repeat after me "perferated" leather w/mesh liner & removable warm liner.
its like a screen door!
mine (see sig pic) is from fox creek - discontinued now but other good leather brands make em. yea, they can be kinda pricey but like OP said 2 jacks in 1.
haven't been down yet and people always look at me wierd in the fla summer. yes a bit hot when not moving but me like my skin in its present condition!

 

It really is important to understand what you're trying to accomplish...style, comfort, cost, protection. Generally speaking, take one or two at the expense of the others. It's all about priorities...

Just for S & G's, take a look at Motoport under the heading "SAVE YOUR HIDE" - some good info concerning the various materials and their ability to protect in case of an unwanted meeting with the pavement.

No, the stuff is not inexpensive nor is it over stylish. But the Kevlar Mesh materials do provide a very high level of abrasion protection.

Hope that helps!

All disclaimers apply...

 

Same problem here in SME we are in the dry season
With average temp of 35C
I wear a levi truckers jacket $80

 

I recently bought this jacket from Leatherup.com (Support the site advertisers!). WHen you're wearing it, it almost feels like you don't have a jacket on at all - in spite of the fact that it's actually as heavy as a "regular" leather bike jacket. It's only $119. Service & shipping were great.

Great airflow through the vents, sleeves & armpits.

This is truly a hot/warm weather jacket. When the weather dips into the 60's or 50's, it does nothing to keep you warm. I keep a long sleeved T and a hooded sweathshirt in my saddle bag to layer up when needed. (we're in that time of year when it's 80 during the day and 40 something at night)

Measure your chest. Use the size chart. Order accordingly.

http://www.leatherup.com/p/Mens-Moto...esh/42502.html

 

The tourmaster draft jacket is really nice and a summer mesh jacket. It has removable armor. I usually wear one in AZ summers. It is under $100 most places.

 

Living in Florida, I find a mesh jacket is much better ( for me anyway) in the summer heat. Winter is the only time you can really wear leather with out sweating your a## off. But, the choice is yours!

 

I recently rode from Parker, AZ to SF. I wore my Firstgear mesh jacket the entire ride and it took me in comfort from 114 degrees across the Mojave to the low 60's with the liner in when I arrived in SF. Best of both worlds for me. as has been said, with the liner out, it's like a screen door and keeps the sun from roasting your flesh. I bought mine after seeing some crash pics on some website like motorcyclegearreview.com or something. seemed to hold up pretty good in pics to high speed slides, and it has built in back, shoulder and elbow padding (I dare not call it armor). best of all I had bought last years model of jacket for something like $60 online. just my $.02

 

+1 on the Tourmaster Intake Air,it flows a lot of air, more than you would imagine, hot while standing still, comfortable while moving with good protection. Looks somewhat like a sport bike style jacket but not to boy-racerish. Do you really want to be wearing leather of any weight at all in the summer?

 

i have one of HD's standard mesh. have worn it in 100+ degrees. it was pretty comfortable. i am one of those people who sweat at 50 degrees.

however, the more i read, the more it seems like this jacket with just nylon mesh would not be that good sliding along the cement. inside label says something like "keep away from heat". so in a slide would it melt and stick to my skin, would it disinegrate. it does have armor in the elbows and shoulders, but..................................

so i am thinking that i want something with more protection.
the blade from HD says its made of poly mesh with abrasion rsistant textured nylon in the shoulders and elbows. makes you think that the poly mesh ain't so good, so what happens if you slide along on your back.

i did pick up a shirt that is stronger than kevlar and not too bad looking. but in 90 degrees it is hot. not too bad when you are moving. no armor though. but you would probably want to use it over a t-shirt as it is a bit scratchy.. i have tried cutting it and scraping it with a razor knife and nothing happened, didn't go through. i would like to figure out how to have armor with this shirt. i bought it a bit too big so it is loose fitting and that might not be good in a slide (see below). i got the gray shirt, but i think this one might be nice also.
http://www.tuffnlite.com/order_cycle1.html

another option would be a hood jeans denim jacket with kevlar lining. somewhere i read that they are nice people to do business with.
http://www.hoodjeans.co.uk/html/k7_jacket.html

here is an interesting article
http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/motoport/

check out some of the other stuff at motoport. they have some nice looking mesh jackets.

i think the switchback is an interesting idea, but since it still has areas that are not mesh, i would think it would still be pretty darn hot.

and the idea of a multiple use is fine. but sometimes i find that a multi use thing doesn't do any one really well. i might be tempted to just get 2 jackets. if it is just a liner, well thats different. but the switchback i don't think would be that good when the temps got really high.

a couple of interesting points that you might find if you look around long enough:
- kevlar is good stuff, but is not as abrasion resistant as some other products.
- it is better at being puncture proof (this doesn't apply to the mesh) than just about
any other product.
- kevlar is yellow. period. it does not take well to dies and the color will wear off eventually.
- kevlar looses its strengh over time. it like breaks down or something. it might have something to do with washing it, can't find where i read that.
- if something is too loose fitting, it could snag and ride up. if you are sliding feet first, then your jacket could ride up exposing your back. loose sleeves could be pulled up exposing arms. so you want something that is more form fitted. look for something with adjustments around the waste and wrists.
- there are a couple of other places that make some good stuff but these are the ones that i would purchase from.

tuff and lite have a really nice product. i am wondering if one of the other shirts, like the black in the page from above would feel better. and then there is that thing about armor. but other than the armor thing - i think they have some darn good products.

hood jeans - i like the idea of a jean jacket. i also like their jeans as i don't like the jeans from other companies that have a seam around the knee. and what happens if you slide on your side on your hip. so i like that the kevlar lining covers from the waist to below the knees. plus its a family run company.

motoport would probably be my article of choice but the price is really high. so its the price that is stopping me. but i like my HD jacket so i am thinking i would like another mesh jacket, but one that really protects also.

 

+1. I had a Tourmaster Intake and sold it on eBay after trying the Olympia Airglide II. Its a great jacket for hot days and the thermolite insulated liner is perfect for chilly nights or mornings.