GSBandit6
Junior Member
Just thought I would post my impressions of the new gear I just bought. I bought the Joe Rocket Reactor 2.0 mesh/leather jacket, the Joe Rocket Blaster 2.0 leather pants and Alpinestars SP2 gauntlet gloves.
I'll start with the jacket. I have only had two riding jackets in my recent motorcycling career, this being the second. My first was a Cortech GX Air which is a good jacket in its own right and vents very well. The Reactor jacket vents twice as well. When up to speed, it's almost like not having a jacket on at all. It comes with a windbreaker/rain liner. While I haven't tried it in the rain yet, it seems comparable to my Cortech's liner and that does a great job of cutting the cold on chilly morning and did a great job keeping me dry in the rain. The jacket comes with dual density CE armor in the shoulders and elbows, plus has a spine pad too. Once I got the straps tightened on the arms, I believe the the elbow armor will stay in place in the event of an accident. I really wanted to go all leather, however I will be wearing the jacket all the time on the bike and thought leather on the elbows and shoulders would be a good compromise. I would have to say, it's a very well put together jacket and is very comfortable on the bike. I do have a couple of negatives about it. The sizing runs a little on the big size. I ordered a medium (40-42" chest) which should have fit, but I would estimate this to be more of true 42" jacket so it's about an 1" to 1.5" too big around the chest. Everywhere else it fits perfect. One other minor issue is the zippers can be a tad fussy, but nothing to make be say the jacket is not of good quality.
Now onto the pants. The Blaster 2.0 perforated leather pants are my favorite piece of new gear next to my RF-1000 Shoei helmet. I spent 4 hours in them today and have very high praise for comfort, fit and finish. The pants have armor in the knees and padding in the hips. The knee armor is a little stiff, but I think it will break in with time. The sizing according to the Joe Rocket charts is spot on. If you take a 32" waist get a 32. If you are in between sizes, get the smaller one as there are velcro tabs that will let you adjust to a larger size. The perforations work great as long as you are moving. If you stand around any time at all, you will begin to stew in your own juices. All in all, probably some of the best money I've spent on gear. These also have velcro patches for attaching knee pucks for when you really feel frisky and want to drag body parts.
Finally the Alpinestars SP2 gauntlet gloves. These are exactly what you would expect from A*. Well put together and made from quality leather. I have no doubt, that in the event of a fall my hands will be protected from rash. These have the carbon fiber knuckle protectors and numerous pads. These don't really breathe too well, so I would not recommend them for people in extremely hot climates. Riding in 95F heat makes for some hot hands in stop and go traffic. On the highway and in cooler temps, these are very nice gloves. One word of warning tho, due to the amount of leather on them these take a bit to break in. I still have some comfort issues with the thumb on my right hand, but everywhere else they have broken in nicely.
I know this post is long and rambling, but I wanted to give as accurate a representation of these products as I could. Also a shout out to Cycle Gear where I got the gloves and to New Enough where I got the Joe Rocket stuff. Great customer service in the local store at Cycle Gear and awesome delivery and product info at New Enough. Thanks for taking the time to read these reviews. If I have any updates, or God forbid get to test the crashworthy-ness of the gear I'll post an update.
Thanks again for having one of the most informative sites out there and one of the most welcoming communities too. Ride safe everyone!:thumbup:
- Garrick
I'll start with the jacket. I have only had two riding jackets in my recent motorcycling career, this being the second. My first was a Cortech GX Air which is a good jacket in its own right and vents very well. The Reactor jacket vents twice as well. When up to speed, it's almost like not having a jacket on at all. It comes with a windbreaker/rain liner. While I haven't tried it in the rain yet, it seems comparable to my Cortech's liner and that does a great job of cutting the cold on chilly morning and did a great job keeping me dry in the rain. The jacket comes with dual density CE armor in the shoulders and elbows, plus has a spine pad too. Once I got the straps tightened on the arms, I believe the the elbow armor will stay in place in the event of an accident. I really wanted to go all leather, however I will be wearing the jacket all the time on the bike and thought leather on the elbows and shoulders would be a good compromise. I would have to say, it's a very well put together jacket and is very comfortable on the bike. I do have a couple of negatives about it. The sizing runs a little on the big size. I ordered a medium (40-42" chest) which should have fit, but I would estimate this to be more of true 42" jacket so it's about an 1" to 1.5" too big around the chest. Everywhere else it fits perfect. One other minor issue is the zippers can be a tad fussy, but nothing to make be say the jacket is not of good quality.
Now onto the pants. The Blaster 2.0 perforated leather pants are my favorite piece of new gear next to my RF-1000 Shoei helmet. I spent 4 hours in them today and have very high praise for comfort, fit and finish. The pants have armor in the knees and padding in the hips. The knee armor is a little stiff, but I think it will break in with time. The sizing according to the Joe Rocket charts is spot on. If you take a 32" waist get a 32. If you are in between sizes, get the smaller one as there are velcro tabs that will let you adjust to a larger size. The perforations work great as long as you are moving. If you stand around any time at all, you will begin to stew in your own juices. All in all, probably some of the best money I've spent on gear. These also have velcro patches for attaching knee pucks for when you really feel frisky and want to drag body parts.
Finally the Alpinestars SP2 gauntlet gloves. These are exactly what you would expect from A*. Well put together and made from quality leather. I have no doubt, that in the event of a fall my hands will be protected from rash. These have the carbon fiber knuckle protectors and numerous pads. These don't really breathe too well, so I would not recommend them for people in extremely hot climates. Riding in 95F heat makes for some hot hands in stop and go traffic. On the highway and in cooler temps, these are very nice gloves. One word of warning tho, due to the amount of leather on them these take a bit to break in. I still have some comfort issues with the thumb on my right hand, but everywhere else they have broken in nicely.
I know this post is long and rambling, but I wanted to give as accurate a representation of these products as I could. Also a shout out to Cycle Gear where I got the gloves and to New Enough where I got the Joe Rocket stuff. Great customer service in the local store at Cycle Gear and awesome delivery and product info at New Enough. Thanks for taking the time to read these reviews. If I have any updates, or God forbid get to test the crashworthy-ness of the gear I'll post an update.
Thanks again for having one of the most informative sites out there and one of the most welcoming communities too. Ride safe everyone!:thumbup:
- Garrick
