Review: Joe Rocket Ballistic 4.0 Sport Textile jacket

[zleviticus]

Ok i bought one of these for the upcoming winter season and here are my thoughts.

The sizing is a little bigger than with my Phoenix Mesh jacket..

I liek the jkacket thus far. It rides a little low and I find that I need to pull the back of the jacket down to "sit" on the jacket to keep it from riding up when i ride. I also had to take out the rear armor because it was riding up and pushing my helmet forward (need to figure out why.) As far as comfort I ahve been riding in low 40's and sweating in the mornings. I take the liner out and is a littel warm in the afternoons when in the 60s.. the jacket does have vents and they do work quite well.. but the issue I had with them is that it caused the jacket to poof out when at speed and some times felt more like a parachute instead of a jacket.

would I recommend it probably.. i still need more time in the saddle with it to make a definate conclusion but all in all with the little quirks I am happy thus far... next will be full leathers baby.. but I do not think they make leathers in super fat butt sizes..

[Katgirl]

I actually have the same jacket and had a few of the same problems, especially with the armor in the back riding up and hitting my helmet.
I also found that the shoulder protection was big enough that it was difficult for me to look over my shoulder because my helmet would hit there.
My bf suggested a crotch strap to hold the jacket in place

[ghelper]

My bf suggested a crotch strap to hold the jacket in place

sound like that might hurt

[tzortn]

My bf suggested a crotch strap to hold the jacket in place

sound like that might hurt

But if it was done right it could make for an interesting ride.

[Owlman]

I had the JR Meteor 4 Textile jacket. Very comfortable and felt well protected, but I also found that it poofed up when the vents were open. My JR jacket was yellow and the black was starting to bleed trough (manufacturing defect) on the sleeves and pockets. JR was awesome about this and I was refunded in full the amount I paid for by my dealer (bought in April 04). JR even called the dealer to let them know I would be coming in for a refund. Great customer service. Note to all: Don't buy a yellow textile jacket - all other colors are fine.

Since then (two weeks ago) I upgraded to the JR GPX 2 piece leather riding suit. Got an awesome deal - under 600 CDN. I have found a noticeable difference when riding at highway speeds. I seem to be able to cut through the wind and I don't feel any drag even with the 2 small vents open on the sleeves. The drawback is that it's not as warm at this time of year as an insulated textile jacket. I bought the suit to fit snug and cannot put on too many layers for warmth, so I guess this means I'll have to go out and get another textile jacket (not yellow ) for the colder days coming up. Oh, well, you can never have too many accessories can you?

[duff daddy]

how did that jacket go for the cold months z???

[SweetLou]

Hey Z, I had that problem with the Armor Riding up and puching on my Helmet too. Just took a bit to break in, and after that, it was all good. You may just want to give it some time, and make sure that the waist is properly tightend. (I imagine that it has one of those waist traps, if not, then no worries)

[duff daddy]

dj was bout that prob when we hung out that day, he took the back protector out and said that it help a lil cuz it was pushing hte back ofh is helmet up, i never had that issue but he said it was quite annoying

[zleviticus]

i took the armor out of the back and opened the zipper up at the bottom so it would not bunch up ..much better.. and warm in the winter.

[Fast Glass]

I've got one of the older Joe Rocket Ballistic textile jackets. I bought it around '96 or '97. To keep it from riding up I attach it to my pants with the rear zipper. Jacket is well vented, and the removable liner is nice for the colder nights. Never had a problem with the yellow bleeding either. Nice jacket for the price.