People loved to gawk at and touch the exposed carbon fiber shoulder sliders, even if they can't see the foam protection underneath that will soften unwanted impacts.
Yeah, you know you should wear some kind of jacket when you ride, every time you ride. But they can be so bulky and, worse, downright hot.
Well, Teknic's Violator can at least take the heat, if not the bulk, out of the leather jacket Made of thick, sturdy-feeling drum-dyed leather, the Violator offers extensive venting over most of the chest area and on the inner panel of the arms. Cooling air enters the jacket through the mesh polyester liner when in motion, providing evaporative-cooling comfort even in hot weather, especially with the two air-exit flaps on the back of the jacket unzipped. But if the fit of the jacket is tight and there's little room between the jacket and your body, airflow is minimized.
When the mercury drops, all that venting will put the chill in you quicker than an ice cube down your pants. Happily, the Violator comes with a full-sleeve-length liner. With 11 snaps, it's a bit fussy to attach, but it greatly expands the jacket's comfort envelope. We did notice, however, that a bit of cold air enters the jacket past the 1.75-inch leather panel underneath main zipper that is meant to stop airflows where there is no liner protection. Also, the thickness of the liner's quilting does result in a tighter fit, especially in the arms.
The Philippines-built jacket is attractive, with much of its design elements a result of its protective features. People loved to gawk at and touch the exposed carbon fiber shoulder sliders, even if they can't see the foam protection underneath that will soften unwanted impacts. Thick elbow and forearm padding is a bit obtrusive, but safety has its price; CE-approved armor is optional. Stretch panels at the shoulder-blade area allows extra mobility and an adaptive fit.
The back of the jacket is cut long to help seal out drafts when in a rider's tuck, plus it has provisions to attach leather pants either by zipper or snaps. The integral, closed-cell foam back protector (10mm) feels a bit awkward at times, but it's nice to have that protection. It's complimented by bulged foam padding sections on the back's exterior and a small pair at the kidney area. Adjustable hook-and-loop belts at the waist provide custom fitting and serve as a pseudo kidney belt.
The pre-curved sleeves and "performance cut" of the jacket allow for a better fit when riding sportbikes, but the front of the jacket can sometimes bunch up when on a cruiser or when off the bike. The rear of the collar is high and padded to help seal out drafts, but it would be more comfortable if the velcro neck closure was lined, as it can sometimes chafe the neck.
The jacket is fitted with quality YYK nickel zippers. But the design of the Teknic-logo-ed pull allows it to get stuck sideways in the leather surrounding the front zipper, making it necessary to fiddle with it and straighten it out every now and then. It is a nuisance, but a standard zipper handle would fix the problem.
The carbon fiber shoulders that attract so much attention from bystanders receive too much attention from the rider. When turning your head, like when you need to look both ways at intersections, the chin area of a full-face helmet will clack against them. Violator riders eventually learn to have a heads-up survey style to clear the high-tech lumps.
The Violator features a zippered inner chest pocket, handy for holding a wallet or sunglasses. The two zippered side pockets offer additional storage, but they are placed too far to the sides for easy hand access.
Our size 44 evaluation jacket was a good fit for both our 5'8" testers, ranging from an anorexic 145 pounds to a chunky 175. Available sizes range from 40 to 52 in color combos of white/silver/black, white/red/black, white/royal/black.
There are only two problems with the Violator. One is that the Teknic patch became unglued from one of the shoulders of our jacket, making us a bit suspect of its build quality.
The other hitch - a bigger one - is that the version of the Violator we sampled is not in Teknic's 2003 catalog, as it's being supplanted by a new iteration that no longer has the exposed carbon shoulders and the perforations.
But perhaps that's a good thing. The '02 jacket is still in stock at many dealers, and with '03 stuff entering the pipleline, they're likely willing to cut deals from the jacket's MSRP of $399.95. And with the features and fit of the vented '02 model, the Violator offers exceptional versatility and is a fairly strong value for the money.
