Triumphrat

otter215

Any advice on the merits of getting a leather jacket w/ armor rather than one I like better, and is cheaper, without it? I currently have a mesh jacket that has armor, but I gained a little weight and want a jacket that fits better.

shoggot

Why do you like the unarmored jacket better, aside from cheapness?

I'd think the benefits are obvious (armored): if you go down, you get hurt less than with an unarmored jacket. After going down, I've not ridden since without an armored jacket. And (more or less), everyone goes down at some point in their riding lives.

(And although single-vehicle accidents are by far the most common, multi-vehicle accidents can occur, and sometimes can't be avoided. That SUV you're passing (or being passed by) suddenly swerving into your rear wheel, springs to mind.)

44033

Fixed it cuz I don't feel like doing work right now, heheh.

I'm trying to decide if I should get an armored back pad to replace the flimsy foam one in my jacket. Those Draggin Kevlar shirts look like an interesting option as well for non-armored summertime wear.

shoggot

Heh, yes, I screwed that up.

Armoured back pads are cheap & are extra insurance; the normal foam pads do approximately nothing.

Kevlar shirts - seems like going a bit too far, personally. If it's managed to wear through the leather, I figure my problems are already severe enough - is it worth making the job of removing my shirt more problematic for the EMT's? (I've worked with kevlar & carbon fibre cloth a bit, and both are a bear on scissors).

44033

Ohhh ya, good point. I hadn't though of that. But I was just thinking of wearing the kevlar shirt and nothing else. I know I'm going to want to ride in 100* weather with 99% humidity.

Back on topic though...get the leather jacket with armor.

shoggot

Eh, a good (thick) leather jacket (armoured, natch) is still fine in 100*/99%, assuming it's a) vented & perforated, & b) not standing still (or more honestly, moving at least 40mph). In stop & go traffic, it can be a bit painful...

patrol21

Some years of racing and just general falls from time to time....."It's not IF your going to take a fall but WHEN"........don't ever forget that...your foult or not, it's going to happen if you ride long enough.

That being said, I ride in leather...period. Spend the extra scoots on a good quality leather...if you want it armored, thats personal choice but from expierence, a leather will hold up better and keep you better protected than anything else. After sliding on my side long/fast enough to wear down the right side of a full face, nearly thru the layers...my only real injury (other than my pride), was the inner ling of the coat actually melted to my right arm from the friction....the leather was frayed, but still in one piece....and so was my right side. Once your skin touches pavement, it turns to shredded wheat. I'll deal with some minor burns and a wilted ego much better than leaving my skin over 50 yards of pavement.....

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cafetbird

Gotta disagree, Patrol - ballistic nylon textile is fine for most street applications. Save my arse more than a few times, and much lighter and more comfortable in the warmer months. Armour is much more important than the shell material.

Agree that leather is the only way to go on the track. Kangaroo, if you can afford it!

Here is a good read on gear:

http://www.obairlann.net/reaper/moto...nder-test.html

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tbh9088

Kevlar outterwear may mitigate abrasion OK, but I like having the additional protection of armored high points (elbows/knees). A kevlar shirt isn't going to protect from dropping an elbow on the pavement, or slamming a knee cap on a curb.

Kevlar has been marketed really well over the years, such that we believe it is something akin to force shields on the USS Enterprise. It's performance, like many materials, is very application specific, and it's strength, of course, is in tension - not in any way correlated with abrasion resistance. Abrasion resistance of woven Kevlar is, in fact, quite poor.

As cool as it sounds to have jeans and a shirt made out of the same stuff as "bullet proof jackets," when it comes to abrasion and impact resistance I'll stick with the armored leathers.

ssevy

I just ordered a pair of Bohn Adventure pants which I can wear under my heavy leather pants or my double knee jeans. My leather jacket does not have armor, so if I like the Bohn pants, I'll spring for the shirt as well. I also just ordered some TCX X-5 touring boots to replace the leather hiking shoes I have been wearing. After having ridden some longer days recently, I've also decided that my Scorpion EXO-400 lid isn't comfortable long term, so I have a new Shark GSX on the way. Having just ridden through New Hampshire this past weekend, I was absolutely astounded at all the bare-headed bikers I saw. I guess that not wearing a helmet is just nature's way of applying natural selection to motorcyclists