Motoport / Cycleport Kevlar Air Mesh Jacket

Vegan friendly jackets are not particularly hard to come by these days with almost all motorcycle apparel manufacturers including at least 1 fully textile/synthetic jacket.

In the past I have had jackets from Joe Rocket which were quite comfortable and did the job nicely. However, I never tested one against the road. After conducting a fair amount of research into the types of textiles used in motorcycle jackets, it was apparent that most brands were using some form of Cordura and branding it within their own marketing sphere. Cordura is a durable material – however, it seems many manufacturers are not using a strong enough weight. 500 Denier is the minimum which should be used in motorcycle apparel, and this is probably not going to be enough in a high speed slide.

This is when I decided to try the Motoport “Air Mesh Kevlar Jacket”. I ordered my jacket at the same time I ordered my Kevlar gloves. The process was painless, as I gave my measurements over the phone and let the person on the other end decide which size was suitable. I opted out of the optional “aero-tex” liner (which makes the jacket waterproof and a whole lot warmer) as I could not afford the extra $100.

After receiving the jacket and inspecting, it was apparent that this was going to offer far more protection than an ordinary mesh jacket. The shell feels resilient – not that this is any evidence that it IS. The jacket is well protected – with back, shoulder, elbow and ribcage armour.

I currently reside in Florida, so I need a mesh jacket. While wearing the jacket in late summer, it was still around 32 Deg C (90 F) which meant while sitting at lights it was still quite hot in the jacket. Once you are moving the airflows freely through the jacket and keeps you jackets which I have owned, you don’t have to be David Copperfield to remove the shoulder and elbow padding.

My only quips with the jacket is that it does not seem as fitted as my other street-style jackets (personal preference) and that it does not have a belt loop to secure to whatever pants you’re wearing. Still I paid the money because I believe it will offer me superior protection.