Hey, everybody! Matt’s back with a Jacket from Black- I’ve taken a look at the Black brand Helmets here on the blog before but I’ve yet to do anything on their motorcycle clothing. So this time, I present to you the Black Piston Mesh Summer Motorcycle Jacket. There’s a few reasons why I wanted to look at this jacket for the blog and not just because I was asked to. The Piston is quite a popular jacket and I see more and more people are picking it up to try on whenever I work the shop. Also- it’s summer! Taking a look at a light, breathable mesh motorcycle jacket makes sense. So let me tell you a bit about it.
Black is one of Ghostbikes’ own brands, so before you let the low price at £52.99 convince you it’s a cheap jacket- I assure you it’s not. Since it’s one of our own brands, we can just get away with charging less while providing all of the quality. The outer shell is made of a 600D Polyester, a material quite commonly found in motorcycle clothing for it’s light weight and flexibility but also for it’s high abrasion resistance and durability. So the shell of the jacket is protective, lets you break through the wind and still allows for freedom of movement.
Since it’s a summer jacket intended for the warmer and dryer weather, the main front zipper became a quick, favourite feature on the jacket for me. On waterproof jackets there are usually lips and flaps of extra fabric to cover it up in order to help prevent water from getting into places that it shouldn’t get in to. But because waterproofing isn’t this jacket’s intended purpose- the zipper is substantial in size and the pull tab isn’t hidden. Its accessible which is something to be valued if you’d rather take as little time as possible suiting up for a ride or getting to one of the two inner pockets to retrieve your phone.
The mesh paneling on the front, back and arms of the jacket are what allow air to flow in and through the jacket so easily and keep the rider cool but, even though the jacket is meant for summer, it still comes with a thermal lining, which can be removed if the day is getting especially hot. And, naturally, the jacket doesn’t need any extra zips to reveal any little vents as the jacket is more or less one big vent already.
Speaking of zips again- the jacket has a long zip that goes around the inside of the waist so, if you wished, you could connect the jacket to your Black Atom Motorcycle Trousers to form a pseudo one piece suit and keep the jacket from riding up. This saves you from any unexpected breezes from behind and also keeps the suit together to better protect you if you’re unfortunate enough to find yourself in a slide.
The jacket features adjusters on the arms and waist, allowing you to personalise the fit and make it more secure for you. It also minimises the amount that the material can flap about in the wind, reducing drag and saving you the discomfort of both feeling and listening to it when you’re riding at higher speeds. You likely won’t be wearing this jacket in the dark and cold hours of the night- but just in case you are, the jacket has modest amounts of reflective detailing- helping you to be seen in other road users’ head lights.
Beneath the thermal lining, the jacket comes with CE approved shoulder and elbow armour, however it does not come with a back protector. There is a foam insert in the back protector pocket but this is more for form than it is for function. However, if it suits you, you can get a full armour upgrade for just an extra £24.99 and that’ll get you a set of CE Level 2 rated Soft Armour for the elbows, shoulders and spine. I use this armour myself and I can personally vouch for how good it is.
Over all, the Black Piston Mesh Motorcycle Jacket is a functional, comfortable summer jacket. It may not provide as many luxuries in the form of removable waterproof membranes and such like the Rev-It Tornado or the Oxford Melbourne Air. But the Black Piston does provide all you could need for hot, summer rides, provides them well and at a fraction of the price. So you’ll still have cash left over to enjoy a cold drink and a Cornetto while you’re out. If you’re planning on doing a lot of warm, dry weather rides but don’t want to get stuck to your leathers- I can’t recommend this jacket enough.
Thanks for reading, everybody!
Until next time!
-MattW at Ghostbikes.com
Leave a Reply