Grey or Black Jacket

[captfire22]

I am in the market for a new Jacket and can't decide on the colour.  I like black and I like Grey, I would prefer black though but am concerned that it will absorb noticeably more heat on hot sunny days, as theory dictates.  I also know that while riding its not so much an issue or an issue at all.  My riding is mostly on the highway so theres no shortage of air.  Then theres the stops and waiting for what ever reason. When I comment to work in the morning its as cold as 6 - 8 degrees C and that same day it could be 33 degrees C for the ride home. 

Any one have experience with both colours or black and some other colour  that could comment?  The other deciding factor for me may be that the Klim Apex jacket in Grey is not in stock anywhere currently where I would prefer to shop (on line) but a couple vendors have black on hand now. 

[betoney]

Personally, I dont like an all black jacket purely for visibility reasons.  In the past I have used mesh all-black jackets in 100+ degree heat and I'm not convinced a lighter color would have been any less miserable.

Did you check Revzilla or Cycle Gear?  They both have the grey Klim Apex in stock, except for medium.

 

 

[rlambke19]

One thing I will say about black is that it doesn't show the bug guts etc. like lighter colours do. I like multi-tone jackets, but prefer that it has black or a darker colour in the upper chest region for that reason.

Rob  

[Cruizin]

6 hours ago, captfire22 said:

I am in the market for a new Jacket and can't decide on the colour.  I like black and I like Grey, I would prefer black though but am concerned that it will absorb noticeably more heat on hot sunny days, as theory dictates.  I also know that while riding its not so much an issue or an issue at all.  My riding is mostly on the highway so theres no shortage of air.  Then theres the stops and waiting for what ever reason. When I comment to work in the morning its as cold as 6 - 8 degrees C and that same day it could be 33 degrees C for the ride home. 

Any one have experience with both colours or black and some other colour  that could comment?  The other deciding factor for me may be that the Klim Apex jacket in Grey is not in stock anywhere currently where I would prefer to shop (on line) but a couple vendors have black on hand now. 

I have the Klim Apex in Black and love it.  Klim is HUGE up here in Idaho and the consensus is that Black looks the best. 

Klim Apex Jacket | 19% ($149.99) Off!

WWW.REVZILLA.COM

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With a Gore-Tex Pro Shell, Italian leather reinforcements, D3O armor & YKK Aquaguard zippers, the Apex Jacket is the pinnacle of premium touring tech.

 

[Cruizin]

6 hours ago, captfire22 said:

I am in the market for a new Jacket and can't decide on the colour.  I like black and I like Grey, I would prefer black though but am concerned that it will absorb noticeably more heat on hot sunny days, as theory dictates.  I also know that while riding its not so much an issue or an issue at all.  My riding is mostly on the highway so theres no shortage of air.  Then theres the stops and waiting for what ever reason. When I comment to work in the morning its as cold as 6 - 8 degrees C and that same day it could be 33 degrees C for the ride home. 

Any one have experience with both colours or black and some other colour  that could comment?  The other deciding factor for me may be that the Klim Apex jacket in Grey is not in stock anywhere currently where I would prefer to shop (on line) but a couple vendors have black on hand now. 

Revzilla has the Grey in stock  https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/klim-apex-jacket

 

Cycle Gear has Grey in stock too https://www.cyclegear.com/gear/klim-apex-jacket

 

 

[captfire22]

Thanks for the information, I should have noted that my preferred vendors are Canadian based, only because of the cost.

In Canada everyone who sells the jacket (even off the Klim website with them converting to Canadian dollars) has the jacket listed for $844.95 plus the federal tax on this amount, total is $887.20 delivered.

For US retailers like the ones listed by others, the Jacket is typically $650 USD + $30 for international shipping = $680 USD

Today the conversion for USD to Canadian is 1.33 = $906, then paypal or the credit card companies charge 3% to convert, so the delivered cost is $933.18 for me.  Sometimes if shipped by UPS, there is a $40 to $70 brokerage fee required on delivery, USPS does not do this and we thank them for that.

When the Canadian dollar to US dollar values are closer, the opposite is true, items become lest costly for us here to purchase from US companies.

Of course, the difference is negligible if I needed a jacket quickly but when I left home this morning for work, I drove through a blizzard, so getting it quickly is not a big factor.  I did contact TwistedThrottle (Canadian side) and the told me grey was 6 - 7 weeks away.

[betoney]

1 hour ago, captfire22 said:

Today the conversion for USD to Canadian is 1.33 = $906, then paypal or the credit card companies charge 3% to convert, so the delivered cost is $933.18 for me.  Sometimes if shipped by UPS, there is a $40 to $70 brokerage fee required on delivery, USPS does not do this and we thank them for that.

Wow, so expensive and such an inconvenience for you.  All of those fees would seriously curtail my online spending habits.

[Cruizin]

2 hours ago, captfire22 said:

Thanks for the information, I should have noted that my preferred vendors are Canadian based, only because of the cost.

In Canada everyone who sells the jacket (even off the Klim website with them converting to Canadian dollars) has the jacket listed for $844.95 plus the federal tax on this amount, total is $887.20 delivered.

For US retailers like the ones listed by others, the Jacket is typically $650 USD + $30 for international shipping = $680 USD

Today the conversion for USD to Canadian is 1.33 = $906, then paypal or the credit card companies charge 3% to convert, so the delivered cost is $933.18 for me.  Sometimes if shipped by UPS, there is a $40 to $70 brokerage fee required on delivery, USPS does not do this and we thank them for that.

When the Canadian dollar to US dollar values are closer, the opposite is true, items become lest costly for us here to purchase from US companies.

Of course, the difference is negligible if I needed a jacket quickly but when I left home this morning for work, I drove through a blizzard, so getting it quickly is not a big factor.  I did contact TwistedThrottle (Canadian side) and the told me grey was 6 - 7 weeks away.

How far are you from the border? Man, i would ship it to a po box in the USA and ride/drive down and bring it home and save hundreds. 

[captfire22]

2 hours ago, Cruizin said:

How far are you from the border? Man, i would ship it to a po box in the USA and ride/drive down and bring it home and save hundreds. 

Only 60 miles to the US boarder, I use a parcel exchange just over the boarder when the Canadian dollar is stronger than it currently is.

Its the currency exchange that drives the cost up for us right now it costs $1.33 Canadian dollars to pay $1.00 US dollar, or in other terms the Canadian dollar is worth only $0.75 US, when the exchange is closer, like our Canadian Dollar being worth $0.85 US and up, it is cheaper to order on line from US retailers some times.

Anyway, I have come to terms with the cost, just not the colour selection.

[Cruizin]

Your dollar is weak, but right now you can ride down to your local dispensary and buy some purple cush legally. 

Edge goes to Canada. 

[wordsmith]

Wow! - those KLIM jackets are pretty expensive!   I understand that in most cases you get what you pay for, but...

Many of the other brands look appreciably cheaper, say one-third to half the price that we'd pay here for a similar-looking jacket (I have a view that they all come out of the same factory!)

[motopumps]

I prefer grey for better visibility and less solar gain.  Black can be pretty darn hot on a full sun day, stopped in traffic.

Bug guts give you street cred.  🙂 

[Cruizin]

12 hours ago, wordsmith said:

Wow! - those KLIM jackets are pretty expensive!   I understand that in most cases you get what you pay for, but...

Many of the other brands look appreciably cheaper, say one-third to half the price that we'd pay here for a similar-looking jacket (I have a view that they all come out of the same factory!)

Klim is the best gear I've ever tested by far. And when they say waterproof, they mean waterproof. 

[Mariemark78]

I also recommend you to get a black jacket.
It is too good in winters as black color absorbs sunlight.
I also have a black jacket which I bought from an online shop the ski bum Coupons .
They have all the colors and a vast variety of jackets available in all sizes. 
I am sure you will also get one at less cost.
 

[korydz]

I went through the same process.  As a fellow Canadian, I think black is the right choice.  I'd rather be warm than cold is one reason.  The other is trying to stay clean.  Almost every rider I see with light or bright colours are grimy looking.  Black won't be any cleaner, but it makes the dirt invisible.  

We find the same with our snowmobile gear.  I agree that visibility is the trade off, but that can be addressed with lighting on your bike if that is a concern.