icon timax2 mesh jacket

I am looking to pick up one of these jackets, because I am very happy with my leather icon jacket but I am looking for something more comfortable on the hot days.

I am looking for any reviews if any of you guys have this jacket and a cheap place to buy one (heck even a used XL one)


any information would be useful, the cheapest i have seen them is around $250. but with so much gear sitting on the shelves I am hoping I can find a better deal.

How 'bout some free advice that might save you a skin-graft? :ohmy:
DON'T BUY ANY MESH JACKET, except for maybe these ones from Motoport: motoport.com/Product.asp?Clv=102300
Fairly pricey, but WELL worth the money.

These mesh jackets are almost all made from a 'poly' based material (plastic) and they peel right off you just like a T-shirt on impact. I kid you not; been there saw it first hand myself, so I did the research. If you get a poly-mesh jacket (wich nearly all of them are) when you hit the ground if the jacket doesn't shred right off you the friction will MELT THE FABRIC TO YOUR SKIN. Take my advice, go from $250 to $400, it's your body, invest wisely.

When you look at these jackets and they say 'Titanium' and 'Kevlar' understand that kevlar is a thread and can simply be some of the threads used to sew the pannels together. Titanium can be some of these funky adornment panels on the outter shell to make it look cool.

Know this: if the jacket fabric is 'poly'-anything it will absoulutely FAIL when you hit the ground. I watched this happen in front of me: nice top-shelf Joe Rocket (as good as any 'mesh' jacket of poly-ness) my buddy has a freak spill at a speed that I can out-run(!) and his jacket failed in two places. A guy on the same-type jacket went down (actually knocked the first guy over) at roughly 40mph and I've seen tiolet-paper make a stiffer stand.

Here is a review of your Icon: www.webbikeworld.com/r2/icon/jackets/

Here is a Motoport review: www.webbikeworld.com/r3/motoport/

Take note of the information on this page: www.motoport.com/Page.Asp?Id=19

Good luck on your buy...just trying to help you keep from buying something and having false confidence in something that might actually do more harm than good.




For those of you who don't want to follow the link:

Tear and Abrasion Strength by the numbers

Product / Material
Pounds of force until fabric tears
Abrasion cycles until fabric fails

CottonJeans 4.5 pounds to tear 50 cycles to failure
70 Denier Standard Nylon 4.5 pounds to tear 165 cycles to failure
500 Denier Polyester 8 pounds to tear 180 cycles to failure
200 Denier Standard Nylon 7.5 pounds to tear 275 cycles to failure
500 Denier Cordura 22 pounds to tear 710 cycles to failure
620 Denier Cordura 35 pounds to tear 1200 cycles to failure
NEW Competition Grade Leather 80-110 pounds to tear 1200-1700 cycles to failure
1000 Denier Cordura 110 pounds to tear 1780 cycles to failure
Air Mesh Kevlar 1260 pounds to tear 1800 cycles to failure
Stretch Kevlar Blend 420lbs pounds to tear 1800 cycles to failure


-KR

On a side note, I don't know the jacket at all, but I will recommend taking a look at newenough.com . I picked up a new JR Blaster 3.0 leather jacket with zip out panels for 160. They have a shift textile/mesh jacket for about 120 www.newenough.com/closeouts/bargain_base...torcycle_jacket.html
. Just my suggestion as the prices can be pretty good there. As a comparision, Dennis Kirk did not have the blaster in my size, only XS (I haven't been XS in 18 years) and they still wanted about 175.00.

Good luck!

Thanks for the warning, I know the Ti is a marketing thing, I like the looks and need a jacket for hot weather. Anything has to be better than the t-shirt I used most of last summer.


I went down in my icon leather/textile combination jacket and it all held up really well just a fairly deep nick in the leather shoulder. (no sliding involved tho... at low speed, the front tire was knocked out from under me by a taxi.)


Here is the issue, I need something to wear in the heat. $250 is already about $50 over my budget and jacket or no I am going to ride this summer.... so yeah I don't know.

I bought the Icon Tarmac jacket and gloves. The breeze flows right through and feels pretty good, even on 90+ degree days (gloves too). As BAd Kaw pointed out, safety is always an issue.