Vega Nitro Mesh Riding Jacket

Last year, just prior to attending the MSF Instructor prep course, I decided to purchase a summer weight riding jacket because I knew I'd need one for the class and I wanted a good armored jacket to wear once certified. I spent some time looking over web sites that cater to the rider as well as some of the manufacturers of these jackets. Like most here, I was on a pretty tight budget ($150 for a summer weight armored jacket seemed reasonable) and couldn't see spending a really grotesque amount for a jacket! Add to that, I was also forking out the better part of $350 for a 10K checkup on the Bike-A-Lounger so I really needed to keep the costs down.

As I was loitering around Bob Schultz's shop (http://www.bobschultzmotorcycles.com/) I meandered over to the jackets to peruse the wares they had displayed there. One nice thing about Bob Shultz is that it isn't a one brand store. You can buy a Harley or a Honda. A Kawasaki or a Suzuki. A Sea-Doo or a Yamaha. Along with that, Bob carries gear for street or dirt riding. Point is, while there was a good selection of Harley branded leather (too hot for a Missouri summer and too costly for a father of four), there was also a pretty fair selection of other brands. That's when I spotted the Nitro mesh jacket from Vega (http://www.vegahelmet.com/mesh_jacket.html).

I looked it over carefully since I was pretty sure it was going to be inspected pretty thoroughly at the prep class and it had the basics in place. CE armour at the elbows and shoulders that is heat moldable as you wear it, back and chest protection and all of this was removable. The mesh material is pretty tough stuff and there is a removable liner for the cooler days of spring and fall. The jacket adjusts in all the right spots like the waist, the arms, the wrists and the neck. It is very comfortable despite its heavy weight and it comes down in the back far enough to keep your underwear from showing (pretty important stuff when you're my age). The didn't have one in my size so I had to order one. It took two days and when it arrived it was in a nice, clear zippered bag on an very heavy hanger. Nice touch.

With the liner removed the jacket breathes quite nicely and will actually keep you quite cool even on the hottest days (yes...provided you're moving). I found this to be quite nice since the only color they had available in house was black (though I found out after the fact that I could have ordered grey/silver). Put the liner in and you're ready for cool weather riding. Add a long sleeve shirt and you can get along nicely for some of the colder weather, but, remember, this is a mesh jacket and air does flow through it!

As for protection, as I stated earlier, it has armor for the chest, back, shoulders and elbows as well as some retroreflective material. While I personally have not had the opportunity to test it 'on the street', my son has. He was wearing his the day he went down on highway 94. He only slid about 20 feet but he was doing around 45 when it happened. When all was done the jacket had done its job and Jeromy had nay a scratch on him that was covered by the jacket. The jacket itself showed some signs of abrasion but it is still serviceable (though the same cannot be said about the bike) and is still a viable option for protection from the road.

All in all, for less than $90 you can get great protection from the harsh realities of sun and asphalt/concrete abrasions, a good fit and pretty good looks. As for my friends at the MSF instructor prep class, two of them ordered the same jacket once I told them the price!

Nitro jacket by Vega

CE armor molds itself to your shape