Leather

Does anyone wear a leather jacket anymore? I'd like a new leather jacket with Classic looks but modern features like venting and armor. suggestions?

Friend of mine 'went back' to a 2-piece leather gear; AFAIK a laminated Staedler GoreTex set. Astonishingly cool and well vented in summer conditions, apparently totally waterproof (the leather is well threated + membrane) but with the jacket having a low collar some seeps in there, and it lacks of thermal insulation once the sun is gone/weather turns colder, so he sometimes turns up wearing the stitched jacked on top of the leather

There have been lots of debates when textile gear first came out. Some of the basics are:

-Ensure its a GOOD leather to provide protection; most of the leather jackets worn are for looks only, and are not much better than wearing a T-shirt in a crash.

-Leather is heavy...especially when wet. Textile will be lighter.

-Leather won't be as waterproof as textile, mainly due to the stitching. Water will damage leather over time, so it will require a lot of maintenance. Leather is better used for "fair weather riders" who see little rain.

-I'm surprised about ST1100Y's statement about the leather being cool...nearly everyone I know who have tried both say a good leather jacket/suit is VERY hot in warm weather, while most textile jackets/suits have vents that can be opened.

All that really isn't very important though. The real factor is in the safety. When it comes to that, its a coin toss, and is mainly decided by the quality of the individual jacket- whether textile or leather. Textile will almost always have kevlar at impact points, and often have armor. Good leather will survive a slide very well.

Mainly, wear what is the most comfortable to you, and make sure its good quality. If you buy what is comfortable, and you like, chances are better that you will be wearing it if you ever need it.

nhdiesel said:

-I'm surprised about ST1100Y's statement about the leather being cool...nearly everyone I know who have tried both say a good leather jacket/suit is VERY hot in warm weather, while most textile jackets/suits have vents that can be opened.

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Would have been my first guess too, but when inquired my friend denied... OK, his gear has lots perforated areas embedded. And also the technology of waterproofing seems to have evolved, his leathers get barely damp in a downpour (NikWax comes to mind...), plus the GoreTex being laminated to the inside.

I started with a leather M/C jacket with removable lining and I found it short, hot, tight and heavy. And like Jim said, when it gets wet it is really heavy. It also lacks breathability and insulation. I went with a Firstgear Kilimanjaro and love it. I haven't worn the leather jacket since and I couldn't even sell it for 50% less than I paid for it. I think it's like 4 or 5mm thick, so it's made for M/C not dressing up on a Saturday night. Personally, I'd stick with textile. Oh, and the leather jacket's pockets were damn near useless. Good luck!

This jacket is my favorite for 50-75 degree days. It's very comfortable for me.
http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/river-road-race-vented-jacket

I have 4 or 5 Tourmaster and Cortech Textiles in 3/4 length and waist length and 3 leathers including a totally perforated one, but none of the leathers have any armor. Being old and therefore old school I really like the look and feel of leather. Yes, leather is heavy and can be hot and I wear the textiles 99 % of the time, but they just don't look like motorcycle jackets to me for some reason. Leather manufacturers have to be working on these issues..or closing shop. Just wondered if there was anything new out.

I live in the Arizona desert so I know something about heat. I used to think that textile gear was cooler than leather until I ordered a custom leather jacket from Z-Leathers. I have worn this jacket in temperatures over 100 degrees and it works great. The jacket is perforated and there are six zippers that can be opened for airflow if needed. When it is cold out I use a liner on the inside of the jacket. When it rains I have a rainproof jacket that goes over the leather one. BTW, textile better than leather in a get off? Tell me the last time that you saw anyone on a race track wearing textile? IMHO you dress for the crash, not the ride. In a crash I will take my leather jacket every time.

travellingtenor said:

BTW, textile better than leather in a get off?

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I didn't see anyone say that in the posts above. The closest was my post- and I just said you need GOOD leather for it to protect you. Picking up a $150 leather jacket at the mall will look nice, but will do nothing in a crash. And forget suede- it doesn't allow you to slide, it makes you roll and disintegrates quickly.

Yes, racers wear leather- but most people aren't going to be spending several thousand dollars for a fully armored race suit. For the prices most people are going to pay for an every day jacket, cost for cost textile is better; if you are willing to pay a bit more, you can get a leather jacket that will offer the protection of textile; and if you are willing to sell your car, you can get a full race suit that will outperform textile. But you also end up with a suit that isn't going to be convenient for every day use.

I still wear leather--always on the racetrack, and often on the street. I'd rather crash in leather than textile.

Fox Creek Leather has some nice looking stuff. I've worn their gloves and have admired their jackets. Quality looks to be first rate.

foxcreekleather.com

cruiser58 said:

This jacket is my favorite for 50-75 degree days. It's very comfortable for me.
http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/river-road-race-vented-jacket

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Nice jacket, but no armor so its not any better/ different than the leathers I already own.

dmcleane said:

Fox Creek Leather has some nice looking stuff. I've worn their gloves and have admired their jackets. Quality looks to be first rate.

foxcreekleather.com

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that is some nice looking stuff

I have a First Gear leather jacket that normally retails for around $500 that I got on a close out for about $200.00. The leather is thick and well armored. It was so stiff it took a month wearing it everywhere before it softened up. It's got a liner and a removable collar for cold weather and I've worn it down to about 35 degrees F. With the liner out, I'd say it's good to the low 80s. It looks great, it's incredibly well made, and I love it. I also picked up some First Gear armored leather pants and I love the combo. They were both selling at a huge discount because they were dark brown, not black, and apparently not a big seller. However, when it's hot, I go to mesh. I've never been caught in a real heavy rain with it, but if I did, I'd just put my Frog Toggs on over it and go. For multi day trips, I'd probably stick with my Olympia mesh gear because I could deal with a greater range of temperatures.

According to my son, though, who learned to ride in Germany, Europeans wouldn't think of riding in anything but leather. That was a number of years ago, though, and maybe the thinking is changed but I have to say that in most photos I see of European riders they seem to be in leathers.

pixguy said:

According to my son, though, who learned to ride in Germany, Europeans wouldn't think of riding in anything but leather. That was a number of years ago, though, and maybe the thinking is changed but I have to say that in most photos I see of European riders they seem to be in leathers.

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This applies to the super sport riders here, who all have their full armor, multi colour 'power ranger appeal' one piece leather suit with knee sliding pads (to increase authenticity sometimes treated with the angle grinder ), but when looking into the touring and dual-sport section, the majority have GoreTex high-tech stitches... simple the best and most versatile use in all conditions and situations.

Depending upon conditions I wear a leather jacket manufactured by Parker Synergies. It's an "officially" licensed Honda product with all the logos and such. Same armor you'd find in the textiles, 4 zippers for venting.

Is it as versital and visible as my Olympia ... No. Do I feel safer wearing the leather in the event of a crash ... Yes.

FWIW I've received far more positive comments when wearing the leather v the Olympia.

I have looked into this and have heard some real positive reviews.
http://www.aerostich.com/jackets-pants/transit
I have looked at these and tried them on and they do fit very well. They are much heavier than the textile but they are waterproof and have been told that they vent very well.

thumperjdm said:

I still wear leather--always on the racetrack, and often on the street. I'd rather crash in leather than textile.

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+1 you never see a MC racer wearing textile stuff. That Aero Stich suit is really nice but $$$$

Also have a FirstGear leather jacket. Fully armored and has the liner for cold weather. Plenty of pockets let ya store everything you need on your person. Vents on sleeves, front chest and back make it plenty breezy, but I will trade it in for my partial mesh/textile once we start getting 80+ temperatures. It is supposedly waterproof, I have been in hour long downpours and managed to stay dry, but after you get it wet you better do some TLC and make sure it recovers. Of course staying dry also means closing the vents, so there goes the breeze. But on the other end of the scale, the leather does a good job of blocking the breeze when the digits are below the freezing mark. Even at 20 degrees I only had to turn my liner up to half way to keep me warm at 70mph for an hour ride commute.

My semi-mesh jacket and pants are also armored and better vented, don't have the faith in them that they would protect me as well in a slide. They did save me once when I hit some gravel in a corner on a cruiser, but I had to find a repair shop to sew some seams back together.

But took my leather jacket and pants for a little get off at 50+mph and walked away with two stitches in my chin. I like it. My preferred gloves are leather too.

But when I take a trip around the west later this year I will probably leave the leather at home. Easier to do temperature adjustment and not worry about sudden rain storms with the textile.

What sucks is FirstGear no longer does the leather, but I did see some Joe Rocket jackets that would be a solid second choice for me. I need the extra long variety.

SteveST1300 said:

That Aero Stich suit is really nice but $$$$

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But compared to crash equivalent leather, not really. MC grade leather with armor, jacket runs ya $500, pants another $300.