Modern riding gear has come on a long way in recent years. Long gone are the days where we had to ride in unpractical clothing (flight jackets etc.) in an effort to look stylish, or have an identity that set us apart from bikers.
Manufacturers are much more in tune with what we want now and design clothing specifically for scooter riders but with all the modern features, safety, warmth and waterproofing needed to also make them practical.
British company
This 3/4 length Chelsea jacket is made by leading British brand, RST. I love a home-grown success story. RST are based in the East Midlands and have built the brand up from nothing and turned it into a globally recognised and well-respected motorcycle clothing name. The company is based not far from where I live and their designers ride in the UK seasons so know exactly what we need from a garment. If they\’re getting a wet crotch during testing then it may well stop us from suffering one on the road.
I\’ve been using this Chelsea jacket since last winter when it formed part of the new 2019 RST collection. It was actually designed for the French scooter market, where subtle branding and some added ooh la, lah were what their French distributor required. This is still a British jacket though and proudly displays an embroidered monochrome Union Jack on the sleeve. That\’s the only kind of visible branding or labelling you\’ll see on the Chelsea though. Less is more where this jacket is concerned.
You know a jacket doesn\’t look like a bike/scooter jacket when you get asked \’Is that even a bike jacket?\’ as I was asked the other week in Belgium. Well, yes it is actually. It may not have Day-Glo stripes, or \’RST\’ plastered all over it but it is a very competent jacket.
It\’s comfortable and the 3/4 length cut gives a little extra protection to your legs when sat on a scooter. The pockets have a waterproof zip fastening so you can leave stuff in there without worrying too much. There\’s also an inner phone pocket (plus three other inner pockets).
Well armed?
The waterproof lining hasn\’t let me down yet but it\’s removable for warmer riding, as is the quilted liner. Which makes the jacket more than just a colder seasons garment (it\’s rated as four season). The Chelsea comes with a CE certification rating of A and it has CE Level 1 armour to the shoulders and elbows. There\’s no back protector as standard (a cost-saving measure with many jackets these days) but you can insert your own armour, or buy a back protector separately. The reasoning is that most riders will have some armour already and it keeps the cost of the jacket down by £20 or so, meaning this one comes in at just under £200. It\’s not cheap but it is very good and looks pretty smart as well.
Iggy
Price and availability
You can peruse the full range of RST gear and this Chelsea jacket by surfing over to: RST Moto
The Chelsea jacket costs £199.99 and can be bought from your local RST stockist.
Armour
- CE Certification Rating: A
- Back Protector: Pocket
- Shoulder Armour: CE Level 1
- Elbow Armour: CE Level 1
Construction
- Main Outer Material: HTC
- Waterproof Lining: Fixed SinAqua pro lining
- Thermal Lining: Removable quilted full lining
- Inner Lining: Fixed comfort mesh lining
- Zips: Max zips
- Thread: Coates bonded nylon – triple stitched
- Connection Zip: Yes
Features and benefits
- Inner Pockets: 4
- Outer Pockets: 3
- Hood: Removable zip hood
More SLUK Loves #
If you want to look back at some of our other \’SLUK Loves\’ reviews just type \’SLUK Loves\’ into the search bar at the top right of the page (next to your name) simple.
SLUK Shop – quality and good customer service guaranteed
Modern riding gear has come on a long way in recent years. Long gone are the days where we had to ride in unpractical clothing (flight jackets etc.) in an effort to look stylish, or have an identity that set us apart from bikers.
Manufacturers are much more in tune with what we want now and design clothing specifically for scooter riders but with all the modern features, safety, warmth and waterproofing needed to also make them practical.
British company
This 3/4 length Chelsea jacket is made by leading British brand, RST. I love a home-grown success story. RST are based in the East Midlands and have built the brand up from nothing and turned it into a globally recognised and well-respected motorcycle clothing name. The company is based not far from where I live and their designers ride in the UK seasons so know exactly what we need from a garment. If they’re getting a wet crotch during testing then it may well stop us from suffering one on the road.
I’ve been using this Chelsea jacket since last winter when it formed part of the new 2019 RST collection. It was actually designed for the French scooter market, where subtle branding and some added ooh la, lah were what their French distributor required. This is still a British jacket though and proudly displays an embroidered monochrome Union Jack on the sleeve. That’s the only kind of visible branding or labelling you’ll see on the Chelsea though. Less is more where this jacket is concerned.
You know a jacket doesn’t look like a bike/scooter jacket when you get asked ‘Is that even a bike jacket?’ as I was asked the other week in Belgium. Well, yes it is actually. It may not have Day-Glo stripes, or ‘RST’ plastered all over it but it is a very competent jacket.
It’s comfortable and the 3/4 length cut gives a little extra protection to your legs when sat on a scooter. The pockets have a waterproof zip fastening so you can leave stuff in there without worrying too much. There’s also an inner phone pocket (plus three other inner pockets).
Well armed?
The waterproof lining hasn’t let me down yet but it’s removable for warmer riding, as is the quilted liner. Which makes the jacket more than just a colder seasons garment (it’s rated as four season). The Chelsea comes with a CE certification rating of A and it has CE Level 1 armour to the shoulders and elbows. There’s no back protector as standard (a cost-saving measure with many jackets these days) but you can insert your own armour, or buy a back protector separately. The reasoning is that most riders will have some armour already and it keeps the cost of the jacket down by £20 or so, meaning this one comes in at just under £200. It’s not cheap but it is very good and looks pretty smart as well.
Iggy
Price and availability
You can peruse the full range of RST gear and this Chelsea jacket by surfing over to: RST Moto
The Chelsea jacket costs £199.99 and can be bought from your local RST stockist.
Armour
- CE Certification Rating: A
- Back Protector: Pocket
- Shoulder Armour: CE Level 1
- Elbow Armour: CE Level 1
Construction
- Main Outer Material: HTC
- Waterproof Lining: Fixed SinAqua pro lining
- Thermal Lining: Removable quilted full lining
- Inner Lining: Fixed comfort mesh lining
- Zips: Max zips
- Thread: Coates bonded nylon – triple stitched
- Connection Zip: Yes
Features and benefits
- Inner Pockets: 4
- Outer Pockets: 3
- Hood: Removable zip hood
More SLUK Loves #
If you want to look back at some of our other ‘SLUK Loves’ reviews just type ‘SLUK Loves’ into the search bar at the top right of the page (next to your name) simple.
SLUK Shop – quality and good customer service guaranteed
-
Tucano Urbano Set Diluvio Pro
£129.99 -
SLUK Bullet screen | Scomadi TT
£115.00 – £120.00 -
Tyre repair and inflation kit – Air Pro
£33.00 -
Scootronics 120 watt Wassel type DC voltage regulator – Vespa/Lambretta
£23.00 -
Readspeed Red Devil five plate clutch – Lambretta
£274.99 -
Readspeed Red Devil six plate clutch – Lambretta
£299.99
