Buying all new gear, waterproof for winter. Wanna know leather or textile?

[nathanmf]

So far i have picked these from the 1-tonne site.
Boots:
http://www.1tonne.co.nz/index.php?page=listingDetails&prodid=82&sco=&categoryid=6

Gloves:
http://www.1tonne.co.nz/index.php?page=listingDetails&prodid=19

Helmet:
http://www.1tonne.co.nz/index.php?page=listingDetails&prodid=49

I just want your opinions on weather i should go with leather or textile for my waterproof jacket and pants, and why.

I have heard leather has better abrassion resistance? but less waterproof?

These are what im looking at.

Jackets:
http://www.1tonne.co.nz/index.php?page=listingDetails&prodid=5
http://www.1tonne.co.nz/index.php?page=listingDetails&prodid=37
http://www.1tonne.co.nz/index.php?page=listingDetails&prodid=73
http://www.1tonne.co.nz/index.php?page=listingDetails&prodid=81
Pants:
http://www.1tonne.co.nz/index.php?page=listingDetails&prodid=74

I like the look of leather more i think.. But I wont be worrying about looks if/when im sliding across tar-seal at 100kmph+ so abrasion resistance and toughness is the most important to me. Please give me your thoughts as i know very little and can not seem to find any solid info of which is better..

[george formby]

Erk, um, I have yet to come across waterproof leather & in my experience if your leathers get soaked they shrink, so even with a waterproof liner an hour or two in a down pour might still munt the leathers, at the very least they would weigh a ton. Modern technology may have fixed that though. If I'm out & about in my leathers I carry cheap waterproof overpants & jacket. They roll up to not much bigger than a man size sausage roll & are totally waterproof.

For cold, wet weather riding I cannot go past good textile gear for warmth & comfort.

[BMWST?]

leather is the best imho but it isnt waterproof.I also dont beleive that leather isnt as warm as textile,because leather jackets dont have the thermal linings that the modern textile gear does.If you wear the same gear i reckon leather is just as warm.And for me no matter how hi tech the fabric I am always feel that i am wearing plastic when i wear my textile jacket.For winter riding tho i think i would wear a textile jacket and leather pants with some pvc yatchuing type leggings to go over the top of my leather pants.The bib front adds another waterproof layer .If it is a fine day with little or no chance of rain i wear leather tho.

[Milts]

If you have the money buy Qmoto leather and waterproof overgear (RJay's stuff is excellent). I used to have codura, bought some Qmoto gear because I was doing trackdays, and now even though winter is coming the textile stuff just sits in the cupboard.

No contest IMHO.

[nathanmf]

^^thanks for the comments.
I probably should have mentioned it is for a 30-40 minute commute to and from work.
Plus i want to start doing some tour rides.. I intend on getting a VTR or hornet.

[george formby]

Go out for a browse & try some gear on. Your going to spend a bit of cash so compare leather & textiles for feel, price & practicality. I have come off in textiles a couple of times:innocent:, not particularly fast, and they have stood up well. Tattered but not disgraced.
Armour should sit in the right place & stay their. Knee armour is not much use if it's not on your knees.
Leather tends to be bulkier than textiles to carry around or store ( not always! ) & if it's hot you will be too.

To be honest I would put crash protection below weather proofing & comfort when buying. Most genuine ( not trade me rip off ) gear is good. A 100kmh bitumen abrasion test is hard work for anything & best avoided. Your call on that though.

If their are any KB'ers in your neighbourhood ask if you can check out their garments, nicely though, you do not want to be misinterpreted.

[1tonne]

If you are the type of rider to go like a cut cat then I would advise leather but if you are looking at commuting and touring then I would advise the All season Explorer jacket-Textile jacket. The Commander Jacket is also a good jacket but has less features. The All Season Explorer is an awesome jacket. Cheers.

[Highlander]

It is my experience that "Water Proof" in relation to Motorcycling gear, is little more than Water Resistant. If planning on all day rides in any weather, just admit you are going to get wet and do what you can to keep warm.


I commute 30 miutes each way to work (in Tauranga), and do some much longer rides some days just because I can. 300km loops are fairly regular and 8-900km days are not uncommon.

I have a Leather jacket that I use all the time.
Even if you treat it regularly with a waterproofing agent (Bees Wax products such as Snowseal are probably best) Leather will seep water in and get heavy after a while of riding in the rain. If you ride home in the rain tonight you are likely to be putting on a damp jacket tomorrow morning.
If you are planning on touring (several hours of riding each day for a week type stuff) you would be unwise not to take a water proof layer for over the leather.

My current jacket is a Rapid Blue from QuasiMoto (before he shortened it to QMoto) and has perforated panels in the chest and a removable quilted vest for inside it when the weather cools. Nearly time to zip that back in. The down side is that in the rain you get wet in a few minutes, so I carry a rain jacket if the weather looks marginal or If I'm going for more than a few hours ride.

A word of warning about ordering a jacket via interweb traders:
I bought a Textile jacket for this winter so I wouldn't have to carry the rain coat to work (I want lunch in my lunch bag, not wet weather gear).
I spent about two thirds what I would have expected for a decent bike shop one.
It was one that is often reccomended on this site, bought from a trader who has their own website and sells on Trade me. All the reviews sound good.
Their customer service was good, I know this because about a third of the way home on a wet evening I was drenched. So I let them know (sent photos to show the wet on my shirt) and they were more than happy to exchange the jacket for another one. Unfotunately is was no better so I sent it back too and got a refund. I guess every company has some product get through quality control that should not have - just my luck to get two of them!! The excercise cost me about $40 postage on the initial jacket and return post on two of them - wouldn't have had to pay that if I'd bought from a local shop, and the local shops often have soem good stck taking sales on at this time of year.

Now I'm back to carrying the rain coat to work in case it is raining on the way home.

My wife spent good money on a Textile jacket and pants to match of reputable brand and has never been wetted through it. She also has Quasi leather jacket similar to mine for sunny aftenoon rides.

Nicely fitted Leather pants on women are HOT, but I think they look stupid on guys unless you are racing (still look stupid but I can understand the need). So I use textile ones for commuting and touring.

Have yet to give any of my gear the UNLTIMATE test and am in no hurry to do so.

I have yet to find motorcycling gloves that are actually waterproof but can reccomend Rain Off overgloves (http://www.rain-off.com/) they are great even on cold (dry) mornings. Have done some long days in the wet and yet to get wet hands with these on.

My boots are Guerne (I think that is how the spell it) and keep my feet dry untill I have been riding in torrential rain for about 4 hours, after that i can feel my socks getting wet. I Snowseal the boots a couple of times a year.

[Gremlin]

It is my experience that "Water Proof" in relation to Motorcycling gear, is little more than Water Resistant. If planning on all day rides in any weather, just admit you are going to get wet and do what you can to keep warm.
Depends on the gear, and how much you spend, old boy. One of my sets cost $3k for jacket and pants, but I've ridden through storms all day and day after day, and nothing has got through. Then I crashed in it, no damage to gear, and still waterproof. For a cheaper option, I'd just get a textile jacket that's waterproof on the outer layer for rain showers, and if you have to be in the rain all day, just buy a rain jacket.

Oh, and its Gaerne.

[Highlander]

Depends on the gear, and how much you spend, old boy. One of my sets cost $3k for jacket and pants, but I've ridden through storms all day and day after day, and nothing has got through. Then I crashed in it, no damage to gear, and still waterproof. For a cheaper option, I'd just get a textile jacket that's waterproof on the outer layer for rain showers, and if you have to be in the rain all day, just buy a rain jacket.

Oh, and its Gaerne.

$3000 for jacket and pants. That aint cheap, sounds like it does the business though. What brand are they?

[YellowDog]

I got an Alpinestars 2 piece set of leathers. They keep me cool in the summer and are pretty well waterproof in most conditions.

In heavier rain, you get water coming in through the breath vents. Not a big deal for me.

The reason I like leathers is that they are a snug fit and in the event of an off, the protection will stay in place and do its job. Most of the soft fabric jacket and pants sets are not tight enough a fit to make the protective armour stay in place should you come off.

AND make sure your pants go over the top of your boots or your boots wont be waterproof at all!

[Gremlin]

$3000 for jacket and pants. That aint cheap, sounds like it does the business though. What brand are they?
Rukka, model is Armas.

No-one in NZ stocks the range, due to the cost, but speak to o humped one (Quasi) as he's the NZ agent.

[carbonhed]

Rukka, model is Armas.

No-one in NZ stocks the range, due to the cost, but speak to o humped one (Quasi) as he's the NZ agent.

Hmmm nice looking gear. Does it have the Goretex as an inner membrane or is it the latest style where the Goretex is somehow integrated into the fabric itself?

[Gremlin]

Hmmm nice looking gear. Does it have the Goretex as an inner membrane or is it the latest style where the Goretex is somehow integrated into the fabric itself?
The outer shell is waterproof, and its a blend of multiple fabric technologies, depending on which piece of the jacket you're looking at... most of which I hadn't heard of.

While the Rukka website has had a revamp, it's still not the best (can't direct link you to the garments). Rukka.com, Motorsport, Men's outfits. Seems to do the job tho :2thumbsup

I should really get around to doing a review, as the pictures on the interweb don't do it justice. One trick item, is that it doesn't have a conventional toothed zip down the front, as they leak. It uses the Gore lockout closure - much like a snaplock bag, but much heavier duty.

[carbonhed]

While the Rukka website has had a revamp, it's still not the best (can't direct link you to the garments). Rukka.com, Motorsport, Men's outfits. Seems to do the job tho :2thumbsup

I should really get around to doing a review, as the pictures on the interweb don't do it justice. One trick item, is that it doesn't have a conventional toothed zip down the front, as they leak. It uses the Gore lockout closure - much like a snaplock bag, but much heavier duty.

A review would be great. The Rukka website isn't the best that's for sure.

I was reading in Bike magazine that there's two main types of Goretex gear...

(i) Performance Shell where the GT membrane is on the inside of the garment. This is the original style and I've got a set of Teknik gear that has this and it's really good.

(ii) Pro Shell. This is a level up because the membrane is bonded to the suits outer shell which stops the suit from soaking up water in the first place so it dries really quickly.

I've got a set of the Alpinestars 365 gloves and they've been very impressive so far. You can get the whole 365 leather suit which incorporates the Pro Shell technology... but looking at the Rukka Merlin suit is beginning to make my credit card twitch :yes:

[Gremlin]

(ii) Pro Shell. This is a level up because the membrane is bonded to the suits outer shell which stops the suit from soaking up water in the first place so it dries really quickly.
I would imagine its more this. The water barely penetrates the jacket, so it doesn't suddenly feel like a jacket made of lead.

It also has a trick dual cuff system. Your gloves go between the cuffs, which basically stops water running down or up, into your gloves.