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Is the neck on a crosszip windproof at 75 mph?

itsallgood

One of the Regulars
Messages
179
Can someone post a picture of a crosszip zipped up? I may commission a crosszip jacket and my specific intent is not having to carry an extra lambskin bandana when I'm out riding, or even walking on a cold, winter, windy beach. All of my jackets today zip up the center. At a motorcycle show years ago, I purchased a soft lambskin bandana that perfectly seals up my neck, but it's always too bulky when not being used and shoved into a pocket. Will a crosszip seal the wind out? Anyone got a picture of a Bootlegger zipped up?, Schott Clean Perfecto?, Hooch Hauler? If I do this, it'll be in heavy Horween CXL horsehide, so I'm also wondering how that thick leather would do sealing up my neck without choking me.
 
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16,848
Will a crosszip seal the wind out?

Hi.

No, it won't. Not at the front, at least, even though the collar is tall enough to cover the sides and the back.

Can't remember how it is with Aero specifically but on most Perfecto styled jackets, the collar doesn't even connect, let alone overlap so even with the throat latch, the wind will get through.

Mandarin styled collar jackets have the cross zip beat in that regard.
 

Carlos840

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,944
Location
London
Excuse the quality of the pictures, i thought taking them sitting down with arms forward was probably the most helpful angle, but my webcam was all i could use for that task.

Schott 644:

bnmTyWo.jpg


Aero Bootlegger:

hL81co4.jpg


Lost Worlds J-23:

AHIA0wA.jpg


So, IMO there isn't really a difference at the neck between the bootlegger and the cafe racer.
Yes the CR goes ever so slightly higher, but IMO not enough to really make a difference.
Your Adams apple might get ever so slightly more wind with the cross zip, but it is minimal.
IMO once you wear a thin tube scarf (which i would wear anyway with either on the bike) both are pretty much even.

What makes a real difference to me is the mutton collar, it really seals in at the back and around the neck and IMO really increases the felt heat in a jacket.
Full disclosure i have never ridden with the mutton collar, can't comment as to how that feels, but walking around with it is awesome!

Riding with a Bootlegger my main concern would be mobility, not draft. It really not a great jacket to ride in, it rides when you raise arms, forward reach isn't great, it has big armpits that act as sails, pretty baggy arms, IMO it is really a walking jacket not a riding one...
 
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16,848
I assumed the op meant with an upturned collar. Otherwise, it's the same as with any other dress collar.
Still, in my experience, mandarin collar does provide tighter closure around the neck.
 

itsallgood

One of the Regulars
Messages
179
Thanks guys, very helpful.

When I look at photos of a snapped up mandarin collar, it always seems like there's enough room to slip your pinkey up between the top of the zipper and the bottom of the collar. Is there a hidden flap back in there that stops wind flow?

Yes, all of my jackets have a dress collar. But, for this mission profile, form follows function. I'm wanting a jacket I can grab and ride or grab and head out for a walk on a windy, chilly day without reaching for something to seal up my neck. Although, I would do it in the heavy horsehide, so, there is that. Wondering how the heavy leather would factor in.
 

itsallgood

One of the Regulars
Messages
179
I'm afraid to go 75 mph in a car...precisely why I don't have an itch to ride. Be safe!
Oh yeah. Yeah. Can never take it for granted. I always ride politely towards other traffic, but I've found sometimes it's actually safer to stay ahead of the traffic. Cars bunch up, so I watch for pockets between the clusters. And in California, lane splitting is legal, so it's easy to just pop up ahead and stay in open space. With regard to the 75, German engineering at it's finest, so the thing glides at 75 like it's doing 35. That old poster sometimes comes to mind, "I didn't know BMW made cars until I passed one."
 

roadking04

Practically Family
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938
Location
The Rock 'n Roll Capital
I rode late fall, early winter in my Schott 618hh with no major issues. I rode in upper 30's to lower 40's with no drafts around the neck. I wish it was an inch or 2 longer in the back though, that was the main concern for drafts that I had. The 618 checks most of the boxes as a serviceable motorcycle jacket.
 

itsallgood

One of the Regulars
Messages
179
So, the 618 sealed up your neck? Good to know.

I'm envisioning no fairing. I've put almost 86,000 miles on my current bike, all with a fairing. I may be up for a change and I'm thinking something a little '60s retro.
 

Dumpster Diver

Practically Family
Messages
952
Location
Ontario
How about you mail me your Jacket and I'll put it to the test on a Suzuki DR-650...I might do a lot more than 75MPH on it on a quiet stretch. heheh...lookout!

Anyway, You'd love my guitar collection, nothing quite as pricey but I got some rare bass guitars lurking here there and everywhere. You'd probly like my "Mann" Ebo style shorty bass, It's not quite a Gisbson "rocker" bass but it sure has some nice tone with a YBA-4 with a C12N jensen speaker and a felt pick.
 
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10,631
My cross zips seal up just as well as any other riding jacket. Never noticed a difference.

Oh, and no fairing, no windshield (unless a multi-day trip is in the works...maybe).
 

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