Is mesh gear really any good?

steingar · 03-17-2007, 12:37 PM

I've got a mesh jacket and pants, and I will wear them when it gets toasty. I know leather is better, but I'm really curious if the mesh will do anything in a crash. Anyone with wisdom on th subject? Anyone crash in the stuff?

A.F.T.C.T.T.G. · 03-17-2007, 12:45 PM

I have never crashed a motorcycle(and hope I never do), but I do wear a(free advertisement) Cortech GX-Air jacket. If its anything like the flak vest that I wore when I was downhill bicycle racing, it will help it a point. The fastest I ever went down on my bicycle was about 45mph in a rock garden section at Snowshoe, WV. The mesh held up pretty good, minimal scrapes, but still got really bruised up.
The motorcycle mesh jackets are probably good up to 50mph... and if anyone out there has crash experience in a mesh jacket, please enlighten us all!!!

briflight · 03-17-2007, 3:35 PM

Been down a few times. once in jeans and a sweatshirt, once in jeans and a t-shirt, once in full leathers. I would imagine the mesh would be OK, but it does'nt slide as well(like leather) and I'm guessing by the construction would rip and snag more easily. The armor in my mesh(if you can call it armour) is just foam CE and I cant imagine it will do a whole lot but who knows. I wear my mesh in the summer because I figure it's better than nothing. Bought it 2 yrs ago when I was down south riding the dragon because the leather in 95 deg weather was brutal. Just a thought from hear, and I'm sure most of the protection is all in my head.

KenB · 03-18-2007, 9:15 AM

It mostly depends on the makeup of the mesh and the speed you are traveling when you go down. And remember, most/many mesh jackets do not come with armor so there is no impact protection there. Here's a guide to give you an idea on protection levels.

GhostRider · 03-18-2007, 10:41 AM

I haven't crashed in mesh gear, but I assume mesh gear is way better than no gear at all.

Would you give up some protection in order to be more comfortable? There's no wrong answer, it's a personal choice.

I wear a mesh jacket in really hot weather (which is approx 2wks per year) and I also ride less aggressively in order to compensate. I have found that this works well for me.

michael.biasi · 03-18-2007, 9:40 PM

dont dress for the ride
dress for the wreck
spend as much as you can on the quality not the cool colors or other hoopla
the asphalt hurts alot more coming out than going in
also rivets adn sliders in your leathers are good as you have less of a tendency to grip the road adn flip about like a fish

msalser1000 · 03-18-2007, 10:34 PM

I slid acroos the pavement at 80 in october in a joe rocket phoniex mesh and i looks rough but I didnt get a bit of rash except were my jeans ripped. It is way better than nothing!

SpikedLemon · 03-18-2007, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msalser1000

It is way better than nothing!

That's an understatement!

f1_hurricane · 03-19-2007, 12:10 AM

havent crashed yet but I do rock an Icon Ti-max mesh jacket on the warmer days. Although not too many people here like Icon..personally i love the fit and feel of it.

truff1 · 03-19-2007, 12:39 AM

Nothing but leather no matter how hot it is. Just drink more water!!!!! I'm a gear Nazi, full leathers even to the gas station and back. Been down four times at different speeds. Only one of those times was because of how or what I was doing. I don't trust anyone else on the road, so I trust my leathers!

license2ill · 03-19-2007, 2:02 AM

95% of mc leathers aren't up to par(CE EN13595). "Mesh" is pure trash.

Custom900 · 03-19-2007, 3:06 AM

Mesh is great until you fall.

sheepofblue · 03-19-2007, 9:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michael.biasi

dont dress for the ride
dress for the wreck
spend as much as you can on the quality not the cool colors or other hoopla
the asphalt hurts alot more coming out than going in
also rivets adn sliders in your leathers are good as you have less of a tendency to grip the road adn flip about like a fish

Easy to say in NY but try riding in full leathers for an entire day in the south. Pick your month June, July or August

A short ride yep you can take it but try an eight hour type ride. At the track you have 20 on and 40 off with lots of opportunity to hydrate (though you are working harder at the track) Just something to consider as the 95 day at the Dragon referred to is the norm in summer.

steingar · 03-19-2007, 10:08 AM

Those saying the stuff is no good, what is your basis? Have you crashed in mesh and seen it disintegrate? Or does it just look too flimsy?

license2ill · 03-19-2007, 3:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steingar

Those saying the stuff is no good, what is your basis? Have you crashed in mesh and seen it disintegrate? Or does it just look too flimsy?

Scientific test data of protective performance values, including abrasion resistance, tear resistance, cut resistance, cuff restraint, and impact protection. Even the best of textiles can't hit the mark for comfort zones of whole suits for the minimum requirements of the basic CE guidelines for whole suits/jackets/pants. It's a difference of lastng 0.5 seconds in the abrasion test vs the need of 4 sec in impact zones. The test requirements are based on street speed riding.

steingar · 03-19-2007, 4:52 PM

Wow! Any links or published data? This sounds hugely important, and it also sounds like a lot of bikers are being defrauded to at least a small degree.

Dave213 · 03-19-2007, 6:26 PM

My friend crashed in the Canyons in his mesh jacket. When i saw the rash on his upper arm, I was pretty shocked. He said the mesh from the jacket rubbed against his skin during the crash giving him the rash. It looked pretty bad..... BUT... I'm sure it woulda looked worse w/o the mesh jacket. Maybe if u got a really tight mesh jacket???....

SpikedLemon · 03-19-2007, 9:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by license2ill

95% of mc leathers aren't up to par(CE EN13595)

Mine are MFJ Race quality.
Never even heard of this EN - even tho it was released in 2002. Anyone have a link to the standard?

KJLegend · 03-20-2007, 2:17 AM

Well I am 6' 6" and I am looking at the joe rocket phoenix 4.0 textile in a tall size because i cant afford a nice leather right now and I cant find one in a taller size. Any suggestions are welcome. I think something is better than nothing but yet I am pretty new at this stuff.

Fishboy · 03-23-2007, 5:10 AM

I've seen mesh jackets w/ good armor hold up in -60mph get offs, I even wear one, but ONLY when tooling around town. When I goin' for real in the twisties, only full leathers will do.

briflight · 03-23-2007, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishboy

I've seen mesh jackets w/ good armor hold up in -60mph get offs, I even wear one, but ONLY when tooling around town. When I goin' for real in the twisties, only full leathers will do.

Pickin' up milk is not a spirited ride. I always wear something, no matter if it's a trip around the block or 100's of miles away.

edp · 03-23-2007, 10:22 AM

I wear a Joe Rocket Ballistic mesh jacket here in the tropics where leather would probaby breed mutant fungus on my skin in this heat. I realize the mesh is not perfect but it's a lot better than than the tee shirt worn by the majority of squids here. The hard core sport bike riders here all wear a textile jacket, helmet, boots, and jeans as minimum protection.

x[corwyn] · 03-23-2007, 4:23 PM

The rule of thumb to remember about Mesh and Leather is simple.

Mesh is good for one crash, and one crash only.

Leathers are good for multiple get offs and can be repaired.

That being said, I have used and crashed in Mesh and use it when I ride daily. I also had a Phoenix 2.0 and got tossed down the street when a lady made a left in front of me and the jacket did its job extremely well. The cops were impressed with the jacket as was I.

get one. they are cheap.

license2ill · 03-30-2007, 6:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steingar

Wow! Any links or published data? This sounds hugely important, and it also sounds like a lot of bikers are being defrauded to at least a small degree.

This is true, to a higher level than we'd like to think as well. In fact, the whole issue comes down to assumptions that others know something we don't and have our beest interst in mind. Typically these thigns are marketing and business decisions, so the real protective levels get lost in the process of sales.

I've got a lot of useful links, unfortunately lost my old comp hard drive that had all of them bookmarked for easy access. I need to compile a list again of the useful info sites. Not all of it is cut and dry, most requires bits and pieces from different sources for interpretation. Astars recently came out with some proposals for revisions to the current CE standards which spells out much of the discrepencies, but perspective is the hard part to nail down within the numbers. I'll get back to you as soon as I can compile a decent list or post with stuff that makes sense with bits of info towards those questions and maybe wider issues too. In the meantime, you may want to check some other boards for my postings on gear, there' a lot out there as well, as I;ve tried to hit as any locations as possible over the years with these types of discussions after realizing the disconnect that existed a long time ago.

KenB · 03-30-2007, 6:39 PM

Good to see you license2ill - you still hang out over on sport-touring?

license2ill · 03-30-2007, 6:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpikedLemon

Mine are MFJ Race quality.
Never even heard of this EN - even tho it was released in 2002. Anyone have a link to the standard?

There's lots of info floating around about the "CE standards for motorcylist ppe", just try googling that phrase.

As for the MFJ, do you have any info on that one? I;ve tried to find some stuf, but RS Taichi, the only place I've seen it mentioned was unhelpful in learning about anything about the actual requirements or guidelines.

slickwill · 03-31-2007, 1:13 AM

So I'm tempted to put on some mesh gear, tie a plastic sled to the back of a truck, lay in the sled, and roll out of it at about 45mph. I don't think I have the balls to do it going any faster than that. Anybody want to donate some mesh gear to the experiment? I have a JR Mesh Jacket but I can't afford another one.

Okay so jumping out of the truck would be more realistic but I have to think about my future.

HondaStreetfigh · 03-31-2007, 1:24 AM

I wish I had money to burn cuz that sounds like a fun experiment (from the camera side)

slickwill · 03-31-2007, 1:45 AM

I know it comes across as a little moronic, esp. from someone who plans on spending their life as either a surgeon or E.R. physician, but in all reality I wouldn't even put it close to most of the stuff on Jackass. I think that it would get more attention than the bag of chalk experiment that is often referred to and would give us a decent real world test.