Leather or Textile Jackets

[SeaBreez]

Leather all the way.
I have a combination leather/textile jacket from Power Trip http://www.power-trip.com/ that is great for riding in the heat of summer. The jacket has fully removable front and back panels with armor elbows, shoulders and back.

[Ikan]

If you fall at any speed of significance with a textile jackets it will leave you nasty scars. I have seen it on some people I know.
Leather is far superior.
It is your body to have for life.

[NealT]

If you are going to go textile and can afford it look for textiles that use 1000+ denier cordura nylon its been shown to have similar wear/tear properties to 1.4 mm leather, usually you find 500 - 650 denier polyester which is a fair bit weaker in both abrasion and tear resistance. however as others have said just about any decent textile will be better than riding in jeans.

[Holmes]

Leather 100%, I dont kill it nearly as hard when I'm wearing my textile. Textile just isn't as safe (but good alterative to a T-shirt on a hot day).

[Mr267]

Leather allows you to slide across the ground in the event of an accident.where textiles grab the asphalt and can cause you to roll over&over breaking your arms or feet ect...I have had 4wipe outs 1at hi speed in Halliburton...leathers are the best bang for your buck!

[kgreen]

I did a quick search on the subject and I found this interesting article. It's a bit older (2004) but the info sounds pretty solid.

http://www.obairlann.net/reaper/motorcycle/beginner/sander-test.html

They conclude that either one is good for street use and that many of the issues that people have with textiles only occur at high speeds and since most of use don't 'race', either one would do fine.

[kgreen]

I forgot to mention... I choose a Joe Rocket ALTER EGO 11.0 textile, high-vis jacket. I don't expect to race anytime soon... as an M1 holder, I'm not even allowed on the 403 yet. I went for comfort and high-vis. The bright neon yellow/black jacket is like a beacon and I like that. It's also the most high-tech piece of clothing that I own with four layers (3 of them are removable) with mesh that keeps me cool.

I'll admit, leather would have been 'cooler' for style. I ride a Rebel... the leather jacket would have been a nice touch but I choose safety and comfort over style this time.

[theassassin]

Well, I'll be the lone dissenter. For the street, I find textile to be far more practical. You can wear it all year 'round, hot or cold, rain or shine. It's lighter in weight, lot's of hi-viz options, styles, etc. I did have one low-speed accident in which it held up perfectly. Wouldn't wear it on the track, but I don't spend time on the track. So it really depends on what you mean by "better." And it seems like a lot of guys who say that they'd never wear anything but a leather jacket are perfectly happy to wear jeans with it, and maybe even sneakers, so the "protection" argument seems a bit of a red herring sometimes...

Even if you don't spend ANY time on the track, leather is the best protection for motorcycling PERIOD! Textile apparel is only a cheap band-aid until a Newb can afford to buy a leather outfit. Yes, I said outfit. I am in full leathers head to toe every time I am on the bike because I have been hit by cars, I have hit cars, deer, cats, dogs, bats, rats and a few other things in my 25 years of riding sportbikes.
I've seen the seam of an arm tear half way around the shoulder of a textile jacket from a rider high-siding in a parking lot (a Joe Rocket jacket actually) at 15 km/h. Good quality leathers will not fail in this manner due to the seams being "rolled" which means that every seam in the outfit is protected by a layer of leather over top of it. This is not the case with textile outfits. Say whatever you want about textile but it doesn't measure up to leather in ANY regard, and that's not just an opinion, its a fact. Leather can be somewhat comfortable if it is altered by a shop like I+M leathers in hamilton (Ivan's daughter Jennifer is carrying on the business) so that it fits you properly. Perforations can be added later too if you bought leathers that aren't perforated, or zippered vents can be put in. I have rarely seen where a textile jacket fits a rider well enough that the padding will not rotate if the rider hits the ground. Textile jackets usually fit like a jean jacket that can move around when it is needed most. Textile riding gear is a waste of money for anything much more than use with ATV's or trail bikes. For those who are serious about protection, get a set of 2 piece zip together leathers made at IM leather for about $800 with any colour scheme you want and full armour! Textile/leather combination jackets rarely have actual kevlar in the textile areas, it's usually junk called "ballistic nylon" which is not much different than spandex!....the biggest problem with this is that the areas where this lousy material is used is in the armpits and crotch area to provide comfort, cooling and flexibility, which is also where the largest arteries in your body are!!!!!!!! yes, this stuff is easily torn and you bleed out in a matter of a minute or two because you thought you could get away with inferior protection. I don't agree with you at all, I don't think that "protection" can be misinterpreted so easily.