Summer Motorcycle Jacket – Why You Need One

The Importance of Having a Summer Motorcycle Jacket

Before we get to talking about why you need a summer motorcycle jacket, lets talk about why you need a jacket at all. I’m a big supporter of the ATGATT idea. ATGATT means All the Gear, All the Time. This means you wear your gear, all the time. Self explanatory I hope. Anyways, that being said, I really see wearing safety gear while riding as the smart choice, the only choice.

Anything else would tag you as a squid in my book. As a note, I don’t define squids by what they wear. I define squids based on the actions and decisions they make while on two wheels. The decision to be completely unprotected from road rash inducing asphalt is a stupid decision, a squid decision. So cool, you have a jacket. But is it a summer motorcycle jacket? What’s the difference anyways?

The Difference Between Motorcycle Jackets

Motorcycle Jackets can be broken down into many many sub groups. The most common difference being the materials they are made out of. The most protective and abrasion resistant material would be leather. This is why motorcycle racing track suits are made of leather. Then come the textile, or mesh materials. There are dozens of

different proprietary blends of abrasion resistant materials used in mesh and textile jackets. Each brand has their own name for the material they use and create, but they can all be categorized under textile or mesh materials. Additionally, leather jackets can be split into yet another two categories: perforated and non-perforated. Perforated leather jackets have tiny holes in the leather material that allow air to flow through the jacket for a cooling effect. These jackets are great for early summer riding, spring and fall riding. They are not ideal for winter riding unless used with other layers, or the provided thermal liner. For winter and colder seasons, a full non-perforated leather jacket is ideal as it blocks cold air, and keeps the warm air between your body and jacket right where it needs to be. Naturally, a mesh or textile jacket will flow much more air, making them a very good choice for hotter seasons.

Why Not Just Wear Leather All the Time?

So if leather offers the most protection, we should just use it all the time right? Ideally, yes. I try to wear leather 100% of the time. However, depending on your geographic location, it may be way too hot to wear leather on certain days in certain seasons. This is why having a summer motorcycle jacket is important.

I advise buying a mesh or textile jacket to complement your leather jacket, and vice versa. It’s no use to have a full leather jacket, if you’re not even going to wear it when its 110° F outside. On more than a few occasions during my earlier riding days, I’ve said, “Man, it’s way too hot, I’m just going to squid it.”  And I did just that. I’d rock a t-shirt and ride around town. Very stupid of me, very squidish.  Having a mesh or textile summer motorcycle jacket can make a huge difference. It’s the middle ground between full protection and no protection at all. The problem with leather jackets is, while they offer the most protection, some users simply don’t wear them because it’s too hot. It’s much better to have at least a decent level of protection with a mesh jacket, than neglecting it completely with a t-shirt. Having the option of a cooler jacket will likely prevent you from making the mistake of riding without a proper jacket simply because it’s too hot. The best part? most textile and mesh summer motorcycle jackets are very inexpensive. So if you don’t already have a dedicated summer motorcycle jacket, get one before it’s too hot.

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