I need to get a new jacket for winter use and wanted to see what everyone thought. I live in Georgia and am currently riding about 2 hours each way a couple times a week. I currently have a mesh jacket with hydropilot liner which keeps me warm when its cold, but i dont like wearing it with the liner because it is not as comfortable and feels puffy. I really want a leather jacket, but since it tends to rain alot in Ga i think a textile might be the way to go. I know there is no perfect jacket for all conditions, but i need something that i can be warm in on long rides with a not to thick liner in, but also use as a run around jacket if at all possible. I would prefer leather cause i like the way it looks more, and was thinking maybe just get a rain jacket to bring with me for long rides. Would a perforated or semi perforated jacket with a zip out liner be warm enough to use for winter riding? Im looking to spend 100-200 at most, so most leather is limited to closeouts, plus the less i spend the more i can put towards warmer gloves. Heres the ones im currently looking at: The Hammer is the main leather one i am looking at.
http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/hot+deals/weekly+specials/shift_streetfighter+ss+waterproof+jacket#
http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/hot+deals/hot+deals+-+sport/shift_vendetta+leather+jacket
http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/hot+deals/hot+deals+-+sport/shift_sr-1+competition+grade+leather+jacket
http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/hot+deals/hot+deals+-+sport/firstgear_hammer+leather+jacket+-+blue#
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/39/9457/CITEM/Fieldsheer-Bullet-Tex-Jacket-Closeouts.aspx
http://www.newenough.com/protective_apparel/textile_jackets_and_pants/cortech_by_tour_master/fsx_series_2_textile_motorcycle_jacket.html
http://www.newenough.com/protective_apparel/textile_jackets_and_pants/alpinestars/motogp_assen_textile_motorcycle_jacket.html
I live in south GA, and find that a perforated leather jacket with "insulated" vest liner is not warm enough. The wind comes right through. So I got a non-perforated leather (with insulated liner) for winter riding.
A perforated jacket might work if the liner will hold the wind back.
Unless you spend a lot (your whole budget or more) on the rain cover, leather plus rain can really, really suck, especially at the 2-hour point. At the 4 hour point it made me spend more on a gore-tex suit than I spent on my bike...
What's covering your butt? You'll lose a bunch of heat through your legs too, and a bunch of skin if you ever come off and Levi Strauss (et al - jeans) is your butt-covering option.
You may have to mail-order to get it down-south, but if you are concerned with thickness .vs. warmth, Damn Yankees have been loving polypropylene long underwear since it came out. Fleece too. On the other hand, if it's cold out and you're going to hop on the bike for a two-hour ride, not feeling at least a bit like the Michelin man may well mean being very cold by the end of it.
iv got some feildsheer 4 season mesh overpants with hydropilot liner to keep my legs warm. i usually wear that with pants underneath and without the liner to keep my legs warm. they work pretty well right now, so hopefully they will keep me warm till iv got the funds for regular textile or leather overpants.
Fleece under a lined leather is good down to the freezing mark. When it gets cold I don't want anything perforated. A t-shirt, fleece, then a lined leather is great unless it rains, then you need a cheap rain suit over that. I have long johns too but I haven't resorted to plastic underwear. Not a bad idea though. Warm and wet is no biggie, but cold and wet sucks. I live in NY so when I buy a leather jacket I get one big enough so I can wear 2-3 layers underneath if I need to and I keep the cheap rain suit in my tank bag, especially this time of year.
Good luck finding the right jacket. Riding is so much better when you're comfortable.
Sappy I was looking for about the same thing you are about 5 months ago. I have had a leather jacket for ever but the damn thing was just too hot in the summer months. I wanted something safe, comfortable, rain resistant, cool, and yellow. Now that last requirement severely limited my choices. Yellow gear is not very prevalent.
So I found this http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/39/9473/CITEM/Fieldsheer-Aqua-Sport-Jacket-Closeouts.aspx and I can't tell you how satisfied I am with it. It has all the protective amenities and pockets and vents. Adjustable sleeves and waste. It comes with a liner that I immediately took out and never thought twice about because this was supposed to be for warm weather only! Last week we had a cold snap here in NJ (47 Degrees) so on a whim I put the liner in just to see how it would perform and was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable and warm it was. The liner goes all the way down the sleeve to the end of the cuff, it has pockets in the liner, (very nice seeing how all the other normal pockets are covered by the liner), and is easy to insert or remove. The zippers are heavy duty well constructed plastic and don't do that annoying snag on the inner flap thing either! Now I know you can by better protective jackets but for the money I don't think you could go wrong with this one. I totally forgot I had a leather jacket for cold weather and plan on wearing this Fieldsheer all winter.
You didn't mention pants but I have the matching pants http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/40/22272/ITEM/Fieldsheer-Mercury-2-0-Pants.aspx (bought at 1/2 this listed price!) and have been extremely happy with them also. They come with a liner but I have never used it. I wear these to work everyday and I wear docker style pants underneath. They have a very rugged heavy duty plastic zipper that goes all the way up to your hip for easy in and out access. All the protective padding, pockets, vents are there.
Hope this helps and also there is a gear review on the wikipedia page that TooGoofy317 started you might want to check out. I probably need to post all this information there eventually.
keep your jacket and buy a heated vest. worth the money and very toasty.
I'm selling a Drystar suit, if you want something that's easier and more waterproof than a jacket and pants. A little more than you're looking to spend, but a one-stop solution.