There was a time when women couldn’t get their hands on a good-quality motorcycle jacket, often having to resort to an ill-fitting men’s option to meet their needs.
The good news, ladies, is times have changed and there is now an abundance of motorcycle jackets to meet the different riding situations, styles, and needs of women motorcyclists.
Let’s get straight into it.
Best Women’s Motorcycle Jackets – Quick Picks
Street & Steel Athena Women’s Jacket: Best Leather
Dainese Hydra Flux 2 Air D-Dry Women’s Jacket: Best Textile
REV’IT! Xena 3 Women’s Jacket: Best Sports
Joe Rocket Classic ‘92 Women’s Jacket: Best Retro: Best Retro
REV’IT! Eclipse 2 Women’s Jacket: Best Summer
Klim Artemis Women’s Jacket: Best Touring
BILT Brea Women’s Jacket: Best Budget
Roland Sands Maven CE Women’s Jacket: Best Premium
Street & Steel Athena Women’s Jacket
The Street and Steel Athena jacket is a classically styled leather jacket with simple lines and quilted shoulder sections.
It has CE-rated shoulder and elbow protection with a space for an AXIAL back protector, which we recommend purchasing with the jacket. Otherwise, it only comes with a foam piece in the back, which provides no protection.
The jacket has a removable thermal liner along with an advanced VAX ventilation system, so it’s designed to keep you warm in winter and cool in summer.
There are adjustment options at the waist and cuffs to tailor the fit. The jacket can also be attached to your jeans via a Loop system to ensure all-over protection.
Overall, the fit is very good and well-tailored to the female body. It’s a snug fit, which is what you need out of a protective jacket, but the leather does wear in nicely.
- CE-rated shoulders and elbows
- Back protector pocket
- Removable thermal liner
- Good ventilation
- Multiple adjustment options
- Concealed pocket
- Foam piece for back protector can be mistaken for actual protection
Dainese Hydra Flux 2 Women's Jacket
The Dainese Hydra Flux 2 is a multi-season jacket that accommodates for warm and wet weather. It has large mesh panels for excellent airflow but is also equipped with a removable D-Dry membrane to keep you dry.
The only time you’ll want to switch jackets is in the dead of winter when you’ll need something heavy duty. The Hydra Flux 2 is best suited for spring, summer, and fall, not cold winters.
Shoulder and elbow protection is included, as well as a pocket for the Dainese G1 or G2 back protector, which we recommend picking up at the same time as the jacket.
There are adjustment options at the waist, wrist, and neck to get the best fit, plus two outer pockets.
The one downside is that the jacket is quite expensive. As with all Dainese gear, it falls into a higher price bracket. And since you’ll need a secondary jacket for the winter, this may be a deal breaker for some women. Of course, you can be comforted knowing you’re getting a quality jacket.
- 3-season jacket
- EN1621.1 standard shoulder and elbow protectors
- Back protector pocket for Dainese G1 or G2 protector
- Waterproof
- Adjustable
- Mesh fabric for ventilation
- Expensive
- Not winter worthy
REV'IT! Xena 3 Women's Jacket
The REV’IT! Xena 3 jacket has been updated and refined even further for the latest edition. Constructed mostly from cowhide paired with PWL Shell stretch panels at key areas for comfort and freedom of movement, it’s a serious jacket for the sports rider in all of us.
There are 3D air mesh panels and perforated leather for airflow, which lets you breathe in the jacket. It comes with three pockets, an adjustment strap, a jeans loop, and short and long connection zippers for connecting to race trousers.
Seeflex CE 2 shoulder and elbow protectors are included with a pocket for the Seeflex back protector as an add on.
The jacket is built to be tight to provide a race-worthy fit and maximum protection in high-speed situations. A bonus is that the jacket has been designed for the female form, so it cuts a nice figure, tight in all the right places.
One note is that since it’s a sports jacket, it’s intended to be paired with race trousers. If you choose not to do this, bear in mind this jacket is cut short at the waist — so unless you use the jeans loop, your lower back might be exposed in a slide.
- Seeflex CE Level 2 shoulder and elbow protection
- Pocket for Seeflex Level 2 back protector
- Quality construction
- Comfortable
- Race fit
- Short cut
Joe Rocket Classic 92 Jacket
If you want something more retro to rock on the bike, then the Joe Rocket Classic ‘92 jacket is the epitome of American cool with a cafe racer twist.
The classic leather design is cut for the female body. It features race stripes on both arms and a choice of four different colors, from standard black to Ox-blood.
It has a quilted thermal liner that not only keeps you warm but is also comfortable to wear, and a neoprene collar provides comfort around the neck.
The jacket comes with four outside pockets and five interior utility pockets, which gives you so much storage space you’ll be looking for things to put in them.
One downside is that the jacket doesn’t come with any armor. It has pockets for elbow, shoulder, and back protection, but you need to purchase this separately.
- Classic retro styling
- Removable quilted thermal liner
- Plenty of pockets
- Adjustable
- Comfortable feminine cut
- No armor
REV'IT! Eclipse 2 Women's Jacket
The original REV’IT! Eclipse hit the stores and quickly made a name for itself as the ultimate summer riding jacket. The Eclipse 2 developed from customer feedback, and REV’IT! has surely delivered.
Huge mesh panels on the chest, inner arms, and back allow for incredible airflow to keep you protected and cool in the height of summer.
There are CE-certified shoulder and elbow protectors included, with a pocket for an additional back protector. The impact zones are constructed from 600S polyester for excellent abrasion resistance.
The Eclipse 2 is a no-nonsense summer jacket, so just note it doesn’t have a thermal liner or waterproof liner.
It does have adjustability options and belt loops to connect to riding jeans/trousers.
- CE-certified shoulder and elbow armor
- Excellent ventilation
- Comfortable
- Great value
- Quality 600D polyester on impact zones
- Lack of features
Klim Artemis Women’s Jacket
The Klim Artemis jacket is one of my favorite riding jackets. It’s a four-season jacket built for adventures.
There is a Gore-Tex performance shell for 100% waterproof properties — the water just beads off instead of penetrating the jacket and making it heavy.
Klim has used 630D Cordura along with Superfabric for the key abrasion panels, and layered fabrics provide strength and durability. But the inner layers are kept light to reduce bulk and keep the jacket a nice comfortable weight.
D30 armor CE Level 1 is included at the shoulders and elbow, and back. D30 armor is soft, supple, comfortable to wear all day long, but it’s very effective in an impact.
The 10 pockets are extremely useful to stash all important items needed for an adventure like your money, phone, maps, snacks, etc.
There are plenty of adjustment options for optimal fit along with mesh vents and a moisture-wicking liner — comfort is at the heart of the design.
This is the Swiss-army-knife of jackets: built for adventures, however long or short. The Artemis can handle your everyday commute or take you around the world.
- Gore-Tex performance shell
- D30 armor at shoulder, back, and elbows
- Protective abrasion-resistant construction
- Excellent ventilation
- Loads of storage pockets
- Adjustable
- Comfortable
- Very expensive
BILT Brea Women's Jacket
If you’re on a budget, the BILT Brea will provide all the essentials you need in a motorcycle jacket.
Its 600D textile construction provides good abrasion resistance and CE Level 1 shoulder and elbow armor is there for impact protection. You can also fit a back protector in the pocket, but this is a separate add-on.
Four direct-to-body vents are great ventilation, cooling you down in warm weather. Plus, a full length thermal liner that can be zipped in or removed depending on the conditions.
The Brea is a little bulky on those with a smaller frame, and the sleeves come up tight and short. It’s likely you’ll need to purchase a size or two up to get the right fit.
- CE Level 1 shoulder and elbow armor
- Good abrasion resistant construction
- Great ventilation
- Thermal liner
- Quite bulky
- Potentially awkward fit
Roland Sands Maven CE Womens Jacket
The Roland Sands Maven jacket is a premium leather riding jacket that not only looks the business but is backed by substance.
CE-certified SAS-TEC flex elbow and shoulder armor are included and the back protector can be added separately.
The leather is premium full-grain cowhide, but there are perforated sections to allow the air into the jacket.
It’s been shaped like a race jacket with rotated, pre-curved sleeves that make the jacket comfortable from day one. At the rear, the jacket is longer to keep your lower back protected. There are comfort flex panels under the arms and at the chest, you also get zips at the side of the waist to adjust the jacket to fit.
Several pockets, including a soft-lined electronics security pocket, will help you carry your everyday essentials.
It is a pricey leather jacket, but it screams quality and has a timeless style.
- CE-certified flex armor at shoulder and elbows
- Plenty of pockets
- Comfortable
- Adjustable waist
- Quality construction and materials
- Pricey
Buyers Guide
There are a few things to think about when looking for a women’s motorcycle jacket, so we have a short guide to help you decide what you need out of a jacket.
Protection
The first and most obvious thing to consider is how protective the jacket is for your specific riding needs. Your favorite leather jacket that you wear all the time won’t cut it as a serious motorcycle jacket — it just isn’t built to protect you.
These are some key things to look out for to know how protective a jacket is.
Armor
Look for CE-rated armor. Most jackets will come with shoulder and elbow protection as a bare minimum and will have a pocket for a back protector.
Be sure to take out the armor if the description of the jacket isn’t clear and check for the CE rating so you know it is actually certified armor.
Some manufacturers will place a piece of foam in the back to keep the shape of the jacket, but this is not protective in the slightest, so it is best to check and replace it with a proper back protector if necessary.
Abrasion Resistance
Whether the jacket is leather or textile, you want to be sure that it is abrasion resistant. Be sure to check for layers of material in the high impact zones and check that the jacket has been double or even triple stitched for strength.
A good minimum for textile jackets would be 600D poly material and leather should be at least 1.2mm thick.
Ratings
You will see CE ratings given to armor and to jackets. These can be used as a guide to assess how effective they are as protective equipment.
CE Level 2 is the highest grade given to armor and you will find this in race jackets, for example, where high speed impacts are considered more likely. CE Level 1 armor is still effective for everyday road use. You may also see jackets being given CE approval ratings such as A, AA, or AAA.
- A Grade: A-grade trousers will be best suited for urban riding and relatively slower speeds. You will likely find them lighter weight.
- AA Grade: AA-grade trousers will have been tested more thoroughly in conditions that all sorts of riders are likely to encounter.
- AAA Grade: AAA grade is the highest certification and is mostly found on sports-riding clothing, where impacts are more likely, and at higher speeds.
Not all jackets in the US undergo this testing, which can be a costly process, especially if the manufacturer isn’t planning on selling the garments to the European market.
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean the clothing is less safe. It may not have been put forward for CE testing, but it could have had its own independent testing.
Style and Features
The next thing to think about is what kind of style and features you want out of a jacket.
Leather vs Textile
There is an age-old debate about textile versus leather. In terms of protection, with the advancements in textile materials and construction, they’re pretty equal and both have excellent protective properties. So this will come down to personal preference.
A little caveat here is that leather is still the only acceptable option on the track.
Leather is generally heavier and less suitable for hot weather. Equally, it isn’t waterproof, so it’s not great in wet weather. Textile is more versatile and can be great for hot, cold, or wet weather and everything in between.
Your Needs
If you’re going to be riding a lot all year long, then a multipurpose jacket with removable liners, good ventilation, and waterproof features, like the Klim Artemis, is going to be your best bet.
If you’re strictly looking for a track-day race jacket to zip to leather trousers, then something like the REV’IT! Xena 3 is up to that task.
Mesh textile jackets are awesome in the summer because they allow excellent airflow while still keeping you protected.
If you need a waterproof jacket, the best option to look for is a Gore-Tex-laminated or Gore-Tex-lined jacket. Gore-Tex is the number one go-to for guaranteed waterproof abilities.
Do you need a jacket with plenty of pockets so you can stash your stuff? Do you carry a weapon? In that case, the concealed pocket in the Street and Steel Athena Jacket might just be perfect for you.
After you’ve found a protective jacket, be sure to make sure it meets your needs, considering everything from the weather you ride in to storage space. Decide whether it needs to be waterproof or if you prefer leather, and if you’ll be zipping it to riding trousers, and more.
If you think these things through, you’ll find the right jacket.
Conclusion
For me, the Street and Steel Athena Jacket is just a superb leather option. It looks awesome, is built well, and has plenty of positive features.
However, the Klim Artemis is just the ultimate jacket in every sense. If you ride in all weather, through all terrain, you can’t go wrong in making that investment.
And that’s just what a quality riding jacket is — an investment.