Cortech LNX Jacket Review
Comments (0) Cortech (www.tourmaster.com) is one of the more popular brands I see on the backs of motorcycle riders. It’s a little bit difficult to explain, but Cortech is essentially the sportier cousin of the Tour Master and Fieldsheer brands, all owned by the Helmet House (www.helmethouse.com). In my opinion, all three lines lean towards casual touring-type clothing – so it’s a great match for those looking for riding gear that is both functional on and off the bike. Another advantage to consider is that these jackets are often cheaper than similar options from the likes of Alpinestars and Icon. Being a great deal on paper, I decided to add a Cortech jacket to Hee-chan’s queue of leather riding jackets to review. We picked up the Cortech LNX women’s jacket for $220, a bargain compared to the REV’IT Allure ($370), Icon Hella ($350), and Shift Siren ($400), all items we have been evaluating recently. Let’s see how this women’s jacket fares relative to the pricier competition.
Outer
We ordered a size Small (8) and it fit fairly well. The shoulders looked wide due to the armor underneath, but we found that the fit inside was spot on. The sleeve length was acceptable, however the overall length of the front and rear of the jacket were on the short side, ending at the top of the hips. Of the four jackets we’ve been testing, the LNX had the shortest length out of all of them. In fact, Hee-chan’s first comment about this jacket was that it may be too short for her. The jacket would be much better if it were only 1-2 inches longer. The cut of the jacket is towards the feminine side.
The outer is a combination of 1.2-1.3mm leather with perforations along the underside of the arm. The leather is very supple and emits a light sheen. Due to its softness, the jacket fits comfortably from the beginning, which is always a pleasant surprise. The chassis has a clean appearance with panels running along the sides of the jacket from the shoulder to the torso in the front. In the rear, there are separate panels for the upper back, middle of the back, and the left and right sections. There are also four noticeable accordion stretch panels, two beneath the shoulders in the rear, and one on each side of the jacket near the base. These flex well and should give the wearer additional comfort. As well, there are two zippers in the rear that allow the base of the jacket to flare and additional 2 inches each. The sleeves are also aesthetically clean with two leather panels stitched together, save for the insertion of the perforated section. Branding is kept to a minimum; the Cortech name is stiched in white thread at the bottom left of the front jacket, the front zipper pull has a Cortech label, and 3 snaps on the jacket have Cortech etched into their tops.
Reflectivity on this jacket is left to a small amount of reflective piping that runs across the upper back of the jacket (along the ventilation zipper). I suggest that you use higher-visibility products (reflective vest, add reflective tape, etc.) if you intend to do a lot of nighttime riding.
The ventilation options are acceptable in this jacket. The perforated panels will allow air into the arms, extending riding comfort to spring temperatures. As well, the cuffs can have their zipper opened to allow more air flow. The jacket’s front pockets are lined in mesh, so if you don’t carry anything in them, you can zip them open for more air. There is also an exhaust vent in the upper back that can be zippered open. It has two zipper pulls which can meet in the middle or some range in-between to allow for varied amounts of symmetrical flow out the back. I’m used to seeing just one zipper pull, so this is somewhat nice to see.
The zippers are made by YKK, and the front pockets have a nice leather flap over the zipper openings. This prevents the wearer from scratching their bike, as well as preventing the zipper pulls from dangling around in the wind. The jacket’s front zipper has a leather flap underneath as a guard against wind and rain. At the top of the jacket is a simple collar snap.
The sleeves are rather simple affairs with a short zipper cuff extending the opening, and a snap closing it. There is only one snap so the width of the opening is fixed.
Inner
The interior of this jacket contains a zip-around long-sleeve liner. Long-sleeve might be a misnomer, however, as it’s really closer to a 3/4 -length sleeve. The liner’s sleeves snap a bit higher into the sleeves of the leather outer, which I thought was somewhat unusual. It ends about 5 inches up from the bottom of the leather outer’s sleeve opening. I would have preferred that it extended further down. Anyways, the liner is lightly insulated and features a small interior pocket on the right. The liner does have removable sleeves, which can be taken out via zippers. This provides the user with some options for customizing warmth, which I think is a great idea. Most jackets provide either a vest liner or a full-sleeve liner – having the choice of using either is very welcome. With creative layering, a rider wearing the LNX jacket should be comfortable between the temperatures of 45-80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Removing the insulated liner reveals a mesh-lined interior with what appears to be Cordura trim around the frame of the jacket. Again, there is an interior pocket on the right side of the jacket. There are also the usual velcro access panels for the back pad and shoulder armor. Removing elbow armor will require reaching down into the sleeves to open the velcro pocket, but it is a simple affair. Rounding out the interior are two zipper connections for attaching compatible riding pants. One accomodates a 360-degree full-circumference zipper, the other works with an 8-inch zipper.
Protection
Sadly, the LNX does not come with any sort of back protection. Considering the low price of the jacket, this doesn’t come as a surprise. Cortech does sell a compatible triple-density back protector for $5; however, it would have been nice to simply just include this as standard on the jacket and increase the base price by this amount. I don’t believe that the back protector is CE-rated. The shoulder and elbow armor is CE-rated. Pulling them out, the shoulder pieces are identical to the elbow ones, which is disappointing. I would expect them to be of different proportions to accomodate the uniqueness of the shoulder and elbox/forearm shapes. Unfortunately, this is probably a cost-cutting measure on Cortech’s part. Still, you got to give them props for putting CE armor at all on a $200 all-leather jacket. The armor has a number of incisions made into it to allow for flexibility. My opinion is that these will provide adequate protection in the advent of a crash. Cortech does sell armor upgrades for the shoulders and elbows at about $8 for each pair.
Summary
Despite lackluster performance in the armor department and some gripes about the fit (especially in regards to length), the Cortech LNX leather jacket does a fine job of delivering good value for female riders. It’s obvious that Cortech spent time crafting an intelligent product that balances quality, comfort, and functionality; the fact that they did this for $220 only makes this accomplishment even more impressive. (3.5 out of 5 stars)
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