Leathers versus material style bike gear

[seeyalater]

since i trained and passed etc ive only worn textile jackets and padded trousers, which are warm and water proof.

But although great for warmth and i imagine great touring, they look a little crap compared to sleek leathers. in my opinion.

so my question is, how warm are Leathers? would you wear them out in this 5-8 degree weather. if so can you fit much underneath, (they look tight)

thanks in advance

[notabikeranym...]

IMO they're only good for mild weather conditions. Great in Spring or early autumn.

When it's really hot they're really hot, unless you've got perforated ones and are travelling at decent speed constantly. Fucking HORRIBLE in traffic in the summer, you'll bake your organs. Then again, textiles are probably worse for expelling heat than leathers in the summer, but either way you're sweating your nutsack off. Leathers are harder to clean though, bear that in mind before you get sweaty in them.

When it's cold, they're generally freezing cold in comparison to textiles (especially if you've got perforated leather). They're difficult to fit layers underneath as they're supposed to be a snug fit with some thin base-layers underneath. Anything more and you're going to permanently stretch them. In winter I'm almost exclusively wearing textiles with multiple thermal layers underneath.

They're not waterproof either. Actually rain is bad for them and they require more care so they don't start cracking and hardening. I use this Renapur wax stuff to keep water beading/rolling off the leathers, it actually works.

They look good, and they feel sleek and don't flap around in the wind at high speeds. They offer more protection. They're less comfortable, but better if you want a solid grip on the tank and the ability to touch knee/elbow/arse/tit.

Whenever it's above 9ºc I'll be in leathers.

[seeyalater]

[Teflon-Mike]

Leathers aren't warm in the cold, especially once wind-chilled.
They are particularly warm in the warm..
A-N-D the 'sleek' tight fotted 'look' rather gets wasted by the need a nappy change arse more saggy than my exus, as soon as you step off the bike.
The 'protection' they may offer is rather nebulous too. leather has pretty good abrasion resistance... but only when its there. Thick cotton can last long enough to save skin as long, depending on the off.
Great on a race-track where you may come off at higher speed and slide along way along peculiarly grippy Delugrip before you hit anything hard and unyeilding... b-u-t its not the most practical of textiles, and a lot of the presumed 'safety' is often in the rider's head not in their apparel.
It IS significantly a fashion choice as much as anything.....

My general bike wear is pretty much my every-day street wear... Denim Jeans, cowboy boots, ubiquitous BLJ, and maybe a pair of gloves depenining on the weather!

For 'Safety'I don't pout much store in ANY bike apparel... crashing hurts, no matter what you wear or how fast you are or aren't going.... and rely primarily on observation and judgement to NOT CRASH, really.. worked pretty good so far!!!

I have a quarter century's collection of bike wear, most of which surprisingly still fits me! Favourite in that was a Scott 'Kevlar' riding jacket.. which was pretty practical as yellow anoraks go, until it got melted on a hot exhaust. The BLJ is probably well past it's best and since I can see the stitching along one arm starting to frey, I doubt that has much integrity in an 'off'. The tailor made one-piece 'Swift' race suit, on the other hand, I'd have a lot more confidence in, even pushing forty years old... its not very practical though, and has onbly been used OTR a handful. of occasions, and that saggy bum is always annoying!

More practical by far has been a two-piece full 'zip-together' touring suit I got at the same show as the Swift, actually, because they took four months to make the dang thing! Not so sure it would stand up to an off so well.. but never had to put it top the test!
Bludy cold in winter though, and looses the 'skin tight' atheistic some if you try squeeze it over anything thicker than a pair of thermals! Consequently for warmth and protection, when I commutyed every-day, I wore a paid of jeans and a wooly jumper OVER the leathrer's.. sorted the wind chill problem a tad, but bit of a pzzer when you wanted to take pizz!

You pays your money and takes your chances!

What's mote important?
a) How you look?
b)How you THINK you look.... most folk DGAS either which way, and probably think you look like a daft drowned rat anyway and are wondering why you didn't do the 'sensible' thing and take the car....
c) how safe you are?
d) how safe you THINK' you are?
And back to paying your money and taking your chances.. or taking the car!

Upfront, dont kid yourself that anything you may wear offers any more 'protection' than anything else... that's just kiddology... ride for safety don't dress for it.... then dress for comforty and practicality and what you think is most stylish! .. and be prepared to freeze your bits off, if you get or wrong or rate the 'look' higher than anything else!!
____________________
My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[chickenstrip]

[notabikeranym...]

Oh yeah definitely. My 1 piece is a pain in the cock (literally, it sometimes squeezes my nuts to death, usually in winter when I fatten up and wear more under-layers, and then not so much when I slim down again).

That's another thing you have to consider, does your weight change?

Sometimes the cut of the suit is a real bastard and it can feel tight/loose in certain places even though generally it is the "correct" size. Finding the perfect suit can become expensive, especially if you're going for custom suits cause everything off the peg feels a bit odd here, or a bit odd there.

But yeah back to the point I was going to make, get a two piece. My one piece makes it fucking impossible to go for a piss at the side of the road when I need to without having to half undress myself.

Two piece is great for the road, but don't get one with a zip made of butter for the waist (avoid RST for this, they stretch A LOT and the zips are piss).

A one piece is less cumbersome on track/fast riding/body position etc, but is a complete pain in the dick to put on/off, and makes going to the toilet an ordeal.

[Undinist]

If you get your layering right, leathers are good all year round, even in extreme temperatures. The police who get BKS made to measure leathers wear them all year round. They're all perforated. To get the right temperature you mix and match the layers underneath. I'm going for a windproof shell, a PCM base layer, an electric vest and an evaporative cooling vest.

[Fisty]

Leathers are better for the simple reason the piss vegans off.
____________________
Quietly and consistently taking the piss.
TL1000R | Hayabusa | ZXR400 | TL1000S | Bandit 400 V
Fatter and faster than Fret

[Bhud]

This sort of temperature doesn't bother me in leathers. However, I don't usually go any great distance - a joyride is typically not less than 60 miles, nor more than 100. A neckwarmer is a boon, and helps a lot. Also, the thermal liner inside the jacket.

[stinkwheel]

Fit, warmth and degree of lining depends on the leathers/textiles.

I wear old-school bellstaff 2-piece leathers. Padded lining. Really thick leatehr I can get a base layer under them and waterproofs over them so they are pretty warm.

I like the flexability of adding/removing layers which is arguably less possible with many textiles. Some textiles are really cool, designed for hot weather with lots of ventilation. Others are just sweatboxes in summer, especially the ones with a waterproof membrane. So there really are no hard and fast rules.

In terms of crashing. Having crashed at speed in both, you tend to slide in leather where textiles tend to grip and roll you. So on a totally straight road with no obstacles, you'll probably stand less chance of injury from arms/legs/head flailing about in leathers. However, you do keep sliding for longer so have more change of hitting something.

I have also sustained some fairly nippy friction burns on knees and elbows from the inside of textiles.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Undinist]

And armour tends to stay where it should with leathers.

[ThatDippyTwat]

I prefer leathers (I usually wear a 2 piece Akito), but this time of year I'll wear textiles if it's not sunny when I set out. In the past however, If it was chilly, Hoodie over the top, if it's raining, a set of waterproofs. You're fucked if it gets hot.
____________________
'98 VFR800 (touring) - '12 VFR800 Crosrunner (Commuting) - '01 KDX220 (Big Green Antisocial Machine)

[xX-Alex-Xx]

[seeyalater]

great replies thanks guys

[Tdibs]

Textiles for me, are much more practical, if I were to come off, I would rather be in the leathers though
____________________
Previous : 09 Vanvan 125| 02' Sv650s || Current: 1999 Xj600n | 1992 DR650 RSE | 2005 Fazer 1000

[1198]

Textiles for convenience, warmth and comfort, leathers if I’m falling off!
Unfortunately I don’t know when I’m going to fall off so that’s the compromise and juggling act...

[BTTD]

Leather two peice.
I have a winter set that are leather outer with a bonded goretex inner and are totally waterproof. They have removable liners that are washable, one liner is insulated, the other not.
I also have a summer set that are perforated and well vented. The leather apparently has some reflective treatment which means they don't absorb as much heat as normal black leather. They also have a removable liner for washing. On a blazing summers day filtering through jammed up traffic sitting on top of an engine on hot black tarmac is going to be roasty in anything protective.

As for looking after leather, I clean each set once a year. Winter ones at the end of winter in the spring and summer ones at the end of summer in the autumn.
Saddle soap, followed by nixwax waterproofing and conditioning liquid.

I'm probably going to get some kevlar leggings to wear under jeans this summer and maybe a kevlar riding shirt for cruising about on the Harley.

[seeyalater]

[linuxyeti]

[seeyalater]

[Blueberry]

Another vote for 2-piece leathers

I've been riding in leather pants for the last week - a thermal base layer was all I needed to keep my legs warm. Though I'm generally comfy wearing leathers above 10 Centigrade.

Whether or not the leathers are vented makes a big difference in summer.

I find my choice of base and mid layers make a big difference (e.g. merino wool is brilliant in winter and Coolmax is great in summer).

Leathers are miles more protective than textile clothing. Many leathers have achieved the CE AAA-rating for protection, but no textile suit has got more than an AA-rating. Most textiles are only A-rated, which is quite poor protection from abrasion etc.

Also, decent fitting leathers act as fracture splints, particularly for pelvis and lower extremities. But textile trousers don't.

[seeyalater]

[Undinist]

BKS have a lot of experience of providing the police with 2 piece leather suits to be worn all year round, in ALL temperatures. The officers are very happy with this approach. You start with perforated leathers. If the wind is too cold you have a windproof layer underneath. Add a coolmax base layer to vary the temperature. Some people have a thin waterproof shell under the leathers, some have it over.

If you want super duper luxury and you're not constrained by police budgets you can have an electric vest underneath in winter or an evaporative cooling vest for summer. This is what I'm having...got a made to measure jacket with airbag lining in the works. This is the cooling vest I've got. Haven't tried it in the heat yet. https://www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk/en/wear/ride/cool-down-vest.html

[Bhud]

Bike gear simply sucks. It doesn't matter who made it, or the materials from which it's made, or how much you spent on it. It always falls short in several areas. Everyone wants the same things, which all happen to contradict each other:

- Not too hot to be unuseable in the summer, but keeps you warmish in the winter.
- Resists a downpour of rain at speed but at the same time lets your skin breathe so you aren't covered in sweat at the end of your ride.
- Holds close enough to the body that armour stays in all the right places, but at the same time is loose enough to fit extra layers of clothing underneath.
- Looks OK on a Sunday ride to a meet but at the same time doesn't look eccentric among Monday morning commuters.
- Has effective armour but the armour is discreet enough to actually be worn about town or in the supermarket without looking like a prick or feeling like you have restricted movement.

Everyone eventually ends up either compromising or giving up caring, I reckon. By the time that happens, you've usually got a wardrobe full of unused/underused items though. The sky's the limit on what you can spend before you give up.

[Blueberry]