Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I've been looking over gear, and I'd like more advice on leather jackets / pants vs. textiles. I'm thinking that I want textiles because a good chunk of the year, it is pretty danged HOT in my state (NC). But I don't want to sacrifice much comfort for protection.

Do textiles offer protection comparable to leather? And yes, I plan on armor as well.

What are the PROs and CONs of each? Thanks, all.

Are you riding a cruiser or sport bike? Leather looks better on a cruiser IMHO. Let’s face it, you have a choice between safety and temperature. If you are wearing armor it’s going to feel hot at least when you come to a stop. I did see some body armor that you can buy and wear with a tee shirt once. I am looking into leather pants that zip up the sides myself.

http://www.jaminleather.net/prodinfo.asp?number=MP506

I'm not a fan of leather (except for my whips) but there is no denying that it works well for slide protection. But so does a good textile, especially with decent armour. Go with what you like best, but buy good product and you will be as safe as possible on a bike.

As an aside, anyone ever seen that Gieco commercial where the 2 cavemen roll up to a party on their badass cruiser/choppers dressed in roadrace leathers? That's a look you may want avoid.....

the caveman look, or the matching racing leather look?

I'd recommend you purchase textile for your first "set up." Get the best quality you can afford. Try it on (don't forget to sit on a motorcycle) to make sure it fits.

Textile is generally less expensive than leather and has the advantage of being washable in many cases. A HUGE advantage in the humid, bug ridden south.

You can always upgrade to leather as the opportunity and/or need arises. (I don't know of any rider who has just one jacket and pair of pants... )

P

I'd say avoid both looks, but I've seen some of the guys here and realize that not looking like a caveman is not an option for some. Gotta go with what you can make work, right?

I grew a mustache once. Only took me 8 months......

Leather
+ slide protection (for leather thicker than 1.0mm)
+ repairable after a fall, still looks great
+ bad biker look
+ great in cooler weather
+ tried and true biker gear
- expensive
- hot in hot weather, increased risk of heat exhaustion
- usually comes in limited colours. Not available in lime green (this is for RhadamYgg)
- don't get fashion leather (anything less than 1.0mm thick)
- increased maintenance over textile
- heavy when wet, can rot if not properly dried out

Mesh
+ really thermally cool on very hot days.
+ less expensive
+ available in many styles and colours
- not as crash resistant as leather but better than being naked
- one time crash only, usually not repairable

I just received the jacket I ordered late last week. It's leather. I put it on for a ride today. It is surprisingly cool, for leather, when riding. Of course, it was later in the day so I'll be trying it out tomorrow during the day to see how it is. It sure felt good today. It's well vented, so it was nice and cool when I was moving. I got it at Motorcyclecloseouts.com for a very good price. $180 off according to the site.

Thank you for the advice, folks.

I'm looking at the first gear website. THey have a jacket called the Mesh-Tex, which looks pretty good to me. The one I'm looking at is the DayGlo colored one.

I want to be seen while having some protection.