Tried And Tested: Alpha Cycle Gear Tahoe-J106 Motorcycle Adventure Jacket Review

Summary

• This Alpha Cycle Gear jacket offers plenty of useful pockets for storage and protection on motorcycle adventures.
• The jacket strikes a balance between safety features and a sleek, fashionable appearance, making it a versatile choice.
• While best for cold and cool weather, the ACG Tahoe ADV Jacket provides significant protection and adjustability for riders.

If there’s one thing I love, it’s pockets. The Alpha Cycle Gear Tahoe-J106 Motorcycle Adventure Jacket has plenty. I can’t say enough about how useful and secure these pockets are. Storage space on a motorcycle jacket is very important and Alpha Cycle Gear (ACG) gets that. As an avid motorcycle rider who’s always looking for more ways to carry my much-needed accessories and tools, I was happy to test this jacket out. My favorite feature is the back pocket, which is typically very handy on an adventure jacket. This back pocket mainly serves as extra protection if you choose to slide additional impact padding in there. Additionally, these pockets are also perfect for carrying hydration bladders. These are critical for hardcore adventure riders who spend hours on treacherous roads that don’t have anywhere safe to stop for breaks and refreshments. They can just sip on a sippy straw connected to water held in this nifty back pocket. I haven’t decided what to use it for, but I’ve got plenty of tools and accessories to put in there for my next motorcycle adventure.

Aside from pockets, this jacket is packed with plenty of other useful features, especially for safety. Moreover, one thing I’ve found about wearing safe gear is that it rarely looks good, in my fashion opinion. For me, ‘good’ means sleek, minimal, and fashionable—not bulky, oversized, or goofy-looking. I don’t want to look like a safety worker at some nuclear clean-up facility, but, I do want to feel safe and protected while I’m out riding. Being safe and looking cool usually go in opposite directions, yet a handful of motorcycle gear brands manage to strike the right balance. The ACG Tahoe ADV Jacket proves to be one of them. It looks cool, especially in black. Yet, it has an impressive number of safety features and is CE-armor-graded. Moreover, it also comes with several handy adjustments for body shape and body temperature regulation.

To give you the most genuine and unbiased review possible, every product we review is tested daily throughout the normal course of day-to-day life for a period of no less than one week.

ACG Tahoe-J106 Motorcycle ADV Jacket First Impressions

ACG has pulled off one tough-looking adventure jacket. In black, the rugged canvas-like protective fabric weave looks very tactical combined with the armor padding and utility pockets. Taking that into consideration, with ACG’s promoted “carry conceal inside-pocket,” one wonders who this jacket was made for and what kind of adventures they are going on. Nonetheless, it is one motorcycle jacket that you’ll be more than well off with wearing on your next ride. This tactical-looking gear holds up to how it looks.

At first glance, there’s a lot to take in. The jacket has a lot to see and a lot that you don’t see until you start exploring everything it has to offer. Every time I thought I knew this jacket, it revealed another useful surprise. Like any good motorcycle jacket, it has many features and adjustments to discover. Additionally, it’s lighter and less restrictive than my other riding and mesh jackets. The ACG Tahoe feels snug, stretchy, and protective. Once you slip it on, you can feel the jacket conforming and shaping to make a protective armor around you. Moreover, as mentioned previously, it’s equipped with numerous useful pockets for all your favorite tools and devices. Great for casual commutes and excellent for long moto-tours. If you’re like me, you always go on rides packed with tools that can handle anything the outdoor elements throw at you.

How It Feels When Riding

If this ACG feels great just standing around checking yourself out in the mirror, it feels even better riding a motorcycle. I tested it out in 30-degree Fahrenheit weather on both local roads and highways. The windproof features performed well. The reflective piping kept me visible in the dark. And, the thermal regulation features kept me warm on those frosty mornings. While there’s limited neck coverage and no neck sleeve, it wasn’t anything that couldn’t be addressed by simply wearing a scarf. Despite that small caveat, the ACG Tahoe is a solid jacket to wear when riding a motorcycle. While rugged and slightly weighty, it is thin and sleek enough to conform and flex into shape for the most aggressive ride positions and much-needed body stretches at stop-light breaks.

Packed Full Of Pockets And Protective Padding

The jacket feels sturdy. Waterproof? So they say, but when was the last time your waterproof motorcycle gear kept you dry in heavy rain? Water-resistant? For sure. The jacket’s protection features include CE-graded shoulder and elbow pads, an additional backbone protector, and extra padding around the upper chest and collarbone area. However, I’d recommend upgrading the back pad; aside from that, this jacket offers solid impact protection. In addition to that, the outer layer is as rugged as it looks. “Speaking for a friend,” due to predatory insurance practices, this jacket can survive a low side and then some, like it was just a small scratch on the knee. And, of course, I had to come back to the pockets. These pockets close and secure tighter than zippers. It takes a good amount of effort to flip open the Velcro flaps—which secure better than any buttoned pockets I’ve had the pleasure of wearing.

Versatile And Adjustable

The ACG Tahoe ADV Jacket has adjustable waist straps, thigh straps, forearm, and arm straps. The neck and sleeve cuffs are also fitted with adjustable Velcro straps. With all that considered, no matter your body shape, it would be hard for anyone to feel uncomfortable in this jacket. It also tries to accommodate weather, aiming to be an all-season jacket. With the zip-out inside thermal liner and the four ventilation air pockets, it makes for an ambitious attempt. Unfortunately, I don’t see this jacket being comfortable in anything but cool to cold weather. The outer fabric just doesn’t allow for that kind of ventilation to keep you cool in warm temperatures.

Performs Well Against Riding Winds

While the ACG Tahoe ADV Jacket resists wind effectively, it also does a good job at evading it. Wind force was minimal and I didn’t feel any wind catching my jacket fabric. As far as protection goes, this jacket performs well for the price. The armor pads and rugged fabric are solid. Furthermore, the reflective piping and logo branding on the back and sleeves offer an extra layer of visibility at night—something all riders welcome when it comes to the awareness of cagers on dark roads. Safety is paramount for us motorcycle riders. ACG gets that. This jacket is also claimed to be waterproof. However, based on the canvas material and my years of riding experience, I only feel confident riding in short times of moderate rain. However, I wouldn’t push for long rides in severe storms. Snowfall? For sure.

Excellent For Moderate To Cold Riding Climates

This ACG Tahoe is best worn in cold and cool climates. Up against cold air, it performs magnificently on local streets and at highway speeds in 30°F. It can keep you warm by itself and has a loose enough fit and flex to offer space for an additional under-layer. This jacket warms so efficiently that it can become hot inside rather quickly. In 50°F weather, I already start to get a little swampy. Even with the front and back ventilation pockets and removing the inner thermal liner, riding in warm weather turns out to get a bit sweaty. I have heavier jackets than this that offer better cooling and ventilation. With that said, it’s an overall great-performing motorcycle jacket for moderate to cold weather.

Fit, Comfort, And Sizing Recommendation

As I slipped the ACG Tahoe jacket on, I was pleased by how well the sleeves fit my long arms. This is rarely the case with motorcycle jackets. Furthermore, the protective padding felt sturdy and shaped well enough to sufficiently cover my elbows, back, and shoulders. Additionally, the jacket features several adjustment straps on the arms, waist, and wrists, allowing for tailored shaping to your body shape. If any part of the jacket is too loose or baggy, the adjustable Velcro straps make it easy to achieve a better fit.

Alpha Cycle Gear Tahoe-J106 Motorcycle Jacket Sizing Chart

ACG Tahoe-J106 Motorcycle ADV Jacket Competition

The motorcycle adventure jacket category is all about protection, safety, weatherproofing, utility, build quality, and of course, price point. Whether you ride all seasons or just one, you’ll need a jacket that adequately regulates body temperature. For those true adventure riders, you also want something that handles rain well enough to keep you dry. You want quality protection padding and rugged material durable enough for the adventure motorcycle experience—mainly weather, falls, and slides. And, for riders like me, you want lots of useful pockets to hold all your motorcycle adventure items.

ACG Tahoe-J106 Vs. Viking Cycle Warlock

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  Alpha Cycle Gear TAHOE-J106 MOTORCYCLE ADV JACKET

  Alpha Cycle Gear’s Adventure motorcycle jacket is an adaptive, windproof protection jacket that packs plenty of pockets and useful surprises. It’s chock-full of neat features handy for a variety of motorcycle situations. For the low price tag, it offers more than a cheap jacket should, and that’s a good thing for both casual/commute and adventurous motorcycle riders.

  Pros

  • Offers many features
  • Bang for the buck
  • Super-adjustable
  • Plenty of useful pockets
  • Significant protection against fall impacts and slide abrasion

  Cons

  • Not good for warm weather
  • Protective back/spine armor needs more padding

• 

  Viking Cycle Warlock Motrocycle Jacket

  Viking Cycle produced one sleek, sporty, and minimal motorcycle jacket. It’s a sturdy quality build with good protection and great ventilation. The body temperature regulation features make it versatile enough to wear for all-season riding.

  Pros

  • Good ventilation
  • Does well in warm and moderate weather
  • Good padding protection
  • Wind resistant
  • Durable
  • Cheap price point

  Cons

  • Bugs are hard to clean out of the front mesh
  • Lacks neck coverage
  • No lower-back or waist protection
  • Lacks features and adjustments

Viking’s Warlock Motorcycle Jacket has great ventilation considering the amount of protection it offers. And, that’s where it has the ACG ADV jacket beat. The Warlock’s outer mesh fabric sections infuse a breathable design around the body, while the abrasion-resistant fabric and CE-graded armor provide sufficient impact and slide protection. Ventilation-wise, the front-air flow vents offer superior cooling. The breathable mesh covers sections of the front chest, arms, and back. The thermal liner can also be removed for even more venting. Furthermore, this jacket is comfortable in cool to hot weather. A true all-season motorcycle jacket. I test-rode a 2023 Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster wearing this jacket from Las Vegas to the Proving Grounds in Arizona during October. It was 80-degree Fahrenheit temperatures around then and the jacket didn’t make me swampy.

Now what the Viking lacks is lower waist protection, more pockets, and more adjustability straps for sizing around the upper arms. The ACG Tahoe jacket has the Viking jacket beat here. The Tahoe also somehow feels lighter despite not providing as much cooling as the Viking, ironically enough. Mind you, these are both great jackets. They both offer great protection and safety features including reflective piping. Both jackets are neck and neck when it comes to pricepoint. And, while the ACG offers more features and adjustments, the top choice out of the two mainly comes down to the riding climate in which each jacket is to be worn.

ACG Tahoe-J106 Vs Held Carese Evo Jacket

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  Alpha Cycle Gear TAHOE-J106 MOTORCYCLE ADV JACKET

  Alpha Cycle Gear’s Adventure motorcycle jacket is an adaptive, windproof protection jacket that packs plenty of pockets and useful surprises. It’s chock-full of neat features handy for a variety of motorcycle situations. For the low price tag, it offers more than a cheap jacket should, and that’s a good thing for both casual/commute and adventurous motorcycle riders.

  Pros

  • Offers many features
  • Bang for the buck
  • Super-adjustable
  • Plenty of useful pockets
  • Significant protection against fall impacts and slide abrasion

  Cons

  • Not good for warm weather
  • Protective back/spine armor needs more padding

• 

  

  Held Carese EVO Motorcycle Jacket 

  The Carese Evo is an adventure jacket that truly belongs in the adventure motorcycle gear category. While other so-called ADV jackets look like they are for off-road and adventure riding, most of them can’t withstand adventure riding in extremely hot or cold weather. Nor can they keep you and your accessories dry under heavy rains like the Evo can.

  Pros

  • Gortex 3 stretch liner for inner or outer waterproofing
  • Good for both hot and cold climates
  • Extensive venting features
  • D3O Armor for shoulders and elbows
  • Top of the line abrasion resistant SuperFabric
  • Expansive range of sizes for different body types

The Carese Evo adventure motorcycle jacket keeps you dry under heavy rains and regulates body temperature for both cold and hot climates. The removable inner waterproof membrane can be used on the inside or the outside of the jacket to completely seal it off from getting wet. It offers an amazing amount of cooling vents in combination with removing the inner liner, which works excellent for driving air into the jacket to cool the rider’s body. For cold weather, there are enough stretch and adjustment features to allow for layering more clothes onto the body inside the jacket.

Additional features include an integrated hood, a drink bag, and even more pockets for adding more protection pads to the jacket. Held is so considerate of their riders, they also offer extensive fit sizes, including “tummy” and “extra slim”. As a true adventure jacket, the Evo is loaded for extreme adventure riding and excellent protection. For the casual rider or commuter, this could be a jacket that inspires you to become an adventure rider. Or, its price tag of $1,099.99 could make you keep it casual with your riding—where the ACG Tahoe ADV makes a great purchase with plenty of money saved to purchase upgrades to enhance its capabilities.

Is The ACG Tahoe-J106 ADV The Right Motorcycle Jacket For You

For the price tag, this jacket is a great buy considering it’s under $100. While it’s not a true adventure jacket, it does offer more than enough for the casual rider and commuter. Protection is adequate, and it has a load of useful features and pockets. It’s also great for cold and cool weather rides. On the other hand, I wouldn’t use this jacket for the summer, even with its ventilation pockets and zip-out liner. The fabric is just not ideal for warm weather and doesn’t offer enough breathability with its overall build and design. I do, however, recommend this to the casuals, and weekend warriors who don’t go riding in the rain or have to deal with hot temperatures.

See Alpha Cycle Gear Tahoe-J106 Motorcycle Adventure Jacket On Amazon