Xelement CF5050 Morph Jacket Review [Textile Motorcycle Apparel]

Motorcycle riding gear should be tough. It’s cool if it looks tough, too. It should be versatile and all-around protective. It doesn’t hurt if it is easy on the wallet, either. The Xelement CF5050 Morph jacket meets that standard.For me, one of the features the Morph jacket offers that most don’t is the integral padding for the chest, upper back, flanks, top and side of the shoulders and abdomen. Note that it is not the same as the removable CE-approved armor provided at the shoulders and elbows.

Instead, it is high-density, flexible foam that can soften a blow. No claim is made by the manufacturer that it can prevent injuries in the event of a crash, but it does offer some degree of additional protection. The padding is also segmented to allow a full range of motion.The company claims its X-Armor in the elbows and shoulders offers a new level of protection with ergonomic design, freedom of movement, lighter weight, and less bulk, while providing the highest CE-approved level of protection, compliant with the EN1621-1-2012 standard. There is also a removable foam back pad, but it is not CE-approved protection.The suite of safety features on the Xelement Morph jacket includes retroreflective piping on the forward aspect of the shoulders, down the sides front and rear, and across the upper back to enhance rider conspicuity in low light and after dark. Note that the gray material on the sleeves is not reflective.The 600 Denier Tri-Tex waterproof nylon fabric the entire jacket outer shell is fabricated from is familiar to me. I have had several other jackets made with it over the years. The material shows little sign of wear in those products despite years of use.

The Morph jacket is equipped with plenty of pockets—a feature I really appreciate. There are eight external pockets on the front, seven with zip closures: two hand-warmer slash pockets, two horizontal and two vertical pockets, and they are all large. A small, zippered key pocket is provided on the lower left sleeve and a small, flapped ID pocket is on the exterior upper left chest.The pockets don’t end there. With the 100 percent polyester taffeta zip-out vest liner in place, you don’t give up any pockets. The liner has a large, zippered pocket on the right side and two smaller pockets on the left side. The zippered internal pocket on the right side and large snap-closure pocket on each side are accessible with or without the liner installed. So, with the liner in place, you have a total of 13 internal and external pockets for your take-along gear.

Two zippered vents at the front of the shoulders and two large, zippered vents on the back facilitate flow-through ventilation. Most of the external zippers have an added cloth on the metal pull, making the zippers easier to get a hold of with your gloves on. The main front zipper is a large, heavy-duty item backed up with an internal storm flap. The large-tooth zippers all worked easily and reliably.An additional unique feature of the Xelement Morph jacket is the zip-off sleeves to make it a short-sleeved shirt and removes the elbow, but not the shoulder impact protectors. I have one other jacket with that feature, and it has never presented any particular problems, but I have only taken the sleeves off once in the years I’ve owned it. As to the weather-proofing of the zipper, that could be affected by how often the sleeves are removed and reattached. Riding in chilly weather, there was no noticeable air infiltration at the zippers.Each sleeve is equipped with a size adjuster snap just below the elbow to help keep the X-Armor in place in the event it comes into use. The cuff end has both a zipper and snap.The mandarin collar stays out of the way of the bottom edge of a helmet and has a hook-and-loop closure that stays closed. Dual hook-and-loop size adjusters are provided at each side of the waist and abdomen.The material, quality, and finish of the overall product are excellent. Despite all the features built into it, the Morph doesn’t weigh you down. Including the liner, it tips the scale at 4.2 pounds.Unusually, the two-year warranty is not included in the purchase price. It must be bought with the jacket for $9, and cannot be purchased later.The fit is excellent, following the size chart on the Xelement site for the jacket. As with many riding jackets, the sleeves are slightly long to allow the cuff to reach the wrist when your arms are extended in riding position.The Morph jacket has a tactical look to it, and there is some real protection in the jacket’s shell. All the built-in safety features considered, in my view, the Morph is one of the most protective textile jackets I’ve had—and in my 48 years of motorcycling, I have had quite a few.Overall, perhaps the only improvements that might be made are the addition of a CE-approved back protector, at least as an option, and a full-sleeved zip-out liner instead of the vest type. After all, if it’s warm enough to zip off the sleeves, you won’t be using the zip-out liner anyway. The array of pockets makes the Xelement CF5050 Morph jacket a very practical bit of kit, and the price makes it a great value. Xelement CF5050 Morph Jacket Fast Facts 

• Size: S – 5X-Large
• Color: Black-Gray
• CE Protection: Shoulders and elbows

Xelement CF5050 Morph Jacket Price: $110 MSRP (+$10 or 2X-Large and larger)