Leather or Textile Jackets | GTAMotorcycle.com

Leather or Textile Jackets

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sri_dawg

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Did a quick search before posting to see if there are any other threads on this, couldnt find any. I would love to get a Honda Racing Jacket, just wondering about material here. What's better? Can someone list the pro's/cons of the different types (leather, mesh, nylon), safety being paramount of course.
 
Leather trumps textile in almost every way except breathability and cost. I've never crashed in either but look at pros, they all wear leather.
 
leather all the way, i have crashed a few times at the track. Textile is cooler in the summer which is nice, but pavement is really hot when your sliding across your skin
 
All my jackets are perforated leather.
 
Well, I'll be the lone dissenter. For the street, I find textile to be far more practical. You can wear it all year 'round, hot or cold, rain or shine. It's lighter in weight, lot's of hi-viz options, styles, etc. I did have one low-speed accident in which it held up perfectly. Wouldn't wear it on the track, but I don't spend time on the track. So it really depends on what you mean by "better." And it seems like a lot of guys who say that they'd never wear anything but a leather jacket are perfectly happy to wear jeans with it, and maybe even sneakers, so the "protection" argument seems a bit of a red herring sometimes...;)
 
+1, I wear a leather jacket but textile pants for comfort, not as good as leather of course, but much better than jeans. I'm not against textile jackets, just don't wear a t-shirt and running shoes. As the sig says, the road doesn't care how you "look".


Blues hurler said:
Well, I'll be the lone dissenter. For the street, I find textile to be far more practical. You can wear it all year 'round, hot or cold, rain or shine. It's lighter in weight, lot's of hi-viz options, styles, etc. I did have one low-speed accident in which it held up perfectly. Wouldn't wear it on the track, but I don't spend time on the track. So it really depends on what you mean by "better." And it seems like a lot of guys who say that they'd never wear anything but a leather jacket are perfectly happy to wear jeans with it, and maybe even sneakers, so the "protection" argument seems a bit of a red herring sometimes...;)
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I've got a pretty solid leather/textile A*s jacket, and it is wonderful. At least, it is in my closet - won't know until i take it out :p
 
Get a Leather/Textile mixed jacket.

I have a Joe Rocket jacket that's all leather except for under the arms, and down the sides. It also has 6 zippered vents, so it's super breathable (only sitting at a stop in +35 deg. weather is it uncomfortable). It also has a removable liner, so it's good for all-year use, the only thing that it's not great for is Rain protection.
 
If you can afford a leather 2 piece and a textile,then do so.If you can't then go perforated leather.You can always add layers under it.I've crashed hard enough in a leather one piece to know that it would have really hurt being wrapped in textile.
Bottom line......buy the best gear you can afford,and wear it!
 
Leather, do you good in rain too. But put lots of deodorant in summer, your jacket will smell..... like some people I've met. LOL
 
I got textile jacket and pants cause thats all I could afford along with boots and helmet.
Rather have that on a cbr125 than most of the people I see at school that ride with nothing but a helmet on nice bikes
 
Thanks guys, I plan on going to gp in whitby this weekend to pick up a jacket. The leather + textile sounds interesting anyone recommend a brand/style in particular? Better yet if anyone knows of a 'honda' type one that would be awesome. Btw about colour I like the idea of visibility, leather seems hard to find in different colours besides black.
 
If you want to be visible (at night), the best thing is to have reflective strips (SOLAS is one of the better ones) on your jacket, helmet, and/or bike. Or, you can just wear a reflective vest over your jacket.

I know, the reflective vest might not be to everyone's liking. But, ever since I've worn one, I've had no incidents of left turning cars not seeing me at intersections (as was the case when I didn't wear one), and I've noticed that cars in back of me give me a lot of space. I got this vest from MEC.99537403.jpg
 
Both have there pro's and con's. Most of which have already been stated. I've got both. The gf is happy in her textile. I've got a nice Alpinestars Textile which is too small for me if you want it cheap.
 
Leather all the way. It's more expensive than textile but it give you better protection.

Ask yourself this question: "what cost more? a leather jacket or ur skin?"
 
Let me tell you this.

I rode a loooong *** distance in the middle of summer with a leather jacket (Icon Overlord). I crashed in San Francisco and my collar bone got messed up. My jacket doesn't even show any crash damage from the incident. The only thing it does show is where a dog chewed through my sleeve.

It's hot as hell, but it's totally worth it to ride with leather. You can unzip the front if you wish, to let air in.
 
Leather is more comfy, better aerodynamics and probably slightly better protection, however it requires more care, is pricy and can get hot in the summer. Textile is more versatile, most are waterproof, won't get damaged if soaked, has better vent systems and is cooler in the summer, requires a lot less care and is cheaper.

So there you go, pros and cons.
 
Full piece leather suit only, with no shirt underneath, so I can unzip it and show off a huge gold chain and hairy chest in Port Dover

Honestly i've only ever used textile and they have all held up great.
 
Textile is usually more affordable, if it's the difference between having a nice leather jacket and little else, or being full protected by textile gear, I'd have to choose the latter.

Both of my jackets are "Hybrid" where there is leather in the abrasion areas, and textile most everywhere else. I also have a nice pair of Joe Rocket textile pants that were pricey but still more affordable than the leather alternative.
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