Knox Honister motorcycle jacket review - Sportsbikeshop

Knox are aiming to break the mould with a high airflow mesh jacket that’s AAA for protection and is also the core layer for a year-round bike jacket. Find out more about the Honister by watching our review…

[JCavSD]

I've purchased the Honister almost as soon as it was available, and I'm guessing I've put about 8, 000+ miles on it. I live in Southern California, so it's great in the heat. I have a 41 inch chest, am 5'8" tall, weigh 156 lbs. and a medium fits snug but not tight. I sometimes wear a thing Gore-Tex vest over it to cut back on the airflow, and a Revit Flare jacket, with armor removed, over that for additional warmth and water proofing. There are only three minor annoyances: 1)The sleeves could be an inch longer. Even with the thumb loops in use I can have a very small amount of skin exposed when using my short summer gloves. 2) The bottom of the jacket flares out a little, for no apparent reason. 3) The zippers on the exterior pockets sometimes hang up a little and don't operate as smoothly as I'd like. These are very minor annoyances. Overall one of the best jackets I've owned in 37 years of riding. On an unrelated note, I also ride a GSX-S1000GT...fantastic bike.

[CAVEY]

I bought the Urbane 3.0 the matching gloves and the Handroid 5.0 from Sportsbikeshop. The stitching on the gloves on the jacket cuffs and the retaining finger strap failed in 6 weeks...also the mesh material freyed where there was contact between the cuff and the glove.The Handroid gloves were a size XXL (I'm a size 12 glove every glove I own is a XXL), the leather "gave out" and they were too big in 3 weeks. Sportsbikeshop were fantastic....swapped the Handroids for an XL size and so far they have been fine....and they gave me a credit for the jacket and summer gloves. Knox kit looks fantastic...has obviously been safety tested but think the materials or manufacturing process' they use may need a tweak to ensure better longevity

[OhHeyAngel_]

Have abs my Honister for a month now and I'm honestly in love. I managed to fit perfectly into a small, thinking the sizing would still be an issue like other jackets. I do agree with the arm/sweat/sticky issue mentioned, however, I have since started to wear thin long sleeves and that's fixed the "getting the jacket off issue" if anything, some track guys suggested investing into some silk layers to make removal even easier.

[davebethell]

I have the Honister, which is more of a jacket fit than my Urbane pro (MK1), which seems to be more of an armoured heavy duty base layer. For sizing I'm a M in the Urbane pro, and a L in the Honister (5'10", 12 stone).
It's comfortable and has great protection. I like the fact you can layer up under and over the jacket. I use a Craghoppers soft shell jacket over this to reduce wind chill, and a fleece under it for extra warmth if required. Excellent for a recent trip to Germany where one day varied from 8 degrees to 25 degrees due to the altitude in the Black Forest. Layering up gives you the best of all conditions, as you can adapt to suit the weather.
Expensive, yes.
The only bike jacket you'll need, also yes!
Highly recommended.

[LKESBO]

always giving the correct info in very simple way thank u, u helped me with the size part 👍👍

[stevenesq]

Im only a good weather rider so i only use the mrk 3 urban pro instead of the honister. Nothing wrong with it you understand its just my go to jacket.

[totororobkaye]

Looking for a jacket to use in UK, would most recommend this one ?

[flip.]

Stretchy enough to fit an airbag vest underneath?

[seazv]

is this less stretchable tan the knox TOR jacket for both onroad and also offroad for adventure bikes?

[PeterPiperNYC]

Is the Armor large like the Rukka? I think the larger size is called Type "B" ?

[baruchdor]

I have the knox urban pro mk2, is there a reason to think about the honisteris?

[ameliahunt]

Great review, but sadly ignored the women's version. Knox, unlike some brands, offers a great female-specific version of its excellent kit. It's a shame you didn't highlight that, and only bothered to mention the male default. Otherwise great content, thanks.

[Whattanu]

Will need to buy a jacket like this here soon. Too bad I can’t get this one. Too hot in all black and I don’t do all black for safety seriously Knox any added color I don’t care what it is just don’t make safety gear all black. Probably going to get the marrakesh and upgrade padding.

thanks for the video content.
I have a question, Do you think the jacket is suitable for the drivers which is using sport bike like Panigale. i ask this question for the sake of that; is back protection is fitted perfectly when driver drives at high speed ?

[howardgraff]

I've been a biker for more than 40 years. As a matter if safety, I simply won't wear fully black gear (or ride a fully black bike!). In this jacket the rider will be almost invisible at night and rather hidden during the day. There are many great jackets out there that are easier for drivers to see. I'd prefer one of them.

[nickwhite]

Are these really as protective as a leather jacket?

[antondubkov]

I am 5'11 40" chest - my size is supposed to be M per size chart (and generally M for motorcycle jackets across various brands is my size). I tried M and L in the store -- M fit fine except sleeves felt too short, and the thumb loops were digging into my palms. Size L felt somewhat loose but sleeve length was good, so I went with L. The difference between L and M is very significant. I also tried S and it felt pretty much like M (since the material is stretchy). I wish they made the size gap between L and M smaller, or made sleeves longer on M. Waiting for the summer to see how it works in 24+ degrees... hopefully it won't be a waste of money.

[Jonathan-L]

The Honister looks like a quality product and should give acceptable protection for anyone who falls off their bike at very low speed or drops their bike in a driveway or carpark. For those sort of crashes, a summer jacket costing 40 quid would also be suitable. Furthermore, those low cost jackets are available in colours besides black. Black jackets in summer ... why?

[-tj]

The neck goes too high up for a jacket of this type. That alone puts me off it.