Leather or Synthetic
- Thread starter bigcletus
- Start date
Smokintoad
Member
If you're referring to the ballistic nylon gear, be cautious of fuels and solvents, some melt nylon readily. Also another reason to avoid open flames, it goes molten, ever burn the tip of a frayed nylon rope and touch it?
It does breath and wick moisture well though.
I prefer the flame / weather resistance of good old fashion leather.
It does breath and wick moisture well though.
I prefer the flame / weather resistance of good old fashion leather.
Scrappy
Active Member
latley I've been grabing the half & half jacket i got. was cheap. Its mesh (Tri-Tex i think its called) with leather on back of arms and across shoulder blades and back. bought it for warmer days, but it really has kept me warm even in temps close to freezing (with the liner) glad i got it. real comfy and well vented when it gets hot.
yeah it is the Ballistic nylon type of material. I got the Cold Steel jacket and Road Warrior pants. (Should have bought the Road Warrior jacket instead as it zips to the pants.) The Road Warrior jacket also allows a zip in liner, in my case the heated liner would be ultimate for Canadian autumn nites.
I do like the Kevlar in the elbows, shoulders, knees and hips.
I think I might use this gear for long distance touring and leathers around town.
I do like the Kevlar in the elbows, shoulders, knees and hips.
I think I might use this gear for long distance touring and leathers around town.
The debate of leather vs "ballistic nylon" goes on & on. Bottom line, either one will fare much better than plain ordinary cotton jeans. And though leather is the preferred material, Ballistic Nylon riding gear has come a long way. Not too long ago, when testing was done, leather was found to be better due to the fact that the bonding that holds it together is random matrix at more or less a cellular micro-level"...having much less tendancy to tear, along a lay of fabric sewn threads and smooth finish allowed it to "slide further down the road, preserving integrity of suit and ride. But and over time, leather can degrade and if not taken care of, dries out losing it's reliability and tear resistant qualities.
That said, though most of the advantages still favor leather, convenience, quality and price all factor in for the level of protection. For the equivalent price you can buy pretty good fabric riding gear and certainly much better than the equivalent "cheaply made" light guage leather faux riding gear so common nowadays. You can pretty much judge the quality of the leather by the thickness and even surface grain finish. It should be stiff when niew, if thin or extremely soft, concrete or tarmac will scuff, dig in and tear it in short order.
Just be selective, as the very middle to high priced fabric motor clothes can offer a decent amount of protection for the average rider and nowadays some moto clothing looklike jeans and such are very well constructed w/ Kevlar panels, double reinforced areas and even room for CE rated padding in key areas to protect the rider and worthy of a good look.
That said, though most of the advantages still favor leather, convenience, quality and price all factor in for the level of protection. For the equivalent price you can buy pretty good fabric riding gear and certainly much better than the equivalent "cheaply made" light guage leather faux riding gear so common nowadays. You can pretty much judge the quality of the leather by the thickness and even surface grain finish. It should be stiff when niew, if thin or extremely soft, concrete or tarmac will scuff, dig in and tear it in short order.
Just be selective, as the very middle to high priced fabric motor clothes can offer a decent amount of protection for the average rider and nowadays some moto clothing looklike jeans and such are very well constructed w/ Kevlar panels, double reinforced areas and even room for CE rated padding in key areas to protect the rider and worthy of a good look.
Randall K. Wilson
Junior Member
Sir are you talking about "PLEATHER"
aka cheap imitation plastic stuff?Marving Gaye used to sing a song with the words..."Ain't noth'in like the real thing baby....ain't noth'in like the real thing....":bigsmiley16:
If you went into HD and put down (for an example) 18K for a new Softail Heritage Classic and it had came from the factory with Pleather saddle bags...wouldn't you frown on such a gesture?
As I stated earlier, good to highest quality textile Ballistic Nylon riding gear will meet or exceed low to medium quality leather so often found nowadays, but your better smooth leather riding gear, especially Made in USA ones from major makers who specialize in them are the best choice. Let your pocket book, "common sense" (a learned skill by the way) and experience from seasoned riders be your guide. Pleather just tears and is not a good option period. JMO.