Joe Rocket Blaster 4.0 Jacket
So you want to look cool and be safe right? That's easy to come by these days, leaving you with yet another choice to make. Most often, the best riding gear is constructed of leather; actually it's better at enduring a crash. But textiles garments are coming up strong on the market and in some forms such as 1000 denier Cordura [1] occasionally surpass abrasion fail testing when compared to leather. And of course textile wears more comfortably, that is, until you break in that leather jacket. Then you have a friend for life. Now you have a choice to make. But leather jackets look much cooler!
Joe Rocket, touted as America's leading motorcycle apparel brand, operates in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and makes motorcycling gear that even the champions wear. Their motto being “Champions Ride Rocket” shows their dedication to superior build quality and strong branding efforts. Sponsoring riders like Miguel Duhamel and Kane “Insane” Friesen, and co-branding riding and casual apparel for nearly every major OEM – at least the Big 4. Joe Rocket has a glove, jacket, pant, backpack or helmet for everyone, even you.
Surely you've noticed us wearing some new gear in the past few stories on Motorcycle.com, and after just a few weeks of testing, we can tell you that the Joe Rocket Blaster 4.0 jacket you'd seen in the latest Can-AM Spyder review is their new options in perforated leather jackets. It's a good piece of riding kit that's comfy and has style. And it smells like leather, yum!
Cut to fit the sportbike scene, both literally and figuratively, this ventilated jacket suits well for both the street as well as the track, complete with two pant-joining zippers and full armor. The 8-inch zipper for pant attachment is designed to keep the draft off your back and the jacket in place in the event of a tumble in the street. The second, 360-degree zipper is designed for mating to matching leather pants for more aggressive riding, making for a track-safe two-piece suit. The longer zipper is only available on the perforated model of the Blaster 4.0 by the way.
The Blaster 4.0 is constructed of 1.2 to 1.4 mm cowhide, and available as a perforated or non-perforated jacket. Both models are designed and cut to include a windproof ventilation layer they call Full Flex™ – a tough, yet flow friendly material that runs along the anterior of the arm and into the armpits. Each sleeve has Dual Density Armor placed into pockets in the elbows and shoulders. This material helps to create an instantly comfortable worn-in feeling from the first time you put on the jacket, removing the bulk of full or perforated leather piling up in your elbow and armpits.
The backs of each arm, as well as the entire back panel, are un-perfed for better crash protection. Beneath the solid leather back panel is a removable spine pad with a pocket designed to accommodate an optional C.E. spine protector - the right choice if you choose to wear this jacket to the track.
The non-perforated version of the Blaster 4.0 comes with a removable insulated vest liner, making for a fine three-season jacket. However, the perforated version does not, keeping it purely for hot weather riding.
To create a custom fit, the jacket is adjustable at the waist – cinched with fold-over Sure-Fit(tm) leather and Velcro straps – as well as inside the elbow with elastic and snaplinks to help prevent jacket's sleeve material from flapping at high speeds. For what I consider normal sized forearms (probably because they're mine) the sleeve cinchers are snug at the widest position, so they're only useful if you have scrawny forearms.
Sizing for this particular jacket is spot on. An American size 44 fits a 44 suit coat wearer perfectly. The Blaster 4.0 comes in sizes 40 to 56 in a variety of color combinations and retails for $349.99 to $369.99 USD.
Footnote:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle_safety_clothing
More by Alfonse Palaima
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