• My US Jacket Size: 4-6, Bust: 37.5
• My Ignition Size: 38
• Sizes (Euro) 34-44
• $429.99 MSRP
• Colors: All Black or Black/Silver
• Outershell: Monaco Performance cowhide, Dynax mesh, PWR|shell 1000D stretch, Pampas cowhide (PU coated)
• Isolation: detachable thermal bodywarmer
• Protection: ProLife® ladies CE protection at shoulders and elbows, perforated Temperfoam® at back, safety stitching
• Waterproofing: detachable hydratex® | 3L (5000mm H2O)
• Breathability: detachable hydratex® | 3L (5000g/m2/24hrs)
• Visibility: reflective logo at back
• Adjustability: adjustment straps at waist
• Ventilation: VCS (waterproof, sealed) zipper at upper arms, ventilation panels at chest and back
• Features: stretch lips at elbows, short and long connection zipper
• Pockets: slit pockets, inner pockets

Update 12/30/11

Stay tuned, the new version of the Ignition will be coming in February 2012. I'll post a pic of the new one and some first impressions on January 1.

Overview

The outside of the jacket is a combination of leather and textile. It says mesh, but it's not the kind of mesh you're thinking of. This is the kind that will actually hold together in a crash. I feel 100% safe in this jacket as I did in my Dainese.

Then you have 2 removable liners. First you have an insulated vest. Second, you have the full sleeve waterproof/windproof liner. Without this you'll freeze and/or get wet. Or if you just want to wear the vest you can snap just that piece into the shell. The full sleeve liner works well to keep you warm and dry. I did notice that the liner feels wet after riding in the rain, but it's not wet, it's cold. When the water dries, it can make the liner feel wet, but it's the water's decrease in temperature.

Features

Let's talk about the liners. First you have the waterproof membrane designed to keep the water out and keep you dry. It's fully removable and washable (using products like NikWax Tech Wash. Then you have the insulated vest. It's not going to keep you that warm, but every layer does count. I think I'd be better off with a NorthFace Windstopper instead. The thing I love the most about this jacket is how versatile it is in San Francisco. We have a very unique climate here, which affords me the ability to use this jacket year round in the city and on rides nearby. It simply doesn't get cold enough in the city to wear a heavier weight winter jacket. And it's waterproof! I love this feature the most. Our winters basically consist of rain, then sun then some more rain, back to sun and then the fog comes in to signal the end of spring. It never gets colder than low 50s during the day. We did have a couple days where it dipped down to 45 (brrr!), and when I was riding around the city I found the vest to be inadequate. So I wore the waterproof liner and my North Face windstopper. Much better. I was really surprised though at how low I could go in this jacket with both liners. I was skeptical at the ability of this jacket to keep me warm enough even in high 50s, low 60s. But it did a great job at 50-55. Of course, there's not a lot of wind chill in San Francisco, but I did take her on the freeway recently at mid 50s with windchill and it was adequate. Usually I get cold really really easy. Just ask my husband. He always looks at me like I'm crazy when I'm wearing 4-5 layers.

The body armor includes ProLife® CE Protection for elbows and shoulders. Although the back comes with Temperfoam, I highly recommend upgrading the back protector to something substantial such as Forcefield TPro or Knox Armor.

The Igntion has vents with sealed zippers on each arm. Since most of the jacket is textile, you won't need more vents than these once you take the liners out. You'll get plenty of ventilation through the jacket itself. I noticed that without the liners and the vents closed, I get a lot of cool air through my chest. I think this jacket would work well in summer with the combination of textile and venting on the arms.

Fit

The general shape of this REV'IT jacket is rectangular. Meaning, if you have narrow shoulders, long arms, a narrow waist and a long narrow torso, this is the jacket for you. Their arms tend to run long, as do their pants. Unfortunately this jacket isn't curvy figure friendly. On the other hand, this is one of the straightest shapes I've ever seen in a jacket. Normally men's jackets are shaped this way, with no room for your waist/hips. This shape is unique to this style, if you have a straight waist and no hips, you'll find this jacket to fit you the best out of almost any other jacket. The reason is the waist doesn't flare nearly as much like many women's jackets do. There aren't any zippers to allow for room in the waist either.

When you look at the me in my Dainese, you can tell that the cut across the front is a bit wider. But you can also see that it's a little longer in the arms. Everything is normally long on me (except standard lengths at Gap and Banana Republic!) so I have to be careful of that. This jacket is no exception. Ideally, there would be less gather just below my shoulders. And you can kind of tell that the cuffs are running into my gloves. Well it may not look like it, but that was bugging me the most. I'm the kind of rider that notices the smallest discomfort in my gear, and when it's the least bit uncomfortable, it distracts me too much from riding.

In this jacket, the shoulders and arms feel narrow, from underarm to underarm across the front and back, and very fitted through the torso. If you have wide shoulders, short arms and a wide torso, this jacket isn't for you. Remember that you'll need to fit the widest part of you first, so you might find trying to fit the width if your shoulders, but by the time you do that the arms and fit in the torso are way too long.

Normally if I were my own customer, I would tell myself that this is the wrong cut for me because the sleeves are a bit too long. However, when sitting on the bike (because we always try on our gear on a bike!), the length comes in handy and the armor is still sitting in the right place. Which is most important in terms of fit. If it were so long that the elbow armor was sitting down near my forearms then I definitely wouldn't be able to wear this jacket. And when I'm just standing and off the bike, the jacket is definitely long. But again, you don't care what the fit is when you're walking around off the bike. You want everything to work while on the bike, in riding position. For me, this jacket is borderline. Any longer in the arms and I'd be screwed. Which would be really awful, because I absolutely love this thing.

Generally you need a little length in your jackets and pants, because when you sit you need the extra material to scrunch up, right? And that's the case with this jacket as well. Even in standard riding position, I have plenty of material to be comfortable. I did notice quite a big difference going from the standard to a sport position. On my SV650s, the extra length actually works much better since I'm leaning more forward than I was on my Z750. Keep in mind that the best fit is going to really depend on what bike you're on. Leaning forward just a few more degrees can make a huge difference in terms of how you feel about a jacket. In an ideal world, you would have already bought your bike and are shopping for gear right afterwards (or the same day!) However, some of you may not be able to do it in that order. So I'd be sure to sit on EVERY bike you can get your hands on while at the dealer trying on jackets. Make sure you can sit on as many different kinds of bikes as possible; cruisers, sportbikes, dirtbikes, standard, etc. If you find something that's comfortable on the types of bikes you're interested in, it's a good start. Keep in mind that within sportbikes especially, you're going to see a large variety of riding positions as mentioned above.

Overall I would highly recommend the Ignition for a year round jacket in mild climates such as the Bay Area. Or, as your summer/spring jacket if you ride in harsher winter temperatures. And if you're fortunate to live in the Bay Area, you can try this one on at Scuderia West in San Francisco.