Summary
A fun -- even a little flashy -- women’s mesh
jacket for hot days on the bike.
An insulated, water-resistant liner
warms it up for versatility, and CE-approved elbow and
shoulder armor are necessities in case of the
unexpected.
Background
I think leather offers the most protection,
hands down.
Add CE-approved armor, and you have the best
protection you can get for street riding.
I’d prefer to wear leather all the time
-- I feel safer in
it. I know I’m safer in it.
However, sometimes Mother
Nature doesn’t work with us; if she did, it would never
rain when we wanted to ride and it would be a constant 75
degrees (24 Celsius).
But once the weather reached 85 degrees (29 Celsius)
here, my
vented leather jacket became unbearable at slow speeds
and in stop-and-go traffic. I like to ride, but I don’t
like to sweat; and in hot weather, being overheated can
be dangerous.
So finding a cooler jacket suddenly became a priority. There's a good selection of women’s textile and mesh
jackets available online, but not so much in motorcycle shops;
however, you’ve already heard my complaint about that...
My main requirement in finding a mesh or textile jacket
(besides the obvious: protection, which always comes
first), was I didn’t want something black. Black absorbs
sunlight and would make it feel even warmer. So a lighter
colored jacket was a priority.
Plus, black is not as visible as a lighter, brighter
color. Being highly visible helps increase safety
because other drivers can see the rider more easily. It
is important to be as visible as possible, yet to ride
like one is invisible.
So
I selected the Icon Hooligan 54 Women’s Mesh Jacket in
lavender. Props to Icon for having a big selection of
women’s specific gear; at the time of this review, they
have fourteen women’s motorcycle jackets listed on their
website.
Construction
The Icon Hooligan 54 Women’s Mesh Jacket is made from 100%
polyester "Fighter Mesh". The mesh is a fine,
tight weave which increases durability, but still allows
plenty of air flow. The jacket also has a permanent mesh
lining throughout for comfort, including the sleeves.
An insulated, water-resistant liner is easily removed
and attached with a zipper and snaps. This is more than
a mere vest; it is a full, long-sleeved liner with
cuffs.
The Icon Hooligan 54 Women’s Mesh Jacket
is machine washable; just make sure to remove the armor
and back pad first.
Speaking of armor, the jacket comes with removable CE-approved shoulder and elbow armor and a removable back
pad. However, the back pad is only ¼ inch (0.6 cm) thick, so
don’t plan on it offering much in the way of protection.
Raglan sleeves permit freedom of movement. The sleeves
are plenty long enough and petite women may find the
sleeves to be much too long. The hem of the jacket is
shorter in the front and longer in the back, making it
ideal for sport bike riders.
There are no adjustment straps anywhere on the jacket,
not on the sleeves, the cuffs, or the waist. The cuffs
are narrow enough that they stay down when riding; and
some short gloves may fit under them depending on the
gloves and size of the rider’s wrists.
The neck has a lined, 2 inch (5.1 cm) tall stand-up collar.
The neck and collar are wide enough that a hoodie can be
worn beneath it. The front zipper extends to the top of
the collar and all zippers are made by YKK.
Two zippered 4-¼ inch (10.8 cm) front pockets are 5
inches (12.7 cm) deep. One internal 5-½ inch (14 cm)
zipped pocket is large enough for a cell phone and a few
other small items.
The back of the Icon Hooligan 54 Women’s Mesh Jacket has
one small Icon logo just below the collar. The front
dazzles with a large Icon logo in silver glitter, and
the theme continues on the sleeves with four large
glittery stars on each arm.
In the sun, it really sparkles (see the
quick video!). This
jacket is definitely for those want to stand out in a
crowd! The
glitter logo and patches also provide some reflection at
night. With this in mind, a larger logo on the back or
some reflective piping would be great to provide more
nighttime visibility.
Liner
(For tips on how a motorcycle jacket should fit see my
review of the
Joe Rocket Jet Set Jacket.)
Murphy. I hate that guy. You know the one that made the
law? Murphy’s Law?
We had a three week heat wave in Northwestern Montana. But
by the time I finally decided on the Icon Hooligan 54
Women’s Mesh Jacket, it arrived just in time for a
sudden change in weather. We hit a week in the low 60s
(15 Celsius) -- in early August. Darn that Murphy!
When the mesh jacket arrived, it was too cold to wear
without the insulated liner, so I wore it all week with
the liner in place. It seemed to fit well, length was
awesome, width was good.
For the well-endowed woman, the Icon Hooligan 54 Women’s
Mesh Jacket offers plenty of space throughout the chest. The jacket is also roomy enough to wear with the
insulated liner over a hoodie for cooler temperatures;
layering is a great way to ride, allowing the rider to
peel off layers as the day warms up.
The insulated liner does a good job at
keeping me warm. I wore a T-shirt
and the jacket with the liner attached in 65 degree (18
Celsius) weather and stayed warm; the only place I felt
air coming through was at the front zipper. There is no
flap over the zipper to keep air out; but if there was a
flap there, it would block air flow on warm days.
Finally, we got hot weather again and I took out the
insulated liner; and in the low 90s (32 Celsius), I
stayed cool. The first time I wore the jacket without
the insulated liner, I was amazed at the amount of air
flow. It felt like I wasn’t even wearing a jacket.
Of course, when at a complete stop in hot weather, it is
warm to wear anything long sleeved; but once moving, the
Icon Hooligan 54 Women’s Mesh Jacket has great
breathability. Even at stops, if there is a breeze, it
flows right through.
Fit and Function
However, I need to mention after I took out the
insulated liner, issues came into play for me. I should
have tried on the jacket without the insulated liner
when it first arrived. Without the liner inside, the
armor doesn’t sit on my body where it should. When the
liner is attached, it offers support to the armor and
seems to hold it in place.
With the liner removed, the sleeves are large and the
armor doesn’t stay in place. My worry is in a slide the
armor may move to the side and not offer the protection
it was designed for. The Icon Hooligan 54 Women’s Mesh
Jacket could definitely use some adjustable straps on
the arms to hold elbow armor in place.
The elbow armor is in a pocket much larger than what is
needed (see picture), which allows the armor to move up
and down. In a size small -- which I normally wear -- the
elbow armor rests below my elbow. Because the armor
pocket is large, I can shimmy the armor up in the pocket
to be in the right position for my elbow, but it
eventually works its way back down.
The shoulder armor, when it sits in its pocket
correctly, rests on my shoulder in the proper place. However, the armor moves inside
the mesh pocket and slides down below the pocket seam,
pulling the mesh with it.
Without the insulated liner in place, this happens
repeatedly, causing the armor to sit at the edge of my
shoulder rather than on my shoulder, so I have to keep
moving it back into place.
When the insulated liner is attached, it offers enough
support to keep the armor in place while one is riding.
I hope I don’t have to find out if it will hold it in
place in a slide.
In my opinion, the Icon Hooligan 54 Women’s Mesh Jacket
either runs a size large or the armor isn’t in the right
place. The waist has just enough wiggle room for me and
I thought a smaller size might be too tight.
Considering the breathability of mesh jackets, there is
no excuse for not wearing gear on hot days. The Icon
Hooligan 54 breathes so well it feels like I am wearing
only a T-shirt. At one point while riding, I pulled up a
sleeve to feel the difference of nothing over my arm,
and the difference was barely noticeable.
Be smart. Don’t ride without gear. It’s not worth the
risk. Find a mesh jacket, one that fits you well, and
you’ll be surprised at how cool you will stay.
wBW
Video: Very quick look at the sparkles on the Icon
Hooligan 54 mesh jacket.
Conclusion
The Icon Hooligan 54 Women’s Mesh Jacket does the job. Great breathability keeps the rider cool and an
insulated, full-length liner adds versatility.
CE-
approved shoulder and elbow armor, a must in any riding
jacket, is included.
Without the insulated liner attached, the sleeves need
straps to hold armor in place - the armor could
potentially move in a slide which takes away the point
of riding with armor. Other than that, it is a
well-constructed, eye-catching jacket.
Please
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comments to
Comments are ordered from most recent to oldest.
Not all comments will be posted. Posted comments may be edited.
From "B.H." (10/09): "I have the
men's version of this jacket and am overall very pleased
with it. Very cool in hot weather and liner helps
for cooler days. The cut and material is very
comfortable. The shoulder, elbow, and back pads
are great and a safety must.
Needs a more comfortable front collar.
Also needs collar, sleeve, cuff, and waist snaps to keep
it in place in the event of a spill."
From "K.M." (9/09): "Great review of
the Icon Hooligan 54 women's jacket! Very unbiased
and accurate.
I've had nothing but bad luck with Icon
apparel. I do feel they are constructed well...but
their fitting has become disastrous. Icon seems to
cater to the "stunter" crowd, which likes to LOOK
protected without really being such.
Their clothes are made big, baggie, and
relaxed. Exactly what you DON'T want for
protective gear. As such, their armor fits sloppy,
moves around, and will be nowhere close to where it
should be in the event of a crash.
Unfortunately this review did not
surprise me in the least. It gets worse
though...Icon's newer jackets (not this review) have
shoulder armor that is NOT even designed to go over the
shoulder! Icon now feels that the SIDES (only) of
the shoulder is sufficient protection! A good
example of this is their Arc series. Yikes!
IMHO, Icon is all show and no go.
Apparel like this can give someone a false sense of
security. Until Icon starts emphasizing protection
and fit BEFORE comfort and style...I will not be using
their products ever again.
Again...GREAT review and nice to see one
so honest and accurate! Great job guys (Gal, in
this case!). Keep up the great work!
