Royal Enfield Crossroader Touring Jacket Review

Royal Enfield Crossroader is a non-waterproof, textile touring jacket. Though it has mesh patches all over for air ventilation, and a bunch of pockets. That said, the jacket is quite heavy at 2.8kg, but that’s because of all the chunky protectors and the thick construction of the jacket. And that’s good. For starters, the back protector is MASSIVE!

Well, since we are on the topic, let me give you an overview of the protection offered. The titanium shoulder sliders are the pièce de résistance. This is something you’d find on imported jackets from a couple price segments higher. Next up, you have CE Level 2-certified shoulder and elbow protectors, as well as the aforementioned back protector. The chest protectors are CE Level 1-certified, but you can swap them out if you have level 2 protectors. The fabric itself is abrasion-resistant polyester. All of that should be enough to protect you in case of slides, spills, and relatively low-speed impacts. That said, no riding gear guarantees 100% safety and survival.

Apart from this, the jacket has a bunch of other features. It has two decently-sized waist pockets on the outside, a completely waterproof waist-pocket inside the jacket, and a zippered-pouch on the back that’s large enough to carry the waterproof liner. There are reflective patches all over the jacket which increase visibility in darkness. It also has a transparent pouch on the left sleeve for a non-tearable, waterproof emergency medical ID card. However, the jacket misses on a waterproof phone pocket on the chest, but that’s something you can live with. But what you might not be able to live with is a zip connector for pants. All you get are belt loops. But that’s the case with almost all Royal Enfield jackets. Though, it's a problem that your local bagwala can solve by stitching a zipper that can connect to your riding pants. 

For air ventilation, the jacket has mesh patches on the front, sides, and the back. The sleeves have two-way zippers on the forearm. This allows the cuffs to be closed while still providing a ventilation port for the hands. That said, the jacket is nowhere as ventilated as a full mesh jacket like the Royal Enfield Streetwind. It’s a tradeoff between ventilation and abrasion resistance. The jacket is thick enough to be used in slightly colder temperatures (maybe up to 10 degrees C) without a thermal liner. On the flipside, it can get quite uncomfortable on a hot day, especially if you are not wearing the right base liners. Though, you can stay cool with a cooling vest or with water-damped base liners.

For Rs 14,950 (on Royal Enfield website), this is not a cheap jacket. But it’s still a lot of jacket for the price. Although Royal Enfield pitches the Crossroader as a touring jacket, it can be your do-it-all, everyday jacket, but that would need a lot of dedication from you. You would need to learn how to deal with the heat and sweating if you stay in a hot city like Mumbai or Pune during summers. For touring, it’s quite comfortable even with extended saddle time. Also, once seated, you really don’t feel its weight, especially if you have adjusted all the fitment straps correctly. If you feel the weight on your shoulders, good chances the fitment straps need to be tightened, and/or the jacket size is wrong for you. All said, since this is a touring jacket, and works quite well for long-distance riding. And it looks quite nice, especially the white-black variant which I couldn’t get my hands on. Use it with a matching pair of pants,and you’d be looking quite dapper.