Gear: Benelli Mesh Jacket
Rs 7,400
DSK Benelli India showrooms
ATGATT. All The Gear All The Time. The adage holds true for whenever you head out on two wheels. There are a host of options in the market for a decent entry-level mesh jacket which can be called upon to take on our tropical climate. DSK Benelli has come out with its own option and we tested it out on our Golden Quadrilateral ride astride the Benelli Tornado 302 and TnT 300 in September last year.
With the cool autumn breeze still some distance away when we undertook the ride, the mesh panels on the front of the jacket were extremely helpful in keeping the wind circulating and keeping body temperature in check.
The jacket however is ready to tackle the Indian monsoon as well and comes with a rain liner that came in handy when we passed through some intense rain that we encountered in Karnataka as well as Uttar Pradesh. The only downside is that the attaching buttons on the liner are a little flimsy and one of them came off on one of the three jackets that we were using on the ride.
Even without the liner, the inner breast pocket as well as the outer pockets around the stomach are water-proof and they come handy to store your small belongings.
However the real USPs of these jackets are the protective pads on the shoulder, elbow and back. Made by Planet Knox, a UK based company, the soft protective pads are CE certified. The addition of these pads makes the jacket one of the few available in the Indian market at this price point. The jacket comes with adjustable straps on the arms as well as the forearms to hold the pads in place. The straps also allow the user to get the jacket to fit snugly around the limbs.
There is only one small hiccup that I faced. It was little constricting around the neck area after closing the strap. But it isn’t enough of a hiccup for you to not get used to it.
At Rs 7,400, the jacket makes a strong case for itself for a beginner or an intermediate rider especially with the high quality equipment and stitching found on it.
