Black Arrow Wild & Free Women’s Motorcycle Jacket Review

December 9, 2016

Black Arrow Wild & Free Leather Motorcycle Jacket |
You Can Have It All

I have coveted the Black Arrow Wild & Free leather motorcycle jacket ever since a friend turned me onto the Australian label. The Sydney-based company specializes in gear for women that is stylish and protective, and has a vintage feel.

The Black Arrow Wild & Free women’s motorcycle jacket has everything I want—impeccable design, unique styling, full CE-approved armor, ventilation and a not-black color option. If you are a woman rider who has also been looking for the same thing, you know that this search is the equivalent of looking for a guy who is manly, can talk about his feelings, wrenches on your bike with you, and also can cook dinner. You’re sure it exists out there somewhere, but it’s damned near impossible to find.

Black Arrow has nailed it with the Wild & Free jacket. The millimeter-thick leather smells divine, is lightweight, and cashmere-soft. The design is flattering, and there are multiple buckle fit points along the waist and hips that allow for tailored adjustment.

Though the cut is slim, the elasticated accordion panels on the shoulders allow for great range of motion in the riding position. In fact, it feels more like a leather coat I would wear to feel stylish around town than it does my other motorcycle jackets, which are heavy and inevitably clunky.

When I slid the CE Level 1 back, shoulder, and elbow armor in to their pockets in the lining, which also has DuPont Kevlar patches, the Black Arrow Wild & Free jacket felt like a proper motorcycle jacket.

I was pleasantly surprised that the elbow armor extends all the way down the length of my forearm. The armor sits exactly where it should and does not make me have to stand like a puffed-up body builder. Instead of feeling suited up for riding, it feels like putting on a jacket that is so comfy and broken in that I can forget I’m even wearing it.

Once on the bike, it also feels a bit like not having a jacket on; there is so much ventilation that I felt every bit of the wind. With a cotton and mesh lining—plus perforations in the leather that cover nearly the entire length of both arms, both side panels, and a good portion of the chest and back of the jacket—this jacket ventilates like crazy. It is a dream come true for hot weather riding, though you’ll definitely need a base layer in cool weather.

There is a small zippered pocket on the chest that’s good for carrying a driver’s license or a pack of gum, and two zippered pockets at the waist that are just big enough to hold a smartphone. All of the zippers work well, and don’t bind up. Inside there is a large pouch pocket that can hold more, but items in it aren’t secure and putting too much in it would result in making the whole jacket look like a pouch, too.

To touch on the basics, the Black Arrow Wild & Free jacket comes in black and tan. Online, the shade of the tan appears to be like a camel color—in person, it’s more of a natural-leather brown. You can, however, trust the sizing guide, as the fit was true to the measurements.

All in all, I am completely smitten with the Black Arrow Wild & Free Women’s leather motorcycle jacket, one that I truly want to wear everywhere, regardless of whether or not I’m even on my bike. When I am on my bike, it has everything I need to feel safe and comfortable. In fact, the only real complaint I have about this jacket is that when cold weather arrives, I have to put it away until the warm weather returns.

Black Arrow Wild & Free Women’s Motorcycle Jacket Fast Facts
Sizes: XS-XL
Color: Tan; Black
Black Arrow Wild & Free Women’s Motorcycle Jacket Price: $399 USD from See See Motorcycles; AUD 519 from Black Arrow.