Review: Three-season Textile Jacket from Scorpion

The quest for a true multi-season motorcycle riding jacket can be a difficult one. How do you find gear that will keep you warm, dry, and cool all at the same time? Here on the east coast, weather patterns are extreme, and it’s nearly impossible to find one jacket that will work for all seasons. Some work better in the cooler months while others are designed just for warmer weather. I tested the Zion, one of the newest textile jackets from Scorpion designed to handle most weather conditions.

review three season textile jacket from scorpion zion — The outer shell of the three-quarter length Zion is made from a 500 Denier nylon material with two layers of the 500 Denier nylon on the abrasion zones, that being shoulders and elbows, shown here with the extra cross-stitching.

review three season textile jacket from scorpion armor — The Zion comes with removable CE-certified elbow and shoulder armor from Sas-Tec brand.

review three season textile jacket from scorpion breast vents

review three season textile jacket from scorpion back vent

review three season textile jacket from scorpion bicep vent

For warmer temperatures, Scorpion provides thoughtful ventilation combined with a lightweight shell. There are multiple vents on the Zion: torso, biceps, forearms, shoulders, and upper back, some of which are shown above.

review three season textile jacket from scorpion forearm vent — I like the two-way zippers on the forearm vents because you get more control over how much airflow you want. I just wish Scorpion added some mesh material behind these zippers, as on the other vents, so my skin isn’t completely exposed when the vents are open. The sleeves taper quite a bit, so you’ll most likely have to wear gauntlet gloves over them unless you’re wearing a glove with shorter cuffs.

I discovered that in 75-degree weather, while riding at highway speeds with all the vents open, too much air flowed through the jacket. I not only felt the wind flowing through the open vents, but the jacket itself breathes quite well so I found myself actually feeling colder than I expected. So the jacket does a great job of venting on those really warm days.

There are two liners that make for a warmer ride when the temperatures drop: a removable full-sleeve thermal liner, and a removable full-sleeve waterproof liner you wear over the thermal liner.

The waterproof liner inside is what keeps you dry in a lot of rain, the outer shell has a coating that makes it water resistant so it could get pretty soaked in a heavy downpour. The seams on the shell are not taped so some leakage could happen. But thats what the waterproof liner is for! Its seams are sealed and it protects your body from getting wet. I had the opportunity to ride in moderate rain, and the waterproof liner worked well keeping me dry inside.

review three season textile jacket from scorpion quilted liner

review three season textile jacket from scorpion liner

The quilted thermal liner (at left) zips in and out easily and is meant to be worn underneath the waterproof liner when warmth when needed. At right is the waterproof liner designed to be worn underneath the jacket but over the quilted liner when that is being used too.

review three season textile jacket from scorpion thumb holes — A feature I like for chilly riding temperatures are the thumb holes on the sleeve of the waterproof liner. With my thumbs in the holes, the liner stays in place and doesn’t ride up my arms when I reach up to the handlebars or when I put the jacket shell on.

review three season textile jacket from scorpion triumph street triple — The Zion is a three-quarter-length jacket, which means the torso extends below the waist as you can see here, as I sit on my 2012 Triumph Street Triple R. I am wearing an XS, my usual jacket size. I typically wear a US 2-4 dress size. The fit in the shoulders and bust are ample, but not as generous as jackets from Olympia, Cortech or Icon. With both liners zipped in, the jacket feels snug especially in the hips.

review three season textile jacket from scorpion velcro — There are several Velcro-style adjustments along the hip, arms, and waist, all shown here, so you can cinch down these areas when removing the liners. Remember that without the liners, your armor should fit snugly and shouldn’t move in any direction away from your body.

I have a smaller hip and waist area than most women do and found the Zion to be a bit tight there. The adjustable straps help me find the right fit. If you have a shorter torso, the two-way zipper in the front allows you to open the bottom so the jacket “expands” there allowing you to feel more comfortable when seated on your motorcycle.

A lot of thought went into the design of the Zion. I like the included headphone loops and the connection zipper for riding pants. Scorpion makes matching Zion pants. If you have a different pant you’d like to connect the Zion jacket to, Scorpion provides the attachment zipper, which can be sewn onto another pant.

The Zion Jacket comes in two colors: all black, and the gray and white color I tested. Sizes range from XS to 2XL. Be sure to consult the Scorpion sizing chart that can be found here.

Price is $299.95, a fair price for all that you get with this jacket. This is $100 less than the Dainese Tempest D-Dry all-weather jacket we recently reviewed here.

Scorpion is known for providing high-end, quality-made motorcycle riding gear at a more modest price range. Visit this link at ScorpionUSA.com to learn more about the Zion jacket.

Review: Three-season Textile Jacket from Scorpion

The Zion has big-ticket features at a decent price

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