Leathers Question

[saleemas]

Anybody have recomendations of brands of leathers. What should I look for? Has anyone bought leathers off the net? Thanks

a lot of guys i work with buy from Jamminleather.com and have had great luck. Personally, i think i'm gonna buy a padded jacket over a leather, but i can't decide.

Trip

[saleemas]

You mean the Suzuki leathers aren't padded?? I assumed they all were.

I honestly have no idea.

I just bought a Joe Rocket SpeedMaster and that jacket is Awesome! Its made of real thick leather, fully armored, back protection, it is a nice jacket!

[Jonathan]

This is an area that I can NOT offer any ideas on. I will not buy leather items to accompany my bike. My personal opinion, it kills the "crotch" rocket concept. Leather is more of a cruiser item than anything.

Yo, Jonathan. Y'ever see any road races? That's what all those crotch rockets aspire to. Racers always wear leathers. But the leathers they wear look nothing like those found on cruiser riders.

[Jonathan]

Seldom see sport bike riders wearing leather, when just out riding and cruisin around. That is what Im talking about.

It is a sportbike thing from what i've seen, but from what i hear, leather is the best protection against road rash. I'm all for looking cool, but safety is more important, regardless of how it looks.

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by RedneckUF

It is a sportbike thing from what i've seen, but from what i hear, leather is the best protection against road rash. I'm all for looking cool, but safety is more important, regardless of how it looks.

Leather is the best protection against road rash. Of course you have to be carefull because there are a lot of types of leathers in different thicknesses and the construction of the item has a lot to do with how well it will hold up while sliding on asphalt. The best leather with seams that come apart will not protect you well. Don't have the exact numbers but I beleive that thick jeans will allow you to slide about 4 feet before abrasion wears through the material, kevlar will last about 25 feet and competition weight leather well sewn will allow you over 80 feet of sliding before wearing through.

Yes cruisers do wear a lot of black leather but there are some very colorfull and good looking leathers availabe that look at home on sportbikes. After all as Wasions said thats what racers wear and despite their experience and skill they all go down and pretty often at that.

[saleemas]

I was primarily thinking safety. I slid my first bike lowside once and did a number on my arms and elbows. I did end up getting a AVG jacket with elbow and shoulder padding, I don't think I paid too much. Looks pretty cool too. The local wisdom here is a leather jacket, jeans and a pair of high boots. I am still thinking about the some kind of motorcycle pants though. I've looked at a few crash movies on the web and I know first hand it can and does happen. Thanks for the feedback!

[Uncle Bob]

I know I should wear M/C specific pants but I don't really think I would look and/or feel good in leather and the textiles have that bulky moon explorer look.

I could live with textiles in the spring and fall but I'm not so sure about summer. Two options left Dragging Jeans are kevlar lined jeans with the option of adding padding in the hips and knees, there is also a type of mesh underwear in wich you can insert padding to wear under whatever pants you choose as long as they're roomy enough ( name doesn't come to mind right now ). For warmer weather there are also mesh pants that will protect you from abrasion and have padding in the usual places.

BTW, I wear a Joe Rocket Santa Fe jacket, it's similar to the phoenix but has perforated leather on the back of the arms and shoulders along with better quality padding. I have heard evidence that the mesh jackets do their job of protecting you but the downside is that they're only good for one good get off after that they need to be replaced. I love mesh jackets in the summer heat, I actually feel cooler than with just a tshirt, sort of like keeping your body in the shade.

Hi there every one
I must say i would never go out on my bike (gsxr1000) with out putting on my leathers.
after doing some track dayz and seeing mates taking a tumble trust me either one peice or two peice zip together leathers are the only way to go.
The leathers i bought are Dainese which are used by alot of the Racers (ROSSI) being one.
The only thing is they aint cheap mine cost £700,not sure how much this would be in the U.S.
But they look good and have full armour so you are as protected as you can be.
Cheers.

[Uncle Bob]

That would be about $1,200US or $55,000 Can+ a case of Snickers bars.

I prefer Alpinestars sport leathers. They're well made and their CE armor is a lot more flexible and quite a bit more comfortable than Joe Rocket. I do have a JR Speed Jacket which I absolutely love. For pants, I prefer Alpinestars Bat Pants for summer riding. I can wear my Bat pants all day long and they feel great, and the thick yet flexible leather offers the protection I want.

For cruiser leathers, I prefer custom Langlitz leathers by a wide margin over the obscenely overpriced off-the-rack junk marketed by Vanson. Even so, the custom Langlitz leathers will run you close to double the cost of Vanson.

[Jonathan]

I agree that leather is the best protective wear to have. However, I think its something that has to be wanted to be worn and you have the "look" to make it work. Im not trying to stereotype anything here, just a thought of mine.

[Ventura_B12]

I wear my leathers even if its a 100F plus outside.Out where I ride its rare to see sport riders without leathers on.In fact alot of riders do double takes at them and shake thier heads.The ones that dont gear up are quite often the ones you read about in the obituaries or on the front page of Better Squids and Skin Graphs magazine.

[saleemas]

I'm Net shopping for pair of pants, as the local doesn't carry them. How do the sizes run? Like normal i.e. 42W X 36 inseam?

[87gsxrnut]

Z-Leathers or Helimot. You pay for the best. I don't put a price on safety. I have a set of Z-Leathers, and they are awsome.

- Ross

[saleemas]

87gsxrnut I looked at Z-leathers site and was impressed by the customer reviews. But how else does one judge different brands?

I don't think i'll buy this month but def before riding season. Thanks