3 Awesome Jackets for less than $200

Rev’it Tornado Women’s Jacket (v1); Slim Fit

These women’s motorcycle jackets are on crazy sale at RevZilla right now. I’ve added a few notes for you to see if they’ll fit you the woman rider in your life. If they do, then you’ve just scored a really great deal!

As always, drop me a line if you have questions about sizing or fitment.

1/ Rev’it Tornado Jacket, Euro 40 and 42, now $197.

This jacket is a great 3 season (spring, summer, warm) coat for your sportyish bike, your adv/touring bike and even your cruiser.

My Recommended sizing:

Euro 40 - Chest 42-43”, Waist 41-42”, Hips 43-44

Euro 42 - Chest 44-45”, Waist 42-43”, Hips 44-45

Keep in mind that these numbers are based on measuring your real waist. If you’re not sure how to do this, please watch this video. I know what you’re thinking, the Rev’it Size Chart says otherwise. Let’s just say it’s not perfect. But then again, what is? (okay, Cheesecake. Cheesecake is always perfect).

The Tornado is ideal for slimmer body types and those of you looking for a longer waist and sleeve length. Keep in mind that the liner is removable so always try your linered jackets on with and without the liners to see all the different combos and fitments you might be riding in.

If you’re not sure what to order, think about how snug you like your gear. If you want a very fitted fit and your Chest is 43.75, then order a Euro 42. If you have questions, just let me know!

My friend Sarah in a size small with a 43” Chest, 37.5” Waist, 43” hips. She’s also ~5’2”. Perfect Apple Fit.

2/ OLYMPIA SWITCHBACK 2 now $149

This is another great 2-3 season jacket, but without a thermal liner I’d say that it’s best as a Spring/Summer jacket. Keep in mind that with Olympia your rain liner can be worn outside or over the jacket when it’s raining.

Photo: wikihow.com

The fitment is very, very very generous and I would say that the alpha sizing is oversized. If you generally buy a small, you’ll find it to be a looser small. Especially in the bust, shoulders and hips.

The Switchback is ideal for a very short waist, and generous hips. Think Apple Shape.

For reference, a small fits a woman with a 38” Chest, 34” Waist and 43” Hip. It flares so much at the hips that anyone who needs a very large hip space will fit this jacket (assuming you don’t need a smaller waist as well).

Another great deal right now for the same body type: Cortech for $109. But upgrade the armor with D3O, please!

3/ REV’IT LEVANTE 42 $199.99

My gorgeous friend Alisa (~5’10”) in her Levante (46) Taller Fit.

Another 3 season favorite, like the Tornado above. This one has a slightly different fit in that it has extra long sleeves and torso. Also more cinching and adjustments at the waist, forearms and bicep to make it fit tighter without the liner.

Since only 42 is available, you’ll need at least a 41” chest up to 44”. I’d recommend anywhere from a 42” - 45” waist given the adjustability that it has on each side.

The liner is thermal and waterproof so keep in mind that when it’s out the jacket will fit a half size larger. Given how long the sleeves run, this is ideal for someone who is taller and needs as much length as possible in the torso and sleeves.

I hope these help. If you need specific recommendations, please let me know!

Finding A Dream Jacket

Lynn and Her Husband :D

Last month, I attended the 13th Annual Women's Sportbike Rally. You can find our Event Photos from the West Rally here. 

As some of you may know, I'm also the Marketing Manager for both events on the West Coast and East Coast. This year's West Coast Rally was in Camarillo, CA. 

I met Lynn at check in on Friday night. We chatted about riding gear and how she is having trouble because her body has changed quite a bit and she's been wearing a men's jacket because it's all she could find in her local shops. 

The bottom line is, many women will have to shop online because all the options will NEVER be available to you in a local store. Even in the RevZilla Philly Showroom, I'm unable to stock half the options available because I'm limited to the floor space that I'm given. But for women like Lynn who may need larger, curvier sizes it's even more challenging. Women's motorcycle jackets in larger sizes can be extremely challenging. 

Lynn, on the Left in her men's Scorpion jacket :( 

But I was so happy to show her a couple things that I thought would give her the best options given her riding style and budget. 

Lynn's body type really needed a jacket that was generously fitted through the bust and especially the waist. A fit that you can't find in men's jackets because the hip spaces are nonexistent in most men's jackets. She was also of smaller stature, ~5'5" too which also makes things hard. So I suggested this new Olympia Eve Jacket (just introduced this Spring). 

Olympia Eve, MSRP $179.99. Features a full, removable rain jacket liner that can be worn inside OR outside. Yep, you read that right. 

I don't want to make Lynn's measurements public unless she gives me permission, but I can tell you that they are very very full. And she wouldn't fit a XL in most jackets. But in this one, she's an XL. And that's because of how generously cut this jacket is for women. I didn't have anything with me except a measuring tape so I measured her up and gave her my best recommendation. 

At the price, you get not only a removable rain jacket that can be worn on the outside, but a fully ventilated, mesh jacket for the hottest riding days. The jacket also comes with really good soft CE Certified Armor (Level 2) in the shoulders, elbows and back. It's an incredible value for $179.99. And the best part is how well it fits. 

I was so happy that I literally cried (felt a bit like an idiot standing there crying over a jacket).

But, in my defense, I didn’t think I’d ever have a women’s jacket until I lost all of the weight from my health issues.

It’s silly really, but I feel so much more confident, and so much less like a lop. - Lynn

I'm so happy for you Lynn!! You look amazing in your new jacket! 

And thank you Olympia Motosports for providing curvy, generous options for American Women! You can find additional women's jackets and pants from Olympia via revzilla.com. 

If you're like Lynn and you need help, I hope you'll post a comment here, or message me on social media (@gearchic everywhere). I'm dying to help. 

New Gear for Spring/Summer 2018 from REV'IT

There are so many new products for us this Spring, I'm going to keep this limited to my top 4 favorites. 

If you follow my Instagram feed, you know I practically live in my Gear 2 Leather Pants almost year round. As long as it isn't below 60F, I'll pretty much live in them because they're so comfortable. 

This Spring, Rev'it is updating the Gear 2 with a new name but basically the same pant with a couple nice armor upgrades. 

The new Ignition 3 Pants (right) is pretty much the same pant as it's predecessor, the Gear 2's but with upgraded Level 2 Seeflex Knee Armor and Seesmart Level 1 Hips. Unfortunately this also means a price upgrade to $429 for the pants (previously $399). But worth $29 extra in my opinion for softer and more protective armor. 

The matching Ignition 3 Jacket is pretty much the same as the 2 with the same armor upgrades for elbows and shoulders for $30 more:

Another new pant for us is the Varenne. 

The Varenne is a ladies version of the popular Axis Unisex Waterproof Overpants which are now discontinued. 

These feature full hip to knee full length, two way zippers on each leg for those of you looking for easy commute wear.

Instead of riding in your skinny jeans, tights, shorts, chinos, and anything else that's not worthy of abrasion, check out these overpants. 

They're waterproof all the time and offer Seesoft Level 2 Knees and soft Seesmart Level 1 Hip protectors.  

They're simple, black and easy to wear and less than $200. And as always, available in (some) short and tall sizes for women (and the mens versions too). 

There are quite a few new additions to the rider looking for modern classic leather jackets.

Three new jackets; the Clare, Rosa and Erin offer slightly different leathers, styles and colors. I want to see someone in that gorgeous red Clare.  

Softer Seesoft Level 1 armor is included (except the back) to make them even more comfortable while riding.   

I think this Spring is going to be awfully cool and protected.... 

Clare - Dark Brown

Clare - Red

Clare - Black

Rosa - Black

Erin - Black

Stay tuned for a review of my Rev'it Neptune GoreTex Suit !

Women's Gear Success Story!

dainese_airframe_womens_mesh_jacket

Today I had a really great success story with a woman who needed almost an impossible jacket with longer arms, and a very lean body. 

She also had broader shoulders too which made it even more difficult. Another hurdle was the fact that she was rather tall and long waisted (~5'8") with a very lean build; probably a US 0-2 in the body but US 4-6 for shoulders and sleeve/torso length.

So what to do? After trying on many options, she left happily with the above Dainese Air Frame Women's Jacket, perfect for summer riding weather.  Dainese is a fairly slim brand, but not slim enough when you have to size up 2 times to fit your sleeves and shoulders.

What you don't see in the photo are also 2 key button adjustments; one at the bicep and one at the forearm to taper the sleeves even more. The last piece was adding a heavier back protector to take up quite a bit of volume in the body of the jacket.  I chose the Dainese Manis G1 Back Protector. The result was a better fitting jacket and a perfect sleeve length! This means that she can pretty much go with any Dainese ladies jacket in the same size and have a fairly good result with fitment.

Dainese tends to run narrow and long in the sleeves, but when you're caught outside of even this fitment, sometimes a little creativity needs to be employed for an ideal outcome.