Tourmaster Transition 5 jacket:

[sportsterpaul]

My old standby Tourmaster Jett is starting to show its age, at over 12 years and somewhere around 200,000 miles, frayed wear areas, broken zipper pulls and most of the reflective ares no longer reflecting. I’v Have good luck with Tourmaster products and had been following their “Transitions” coats for awhile so when the recently released “5” came up on sale for $220.00 I jumped in with an order. Ironically I had tried them on about 2 months earlier and found that their sizing apparently has been changed so be careful if you contemplate ordering one. I normally wear Large or XL but with the new ones it took a XXL to fit comfortably, ( my “Jett” is an XL and is very loose so I had envisioned maybe getting into a L), I would also have gone back and purchased the coat from them but saving over $50.00 was too much to pass up. The coat is very nicely done and with our recent warm up in temps gave me a chance to experience their venting set up, (15 zippers in the coat), 11 zippers dedicated to airflow, 8 on the front, three on the back, and the main front zipper as another. Wow, flows way better than the “Jett” especially through the torso, but not as much as my all mesh Joe Rocket “Phoenix “. Also, got caught in a couple of rain showers, light and heavy, and stayed perfectly dry. Have ridden in temps down to 10F and stayed warm but at the lower end I was using my Aerostich “Kanetsu Airvantage” heated jacket liner in place of their unheated insert. Can’t testify how well the unheated liner will work, probably the same as most others. A bonus is the large rear pocket at the bottom of the back of the coat, my I-pad Air tablet slips in easily. A note on the zippered vents in use have Velcro strips inside the zipper itself which when used acts like a stiff scoop edge and with the additional snaps below them you can hold open the vent for better flow. I do have a small nit pick with the collars hold open hook and loop. Not enough tension in the elastic loop to stay on the hook but if you give the loop a twist before slipping over the hook you’re good to go. Armor in the shoulders and elbows with a spinal protection pad is pretty much standard fare and I have no issue with them. Was originally thinking this would be a good choice for a three season coat being Fall, Winter and Spring but with it’s excellant venting should work very well in Summer as well. I’m pleased and impressed and would expect others will be.

[sportsterpaul]

Well, have had rain of some sort every day since getting a bike back on the road. Wednesdays all day, 300 mile excursion proved good as the jacket kept me totally dry through it all. Was not expecting results to be quite that good so had packed my rain jacket just in case. It never came out of the tank bag. A side note, the AD1 pants remained absolutely dry as well, something I’ve come to expect. Liking this coat more and more.

[mikeLI_77]

Nice review Paul. I wish I had a place near me that had so e of these jackets so I can try them on. They don't make much that fits my short fat arse. Usually when I find something I can get around my gut the arms are so long I can cut 6" off them to have to make them fit. I know what you mean about the sizing being different on these jackets. My mesh jacket is a cycle gear brand 3xl and fits me pretty good. I bought the same joe rocket mesh jacket you have in a 4xl and it was like a parachute on me so I returned it and got a 3xl and I could not get it closed. So I found a coretech gx air in 3xl which did not come with the liners but it fits me almost perfectly, slightly loose. I was able to find the liners for it and this jacket is different than others I have found wear it has 2 liners, a waterproof and then a insulated one under it but the liners are a 3xl also but I have to suck my gut in as much as I can go get them on. It is weird how different companies make there products so different. There should be more of a standard everyone follows so you don't have to guess with the sizing so much. I am going to try and find a place that may have the jacket you just reviewed and see if it works for me.

[sportsterpaul]

Mike, yeah, can't believe the disparity in sizing, even amongst the same manufacturer. Must be the " oriental " influence!

[Akdawg]

Wore leather from the "beginning" (60 yrs now). Last year tried a buddys Tour Master, went and bought my own the next day, the most comfortable, versatile yet. I'm 5'10", 200 and XL fits perfect. Ride in all weather, temps to 20s never an issue.

[sportsterpaul]

To be fair I need to add that while this coat is one of my most versatile piece of gear it does have one flaw. The fore arms were slightly snug in warmer months, but with the onset off Cold weather and experimenting with layers underneath it they have become borderline tight. My arms are not overly muscular so this could affect purchase decisions by others. I have always advocated trying on gear when ever possible, not an easy thing to do as we lose our brick and mortar outlets and are left with online order takers. I hate having to return stuff, rant over.

[sportsterpaul]

Just an update as the Transition is getting more and more miles with the advent of our colder weather. On a lark I decided to fit the insulated liner that came with the jacket, all of my textiles had them but they were set aside as I thought I had better alternatives amongst my gear. Slipped it in and went for a ride, wow, way more comfortable and quite warm compared to some of my other gear. A telling feature for me has been chill on the arms as I run behind a small Gauntlet fairing which leaves the arms exposed to the airstream. Arms were comfortable, can’t say warm just not cold. So now the stock liner will suffice in our current “balmy” temps of mid to high 20’s climbing into the 30’s. My electric heated Aerostich Kanetsu Airvantage will suffice for the colder temperatures.
Remember that every day you don’t ride will be a day lost forever, get out there if you can and keep it safe. Not many bikes out running around here just now and I do get some funny looks from cages, oh well. Best wishes to each and everyone of you for the upcoming holiday season!