Harley Innovator Jacket
 

I’ve come to the conclusion that all things being equal, I’d rather ride with a jacket on, rather than just a T-shirt. Not only will it hurt a lot less if I have armor and material between my skin and the pavement in the event of an off, but it’s just more comfortable not getting sunburned and windburned, and it’s nice to have pockets for phones, keys, and stuff.

I’ve got a bunch of jackets, but nothing great for summer. I have a Klim Latitude and a BMW Rallye 3 which are both great jackets, but they’re both ¾ length, which means they bunch up given the Harley’s riding position (the Klim much more so than the BMW). I’ve got an old Cortech mesh jacket that’s holding together relatively well, but it’s old and kinda ratty, and I can’t find the rain liner. And I’ve got my leather FXRG which is great up to about 80 or so. But it also weighs a ton.

I saw the Innovator at the local shop, and I liked the look. It’s one of the better-looking jackets I’ve seen. I’d considered the FXRG Switchback, but isn’t waterproof, and I can’t get my head around the removable panels (what the hell do you do with them when you take them off? How much air leaks in when it’s all zipped up?) I looked for reviews online, and they’re few and far between for both jackets. Eventually I figured that the Innovator would be the better choice. Apparently I talked about it too much, as I ended up getting one for my birthday.

It’s a really well-constructed jacket. The seams are all even, there are no loose threads, and it feels solid. When I bought my first Harley in 2005 the jackets that were available were billboards, nothing more. This is for-real motorcycle gear. There are lots of reflective bits. The vents have snaps to hold them open. The zippers are the real deal. The pockets are well thought out. The armor’s top-notch. There’s additional material at the contact points. In other words, Harley’s finally gotten serious about their brand-name riding gear. This could easily be an FXRG piece, and it’s arguably the best-looking jacket Harley sells.

The interesting thing to me was the “Triple Vent System”. Supposedly these jackets were wind tunnel-tested with the Rushmore bikes and designed to flow air based on the airflow around the fairings of these bikes.

In a trial by fire, I wore it on a road trip this weekend. Rode 900 miles or so in 90+ degree heat and high humidity on everything from an hour-long traffic jam to highway droning to backroad bombing to relaxed cruising.

The verdict? So close. Oh so very close.

As I said, this is a for-real riding jacket. I’m a Large in every riding jacket I have (other than the ones that have the numerical sizing – which everyone should adopt). The Medium was too short and small, the Large is perfect but for the girth. There are Velcro adjusters at the waist, but nothing to reign in the chest (I’m slim; not the typical Harley rider build). There are also snaps to adjust the girth of the sleeves, but there’s only two options: snapped or unsnapped. The sleeve cuffs have a zipper closure, and the collar has a nice neoprene roll on it for comfort.

So how does it work?

Sadly, not as well as I’d hoped. The hottest it got was 93 degrees, and it was humid. The jacket just doesn’t vent well enough to be used in that heat. The Triple Vent works great, but it’s not enough. There’s great airflow across the lower part of my torso, but again, it’s not enough. With a set of vents at the shoulders it would be fine. But even with the cuffs unzipped, there’s not enough flow through the sleeves to the top part of the chest to make high heat comfortable. And then there’s the color. Black looks great, but c’mon Harley, ColdBlack is a thing and you already have a relationship with Scholler…..Seriously. Make this jacket with ColdBlack and shoulder vents and keep it under $500 and it’s a serious piece of gear.

As it stands, this is a really good jacket. It looks fantastic, and is not terribly uncomfortable into the low-90s. It’s waterproof and is designed around my bike.

You’re close Harley….So, so close.

I bought an Innovator jacket just about a year ago.

Russ, your assessment is dead-nuts on.

It is a fine jacket.

The jacket literally glows in the dark what with all the reflective bits on it.

It's finely constructed. The armor is top shelf. I ordered and installed the CE-approved back armor in mine.

You'll find that it's waterproof, too. If you close all the vents.

:doh:

And it's comfortable to wear until the temps hit the upper 80s.

Above that, one can get mighty warm.

You just can't get enough air to flow through it to negate the heat.

So, I wear my Innovator just about all the time.

I just got a Cortech GX Sport Air 3.0 Mesh Jacket (in yellow) for those really warm days. It replaces my old PowerTrip mesh/textile jacket.

That's the stuff. Don't know why it won't embed.

Ken, I was actually wondering how it worked on the older bikes. I used the back armor from my FXRG and it fit perfectly. And I also have a Cortech GX Sport Air 4.0 Mesh Jacket on its way from Revzilla.

The sun and dehydration of riding the deserts out here in the West is why I wear long sleeve shirts over my tee's. Keeps the sun off and some moisture in.

My old FXRG (first gen?) jacket I could wear up to about 80°, it did have very good venting, but if I got into stop and go, I would take it off.

But alas, the zipper failed, the more heavy duty plastic one they used, and I can't find a place around my area that can get a zipper installed / replaced. Even several dealers have not idea or refuse to help of where to send it to...

So now I have a Fox creek grayson and I see they now make a vented jacket that is closer to the FXRG venting.

Now if Harley would install some brass zips in the innovator, that would be good, the plastic just doesn't hold up well.

I've been wearing that jacket for about a year now and love it. I did'nt think to see if it was waterprrof. But hey.

Good write up Russ :thumbsup:

I have yet to find a jacket that I can wear during the months of June-September here in Texas without nearly suffering a heat stroke. Harley made a few mesh ones that I tried over the years but they were poorly made and didn't offer good protection. That Innovator looks to be about as good as they have done to date. I might pick one up if they put them on sale or send me a coupon in the next couple of months.

Thanks for the good write up Russ. I to, have been searching for a light weight riding jacket suitable for hot weather. I haven't found it yet.

Russ, it works fine on the older bikes.

I just adjust the upper fairing extenders to force the air up under my arms. The vents in the jacket catch that air just fine.

The Clearview shield with a vent that I'm running helps a little, too. It helps to pull the air, kinda like when you crack a window open on your car with the AC on while at speed.

Make sense?

And that Cortech I got? Closeout from Revzilla. 32% off. In XL.

I look like some sorta Pwr Rngr in that jacket, more so when I'm wearin' the yrllr hat too........

They were out of my size in the 3.0.

Has anyone looked at the "New Arrival" "Mecca" textile / mesh jacket? For summer riding.

Might have to check one out next weekend when I'm up in Reno.

I will also look into / at the "Innovator".


Maybe between the two I could ditch some weight and loss of space on the bike.

Doubles as a prayer rug AND has the handy built in explosives pockets :D



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You forgot the compass functions...

Looked at one the other day at the dealer, only had 2 XL as largest sizes, must be Asian sized, but are made in Bangladesh, so probably aptly named...


I asked the clothing counter if they had any larger sizes of the "new" Mecca mesh riding jacket.


They didn't have a clue to what jacket I was talking about, had to lead them over to it so they could check for stock, no luck, all they had was hanging.