leather

[silvercrew]

I was just wondering if leather or some of the other material would be better for protection. I have seen lots of jackets made of different materials at the bike shops and got to thinking would some of the other material be cooler and offer just as much protection as leather? I want to start replacing our riding gear with new stuff and wondered what we should go with. I am going to get new modular helmets and red wing boots so what about gloves, jackets and chaps?

[juggler]

Check out my posts and reviews on various textile armored riding gear that I bought this year. I love my leather/textile mesh jacket from Mosse. It has CE armor protected elbows, shoulders, back and clavicles. The rest is mesh for coolness on hot summer days. I also bought a pair of tourmaster over pants. These are not mesh and are meant for cool and cold weather. They have hard plastic armored knees. Protected hips and very tough textile and padding most everywhere else.

 

I post full details on these items in the Riding Gear forum.

[Kurt]

Here is a link to a site that discusses safety issues. Shows a little about leathers which may be outdated with the new armor that is available now. All kinds of safety stuff discussed tho and is interesting to read. Just another source of info.

 

http://www.msgroup.org/TIPS.asp

[Eck]

Hey Kurt,

I see a 2nd gen is "passing by" in your picture?

 

Now that's cool!!!!!!!!

[Grandpa]

My personal opinion is that the new synthetic stuff has the old leather stuff beat to smithereens. The new stuff is weather resistant and still offers the same if not better protection than leather.

[Guest sargeb13]

Just my thoughts... I have several leather jackets, and like them all, but would observe the following:

 

There is no such thing as cheap leather. Cheap (under $300 or so) leather jackets will NOT do the job in a long slide on pavement. Cheap jackets use cheap, thin leather. They look good, some of them, but they just will not cannot give top notch protection. Quality leather jackets have THICK, TOUGH leather that's soft as butter. If you're gonna get leather, be ready to pony up. Better yet, get a custom made motorcycle jacket Benchmarks I'd suggest any Vanson jacket for good quality leather and workmanship.

 

Leather is real heavy and uncomfortable when it is wet, and is a lousy insulator.

 

Leather looks cool, 'specially on a cruser...

 

For pants, I think chaps are useless. For the life of me, I don't know why folks wear them. Seems to me, the most vulnerable part of the anatomy below the waist is left unprotected. Leather pants are widely available and offer much better protection; but, for some reason, few if any riders wear them. I wear Draggin' Jeans, which have integrated kelvar pads on the seat and knees, as well as knee armor; I'm very happy with them.

 

Many very good textile items, both jackets and pants, are available. Most popular seem to be GoreTex, a breatheable yet waterproof material. A good example is First Gear's Kilimanjaro IV jacket (many Honda dealers will have one in stock) for a middle-price-range example. The key to year round use of these things is venting; the jackets with good venting can be worn up into the 100's without too much stress. Just like leather, quality costs. I'd suggest looking at Kili IV (Not the Kili III, though) as a benchmark for design and features to compare. Top of the line is generally thought to be Aerostich, at about a grand for jacket and pants, and Motoport, priced about the same. These are made to measure items and will last a lifetime with minimum care. Many, many less expensive GoreTex jackets available (I wear a $99 knock-off, but it is certainly not the quality or features of the top of the line, and not as good a buy as a mid priced jacket. Jacket is nylon, and doesn't breath well, so I use it almost exclusively for winter/cold weather riding).

 

Many have written here about mesh jackets, and I am one who believes them to be supurb for both protection and comfort in the hottest weather. Here again, I would caution to comparison shop. Some jackets offer a closely woven double layered mesh, while others have single layer very open mesh (and I'd worry about the protection offered). I have a First Gear MeshTex III jacket, and love it. (I have a lot of First Gear stuff because the sizing of their jackets happens to match my measurements, so mail order for me is easy and reliable.... I'm not affiliated with them at all).

 

By the way, for any jacket, fit the waist TIGHT, to keep the thing from riding up in a long slide (or get one that zips to your pants so it can't ride up).

 

Any textile jacket (or leather, for that matter) should have elbow and back armor (not just little pads, but ARMOR). Good armor can be purchased and added to most any jacket or pants.

 

Lots and lots of gloves out there. If one is close, go to a BMW dealership and look at the BMW and Held gloves for a benchmark (and to figure out your european glove size should you want to mail order). I'd suggest these features: precurved fingers make gloves more comfortable; reinforced palm is essential in a slide or even a stationary fall; many gloves now come with a built-in rubber squeegie on the index finger, to use as a face shield wipe... neat feature that really works. Waterproof gloves won't stay that way for more than a short while; get some overgloves or rubber gloves to wear over the leather. Personally, I carry three pairs of gloves: perforated for summer/hot, a light insulated and gauntleted pair, and rain gloves; and, a pair of liners for a bit extra when needed.

 

Just some thoughts, and hope it helps.

 

Michael