Leather #1?

[kjc2010]

I was wandering what is gear you wear on when you are on a motorbike?
And what is the best gear to wear for the road and track?!
LEATHER or Synthetic?! (Im not sure what the material is called but the
bike shop i visited said (***nthetic) not sure what it was or how to spell it.
Far as I know there Synthetic Oil!!! lol.. dont know if clothing material exist as such.

I bought a leather jacket and it seems very
rugged and looks nice but seems but stiff and not comfortable as
Synthetic I think... Biker's Waterproof Jacket.

I want to buy gear for the road but also good enough for me wear at the
track. Let me know what you think the best gears are, in your opinion

[MIXONE]

What do racers wear?LEATHER.Enough said.
Mind you I am pretty old school.

[325rocket]

welcome to the site.

leather is the way to go.
BUT as you pointed out its a rite shitter when its new. it will become more comfortable the more you wear it.

if you plan on riding in all weather conditions remember leather is not waterproof, which is interesting as i have never seen a leaking cow.

[Quasievil]

as i have never seen a leaking cow.

I have and it was being chased by heaps of hungry kittens

back on topic

Leather is the way to go and a rainsuit, you have never seen a racer wearing synthetic and there is a good reason for that

[FJRider]

Road and track are two different use/requierements. Requiring two sets of gear. I have not heard of many using the the same gear, for road and compitition. How much protection do you need ???

[Jantar]

I have full leathers, synthetic jacket and Kevlar jeans. I wear full leathers 60% of the time; Leather jacket and kevlar jeans 30%; Synthetic jacket and kevlar jeans 5%; other combinations 5%.

Leather is by far the best choice.

[heyjoe]

Go with leather and save your skin.

[Grub]

Get the best product for the job ...

For racing, get leathers. For commuting and road work get really good textile gear.

Ok why?
- Racing leathers are brilliant on a race track but not that good for road riding as they may have holed front panels and cannot get wet. They are quite cold so are not suitable for winter or even autumn riding. Yes you can get a rain suit but they're just thin nylon and provide no warmth at all. They usually have hard armour (which is good). Racing leathers from $1,200 to $1,800 (or more)

- Textile gear, sometimes called "Cordura" because that's the DuPont product they're made of. Good textile gear (not internet cheap crap) will keep you warm and dry in zero temps - there's nothing better. They provide reasonable skid protection. They're bit like a helmet in that regard. If you come off they're dispensible. Coming off at speed, they will be munted but you will probably not loose any skin. Good textile gear has hard armour too, the cheaper ones have soft "padding", calling it armour isn't really accurate. Good jackets $450-$900, Pants $280-$400.

- Kevlar jeans sound like a good idea but beware. They have no armour at all! All they are good for is stopping abrasions. The trouble is that before you get to the sliding bit you have to fall down and hit the road. After the sliding bit you maybe will hit something.

There is no such thing as 'one is better than the other', they have different applications they're suited to. I have both but never wear my race leathers on road trips. I don't own kevlar jeans and never will - they give people a false sense of security.

Hope that helps

[Quasievil]

Get the best product for the job ...

For racing, get leathers. For commuting and road work get really good textile gear.

Ok why?
- Racing leathers are brilliant on a race track but not that good for road riding as they may have holed front panels and cannot get wet. They are quite cold so are not suitable for winter or even autumn riding. Yes you can get a rain suit but they're just thin nylon and provide no warmth at all. They usually have hard armour (which is good). Racing leathers from $1,200 to $1,800 (or more)

- Textile gear, sometimes called "Cordura" because that's the DuPont product they're made of. Good textile gear (not internet cheap crap) will keep you warm and dry in zero temps - there's nothing better. They provide reasonable skid protection. They're bit like a helmet in that regard. If you come off they're dispensible. Coming off at speed, they will be munted but you will probably not loose any skin. Good textile gear has hard armour too, the cheaper ones have soft "padding", calling it armour isn't really accurate. Good jackets $450-$900, Pants $280-$400.

- Kevlar jeans sound like a good idea but beware. They have no armour at all! All they are good for is stopping abrasions. The trouble is that before you get to the sliding bit you have to fall down and hit the road. After the sliding bit you maybe will hit something.

There is no such thing as 'one is better than the other', they have different applications they're suited to. I have both but never wear my race leathers on road trips. I don't own kevlar jeans and never will - they give people a false sense of security.

Hope that helps

I agree with that to, but if you cant afford two sets as most cant I still say go with leather, most leathers (jackets anyway) have a zip out liner which helps keep you warm, as well as that you can buy really good under garments that will definately keep you warm for example Oxford "chill out" range or our (soon to arrive) KNOX Cold Killers, any of these products under your leathers will keep you very toasty a full set about $250.
in saying that, what do I wear ? well I wear leather and Textile, depending what Im doing but Im lucky in the sence I own a related business I guess.

[Henk]

As has been mentioned above it's a case of horses for courses.
Track, no question leather, preferably a one piece gimp suit.
At this time of year, in Christchurch, I'd be going for Cordura.
Leather is the best thing to crash in but it's cold, it leaks and when it gets wet it's damn heavy and takes an age to dry out.
If you are playing commuter games cordura pants at least are the way to go as you can wear work stuff under them. This may be an unfounded opinion as I always buy leather pants on the assumption that I won't be wearing them to work and cordura on the assumption that I will.

[Padmei]

recently purchased a set of Strada synthetic gear.

Had a good thick leather jacket before that. Always felt safe & strangely staunch in my leather jacket however just had jeans on which didn't make me feel safe. Thought about kevlar jeans but thought the initial impact falling of the bike would be worse than the sliding abrasion factor.

The new gear is warm& so far waterproof though have noticed on my trou my legs & crutch have felt wet but when taken off have been dry inside - apparently the dampness gets trapped between the layers giving that yukky feeling.

I have noticed though on my naked bike with either jacket the wind hits in the chest pushing the material against the body & the cold comes thru. Have cured this on a long trip with a newspaper stuffed down but hopefully my new faired bike will redirect the wind.

[Jantar]

Get the best product for the job ...

I agree 100%. The best product for the job is leather.

For racing, get leathers. For commuting and road work get

Leather

Racing leathers are brilliant on a race track but not that good for road riding as they may have holed front panels and cannot get wet. They are quite cold so are not suitable for winter or even autumn riding. Yes you can get a rain suit but they're just thin nylon and provide no warmth at all. They usually have hard armour (which is good). Racing leathers from $1,200 to $1,800 (or more)

However touring leathers usually are a solid surface, rather than perforated, and any perforations are in places that are unlikely to get wet, (like behind the knees). They are aften fully lined or as with Quasi's ones, have removable lining, so they certainly aren't cold. They have sacrificial leather pads on knees and elbows rather than hard armour, but some have armour as an option. They are also much cheaper than racing leathers, and you should be able to get a full set of jacket and pants for less than $800.

- Textile gear, sometimes called "Cordura" because that's the DuPont product they're made of. Good textile gear (not internet cheap crap) will keep you warm and dry in zero temps - there's nothing better except leather. They provide reasonable skid protection. They're bit like a helmet in that regard. If you come off they're dispensible. Coming off at speed, they will be munted but you will probably not loose any skin. Good textile gear has hard armour too, the cheaper ones have soft "padding", calling it armour isn't really accurate. Good jackets $450-$900, Pants $280-$400.

Kevlar jeans sound like a good idea but beware. They have no armour at all! All they are good for is stopping abrasions. The trouble is that before you get to the sliding bit you have to fall down and hit the road. After the sliding bit you maybe will hit something.

Some kevlar jeans have no armour, some do. I have a pair of Technics brand that has no armour, but I also have two pair of HardAs that do have armour over the knees and shins. Be warned that kevlar jeans are no where near as good as synthetic or leather in a crash. They are better than denim. I wear them when its just too hot for leather.

Sorry for hijacking your post, Grub, but I have seen far too many instances where people just associate leather with racing leathers. I agree with you that racing leathers are not ideal for road riding, but touring leathers are made for the job. My leathers are made from 2.5 mm hide, with full lining and sacrifical pads. They are waterproof for up to 3 hours in west coast rain, and longer in very light rain. If it looks like persistant rain I do put on a Warehouse PVC jacket ($14.95) over the top.

[blacksheep]

always wore leather,uk winters no worries,just layer underneath and waterproof oversuit,i am an old skool old git though!

[Moki]

High grade leather will last for years. Good quality leather will still be softening up by the time textile starts to fall apart. My leather jacket (Rhino - from the UK) took a couple of years to break-in but it's still going strong nearly 15 years on.

[henry]

I was in the market for new gear earlier this year and intended to buy leather, but every shop I went to recommended I buy Cordura for all sorts of reasons including safety. It was a bit unexpected and I'd love to know why. It didn't really make a lot of sense.

Anyway I bought a hybrid jacket for around town because it has two liners and a leather 2 piece suit for the fast stuff.