Jackets with areo hump

Hey guys,
I'm looking to buy a riding jacket and found one I like; however, it has one of those aerodynamic humps on the back. I don't know if that is necassary, will it be annoying, will it get in the way of a passenger, and will I look like a hunch back?
Thanks

 

They are pretty useless and foolish on the street. Find a good leather repair shop to remove it.

 

Do you even know why they put those things on jackets? 90% of people believe they are for aerodynamic aid, which is completely incorrect. Thier sole function on a jacket is to keep your head from snapping back & breaking your neck in a crash. Try one on in a shop and try to tilt your head back. It won't go far.

Who cares if you look like a hunch back? Protecting yourself in a crash is worth far more than what people think of they way you look. If you want a pink jacket with green stripes, as long as it protects you who cares what the rest of us think? I never, ever ride with a passenger so I really don't know it will get in the way of a passenger.

KC-10 FE out...
lane:

 

I know why they are on the leathers. And they are useless and foolish on the street. They will drive you nuts dragging on the back of your helmet all day long. It's a bunch of extra weight tugging at your neck and shoulders.
You can endure a lot of uncomfortable stuff for a 20 minute race that you would not tolerate on the street. Try full leathers, armour, chest/back protector, earplugs, hump, lowered clipons and rearsets and ride in a full tuck on the street. You won't do it long. We do it on the track 5 or six times a day once a month while racing.
Also, what works for safety at the track won't protect you as well on the street. Why do I state that? Because on the track, you don't have curbs, poles, oncoming traffic. cars/trucks and all those other wonderfull things to get smashed by. What protects me in an 80 MPH lowside on the track won't be very effective in a 20 MPH t-bone by some left turning idiot. It isn't the speed of the crash that hurts as much as the deceleration pulse.

 

Umm, I've done 8 hours rides with my JR Speedmaster jacket. It doesn't drag on my helmet or get in the way at all. If you ride on the track like you say, you should know more than most about protective gear.

Just to ride to a restaurant, I will wear:
jacket based on outside temp, I have 3
gloves based on temp
boots
Icon Timax pants or jeans with armor underneath
earplug (90% of the time)
helmet, I wear my helmet riding around the block after I wash my bike.

When it comes to protective gear, if you don't know what you're talking about, plese don't talk at all. All motorcyclists need good advice when it comes to this subject, yours is not.

KC-10 FE out...
lane:

 

Thanks KC for pointing out that gear no matter what is just that gear. There's no wrong gear, it's what ever works for you. As far as the hump goes I have it on one of my jackets and does not get in the way ever. Hard to believe that the manufacturers would make something like this where it wouldn't work. there's a point to your comment that track is different than street ride I agree. but no gear is way worse than having what you say gear that doesn't work for you Yea right hmm let me think now leather jacket must mean leather sleeves and body too, so if I hear you right having this jacket wouldn't be in my best interest huh?
I say get the jacket if you like it. it's your jacket no one else's and yes the hump is cool too, for me it doesn't matter. I wear what the job is asking of me..

 

Funny how the EXPERTS on everything motorcycle whom claim to choose their gear based on safety and "to hell with style" are also the same that ride bright yellow VFRs-surely that had nothing to do with style! Come on, that hump is not offering any protection in an accident-it's about looking like a GP wanna-be.

 

Yea right, I agree with the trickle down effect of looking like a GP racer, but ask your self why the have em, Ah.... thats right it's for style points. LOL

 

Apparently, my point has been missed entirely. I said the "Aero" hump is there for a reason. The other guy said to have it removed. My point was why on earth would you remove a prefectly good safety feature from a brand new jacket? That simply doesn't make sense. I never said that you shouldn't ride unless your jacket has this feature. As RVFR pointed out, no respectable manufacturer would knowingly add a feature to a safety product that didn't work or would get in the way.

I also never claimed to base my gear only on safety appeal. If I did, I would wear plain black full leathers, my USAF steel toe & shank boots (which I get for free), plain black gloves, plain black pants, etc everytime I ride my bike. Safety is first & foremost on all my gear purchases but I will not buy fugly crap.

I've seen up close in person what happens when you do or don't wear proper protective gear. In SC, I actually had to call a guy's wife to tell her that her husband was in an ambulance with road rash from ankle to shoulder on his right side. That guy had 11 individual breaks in 8 bones. He was wearing: a $500 Shoei Helmet, Levi's, a t shirt & running shoes. If he had been wearing proper motorcycling apparrel, he would have walked away with nothing more than hurt pride and a damaged bike. My wife went down on the Dragon last Sept wearing almost $1000 in protective equipment. She had a bruise the size of a quarter and a broken finger nail. After she stood up and realized she was not hurt AT ALL, the first thing she said to me was "Now I know why you insist on me wearing all this stuff". Then we rode 60 miles back to the hotel. In FL, I witnessed an individual die in front of my eyes from wearing a crap soup bowl helmet. He died of massive brain trauma and I watched it happen, from the initial crash into the median to the body being loaded in the meat wagon. I was several cars/bikes behind & one of the first on the scene. The paramedics said he never had a chance. If this person would have chosen a Shoei or Arai or Suomy or HJC or Z1R or ANY good helmet, he probably would still be alive today.

As far as being an expert... I've been riding for almost 20 years. This year, I'm being trained by the USAF to be a MSF rider coach. I think that does in fact qualify me as an expert on motorcyling. They would have chosen another individual if I wasn't.:blah:

As far as owning a yellow VFR, yellow is my favorite color & the VFR is my favorite bike. Sounds like a no-brainer to me. Seems pretty silly to question why I ride a VFR on a VFR web site.

KC-10 FE out...
lane:

 

Buy a Vanson! Don't be a humper!ound: Just kidding...

Truly what people think about your gear is about as important as if they think your girl is hot...Doesn't F'ing matter. As long as it protects you above all else.

I wear Fieldshear synthetic pants with pads etc.. that my friends have dubbed "the diaper" kills me every time,, but I still wear them happily the ass pad is a savior after 300 miles... you can be Quasimodo!:yo:

 

Thanks for all the great advice, I don't mind spending the money on a good jacket as long as it is functional, comfortable, and carries a certain amount of style. There are just so many choices it is hard to choose just one jacket.

 

LOL then don't..... get two. This Coming for one that has four jackets, two one piece, 3 sets of boots and god knows how many gloves, but only one helmet :biggrin:

 

RVFR has a great point, you're probably going to need more than one of everything, especially if you ride year round.

As far as quality goes, off the rack there is nothing better than Vanson. I'm sure there are companies out there that make custom-fit-to-you jackets but you'll pay probably $1000 for one. Vanson's are pricey but they are of phenomenal quality. My only complaint is everything they make is boring black.

With almost all the European companies, AlpineStars, Dainese, Hein Gericke, etc you'll find the products run small. Nothing wrong with the products, just run a little small. I have small hands so I find AStars gloves fit me the best from the scores that are available. I'm actively phasing out all my gloves and going entirely to AS. I ride year round so I have 5 pairs.

For boots, you'll not find a better street boot than Sidi. They also run small but I am amazed at how comfortable they are. I've yet to hear even a single person not like their Sidi boots, not one.

Most Icon products fit slightly large, to go with the stuntaz look that Icon aligns itself with. They make awesome jackets, every single one I looked at is top shelf, just make sure you try it on first. They used to make a pant called the TiMax. I got a pair on close-out from Dennis Kirk for $60. I couldn't pass up that deal. The knee armour is slightly annoying when WALKING but you never know its there when RIDING. My wife loves Icon gloves, she says they fit her perfect.

Joe Rocket seems to have struck the precarious balance of offering a GOOD product at a GREAT price, in other words, you really can't beat them for value. I got my Speedmaster Jacket for like $335. I've had it for 5 years & it still looks brand new. Try to find a better jacket for that money & I'll bet you can't. You can certainly find a better product. You can certainly find a cheaper product. You'll be hard pressed to find a better value. About the only thing I would say against JR is to stay away from their bargain basement items. I had one of the original Phoenix jackets. It was a POS but it was the only mesh jacket I could find in Sumter, SC. It has since been replaced by an Icon TiMax mesh.

What dollar figure are you wanting to spend? That will give me a much better idea of what to recommend. If you want specific model recommendations, send me a private message & I'l be more than happy to give you some pointers. In case you can't tell, I am a fanatic when it comes to protective apparrel & I hate to see someone get bad advice. I've seen too many people hurt because they didn't want to spend the cash on a quality product. I've also seen what happens when you do wear quality stuff. I walked away from my ONLY street crash in 20 years with out even so much as a bruise because I was wearing top-shelf German riding gear. My wife walked away with a broken fingernail because she was wearing top shelf gear as well.

KC-10 FE out...
lane:

 

To the EXPERT on the yellow VFR, You make good points. You're Just very arrogant in doing so. You can't go wrong with JOE ROCKET!!!

 

And yellow VFR missed my point entirely, also. The guy liked the jacket, but didn't like the hump. So if the jacket is a good deal, remove the hump.
I'm a subscriber to ATGATT. I've got 2 one piece, 3 two piece suits and several other sets of riding gear depending on weather, mood and ride. I've got 4 sets gloves and 3 pairs boots and 4 helmets. Since I ride year round and in all weather. (We race in the rain, we're not NASCAR.) I've got gear for all conditions.
Funny thing about gear, some of the real expensive stuff has a bad reputation around here coming apart and not protecting well. Some of the inexpensive stuff has been very crash worthy. Do some research before you plink down your hard earned cash.

(You won't go wrong with Vanson on the street, in MY opinion.)
You don't see it much in the US but I like Frank Thomas and Knox. A-stars and AXO make great boots and gloves.
Helmets are like starting an oil thread!

6, 2 and even, over and out.

 

Really? I've probably got the similar Speedmaster jacket as you (4-5 years old or so). Doesn't seem like it would provide any protection to my neck. Interesting info though.