find any jackets made with materials like this though under the $300 price point.


I've been going by this chart.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/attac...4&d=1091074243

Basically I want something that will flow air like a mesh jacket in the summer with mesh panel vents on the front and back, and a removable, warm, fully sleeved, insulating liner and a removable GoreTex wind water liner for in between temps and rain and an outer shell that would stand up to pavement at ~70-80mph.

 

I've heard AS make good stuff and they get top reviews for protection in the magazines but they don't seem to bother to put good venting in them for hot weather.

 

+1 on the Olympia. But Olympia, FirstGear and Tourmaster all make gear that works (yes, even for LD rides). It needs to fit properly to function well and be comfortable. Layering with fleece can help a lot. Have you thought about using electrics (eg FirstGear, Gerbings, Warm and Safe) for your really cold rides?

 

Going with the Olympia (in silver gray) because of better venting and abrasion resistance although it was more than I originally wanted to spend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO23VAQlZ90

As suggested may get a heated liner too if it gets too cold in the late fall. Suggestions on liners?

 

Schott! Forget the HD jackets. They're made by preteen chinese slaves.

 

I watched the video. It looks to be a well thought out design, If I were looking for another textile jacket I'd give it a look. Although I'm not crazy about the color options. For that matter I'm not crazy about the options on ANY of the non-Harley textile jackets. WTF, can't they offer a orange/black jacket or does Harley have some kind of patent on that color combination?, (they seem to have a patent on everything else). The Olympia Moto-X is listed for $429 on their website. I don't need the fancy hydro hose and bottle set-up, a 16oz bottle of water fits nicely between windshield and headlight on my RK. Never had it bounce out. I wouldn't want to pay extra for the water hydration set-up.