Triumphrat

scritch

I have never bought leathers before, and am considering getting some (at least pants) for next summer. But I know next to nothing about them.


For example:

- What do you wear under them? underwear, shorts, or pants?

- How thick should they be?

- How tight should they fit?

- What kinds of pads are necessary?

- Are they hot? If so, are there good vented versions?

- Are there fabric (i.e., cheaper and more vented) equivalents, or is leather still way above fabrics for abrasion resistance?

Thanks all!

Catenaccio

I have a friend who wears Body Armour under perforated leathers in summer. I still hang on to textiles. Not sure if textile offers the same level of protection as leather.

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wolfmanjr

Here's some rules of thumb for protective/leatherwear.

1. Avoid fashion-weight leather at all costs. This is not intended for, nor will it protect you during, motorcycle riding. You must purchase a purpose-built motorcycle jacket made of thick (thicker the better; the gold standard is 1.6 or so mm leather; don't go less than 1.2) hide with reinforced seams. You also want leather or fabric zipper pulls to avoid scratching your gas tank. Metal pulls will scratch the hell out of your paint. If you buy from an online vendor, and they dont tell you how thick the leather is, it's probably not motorcycle-weight stuff.

2. Good leathers should fit snugly for a few reasons. A. Your comfort. Something too tight will restrict movement; something too loose will likely move all over the place, give you a chill, and puff up like a blowfish when you're on the road. B. Abrasion protection - if your leather jacket is loose around the waist, it's going to ride up to your shoulders as you slide across pavement on your back at 70 mph. It won't protect you in a crash. It should fit snugly especially at the waist. C. Impact protection - if you're wearing an armored jacket, and it's not snug fitting, the armor will not be in the impact zone for long- it'll move all over the place. It needs to be tight to keep the armor in place so it does it's job.

3. If you buy an armored jacket, try to get one with elbow, shoulder, and spine armor, and make SURE it is CE-approved. There are different levels of CE protection but it should be considered a minimum standard. If you buy a motorcycle jacket of good quality but it doesn't have armor built-in, you can purchase an armored shirt/underjacket to wear beneath the leather. There are many, many variations of this made by alpinestars, dainese, icon, and lots of other companies. Do some research into these if this interests you.

4. Leather does get hot in the summer when you' aren't moving. On the road, you're fine. The hottest is black unvented unperforated leather. You can buy jackets with vents and full perforated versions that will keep you cooler. I personally wear a brown vented jacket and the vents are open in warm weather. When I come to a stop at an intersection, I zip the jacket down somewhat. You'll want to layer underneath the jacket accordingly for climate and comfort. In the winter I wear a thermal. In the summer, a wicking technical shirt like underamor or similar. That will help keep you comfortable.

5. There are fabric jackets that are touted as safe as leather- IMO the best leather jacket is still a better abrasion protector than fabric. BUT fabric does tend to be cooler and lighter, and fabric jackets often have more advanced features as far as storage and other such considerations.

6. Don't cheap out this purchase. You can get deals, but buy from a reputable manufacturer. Don't get the no-name stuff. I'd expect to spend anywhere from 300-600 dollars (sometimes more!) on a good (new) basic leather jacket, give or take the odd sale, deal, etc. Maybe 30-40% less for fabric.

7. If money is no object, you can have leathers custom-made for you.

FWIW. Good luck.

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2010 Speedmaster NE White/PH Black

startnover

I have two pairs of leather pants. One, my regular waist size, that I wear over a light pair of jogging shorts. These are SHIFT Havoc pants. They are leather in the knees, seat, and down the side of the leg and have armor in the knees. They fit fairly snug around the waste but a little bit blousy in the legs. I had some web strapping with velcro fitted to the back of the knee area so that I could snug the armor up to my knees to keep it from flying around in case of a spill. I love these pants - the fabric breathes nicely and they are comfortable in the summer, all temps. We don't count setting at a stop sign at 90 deg. f.

I also have a pair of Alpinstar Vtwin overpants. I bought these 34's (I wear 32's) so that I could slip them over slacks when I'm going somewhere. They have armor in the hips and knees. These are a little bit warmer but they work well for comuting.

I have a pair of denim jeans with kevlar for very hot days. Under the jeans I wear TPRO forcefield armor (hips, thighs, shins, knees, tailbone)

I have one mesh jacket (Olympia) with armor in the back, elbo and shoulders. The jacket has a water proof liner and a windproof liner that can added separately or together. I can wear this throughout the whole riding season down to 35 deg.

I also have a Tourmaster perforated vented leather jacket for summer riding. It was inexpensive ($220) and worth every penny. Great armor in the elbos, shoulders, and back. I had both pants fitted with a zipper that mates to the zipper in the waist of the leather jacket.

Chippewa Rally II boots.

I see people wearing a lot less but my hide is worth more than my pride. If I look like a geek, so be it, at 60 years of age I don't want to waste anymore time healing, I want to be out riding. Hope this helps.

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