A trip to Europe in autumn can throw up unpredictable weather, but the DXR Roadtrip CE textile jacket coped well with my autumn trip through France and Switzerland.
The combination of vents and a fixed waterproof liner was flexible enough to cope with the continental weather, as well as some drenchings at home in Britain.
The Roadtrip is a comfortable jacket with a good tailored fit and adjustable hook and eye fastenings on the sides of the waist making it very quick to adjust and give the right fit when adding or removing layers.
The jacket comes fitted with CE-certified elbow and shoulder armour and a CE Level 2 back protector is supplied, though not fitted. I fitted the back protector and was happy with the way all armour stayed in place thanks to the tailored fit and adjustment straps on the upper arms.
The jacket is a little shorter than many, which was perfect for me as I am 1.73m tall (a sliver under 5ft 7in). I was particularly pleased with the way the rear of the jacket dropped down over the seat area.
Photography: Simon Lee
The arm length is also just right for me – short enough to be comfortable when off the bike and long enough to cover my arms when they’re outstretched to the bike’s bars.
On the outside of the jacket there are three pockets – one on the rear and two bellows pockets. Inside there are two pockets on the inside of the shell, which DXR have helpfully duplicated on the thermal liner as this obscures the shell pockets when it’s fitted.
Inside the storm flap there is a further pocket that can be accessed before opening the main jacket zip. Finally a small zipped pocket on the bottom of the left sleeve is a useful for keeping a credit card and any toll tickets close to hand.
The cuffs have a tapered gusset – once the jacket is on, the cuffs are tightened around the wrist with hook and eye fastening. The collar also has hook and eye fastener and a soft neoprene-like internal lining.
Two vents on the front have a waterproof zip closure and there’s an exhaust vent across the shoulders at the rear.
As it turned out I needn’t have worried about unpredictable weather in France and Switzerland, where I saw clear blue skies and daytime highs of 30°C for 10 days.
The front vents didn’t hold open enough to give the ventilation I would have liked in these conditions, though despite this I was surprised by how cool the jacket kept me and that it also kept me warm in the cool mornings and evenings.
Fabulous weather in Europe provided no opportunity to test the jacket in the rain. Wet conditions in the UK, however, gave the Roadtrip CE chance to impress – and there were no dramas, the jacket keeping me dry and warm on short trips at home.
This is a very comfortable jacket and thanks to a tailored fit it wrapped around me to give a feeling of security. The detailing and use of different materials make for an attractive jacket that performs well enough in all conditions.
Fit & Comfort
The medium size fitted me very well and was well tailored to my relatively slim build. Leaving the thermal liner in place and adding further winter layers made it tighter than may be comfortable on long journeys so worth sizing up if you ride with these layers.
Protection
The elbow and shoulder armour stay in place and moulded to my shape as the material warmed. The outer material appears to be strong and tough. The jacket lost marks as a back protector insert is supplied with it rather than pre-fitted.
Waterproofing
I didn’t have the opportunity to give the jacket a severe test. It worked well enough in shortish wet rides at home.
Build quality
A budget jacket that is well made. This jacket didn’t lose the stiffness and tough feeling that comes with being new – some budget jackets I have tried have gone floppy and loose as the miles went by.
Features
This is a good value jacket with useful features. It would be easy for DXR to make the ventilation better for hot climates, the zip is large enough, the opening just needs a change of detail to keep it open. In my opinion this is a good autumn and spring motorcycle jacket.