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Far North Queensland gets mighty hot & humid throughout the wet season..can anyone recommend
a suitable riding jacket that'll keep you cool?, one that they've tried & proven, with safety in mind ofcourse.

Lots of the boys from the US like mesh jackets, but they're bloody expensive.
So I made one from chicken wire. It's just bloody.
But they don't rust. Just the ticket for Darwin.

your really cheap you know that!!....and I know Darwin...but thats another story!

I use a Vanson perforated leather jacket here in Atlanta, GA in the summer. As long as you can keep moving it is pretty comfortable.

I have an Olympia mesh jacket and pants that I ordered from a BMW shop in Houston. I've had it for 3 years and it's still like new. Great in the summer, great in the winter from Talbingo to Noosa. Some of the best gear I've ever owned.

I have one of the fancy Kevlar mesh jackets from Motoport. Expensive, but it seems more manufacturers are jumping on the Kevlar bandwagon these days, so there are alternatives to Motoport.

The jacket and pants flow a lot of air, no problem.

The rain liner for the jacket is a wasted effort - it goes inside the jacket. The water goes through the mesh, hits the liner and is routed down into your gloves. I plan to use regular rain gear over the mesh in the future.
Another drawback to the Motoport design - you cannot put in the thermal liner without first installing the rain liner.
Both are full sleeve, but that is the way the zippers are set up.
Until I got my new winter coat, I had just been riding with my rain liner and heated vest (too snug to include the thermal liner). It was pretty chilly on the arms at 4:30 in the morning.

I have an Tourmaster Sonora for the hotter days behind the RS fairing. At the slowest speed the breeze can be felt thru the jacket. It's good. Armour is in the usual spots, including the spine.

Hey Steve, my new winter coat is a Tourmaster Epic (closeout - $180).

How are the lower arms on your Sonora? The Epic are quite small. If I were a muscular person I would have to return the coat.
Otherwise it is a great coat.

edit: I should mention, though, that it is a very HEAVY coat, and it probably takes 5 MPH off the top-end of my 250.

justoneoftheguys wrote:Hey Steve, my new winter coat is a Tourmaster Epic (closeout - $180).

How are the lower arms on your Sonora? The Epic are quite small. If I were a muscular person I would have to return the coat.
Otherwise it is a great coat.

I've got a Joe Rocket mesh with perforated leather sleeves, and it's the same way: I can just barely get my arms into the sleeves. It also has snapping straps to make the sleeves tighter. I can't imagine what kind of "Girlie Man" would need to do that. Maybe Prince.

I find the perforated leather to be plenty cool when moving, but it's not nearly as cool at a stop light as mesh sleeves. I'm happy with it, but I seldom go anywhere really hot.

Major Softie wrote:

justoneoftheguys wrote:Hey Steve, my new winter coat is a Tourmaster Epic (closeout - $180).

How are the lower arms on your Sonora? The Epic are quite small. If I were a muscular person I would have to return the coat.
Otherwise it is a great coat.

I've got a Joe Rocket mesh with perforated leather sleeves, and it's the same way: I can just barely get my arms into the sleeves. It also has snapping straps to make the sleeves tighter. I can't imagine what kind of "Girlie Man" would need to do that. Maybe Prince.

I find the perforated leather to be plenty cool when moving, but it's not nearly as cool at a stop light as mesh sleeves. I'm happy with it, but I seldom go anywhere really hot.

I think I got the same Joe Rocket....Keep moving!