Cordura Vs Leather

[Dodgyiti]

Been done before I know, so it's just my little selfish rant..

Cordura Vs Leathers

When Cordura first came out it was a revelation, alleged road rash proof, waterproof and quick drying, not to mention lighter than leather.
To start with it was more expensive than leather, then the prices came down to the point that now it is under half the price of comparable leather.
I like the fact it is washable, cheap and has the same level of padding and warmth of my leathers but...
After one low speed slide on the road, less than 10 metres at under 15kmh, just check the photo on how well they did.
I have slid 20 metres on my arse in leathers [no bull, my mate paced it out] and all that happened was it scuffed them and wore through the stitching. I still have those pants 12 years later, no worries.
So hopefully this is a prime example of the shortcomings of Cordura, the only thing stopping me from road rash was the hip padding, so if I was skating on my arse it would have required some skin repair for sure.

OK, some might say Cordura is the answer for them because of price, my advice is if you can't afford new leathers- then get some second hand.
And as far as the waterproofing qualities of Cordura Vs Leather, that's what oversuits are for.

Just my opinion folks, but a lesson learned, I don't trust the stuff anymore..
Cordura = Crapdura

[**R1**]

yeah i have seen that stuff at the track b4 it was banned, all bad :doctor: ....it duznt last long in a slide at all......on the positive side tho i think it was designed for street use, ie: more impact resistant than slide resistant.....but on my skin i would have nuthin but leather :yeah: :done:

[Monsterbishi]

Cordura is only intended to last for a single skid, and to be used with other measures such as hard padding, etc - sounds like it did it's job to me.

[jrandom]

Hmm, well, I dunno.

My Orina gear has been down the road four times, with nothing but the leather knee padding getting a noticeable scuff on it. The fastest I hit the ground was at about 60kph.

I certainly wouldn't be comfortable wearing it around a racetrack, but it's too baggy for that, anyway.

That stuff your jacket is made from looks different to mine, though. Mine looks less like real fabric.

I don't think one can categorically state that all non-leather gear sucks.

[Dodgyiti]

Cordura is only intended to last for a single skid, and to be used with other measures such as hard padding, etc - sounds like it did it's job to me.

Yes it did it's job I will grant you, but only because I landed on the padded hip { broke my goshdarned pelvis but}.
The point I made was that if I had not landed on my hip or another area with padding - I would have had road rash because the Cordura itself wore through so quickly

And I know that some Cordura riding gear has leather on high risk areas, so perhaps that would be the best choice if you were going to go that way.

As stated, a personal rant, but I am still open to others opinions.
And the pants were Dririder if anyones interested $299 on special at Motomail.

[vifferman]

I'd had my Teknic jacket less than three weeks when I lowsided - slid about 3 metres and wore a 20c-sized hole in it.:angry2:

My boots and leather pants needed only an application of shoe polish.
I've since been on the road a few more times, same sort of thing, so now my jacket has leather overlays on the arms and shoulders.
The kevlar-covered armour on the elbows and shoulders stood up to abrasion OK - they're just scuffed. However, even kevlar isn't as abrasion-resistant as decent leather.
Still, it's all compromise, I guess. I had a leather jacket before the Teknic (never crash-tested it in all the years I wore it though), and it was crap: too hot in summer, too cold in winter, barely shower-proof, and it lacked proper armour.

[StoneChucker]

I say Cordura all the way. It is inhumane and cruel to use leather. Think of all the cows that had to be killed for the pants and jacket you're wearing! Activists finally got through to people on the fur issue, now lets do the same for leather.

Now if you will excuse me, I will not associate with leather users, I'm off to get a hamburger ;)

Oh, for street riding, I'd rather be wearing good cordura with armor as apposed to a leather suit (1 or 2 piece). Cordura offers much superior impact protection. I know this first hand.

On the track, there is ofcourse no alternative. Leather is a must!

[Motu]

I'm always in for this argument :banana:

I slid on my arse at 50kph for 100 mtrs (had a bit of help with speed as there was a Transit bumper at my back) and only had a bit of gravel rash on my bum - but I was wearing Wranglers,not cheap Levi shit.I nearly wore through the leather belt at my hip once,but there was not a mark on my Levi cords (flares) even though the rivets left burn marks.Slid for at least 30 mts on my back wearing an oilskin parka - not a mark on it.I could go on,but you get the idea.

I always wore leather,the whole kit,25 yrs ago when a leather jacket was all that was worn.I wear cordura and hard armour these days because I'm after impact protection,I hope my sliding for metres days are over.

[bungbung]

Cordura offers much superior impact protection.

Cordura offers no impact protection by itself.

The armour (if provided) under the cordura provides the impact protection, as does the armour under the leather.

There is soft armour and there is hard armour, its a function of the design and intended purpose of the clothing rather than the type of outer layer material.

[John]

I'm always in for this argument :banana:

I slid on my arse at 50kph for 100 mtrs (had a bit of help with speed as there was a Transit bumper at my back) and only had a bit of gravel rash on my bum - but I was wearing Wranglers,not cheap Levi shit.I nearly wore through the leather belt at my hip once,but there was not a mark on my Levi cords (flares) even though the rivets left burn marks.Slid for at least 30 mts on my back wearing an oilskin parka - not a mark on it.I could go on,but you get the idea.

I always wore leather,the whole kit,25 yrs ago when a leather jacket was all that was worn.I wear cordura and hard armour these days because I'm after impact protection,I hope my sliding for metres days are over.
With impact protection isnt that just a generalisation. I mean IN all of my crashes Landed flat (love being a skinny white boy) and anyways my slowest was at 30kph I think and that was the writeoff one over gravel so it wasnt that bad, others like my wheelie incident high side action and a few other *not going to mention*.

OK, in the wheelie one I managed to land Directly on my shoulder, Now my gear isnt that good (Nazran 2piece only wore my top though DOH!) but has IMO better armour than most of that crazy fabric stuff (the armour makes me look like Tua or sumthing after someone slapped his muma), And guess what I suffered NO broken colar bone or any thing, and after landing on my shoulder I bounced onto my arm and NO broken bones for me. Cant say much for my knees and hands but (both my own fault). And I mean I wasnt going slow I dropped the clutch just before red line I think was about 12k (rolling around 30kph I think). and then was going along fine until I was upset by a bump, I think I was going about 80+ (guestimate, I have the speedo on the front wheel) but I slowed it down in the hard landing abit before dropping it and going flying I even scratched my shoei shogun helmet, which pissed me off the most, but my leathers only had a little hole where the ruff seal puntured it and no real marks from the slid after landing on my arm.

But I vote leather, in all my bins its saved my arse and it will continue to do so for many years, Until I get a GSX and wrap myself around a pole.

Can someone please explain how the fabrics have better 'impact' protection because I dont really understand it myself sorry? (serious question)

[John]

Cordura offers no impact protection by itself.

The armour (if provided) under the cordura provides the impact protection, as does the armour under the leather.

There is soft armour and there is hard armour, its a function of the design and intended purpose of the clothing rather than the type of outer layer material.
Yea I also figured that, it just depends how much armour you want, I mean you could wear a straight jacket and put armour in it, and it would be the same thing If you get my philisofical (SP fooked if I know) way of trying to explain crap

[Wolf]

I wear Dririder jacket and pants and found that being incautious filling up the bike one day resulted in a "lovely" melted hole in the leg (stepped in too close to the bike and brushed my leg up against the exhaust pipe).

Fortunately the hole is down where it goes over the boot so it's not much of an issue but it does highlight an issue with Cordura - not very heat tolerant. I've not binned and skidded wearing it but I wonder if it would behave like a nylon-shelled jacket I once had (and slid down the road whilst wearing) in that friction with the road would melt it just as much as tear it...

Still trying to find the ideal riding wear. What I want is some form of "breathable" armour that is also totally waterproof, non restrictive, lightweight, warm in winter, cool in summer, impervious to impacts and not damaged by skidding.

Oh, wait! Don't we all?

[Biff]

Armoured leather for fun - Better protection and makes my bulge look bigger.
Armoured Cordura for work - Need to wear my work gear under it you see.

There are varying types of quality to be found in Cordura clothing, hence the varying first hand accounts as to the performance of different Cordura kit during 'offs'.

A fat bloke once told me, "As a general rule of thumb, the more you pay etc etc".

[duckman]

I've used both Synthetic suits and leather .... I currently wear a two piece leather suit with CE armour built in.

Leather might be a bit hot in summer but only when your sitting in traffic. Once your moving I've never been too hot.

If you think about the purpose behind wearing this gear doesn't it make sense to wear the material that offers the best protection in the worse situation.

I really couldn't care less if I get a bit wet or a tad hot... When it comes to hitting the tarmac , Give me leather any day!!!

[vifferman]

When it comes to hitting the tarmac , Give me leather any day!!!
When it comes to hitting the tarmac, no thanks! :confused:

I didn't like it, at all, at all....

[MSTRS]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to vifferman again.
It seems that I can't give it to you again. Dirty little hobbitses

[Suney]

Been done before I know, so it's just my little selfish rant..

Cordura Vs Leathers
.
And as far as the waterproofing qualities of Cordura Vs Leather, that's what oversuits are for.


Could you give me some more info on oversuits.
Currently in the market for a good jacket and I was going to get cordura but the idea of leather + oversuit for rain has inspired me :)

[Slipstream]

Leather. Definitely leather...that's all I have to say on this subject.

[John]

Leather. Definitely leather...that's all I have to say on this subject.

When girls go wild :wari:


(re:leather) When it comes to hitting the tarmac, no thanks! :confused:

I didn't like it, at all, at all....

I referr to your title in this case; "That's MISTER Fwit to you"

(PT)

[James Deuce]

Could you give me some more info on oversuits.
Currently in the market for a good jacket and I was going to get cordura but the idea of leather + oversuit for rain has inspired me :)

For $40 you can get a Parka and Overtrou from any Keinzley Agvet rural supplies outlet. They're called Tuffpak, and fold or roll up to fit in most any underseat storage space. Get a size larger than you normally would to take into account the leathers. You could always get Line 7 stuff for a bit more. Quite a bit more actually :)

[magnum]

leather,wont trust anything else on the open road. :apint:

[Jantar]

Could you give me some more info on oversuits.
Currently in the market for a good jacket and I was going to get cordura but the idea of leather + oversuit for rain has inspired me :)

I have two piece leather suit, and purchased a cheap set of PVC wet weather gear from the Warehouse for under $20. Apart from taking the PVC gear out of its packaging to check that it would fit over my leathers (it does) I have never had to wear it.

I find that leather gear properly treated and looked after is every bit as waterproof as Cordura. On a west coast ride last year, after 3 hours in the rain, my wife and I in our leather gear were still perfectly dry with only a hint of dampness starting starting to come through. All those with Cordura were very wet.

My wife's gear was just starting to leak at two point through the stitching, and my gloves were starting to feel damp in the thumb area. So three hours in west coast rain seems to be the limit for waterproof quality on our leather gear.

[Waylander]

Woo hoo I get to be the materialistic one here ( no pun intended) nothing looks better than leather when you're on a bike. Doesn't matter what kind of bike leather just looks cooler.:2thumbsup :done:

[FEINT]

When it rains, and it rains quite often in Auckland, most of you guys wear leather and have wear waterproofing plastic over the leather? And your work clothes underneath the leather?

[jrandom]

When it rains, and it rains quite often in Auckland, most of you guys wear leather and have wear waterproofing plastic over the leather? And your work clothes underneath the leather?

I commute with work clothes under 'waterproof' (hah) Orina cordura. One of the PVC parkas Jim2 mentioned earlier goes over the cordura.

With the parka, I stay lovely and dry and toasty. Without it, I sit at my desk drying out my crotch and shirt front all morning.

Fortunately, the only real requirement for my professional attire is that it cover my naughty bits and keep me warm enough to function in the air conditioning. Hence baggy shorts, crappy old T-shirts and bare feet tend to be the order of the day, and nobody cares too much if it looks like I just peed myself.

[Mr Skid]

When it rains, and it rains quite often in Auckland, most of you guys wear leather and have wear waterproofing plastic over the leather? And your work clothes underneath the leather?

If you're really cheap *cough* Velox *cough* you can wear a plastic bag over your leather jacket.

Otherwise nylon or PVC rain gear will do the job. If you can fit your work clothes under your leathers, you've probably got leathers a size too big.

Lots of people will tell you the reasoning for leathers being fitting is so that they slide if/when you go down the road, rather than them bunching up, and so that armour stays in place.

The real reason is that girls get all hot and bothered by 'bikers in tight leather. Try turning up at a pub in cordura jacket. Good luck getting laid. Try doing the same in a spunky slim fitting leather jacket, and you'll know why leather costs more than textile. :yeah:

[Dodgyiti]

The real reason is that girls get all hot and bothered by 'bikers in tight leather. Try turning up at a pub in cordura jacket. Good luck getting laid. Try doing the same in a spunky slim fitting leather jacket, and you'll know why leather costs more than textile. :yeah:

Even worse,
Try turning up at a pub in your Cordura jacket and then taking it off only to expose a shirt louder than an un muffled Moto-Guzzi !

[Motu]

well,my leathers are ''tight''...but I don't think it makes me look sexy...

[scumdog]

Woo hoo I get to be the materialistic one here ( no pun intended) nothing looks better than leather when you're on a bike. Doesn't matter what kind of bike leather just looks cooler.:2thumbsup :done:

And if it has tassles? Woohoo, say no more!! :yeah:

[Paul in NZ]

Sorry chaps...

(actually this is true - chaps - those cowboy things - are damn sorry lookin things)

Anyway - This is a pretty pointless thread. Fabric OR leather it comes down to the quality of the garment. Cheap leathers can be utter shit and split open like a ripe peach due to rotten stitching and low grade hides stolen from road kill rabbits. Top grade fabric gear can be utterly amazing.

Luck, how you fall, where you fall and if you hit anything while you fall all play a part.

I have a Spidi NT Tour jacket that has doe 50,000km and is still pretty waterpoof and with the liner in, is amazingly warm and comfortable. It's a great bit of kit but it cost a fortune.

I have owned leather I felt unsafe in the garage with.

The type of leather has a huge effect on it performance in various areas. Horse hide is naturally waterproof for example.

Like everything - leather aint all leather and cordura aint all cordura (litterally)

Paul N

[vifferman]

Could you give me some more info on oversuits.
Currently in the market for a good jacket and I was going to get cordura but the idea of leather + oversuit for rain has inspired me :)
DON'T buy a one-piece suit - it's like being a 'boil in the bag' chicken, if there's even the slightest hint that somewhere in the world there's some sunshine. :eek:
I used to have one, and while it kept 100% of the moisture out, it also kept 100% of the heat (and resultant perspiration) in. Horrible, it were...:confused:

Now I wear a pair of nylon Motoline trousers, which are made for bike riders, so they are easy to put on over boots and leathers, have snaps on the lower leg, and elasticated waist which is high in the back. They also roll up small so I carry them in my bag all the time. Don't need a jacket, but when I used to wear leathers I wore a cheap nylon/PVC jacket I bought from Doyles. Lovely it were - all bright green and purple, to match the pants. And it wasn't made for bikes, so it was restrictive, and not particularly waterproof after the first 10 or so wearings, especially when the zip blew out.

[vifferman]

Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by John, saying this is what vifferman said/meant


(re:leather) When it comes to hitting the tarmac, no thanks! :confused:

I didn't like it, at all, at all....


</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>




I referr to your title in this case; "That's MISTER Fwit to you"

(PT)
No, it's not (re:leather) - it's (re:Crashing). No thanks to hitting the tarmac.

[vifferman]

When it rains, and it rains quite often in Auckland, most of you guys wear leather and have wear waterproofing plastic over the leather? And your work clothes underneath the leather?
Despite it raining a lot in D'Auckland, I rarely have to wear waterproofs when commuting. I wear my business shirt (and a tie :eek: ) under my jacket, and nothing under my leather pants, then get changed at work in the shower or disabled toilet (seeing as how I'm disabled). That's a laugh too - when we refurbished our offices, we put in a large disabled toilet, but we're on the second floor, and there's no way people in wheelchairs can get upstairs to use the toilet!

[moko]

-2 here at the moment and I`m currently wearing both! Got a Yoko cordura jacket(best you can get in europe,Finnish firm)with body armour and my summer leather underneath.Always wore leather until I got the Yoko,now much prefer the fabric,main difference is it`s a lot warmer,with the leather I`d usually have something else over the top or several layers underneath.Yoko`s fine on it`s own until about zero degrees and even then it does a great job but with the leather underneath I feel warm as opposed to "not cold".

[bugjuice]

k, I'm gonna have to stick my ore in here and ask a really *dumb* question that's been bugging me for ever.

Is cordura a brand name, or the name of the material?

[vifferman]

k, I'm gonna have to stick my ore in here and ask a really *dumb* question that's been bugging me for ever.

Is cordura a brand name, or the name of the material?
Brand name. It's actually nylon, I think. nO wait - that's a brand name too?
Like Kevlar.
But leather's not a trademark.

My "Cordura™" and "Kevlar™" and Leather Teknic™ jacket is actually made of "Power Skin™" (100% nylon) and Keprotec™ and cow<SUP>moo</SUP>.
And dirt.
And RoadSpooge™ and Scotchgard™.

[outlawtorn]

Personally I prefer not to hit the termac at all, but I've had the dis-pleasure of coming off my bike both with a leather jacket and with a Cordura padded jacket, and the cordura wins hands down, granted I didn't slide, but the padding stopped me from getting hurt. The leather jacket afforded me no padding and I really bruised my elbows and shoulder.

I use my leather jacket for weekend rides and my cordura jacket for commuting.

[bugjuice]

Brand name. It's actually nylon, I think. nO wait - that's a brand name too?
Like Kevlar.
But leather's not a trademark.

My "Cordura™" and "Kevlar™" and Leather Teknic™ jacket is actually made of "Power Skin™" (100% nylon) and Keprotec™ and cow<SUP>moo</SUP>.
And dirt.
And RoadSpooge™ and Scotchgard™.
lmao.. thanx for clearing that up. I've got a 2pce material suit (Motoline jacket and Teknic pants), so wondered if that material had a general name, or what.. Anyhoo, I'll be buyin a 1pce leather soon, so all pure cow<SUP>moo</SUP>

[TonyB]

-2 here at the moment and I`m currently wearing both! Got a Yoko cordura jacket(best you can get in europe,Finnish firm)with body armour and my summer leather underneath.Always wore leather until I got the Yoko,now much prefer the fabric,main difference is it`s a lot warmer,with the leather I`d usually have something else over the top or several layers underneath.Yoko`s fine on it`s own until about zero degrees and even then it does a great job but with the leather underneath I feel warm as opposed to "not cold".
True, but its the Thinsulate (or similar) lining in the synthetic jacket that makes them so warm. Leather on its own is warmer than synthetic on its own. Proven by taking the liner out of the synthetic jacket on a hot day- it then becomes cooler than leather. Also if you strike a shower of rain on a hot day with the liner out you feel just how much cold comes through the outer layer of a synthetic jacket.

SOOooo, if you get leathers with no permanent insulation and a removeable thermal liner you should in theory be able to be only slightly hotter on hot days, and actually warmer on cold ones. I'll let you know, the leathers I've ordered through WildcatLGFs thread are going to have removable thermal liners in the jacket and the pants. :cool: Of course the leathers still shouldn't be as water proof, but then my old leather jacket has so much snow seal in it that the water only ever gets through the seam at the shoulders- it has a 'turned in' seam rather than a 'flat' seam, so the water just channels through. My Teknics jacket has always leaked at the zip, and now leaks at the shoulders- I'm going off synthetic in a big way!