I had an older Joe Rocket mesh jacket and liked it alot, but it was too short to cover my bulging midsection :roll: and it lacked any sort of liner to make it suitable for anything other than really warm weather. It was Red, which matched my old Wineberry colored GL-1500, but it sort of clashed with my new Metalic Silver GL-1800A.
I was down at Chapperal
http://www.chaparral-racing.com/Chaparral/assets/html/homepage.asp?URLCheck=1 and saw a newer version of the same jacket in Silver. It came down further in the waist and had a liner that zipped in so it would stay put when doning or removing the jacket. I bought it (really cheap compared to some of the other jackets being mentioned above) and I am really happy with it.
On long trips, especially in the spring and fall, I usually take along two jackets. I have a cold weather jacket (Firstgear Kilimanjaro $270) with Gerbing electric liner that works from 80 deg F and colder, while the Joe Rocket Phoenix 4.0 Jacket $135-$152 with liner is good from 40 deg F and warmer. Both are advertised to work in wet weather but the moisture barrier on the Joe Rocket is near the inside instead of near the outside, so unless I am in the muggy South, I will probably stick with the Kilimanjaro for the really wet stuff.
Both have soft armor so they offer some protection in a crash, but I am not fooling myself that they are the ultimate protection available. My risk acceptance allows me to insist on a certain level of comfort in exchange for a reduced level of crash protection. Besides that, I weigh over 300# so getting something that I can fit into is a major consideration and seriously limits my options.

I also have a thin leather jacket for adding some style at a significant loss of crash protection that I use on short rides at a slower pace. :? I hope this provides you with another viewpoint than the other posts highlighted. Good hunting and be safe out there.