MO Tested: Dainese Racing 3 Perf. Leather Jacket And Delta 3 Perf. Leather Pants Review

While the riding season may be hinting that it is coming to an end in some parts of the country, in SoCal the highs are still in the upper 80s and low 90s. Perforations are necessary when you’re looking for leather gear in the Southwest. My requirements are simple: leather construction, perforations, and two-pieces that zip together. Since my middle-aged body (and weight) seem to be in constant flux, I decided to head over to the Santa Monica D-Store to get the full Dainese customer experience while being sized for my gear. If you have a D-Store near you, I highly recommend going there for a fitting. The staff knows their stuff.

Women’s Gear Review: Dainese Sport Boots And Shoes

MO Tested: Dainese Super Speed Textile Jacket Review

With Dainese, you need to be aware of the company’s distinction between two-piece leathers and a jacket/pants combination. With two-piece leathers, the two pieces are only meant to be worn together. The top will be cut too short to be worn alone. If you want, as I did, to have the option of wearing the jacket separately with riding jeans, you’ll need to get the jacket and pants separately. Just a head’s up.

The Racing 3 jacket has been in Dainese’s catalog for a while – and for good reason. The exterior is constructed of durable Tutu leather and, even before its first wearing, is supple enough to feel like an old favorite. Add to that the most thorough perforation I’ve experienced in any jacket. Where the torso and a bit of the arms typically receive the airflow-enabling punctures, the Racer 3 Perf. has the vast majority of its forward-facing surface ventilated (even on most of the sleeves), and, boy, does it flow air! On cooler mornings, I’ve gotten a chill from the breeze. The Delta 3 Pants are similarly perforated. Very nice.

Assisting in the slim fit (well, as slim as it gets on my dad bod), the stretchy S1 fabric covers the insides of the arms and torso on the jacket and back and insides of the legs on the pants. Accordion stretch panels above the knees assist in mobility. The ribs on either side of the jacket’s back look like styling touches, but they are actually accordion panels, too. The jacket and pants allow plenty of movement, whether in an upright riding position on a naked bike or a racer tuck on more sporting machinery. The jacket and pants zip together with an internal jacket panel that wraps around about three-fourths of the torso for a secure attachment. The armor in all your body’s corners is CE-Level 2 and should protect your joints in a tumble. The shoulder armor is removable, allowing you to adjust its placement slightly.

The Dainese Racing 3 Perf. Leather Jacket And Delta 3 Perf. Leather Pants are also available in a non-perforated version if you live in a place that isn’t so hot all the time. There’s even one with built-in D-Air for state-of-the-art protection. The Dainese Racing 3 Perf. Leather Jacket has sizes ranging from Euro 44-64, and the Delta 3 Perf. Leather Pants come in similar sizes. The color options for both the jacket and pants are black, black/fluorescent red, and white/black/fluorescent red. The MSRP for the jacket is $580 and $329-$470 for the pants. These pieces of kit aren’t cheap, but their build quality and protection should last for many seasons of riding. I recommend them.

Are Dainese jackets good?

Dainese is a well-known motorcycle gear manufacturer with a reputation for producing high-quality safety gear. This reputation is the result of decades of developing their jackets, pants, and full suits based on data gathered from participation in most of the major racing organizations around the world. If the best riders in the world who are exposed to the highest potential risks in motorcycling trust Dainese, street riders should, too. Read our reviews listed below for our mostly positive opinions of the protective capabilities and quality fit/finish for various Dainese garments.

How do I know what model Dainese jacket I have?

Look inside the jacket for a tag sewn in either below the Dainese label in the back of the neck or one of the side seams of the liner. Look closely, sometimes the labels are hidden inside a tiny pocket next to the size tag. Typically, these labels will have the jacket name, the list of materials used in the garment, and care instructions.

Where are Dainese jackets made?

The label inside of the Racing 3 Perf says Tunisia

How do I know if my Dainese jacket is original?

To authenticate the product, enter the code you can find under the hologram on the swing tag or on box label. For security reasons, is not enabled the code in the sewn labels.

MO Tested: Dainese Smart Jacket Review

MO Tested: Dainese Misano 2 Review

MO Tested: Dainese Alger Nomad Jacket Review

MO Tested: Dainese Super Speed Textile Jacket Review

We are committed to finding, researching, and recommending the best products. We earn commissions from purchases you make using the retail links in our product reviews. Learn more about how this works.

Become a Motorcycle.com insider. Get the latest motorcycle news first by subscribing to our newsletter here.