Royal Enfield Streetwind Eco Riding Jacket Review — Sustainable Protection

If you have been to any Royal Enfield event, you will know how important sustainability is to this manufacturer. They have extended that philosophy to their riding apparel business also and that is one of the reasons why the Streetwind Eco riding jacket stands out among other options.

As many as 75 plastic bottles have been used in the construction of this garment along with abrasion-resistant polyester cordura fabric. It is an interesting process. First, the bottles are turned into polyester chips which are then spun into a yarn that is used to make the fabric. Given that it is meant to be used as a summer jacket, its construction is extremely light even with CE Level Two armours from Ergo Pro-tech for the shoulders and elbows. It is easily among the lightest riding jackets I have used. Furthermore, it is superbly ventilated too, just what one needs for tropical climates.

Room for improvement here includes chest and back protection. The former does not exist and Royal Enfield offer only a foam back protector as standard. That means if one wants better protection, they have to pay extra for better units from Ergo Prot-tech. We feel it should have been offered as standard given the seriousness of spine injuries. Of course, we swapped the foam for a D3O armour immediately and other than a slight increase in weight, there has been nothing to complain about.

That aside, the fit is good. The material is soft to touch and does not irritate the skin but one must be careful to select the correct size. Due to the thin material, it easily folds itself into waves when sitting on the motorcycle if it is a size too big. We feel, adding some chest protection could solve this issue easily.

At Rs 5,950, it is attractively priced and we would easily recommend this for those who live in tropical regions. In conclusion, great entry-level jacket under Rs 10,000 for a beginner but we would recommend adding to its usefulness by buying better armour when possible. An armoured vest should suffice.