Riding Gear

[Sensei]

What does everyone prefer for ride Gear ?? . Leather or Cordra riding Gear . I have both but seem to chose Cordra even though you don't seem to get as good a feedback feeling though them as with Leather Sensei :niceone:

[Jackrat]

I like leather.
Black,Gott'a look the part Bro. :cool2: :whistle:

[NC]

Leather...

It smells good and it's sexy :eek:

[saul]

Its the leather all the way in the summer but when it gets colder I get the other stuff out :Punk:

[Sensei]

NC30 : You'll cause someone to have a crash If you look to good while out riding ;) Sensei

[magnum]

leather only. :whistle:

[Motu]

Ok,I'll put down my riding gear here instead of the other thread.

I've got some leathers,but they started to shrink as I got deep into my 40s,this is caused by faulty cows.I had them custom made in Melbourne over 25 yrs ago...now I realize the meaning of the smirk on the Jew's face...

These days - on my head a Nolan N70

Winter - I have a Spidi MaxTour S2 I got half price at a Motumail sale,a couple of seasons out of style at the time,even more so now,but I don't give a toss about style.It's big and bulky and sometimes the neck pisses me off (I had my neck surgically removed a few years ago,now my head just sits on my shoulders) but it has all the doo dads,and I feel confident and safe wearing it.

Armourtech trou,ugly suckers that make my arse look too big and give me a bandy legged orc walk.

I have some fat Spidi H2out gloves,I don't like fat gloves and only wear them if it's really wet or cold.95% of the time I wear some light Orinas,no lining and vented fingers,but amarid (kevlar for those who support Du Pont) protection.

Gaerne No Stop trials boots (in red) for the feet,far more protection than any street boot,but easy to walk in and a grippy sole so I don't slip over in the cafe.

This stuffs all a bit bulky and I have put a summer kit together over the winter sales,have used some,but not all yet.

Biko armour jacket - gives me hard armour on shoulders,chest,elbows and a back protector and kidney belt.

Over this an Acerbis enduro jacket,this is cordura,mesh lined with vents and removable sleeves.

Hinged knee guards under Fly MX pants.

This is all easier to move around in and gives excelent impact protection - not much good at 160kph down the road,but with the riding I do and the speed I travel at impact protection is more important to me than abrassion resistance.

[loosebruce]

I only ever wear leather, the fact that you can crash and crash again in it many times over, the cordura stuff that i've seen rips apart too easily, when it gets cold i put on me thermals and a layer or two underneath, even wear my wet weather gear to stop the wind.

And after today, well, leather is goooooood :not:

[Slim]

Leather for me too, mainly because of what LooseBruce said about Cordura.

[Bob]

The other thread Motu is referring to is this one (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=5085)

As for the leather or cordura (or similar) debate, I used to wear leather, but these days all my kit (except for the Hood jeans which are denim with a Kevlar lining and the leather boots) are synthetic materials.

I think both will protect, but I've spoken to mates about this and they seem to think that the advantage of leather is that if you do hit the deck, it is more likely to let you slide - which is a good thing. If the material catches the ground, then you're more likely to 'ragdoll' - which is NOT a good thing.

I know I once came off at about 50mph (heading downhill on a wet day) and all I did was slide along on my front. At the time I had a Scott Roadjacket which was mainly cordura - it came out of it with barely a scratch. The leather Summer gloves had to go straight in the bin. I slid, but then the road was wet.

Don't know what anyone else thinks about this. Anyone else ever heard of cordura (or similar) catching on the road, causing the rider to be thrown around rather than sliding?

[Sparky Bills]

I do wear both, But like the leathers HEAPS better.
You can move so much easier in it, and it doesnt move around on you like codura does. I have crashed in both, and walked away everytime with leather. The codura was stuffed afterwards.
The armour in codura seems to move alot, and does not hug your joints enough in a crash.

So go leather!
It looks cooler too when letting rip on a back road. :2guns: :banana: :banana:

[Omega1]

I wear My KBC VR1 Helmet,Leather jacket (cant remember the brand) Natural wear leather trousers,leather gloves (not sure but theyre due for replacement) and my DOC martens Boots

"No one mention tassles"

[AMPS]

Some of the 'anti' comments about synthetics seem to relate to poor fit. a lot of people buy it one size too big. (I did) It should be quite snug with the thermal liner in.
Not all synthetics are created equal either. I've seen high end stuff unmarked after a bin and I've seen cheaper gear that just ripped to bits. Pay your money, take your choice.
But it's sure convienient to have one suit that does all.
Lou

[Motu]

I've crashed wearing just about everything cept my pyjamas,and had no clothing problems.In fact I've found leather is damaged more easily than fabric,it offers more resistance and gets scuffed up badly,I've always damaged my leathers in a can,my wifes too(oops!,sorry)Maybe my clothes are more greasy than most,but I find they just slide over the surface with little or no damage.I'm pretty sure cordura will be damaged over hard armour,and so will leather.Cordura jackets usually have straps to tighten the armour onto your body - pays to do it,that's why they put them there.

Some armour is designed for only one impact - you toss your $800 Shoei because you fumble dropped it on the kitchen floor,but think it a bit much to replace a $400 cordura jacket that's taken a tumble.

When upgrading my gear from 25 yr old leather that actualy wore out from constant use,I decided to give the new stuff a try - I'm happy,takes a bit to please a mean prick like me.