Leather or Textile?

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Stradders

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Hi guys,

I'm new to bikes and picked up my first bike Nov last year.. A 05 FZ6n.... What a bike!

Buying a bike heading into winter meant getting myself kitted out for wet, cold winter riding, so currently wearing waterproof textiles. With Spring/summer just round the corner, I want get an idea of whats best in the warmer weather?

I have friends talk about the Draggin Jeans, and other kevlar based clothing. Would anyone recommend them? or are leathers still the way forward?

Cheers
 
Leathers are the best protection. But, if your budget doesn't stretch, then Draggin Jeans are the next best thing. Aussie made and fantastic protection.

As for a jacket, go for leather - maybe with perforations. You can always wear a long sleeved t-shirt under if it's a bit cool.
 
Check out Hein Gerricke if ya in the UK, they have a January sale on at the mo so you may be able to pick up a few good bits.

RE Leathers vs. Textile, i would go texttile for everyday riding... Leathers for fair weather riding [unless you go expensive].

I ride all day/everyday and find texttile much better then leather. Also unless you have really expensive leathers, they will not keep you dry for long, when it rains. You could always carry a set of water proofs i guess..?

As for wearing a long-sleeve stop under leather when cold, yeah that would work, but im finding this winter very challanging. For me, I have to wear thermals, a long sleeve and a thick/chunky top + a neck warmer just to keep warm.

Trust me, riding 'cold' is not fun so plan well...

Right then, its your choice then now :)

p.s. when leather is cold, so will you - hope that helps matey, cheers...
 
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v1jay said:
As for wearing a long-sleeve stop under leather when cold, yeah that would work, but im finding this winter very challanging. For me, I have to wear thermals, a long sleeve and a thick/chunky top + a neck warmer just to keep warm....[/QUOTE]

Sorry, I forgot you're in the UK.

I'm in Aus - little bit warmer here :D
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Leathers in the warmer weather. All weather textile jacket and leather jeans in the cooler damper weather for me. Never have liked textile trousers - I find the armour tends to move too much in an off.
 
textile is good for all seasons , i never carry an extra rain suit , never take my jacket off when its real hot out ... and full body armor is a must
 
v1jay said:
Check out Hein Gerricke if ya in the UK, they have a January sale on at the mo so you may be able to pick up a few good bits.
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Im actually not far from the Hein Gerricke shop in Braintree, so i'll take a trip there on the weekend, hopefully pick something up in the sales!

I think if I can stretch, I'll go for leather trousers and Jacket, but also some Draggins (or similar) for my summer commute to work..its about a 25 mile trip though nice villages and B roads, so will not be going faster than about 60mph anyway....

Thanks everyone for all your advice :thumbup:
 
Mesh jacket and mesh pants, both with armor.
I know you are not in the US but here are the links for the ones that I have.
The jacket has 3 layers, the outer mesh, a whater proof one and then a thermal one. this jacket is almost good year round.
The pants have the same layers and both some good armor.
Something I really like is the fact that you can "connect" both with a ziper so it works like a full body.

Textile Jackets Tour Master Intake Air 2 Jacket - White/Dark Silver | Helmet City
Textile Pants Tour Master Venture Air Pant | Helmet City

I almost forgot, leathers are cool looking, some times better protection but something you can do with mesh that you can't with leather is washing, we have temperatures good up to the higher 40s celcius, wait to be seating on that bike geeting all the heat from the engine, I don't care who you are, you are going to sweat litters every ride, unless you can replace your gear really often or you like to smell, do yourself and company a favor and buy mesh.
 
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I wear almost the same gear as Hoshiko, except that my venture pants are the non air version.

I know leathers are the best option in terms of protection, but in my country there are no defined weather seasons, so the rain can appear whenever it wants, so if it starts raining I just stop and put my jacket waterproof liner, but I wouldn't bother to remove my pants to put its waterproof liner, so that is why I choose the non air version of those pants.
 
I wish I would have seen the tour master stuff before I bought the Joe Rocket mesh pants. The rockets didn't come with the liners.

I went with the Mesh because 98% of the riding I do is commuting. When I get over heated I get distracted.
 
I have about 900 jackets....in fact i have a serious bike gear "obsession"!!! :eek:

I only have 2 leather jackets, and i would wear either of them before textile, about 80% of the time...unless it is freakishly cold, and very bloody wet, you cant go past leather for protection, and comfort...

Having said that, my Clover "adventure" jacket is my best friend when conditions are crap....

Just my 2 cents.

:thumbup:
 
i bought some RST mesh textiles with a waterproof liner and a thermal liner, that just about saw me through winter. also good for summer, with the mesh jacket it can almost be too cold as you get so much ventilation

i've bought some leathers now though, so i'll be wearing them with some kind of wicking baselayer, as they look better, and should offer better protection, plus i can use them for track days :)
 
I went with a textile jacket, made by teknic. Its called the "highway", has the armor in the elbows, shoulders, and back. For pants, I went with cortech. The bottoms zip off, so if you are walking around and dont want pants, it works. The jacket has more then enough zipper vents so summer riding is fine, real warm in the winter, and water proof.
Joe:thumbup:
 
Leather > Draggin Jeans > Textile > Saran Wrap > Mesh

Leather = good for multiple slides at any speed and will always save your bacon no matter the crash. you only need to worry about hitting things.

Draggin Jeans = good for normal city speeds but will disintegrate pretty quickly

Textile = ****tier than draggin jeans imo. Leather is not THAT much more expensive, and if you don't impulsively need the brand name stuff...it's actually CHEAPER than textile. But dont get me wrong. A good textile suit is still a lot better than regular jeans or any of that stuff. But a good textile suit will cost pretty much as much as a decent leather setup. And heat is only an issue at a standstill. When you get moving it makes zero difference.

Mesh is useless.

And if you ever actually do go down the leather pays for itself instantly. You can still use it where you would need to replace the textile stuff shich would be shredded.

Get leather. Shop online for good prices. Good places I use are motorcycle-superstore.com and kneedraggers.com
 
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Textile on the street, and leathers on the track for me.

I live in Hell so I like textile clothing for the summer time.

Rev'It is my favorite textile brand. REV'IT!

They make very nice leather products too.
 
Hellgate said:
Textile on the street, and leathers on the track for me.

I live in Hell so I like textile clothing for the summer time.

Rev'It is my favorite textile brand. REV'IT!

They make very nice leather products too.
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I'v heard nothing but good about rev'it - good quality gear imo. Having said that, I would still go Hein Gerricke and buy their gear :BLAA:
 
When they make a pair of textile pants that dont feel like i am wearing a sleeping bag on my legs...quilted liner or not....then maybe i will wear something other than decent leather riding pants...

:thumbup:
 
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