leathers Vs textile. More safer?

[Jai466]

I have heard soo many stories and can't make my mind on what the best safety material to wear.

I have heard...

Leather:

Can have a tight fit and holds you bones together when in a crash BUT make you slide, but also take time to dry when wet.

Textitle:

Will not let you slide in a crash but can end up ridding you arm or leg off the body is you slide and the textile gets caught. Also have a loose fit.


Which one would you recommand for the best safety.

Thanks in advance.

[TUG]

Always leather for me, textile doesnt cope as well as my leather has.
It might be more expensive but its upto you how much you think you can cope with skin grafts and the imense pain that comes with it.
How much is your skin worth?
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Haz ER-5, innit!

[The Tot]

Managed to crash in both at similar speeds in similar situations and found that at low speeds they both perform well enough to do the job - leathers were scuffed, but were not penetrated. Textiles were scuffed through but did not affect the performance of the jacket (worn through on the panel of the front pocket). At higher speeds, i'd be more inclined to wear leathers. I've worn leathers through the pouring rain of last year and let me tell you, you NEED to dry them out properly, preferably in an airy room otherwise you'd get some really rank fungus growing on them. Leathers all the way. What brand/type/style is entirely up to your own preference. Wear leathers with a silk/cotton underlayer for ease of getting on/off and also for insulation.
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[Jai466]

[Jai466]

[colin1]

leather safer at high speeds

textiles more practical for low speeds and commuting
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[boink]

[Jai466]

[JockyT]

I believe you should ideally have both.

I'd also put more emphasis on leather trousers than jacket.

Leather is more abrasion resistant but if you have a spill on the road, you more likely to slide into something at speed as opposed to sliding along the track onto grass/gravel.

In other words the increased abrasion resistance of leather is less important for road riding.

The benefit of textile is that it is more weather / road carp resistant. If your leathers get soaked they'd be unwearable for days and never be the same again. You should carry some sort of overjacket/trousers if the weather is changeable - i.e all the time.

Personally I prefer to wear leather trousers (with knee and hip armour) and textile jacket. I find this the most comfortable combination, but I don't commute. If I did, I'd wear all textile most (as waterproof as possible).

JT
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Current Bikes:
YBR125 - low running cost commuter
XJ600s - a bit dull but cheap and reliable first big bike

[Jai466]

Thanks.

So its textile for low speeds communting and leather for high speed long runs??

[deanoet]

I have got Draggin Jeans and a textile jacket for commuting to and from work.

I have got some textile trousers that zip to the jacket for if it is raining really hard, or if i am going somewhere that means i will be standing around a lot or walking a lot.

I have got a one piece leather suit that is going to be mainly used for track days, but any long distance stuff i will wear the leathers for that extra bit of protection


The leathers do inspire confidence, but i dont feel at risk my my textiles at all. My draggin jeans feel very thin at higher speeds, such as motorway or sustained A road travel. But they are ideal for work, as i dont need to change, and they look like regular jeans.



If you can afford it match what you are doing to your safety gear. if you cant then textiles are a nice all round protection and convenience.
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CBT Passed 18th July 2007 : Previous Bikes> CG125 : Current Bike> Hornet 600 : PASSED DAS 30th Oct 2007
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[Villers]

For me, you cant beat the confidence a one piece racesuit provides, especially with the boots and back protector. If I was to come off at any kind of speed thats what I would want to be wearing. But.... its not practical in any way shape or form.

I always see my textile suit as a compromise, its loose fit doest make me feel as safe but I enjoy getting to work of a morning without a pond in my boxers and nothing but a soggy leather suit to look forward to on the way home!!

If your that worried about it I have a suggestion. Go and look at some good quality textile suits. Look for ones that strap around the arms, knees atc and keep the armour nicely in place. You can get suits that are textile but have leather over the top in vital areas, such as elbows/shoulders/knees/arse. This might be a good compromise if you do a lot of 50/50 commuting and hooning. Your best bet though is maybe to have both, or at least a leather jacket you can wear with the trousers
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RS125 > CBR6 > SV650S > ZX636R > GSX1300RZ Hayabusa > 06 RSVR Mille > SV1000S > Street Triple 765 RS

[The Shaggy D.A.]

[MinhDinh]

i don't have any leathers so i can't give you proper advice i suppose.

basically textiles are comfy for me. i feel so much more confident in speeding (well for a 125) when i have my full kit on. i never had protected trousers before until a week ago. i bought some cheap ebay stuff which seems good quality (although i have nothing to compare to).

if you can afford leather, it seems the thing to go for. if you can't, i would say having textiles is 100 times better than normal clothing.
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Hit the G spot.

[TUG]

Just get a leather jacket... i've come off both at high an low speed in leather an its never let me down where as my textile pants never stood up to the test, so ideally you want something thats been proven. Leather has been used for far longer than textiles, so it obviously worth having isnt it really? Instead of asking us, why dont you pop into your local bike dealership with a clothing department and ask them, they will give you a straight forward answer as its their job.
If your still confused after that then wear both a textile and then a leather on top.
Wolf
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Haz ER-5, innit!

[Mr Nice Guy]

[TUG]

[Wozza]

Just ordered myself a Weise Voyager textile jacket and plan to get leather trousers at some point to replace my textile ones. I always wear jeans under my textile trousers for extra protection.

[slap-pop-karl]

Leather look cooler!

[tr8theshape]

yo!

I personally feel more comfortable in leather, not that I think that textiles are bad, just that leather is better.

Having said that, I have not had an off to test this! Still, leather for me for anything other than slow speed commuting.

Bestest Regards,

Dave
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Regards, Dave.

[MinhDinh]

[Louise]

There is no substitute wearing a dead animal

Its down to the person

I have leathers for long rides, short its textile.

Leather has to be tight because it can only get bigger.

Gets to big and you come off it can twist your skin - which I recently see some guys arm - blood blisters all over

[The Shaggy D.A.]

[plugger147]

I use both depending on the weather mainly, My textiles are a lot warmer than my leathers so use them when it's cold/wet. I'll wear the leathers when it gets a bit warmer (and always take a waterproof suit just in case) but if it's to hot I'll whip the lining out of the textiles and wear them. I feel a more comfortable wearing leathers safety wise but if I could only keep one set of gear it'd be the textiles for all year round use.
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Tristan the wrote: just whipped off my trousers to find a big bruise on my arse, caused by matt rear ending me...

[rainer]

Grr double post my bad