There are numerous styles of motorcycle jacket that provide high-quality form and function, but when I’m on my Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail, I lean toward something leather and with a little style. When it came time to review the Highway 21 Motordrome leather motorcycle jacket, I tried to think of something that needs to be improved on, but after wearing it for more than a year, I’ve only come up satisfied.
The Motordrome is a premium leather jacket that Highway 21 says has a heavy stylistic nod to board-track racing, hence the Motordrome name. It features a snap club collar, diamond-stitched accents, and an off-white strip across the chest and forearms. I really like the retro racer appearance that looks good on all types of bikes.
The Motordrome features plenty of storage space, including five pockets on the jacket itself (two chest, two handwarmers, and a concealed carry) and an extra Napoleon chest pocket on the removable thermal liner. The chest pockets double as front ventilation, which is complemented by dual-zippered wrist vents so you can keep the wrist cuffs tight and still get airflow up the sleeves. Air flows out of two sizable zippered exhaust vents on the back.
Between the thermal liner and the ventilation, you have plenty of options to moderate your riding temperature comfort level. When I remove the liner and open all the vents, I’m comfortable into the 80s. On the lower end of the spectrum, I’ve been comfortable wearing the jacket with the liner in the upper 30s, and I’ve gone down in the 20s with a long-sleeve extra layer.
From a safety standpoint, the Motordrome has pockets for shoulder and elbow armor compatible with Fly Barricade CE armor, which is sold separately for $24.95. I ordered my jacket with the extra padding, plus the $39.95 back protector, which provides reassurance combined with the abrasion resistance of the thick leather.
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With its subtle but distinguishing style, along with its substantial range of usable temperatures, the Motordrome has become my go-to motorcycle jacket for almost any weather. The Highway 21 Motordrome jacket comes in distressed Antique Black in men’s sizes S-4XL for $289.95.
