Hi Guys, I'm thinking of picking up a good-quality perforated leather jacket, possible Alpinestars or Dainese, for general summer riding and a sport-touring trip I'm planning for August. I typically ride ATGATT, including armored jacket and leather pants. I'm focusing on these two brands at the moment because they both make matching tall-sized pants. I don't mind spending money on top-quality gear if it's going to last. I have experience with Dainese -- my 15-16 year old Dainese jacket fits perfectly and is in great shape. But have never owned Alpinestars gear, other than gloves which have lasted well. Any pros/cons for either Dainese or A*?
I have an alpinestars TZ1 leather jacket that's probably around 8-10 years old or so. It's been a great jacket that I got a great deal on from a local dealer (think around $180). Only issue I've had was the zipper pull finally went a few a years ago (but it's not a big deal). The price was right and the quality seems pretty high. i've done a few slides in it with no issues either :) And best of all, it fits me better than any other jacket I've tried - which is hard for me since I'm on the smaller/thinner side in a world of giants. Not sure where you ride, but leather is still going to be warm. I actually had my eyes on the Alpinestars Indy jacket. It's perforated and the leather is slightly thinner than most jackets (and they have it in white), but I never ended up getting one. Don't think they're made anymore either Of course you can't go wrong with Vanson. I hear Dainese is great too, but never tried in person. I'm all for paying for quality gear, but I don't instantly buy into price alone dictating quality. I usually find great deals on gently used gear.
I too have experience with Vanson. My fully perforated Mark2 Hurricane jacket is the best ventilated style I've owned. I got mine in light reflecting grey. The heavy leather is perforated by hollow punches, which produce circular holes by actually removing material, as opposed to some manufacturers simply piercing the material with large needles, leaving holes that have a tendency to close back over time. Heavy duty zippers complete the package. In addition, most Vanson products are once again produced in the U.S. A friend of mine earlier this week took a tour of the factory and saw real live 'Mercans cutting, sewing, and all the other stuff required to manufacture a product in this country. He said the place smelled pretty good, too.
+1 on Vanson for leather. I'm not sure where the town of friendly is (Philly?), but if it's anywhere near Fall River Mass., it's worth a trip up there to visit their showroom & repair shop. It's located in one of our old classic New England mill buildings & it's an education in cow skin fashions. Plus, you can spend the rest of the day in Battleship Cove on the battleship USS Mass. & several other neat vessels with a lot of history & very large weaponry.
I have Alpinestars GP-M perforated leather jacket. It's perforated on the whole front area and the upper part of the sleeves. BTW, Alpinestars sells one that's also perforated on the back, a GP-R, but it wasn't available when I bought the GP-M. Anyway, for commuting (I live in a tropical country and commute in horrible stop and go trafic) the GP-M is comfortable IF I wear a t-shirt underneath the jacket and change to dress shirt later in the office. If I wear my dress shirt under the jacket, I do that from time to time, it's warm and uncomfortable in a stop and go traffic. For those days, I usually wear my Dainese Air Flo or my Levi's trucker jacket. For weekend rides or long ride, I always wear my perf jacket. Even with a forcefield strap-on back protector, I find it's comfortable although a bit warm.
I own Dainese perforated leather and a 4 season Olympia Touring jacket. The touring jacket is slightly cooler in the heat and water proof so is a better option for the heat and also cold weather, with the liner, as well as touring because of it's adaptability. Love my Dainese leather too but IMO leather gear can't touch good quality textile touring gear in the versatility/comfort category. For touring comfort and adaptability nothing beats a good quality four season touring jacket with a base layer of CoolMax/driWear/underArmor. If your set on leather RS Taichi is another brand to check out.
