Which material is best for protection?

**NSR-Dan** · 5th June 2006, 01:48

ir econ if it will save you in a crash, get some average to good gear and i def recomend a one peice suit and a good helmet not a cheap 100-200 dollar one (better helmets are actully made of better materials not just to look better),

I have a friend that bought cheap gear and had a bad accident, her jacket rode up and grinded part of her thigh bone off she had jeans on and her leg was so badly damaged that it had to be amputated and also because of her cheap helmet her head was cracked and ended up in a coma for 8 months.

im not saying you should dress to crash, but dress for the unexpected. her accident was caused by a drunk driver, which was very unlucky, other people out there that have been fortunate have been lucky but however there can be that situation like hers where good gear could of saved her leg and partial brain damage (she suffered from severe memory lost and forgot about 6 years of her life), in some cases even lives.

**Nicksta** · 5th June 2006, 07:09

well, i used to ride in a cordura 2 peice and HJC helmet, now i ride in a 2 piece (but fully zips together) suit and awesome shoei helmet.....
I had to put my cordura on to ride to work the other day and felt completely vulnerable....
Go the leather suit... (and it feels nice too)
you only get one skull, protect it well....

**sAsLEX** · 5th June 2006, 09:46

Originally Posted by NSR-Dan

i def recomend a one peice suit

Two piece suits are fine as long as they zip together to stop the jacket riding up as you go tarmac surfing

**Quasievil** · 5th June 2006, 10:33

Originally Posted by sAsLEX

Two piece suits are fine as long as they zip together to stop the jacket riding up as you go tarmac surfing

Absolutely, up to now 15 bikers from this site have crashed in our gear, all two piece suits, not all zipped together, all of these bikers where ok and unhurt do to the leather performance, also all of them are still using the same leathers as they where not damaged, worst we have had was a small tear about 2" long (nothing)
Some riders have even crashed twice in our two piece suits (CaN).

as much as this sounds like an advert its also a note to indicate that two piece suits are absolutely excellent, in fact for the road a one piece is inferior as other factors such as practical usability make them a pain in the arse.

**Mr Skid** · 5th June 2006, 15:35

Originally Posted by cassina

Hi

I wold be interested to know how protective Dainese body armour
worn under a non protective jacket would be. I would like to buy
some for skiing and was wondering if it would be ok on the bike
also. I have also heard it is hard to get hold of in NZ

Hi cassina, the person you should talk to is NhuanH.
He knows lots about Dainese gear.

**terbang** · 5th June 2006, 17:32

Leather is the way..

**Fisherman** · 16th June 2006, 00:49

Ive found that i now want a leather jacket as my synthetic is too bulky if im going somewhere in town and they dont work too well on that peg beside the door. In saying that i cant go anywhere without it cos i feel 'naked' but buy something that is practical and u will wear.

**ZeroIndex** · 16th June 2006, 01:06

Originally Posted by Fisherman

Ive found that i now want a leather jacket as my synthetic is too bulky if im going somewhere in town and they dont work too well on that peg beside the door. In saying that i cant go anywhere without it cos i feel 'naked' but buy something that is practical and u will wear.

i feel the exact same way.. Quasi.. I'm gonna be banging on your door sometime in the next few weeks (busy saving hard for some leathers)

**Quasievil** · 16th June 2006, 07:24

Originally Posted by ZeroIndex

i feel the exact same way.. Quasi.. I'm gonna be banging on your door sometime in the next few weeks (busy saving hard for some leathers)

I got a few seconds if that helps you out, nothing major but cant sell them for full quid, nothing performance affecting anyway.

**Paul in NZ** · 16th June 2006, 08:37

Originally Posted by Patch

I've always worn leathers, always will. I've had conversations with others that the cordura is more convenient, cheaper, has armour plating etc etc.

My question is: Why isn't it used for racing on a regular basis??

My feelings are...

Top racers get paid to wear those leathers and they are custom made for the individual and the conditions. If I had the $$ I'll bet a house full of spotty teenage virgins that I could develop a synthetic suit for racing and pay a top rider to wear it. Fact is, the gear makers make a LOT of $$ knocking out cheap replicas of the real thing!

Racers don't generally have to deal with oncoming traffic or roadside obstacles such as trees and powerpoles, gutters etc and their custom made suits are tight and wrinkle free and replaced regularly.

If a racer takes a tumble, they tend to slide for ages without impacting said trees etc and without a doubt, leather has excellent abrasion resistence so a suit of leathers is suitable protection. A lot of time and effort goes in to making the track 'safe'.

Codura or synthetic materials have the distinct advantage of weather protection so it's my choice because we travel longer distances and I cannot remember a single long trip without rain at some stage or other. I believe that I am a safer rider in these conditions if I am warm and dry.

Our gear has built in hard armour with a soft backing which is designed to spread the load of any impact which is the the most likely cause of serious injury to a road motorcyclist. At least one that is now so old and fat that he no longer thinks he could take Rossi on a good day.. Stuff all time goes into making our unpredictable environments 'safe' for motorcycles.

However, all the gear in the world will not protect you from being a moron. Defensive riding techniques and common sense are worth more than all the leather in the world....

**Lou Girardin** · 16th June 2006, 14:45

What Paul said.
What use is a perforated race suit when it's 10 degrees, pissing down and you're so cold you couldn't operate the brake even if you could find it.
And I've seen textile gear that has handled a high speed slide just fine.
I'd trust my Spidi GT textile suit far more than some cheap no-name leather kit.
(No quasi, this isn't a dig at your gear. Too many people have said it's good to doubt it)
Horses for courses.

**gunnyrob** · 16th June 2006, 15:37

Great to see we're back on topic after all the flaming!

I binned a bike at an intersection at low speed wearing 2 pc leathers a while back and just dusted myself off with no harm done, despite it lying on my leg part of the way. The downside with leather is once it's wet, you're gonna be wet for the next couple of days. (something to bear in mind if you're off to the Brass monkey)

I've now bought a full set of Spidi gear and it's great. Very comfy, warm and waterproof, and has leather on road contact points as well as armour.

Buy what you can afford BEFORE you buy your bike as once the bike is there it will suck all your spare cash in fuel, tyres & insurance.

Good Quality stuff will last a lot longer than crappy gear, so give it a good check out before you buy. Also, check out the product reviews on this site to get ideas on what to go for or avoid.

A defensive riding course I did has saved my skin lots of times, so get on one ASAP. Good luck, stay upright

**Quasievil** · 16th June 2006, 15:44

Originally Posted by Lou Girardin

I'd trust my Spidi GT textile suit far more than some cheap no-name leather kit.
(No quasi, this isn't a dig at your gear. Too many people have said it's good to doubt it)
Horses for courses.

It cant relate to my gear anyway Mr Girardin, as I have my own brand on my gear,as well as NZ based legal guarantees etc, not to mention in 15 crashes everyone is still wearing it, like to see some of the big names say that........ if they could.
My gear is simply better, I know it is, I seen it perform, take the gloves for example, Keystone 3 crashes, still okay, dss3 3 crashes still okay. Battered and grazed for sure but still up for another ride, I know alpinestar cant handle that. So I actually arrogantly regard Alpinestar and Spidi as a cheap brand with a name.

I know cheek prick, but its tru otherwise its

**The Stranger:Me** · 16th June 2006, 15:52

Originally Posted by Patch

Once you've slid down the road a couple of times, be interesting to see if ya still gonna buy cheap gear.

There is no substitute for good quality gear.

I have.
In the same set of Quasi's leathers both times.
If I didn't point out the burns on the leather you would never know.

Quasi's leather is both cheaper and offers better protection than the cordura gear.
It's not often where the cheaper gear is better, take the opportunity when you find it.