Review: Vikingcycle Asger motorcycle jacket
I really like motorcycle jackets. Until last year, though, I had to limit myself to only having 2 jackets due to the high cost – one for nice, warm weather and one for our more normal riding conditions here in the Yukon and Alaska. Last Spring, though, I discovered Motorcycle House, and specifically their line of Vikingcycle jackets. I was rather hesitant about ordering my first one – really, how good can an $80 motorcycle jacket be?
Well, I got a big surprise – I was really pleased with the quality of that first one, so a few weeks ago, ordered another. This time I chose the Vikingcycle Asger Motorcycle Jacket, which was a few dollars more, at $89.95. Given what I already knew about Vikingcycle jackets, my main criteria for this purchase was style. The Asger has a great “broad at the shoulders, narrow at the hips” look that’s enhanced by having polycarbonate shoulder armour on the outside of the jacket.
My first ride with the new jacket, when I picked it up at Skagway a few days after ordering it, was a cool day (about 6°C, 42°F) with a bit of rain – a good test for a motorcycle jacket. With the removable liner in, I was very comfortable with just a t-shirt and cotton shirt under it. I had started the ride with a fleece layer as well but soon took that off.
From both the front and back, I love the styling. It’s worth noting that although I normally wear a Large, with the Vikingcycle jackets it’s XL that fits me the best.
The styling, of course, is not the main reason you buy a motorcycle jacket – it’s the safety and convenience features. In the photo above, the jacket’s spine armour shows up well, but the rest of your body is well protected as well, as this image from the Motorcycle House page shows.
The Asger is well loaded with other features, as the tags indicate. The Tri-Tex waterproof fabric in particular got a good test on the first ride, and worked as advertised – through several light/moderate showers, I stayed dry.
I don’t carry anything except papers in my motorcycle jackets – anything hard that could puncture my body in the event of a crash goes in my saddlebags. Some riders, though, want to have a lot of stuff much handier than that, and this jacket is loaded with pockets, as you can see in this image. The one pocket I do use on my common cross-border rides, though, is my only complaint about this jacket – I want a zippered left-breast pocket to keep my bike registration and passport in, and the travel documents pocket on the Asger is much lower. When I pull up to the border, I don’t want to be fumbling or zipping that far down looking for my papers. It’s a minor thing, and one that won’t even apply to most riders, though.
My next long ride wearing the jacket was again to Skagway but this time, although the day started off cool, it got up to about 18°C (65°F), allowing me to zip the liner out and open the vents. With just a t-shirt under it, it was perfect. Despite the looser fit which allows for extra layers of clothing (or some extra padding on the rider), the jacket has all of the adjustments needed to snug it up to avoid any buffeting.
Another great jacket at a very low price – with great service as well. It’s pretty tough to beat that combination these days 🙂
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