Hi,
Does anyone have any experience with bilt mesh jackets? I need a summer jacket and for the price I am looking at this
http://www.cyclegear.com/eng/product/sport_mesh_motorcycle_jacket/web1001097

It's a bilt jacket and its suppose to have ce rated armor. I tried it on at the store and it felt like it would keep me cool.It didn't feel as good as the alpine stars but it also cost more than half the price. They do have a 5 year warranty if anything stars to fall apart.

looks pretty nice

I own this one... http://www.cyclegear.com/eng/product/air_demon_leather_mesh_hybrid_motorcycle_jacket/web1001038

I have had it for about a year now and I love it. I do sweat in it when the temps get into the 80's. But if you are riding you stay cool. And it offers a little more protection compared to the one you linked. I rode with it year round and just wore a hoodie and thermal underwear underneath it in the winter.

I even went down wearing it at like 40+mph. Was only on the pavement for a few split seconds then I went flying into grass. But walked away with no bruises on my upper body. So I believe the CE armor worked well. And the jacket held up. It was just covered in dirt. But nothing ripped.

Basically what I am saying is, I have nothing bad to say about the jacket. I would just spend a little more money on the Air Demon just for the protection. It has leather in high impact areas; maybe not the highest quality leather but it beats textile. :thumbup:

I own this one... http://www.cyclegear.com/eng/product/air_demon_leather_mesh_hybrid_motorcycle_jacket/web1001038

I have had it for about a year now and I love it. I do sweat in it when the temps get into the 80's. But if you are riding you stay cool. And it offers a little more protection compared to the one you linked. I rode with it year round and just wore a hoodie and thermal underwear underneath it in the winter.

I even went down wearing it at like 40+mph. Was only on the pavement for a few split seconds then I went flying into grass. But walked away with no bruises on my upper body. So I believe the CE armor worked well. And the jacket held up. It was just covered in dirt. But nothing ripped.

Basically what I am saying is, I have nothing bad to say about the jacket. I would just spend a little more money on the Air Demon just for the protection. It has leather in high impact areas; maybe not the highest quality leather but it beats textile. :thumbup:


Thanks for your input. The one you wear does look like it would hold up better due to it being a hybrid leather/ textile jacket.

what size do you need? I have a SHIFT textile jacket I am selling. Its pretty good in the summer without the removable vest.

I have that jacket. I haven't crashed or been down with it. I highly doubt it'll offer much protection as far as roadrash. I wear itwhen the weather is in the 70-low 80s. But in Georgia i simply can't wear one in the middle of the humid summers.

Oops. Posted before i was done. Basically i have no complaints. had the jacket about a year and its still like new. And i've been pretty rough on it. It holds up alright for the money.

I looked on that jacket in the store, it looked decent for the money. You could buy it and upgrade the back armor to ce from the foam that comes standard.

dont buy bilt.

I purchased the jacket and honestly it is a solid item, especially for the price. I have only had it for a couple months, and recently upgraded to a Dainese Air Frame, but I would have no problem wearing the Bilt jacket. It is well ventilated and the armor fits well in the right spots. Back armour would need to be added, but this is true of all mesh jackets. I can't speak on the long term durability, but I don't really see why I won't last a season or two.

dont buy bilt.

Care to elaborate?

Care to elaborate?

Alex is a man of a few words, every reply is carefully measured before posting it. Every work after that come the cost of a ninjette being traded in for a Hayabusa.

floyd says bilt was cool

For the price it is good stuff as always there is better gear out there, but you will also pay for the better products.

bilt's fine, as long as you don't go riding off a cliff.

bilt is single-crash gear. buy multi-crash gear. buy something that will actually do what you want it to do. a 30$ mesh bilt jacket isn't going to do what you want it to do.

i go through a decent amount of gear. i know people who go through a decent amount of gear. i try on their gear (we're gay like that) cyclegear brands (trackside, bilt, sedici, others) while backed with a great return policy, do not last at all, are not comfortable at all, are poorly made especially when stitching is concerned, use less than top quality leather at times, and really don't look very good. i have bought several bilt and sedici products. i have returned all of them. i do, however, have a pretty nifty stand that cyclegear made. i think it was trackside, maybe the other cyclegear parts brand. its pretty good, a little heavy though.

buy leather. joe rocket, icon, alpinestars, dainese, agv

bilt is single-crash gear. buy multi-crash gear.


I dont often crash bikes, but when i do, I prefer to do so multiple times, with the same gear.

Stay squidly my friends

http://carlosanastacio.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/most-interesting-man-in-the-world.jpg

I dont often crash bikes, but when i do, I prefer to do so multiple times, with the same gear.

Stay squidly my friends

http://carlosanastacio.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/most-interesting-man-in-the-world.jpg

Ouch.

I dont often crash bikes, but when i do, I prefer to do so multiple times, with the same gear.

Stay squidly my friends

http://carlosanastacio.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/most-interesting-man-in-the-world.jpg

no really, its true. you want something that will last 3-4 crashes at least. that way if you get in a really bad crash you actually have a chance at surviving it. not to mention saving money on gear replacement. i've been through 3 minor crashes. first one i barely got touched and my single-crash gear was basically done. the second one i had decent gear and got hit by a car, gear was fine, i was fine. third time was a bit less impactfull but a little more violent in the sliding. i was in fantastic gear and it came out almost flawless. in fact i still wear the helmet and gloves i crashed in on a daily basis because the only damage was to a small strap on the glove.

my point is; if something is only going to last one crash, how do you know it will even last that long? if you want something to protect you, dont get something that will do a half-assed job.

Bilt and Sedici aren't THAT bad. My Sedici jacket and Bilt gloves survived a light crash and I still wear them. I just need to slim down a little so I can fit my new black Kawasaki jacket

That being said, just got SMX5 boots and going to get a matching Alpinestars outfit from the bottom up so I look cooler and have that multi-crash protection thing.

I just got a new mesh jacket...

:)

I ended up returning the Bilt jacket and getting an Alpinestars jacket. I felt like the bilt jacket was just a regular jacket with weak armor. I mean... its better than nothing but I just didn't safe in that jacket. The alpine stars and dainese ones felt better.I was trying to decide between the a*'s tgp-r vs the dainese air flux jacket. Went with the a*'s due to the fact I have bionic chest armor and it had a liner. Loved the Dainese look but it just didn't feel as sturdy. The bilt jacket did have pretty good air flow and it felt like I wasn't really wearing a jacket. The a*'s has great airflow but when stopped the jacket felt a little warmer compared to the bilt one. I know its better to go with leather but mesh is better than a T-shirt.

dont buy bilt.

tis true, there product is ****, even ask anyone that works at cycle gear (well that did work there) they stuff is built on low standard. Have you seen pics of there gear crashed? Leather tears, mesh melts, and seams rip. In short spend the little extra money on real gear


Tust me, I crash a lot

you get the T GP Plus Air?


Thats what I got.

Can these jackets be machine washed (washer)?

Crashed twice in Bilt Gear - held up pretty well. Pretty sure it will survive a third one (knock on wood). OFcourse I dont do track.. just the daily commute and occassional group rides.

Crashed twice in Bilt Gear - held up pretty well. Pretty sure it will survive a third one (knock on wood). OFcourse I dont do track.. just the daily commute and occassional group rides.

What kind of crashes? How fast were you going?

What kind of crashes? How fast were you going?

First was a front wheel lock up..almost thought i saved it before i bit the dust..

Second was.. ahem


Vu7QGjlsY6I

Up from the depths... LOL

FYI for anyone looking for cheaper gear... you know Teknic is OOB, right? Check all the normal sites for Teknic gear, because they are pretty much all on Closeout right now.

Up from the depths... LOL

FYI for anyone looking for cheaper gear... you know Teknic is OOB, right? Check all the normal sites for Teknic gear, because they are pretty much all on Closeout right now.

thanks for the heads up, still shopping till I get my M endorsement in a freaking month!!

Don't be scared to do an Ebay search for "Used motorcycle mesh jacket" either. Lots of people go overboard with their first bike, and then just park it in the garage for a year, and then the wife talks them into selling the bike and gear. Plenty of good deals out there.

Buy Icon gear. They are affordable and they will save your tush in a crash. My Hooligan Jacket saved my back and shoulders from my road rash. I love the company. I have gone through and returned most bilt gear its meh quality. Doesn't last long

Don't be scared to do an Ebay search for "Used motorcycle mesh jacket" either. Lots of people go overboard with their first bike, and then just park it in the garage for a year, and then the wife talks them into selling the bike and gear. Plenty of good deals out there.

This is how I got my Scorpion Jacket... Actually 2 of them (first one was too big)... I got them each for a fraction of the cost of new and the one I am currently using still had the tags on it when I got it!

I also have a Bilt jacket that I wore for my first season and it did quite well! I didn't crash in it, so I am unsure how it would hold up, but other than being dirty, it still looks as good as it did when I bought it...

damn just to think i was getting flamed out the ass for buying cheaper gear and even i wasnt going this cheap.

For what it's worth, I bought the BILT Mesh jacket linked by the OP when I rented a bike in Thailand. I needed something that would pack small, be comfortable in the extreme heat, and cheap enough that if it didn't make it back to the states with me, I wouldn't care.

It's exactly what it is. An 80 $ nylon jacket with pockets for 'armor'. It's also become my first choice when the temps get above 80. I'm going to get an upgraded back protector for it and keep using, when the rest of the ATGATT guys are in t-shirts...

Before I scored my leather jacket (at CG, by the way... Frank Thomas, predecessor brand to Sedici and it's not bad at all... better than some name brand jackets I've seen) I wore mesh.

I was never confident in its ability to either protect me from abrasion or keep the armor in place in a crash. So by the end I'd gone to Juggernaut armor shirt with back protector and removed all the pads from the jacket. The mesh is then just a shell... the real protection comes from the armor shirt.

I bought that exact Bilt jacket.....just returned it. It kept me cool the times I wore it; but I wasn't confident in its protection. Never fell with it on, so I don't know for sure, but it just seemed like something that would only help a little bit. Returned it, and picked up a JR Radar Dark jacket. Just came in the mail today, so I'm gonna give that a try after work.

bilt sucks.

Bilt is garbage. heres a verrrrry good deal on a textile.
http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/teknic-striker-textile-jacket

I have one and its kind of wimpy compared to my Frank Thomas jacket. The CE armor is also thinner and smaller. All in all, its just not as good as Frank Thomas. Better than nothing I guess. I had to buy something new because my Frank Thomas jacket got ripped the last time I went down.