simple question about a jacket?

Question

I just got my bf a genuine leather jacket today. It didnt fit and he said he would get to hot in it. he was talking abotu there m=being a material more durable and less hot to wear than leather? what is it? is it polyurathane maybe? thats what he though anyways.

also he has a 2005 750GSX-r suzuki. he would like a jacet thats yeallow red and black to match the bike? do you know any good website that sell them?

so what is the material thats lightweight and more durable than leather just incase he gets into an accident and it will tear up the jacket not his skin lol.....

(this ia a christmas present =) ) lol

thank you in advance=)

i live in the s.f. bay area, california..

what is the material that is stronger than leather if someone gets into an accident though??? is it polyurathane or what?

Answer 1

The new ballistic jackets and pants with the Kevlar (same stuff they make bullet proof vests out of) re enforcing are lighter, cooler and offer better protection than leather.

Answer 2

I live in New Orleans, and during the summer, the temperature gets hot. Leather is by far the best you can get, and if he can bear the heat, you should stick with it. But if he can't deal with the heat of leather, I would go with a reinforced mesh jacket. It's very light, and he will stay the coolest in it, but bear in mind, mesh jackets are the weakest of them all. If they are reinforced, he should be ok in that the reinforced parts should keep him from getting very many if not any road rash. One brand name you can go with is Joe Bullet jackets, and they seem to be the most popular around here. They also come in a variety of colors, and they have both red and yellow. The important point is that he has a jacket that he will wear faithfully. Anything is better than nothing. That is coming from someone who just took a 60mph spill on the Interstate wearing only a T-shirt because I was too hot. Stupidest thing ever. The doctors all said if I had been wearing the right gear, the EMT's would have checked me out and sent me home only to wake up tomorrow with a little headache. So make sure you get him something he will wear.

Answer 3

Basically you will find a jacket in 3 different types of material... Leathers, Mesh and Textile. For the best protection, you need to use the leathers. However, I am not saying that Mesh is bad but you will have to do your research regarding what brands to get. Typically, I found that Icon is not a good brand to get gear, if you are going with name brands. Alphinestar is always a good company to go with. Personally, I am fan of Teknic.

However to answer your question, both Textile and Mesh are MUCH lighter than Leather. But as the saying goes "you win some, you lose some". And in this case, without Leathers, you will lose a better chance of walking away from an accident without much road rash. Mesh is very breathable leather, but it is also the weakest material made...you might as well just wear no jacket at all. Textile can be good, if you stay with the right brands, as I started earlier.

Thats a sad thing about it so good luck.

Answer 4

Hi 3MM5
I see it has already been answered but I will add to the answer - CORDURA is the brand name of the material that the newer jackets are made from. Yes, it is probably not as abrasion resistant as thick leather but they also include synthetic armor which will protect the elbows, shoulders and spine if you go down. The best thing is to get a jacket that has zippers around the torso so you can remove the lower exterior when it gets super hot out. i have my thick leather jacket and a new cordura jacket and the leather jacket gets very little road time anymore - I also live in the SF Bay Area.

Answer 5

I live in south Texas so this is all based on my regional climate but here goes...I have a Vanson Avenger leather jacket with zip out vent flaps in the chest and that makes the jacket tolerable up to about 85 degrees before you pass out from the extreme heat. I have a First Gear Mesh-tex jacket that I wear all summer and during late spring and early fall. THERE IS NOT A CLOTHING MATERIAL AVAILABLE THAT WILL PROTECT AGAINT ROAD RASH BETTER THAN LEATHER, but if you live in a hot region leather does you no good hanging in the closet. A mesh jacket is not as durable in a crash as leather but the fact that it is comfortable enough to wear in a Texas heat wave means it will actually be on your body if you go down and it does offer more protection than a t-shirt. A few years ago most manufacturers started making perforated leathers which basically means they take a perfectly good leather jacket and poke a bunch of holes in it ;-). I have never worn a fully perforated jacket but my vented jacket makes a huge difference when I test it out by opening and closing the vents so I would imagine a fully perforated jacket would be almost as heat friendly as a mesh jasket. The manufacturers claim the perforation does not deminish the protective properties of the leather.


FYI- my First Gear mesh jacket was about $100 and my Vanson was about $400.

Answer 6

Popular mesh jackets by Joe Rocket http://www.joerocket.com/jrf/home.cfm offer decent protection, and are very comfortable in the hottest weather. However, the shorty jackets really need to be paired with zip-together pants or the jacket will ride up in a crash, and leave the torso unprotected.

Textile jackets by Joe Rocket and others will usually hold up better than mesh in a wreck, and also are more comfortable in a variety of weather.

The absolute best jacket I've ever owned (worn out 3 of them so far) is the First Gear Kilimanjaro http://www.canyonchasers.net/reviews/clothing/firstgear.php
With the zip-out full liner, this baby is good from 40 degrees up to 95 degrees. If your guy rides in all sorts of weather, this is the one.

First Gear also has mesh.

Do your best guy a favor, and get a pair of pants to match - or at least the kevlar impregnated jeans. Many a rider has come out of a wreck with their elbows and back safe, but their legs hamburger - from wearing a good jacket with regular jeans.

Answer 7

He was probably talking about mesh textile jackets. They have very good ventilation through the material and many also have additional vents that can be opened or closed for more ventilation. Many also have insulated liners that go inside of the jacket so it can be worn in cooler weather as well. While it is incredibly tough and would be perfect for the street, textile is not as durable as good, thick leather, but would still hold up just fine for any street use.

www.ridegear.com

This place has good prices and has a very good selection.

Answer 8

I'm not sure in what part of the country you are but you have a couple of options as far as jackets go first there is the all leather which is by the way the best protection but it takes time for it to brake in (soften up) and it can also get very hot. You can also go for a preferated leather which is ofcourse leather with ventilated holes in it. There is mesh jackets and textile jackets which are more summer or touring jackets. You can check out:
WWW.BROWARDMOTORSPORTS.COM
WWW.SUZUKICYCLES.COM
WWW.RIDEICON.COM
WWW.ALPINESTARS.COM
These are all good websites to start your search. Plus make sure you get a snug size for your boyfriend. You wouldn't want to get too big of a size and not protect him as good.
Good luck!

Answer 9

leather is the best protection. when its hot you sweat then when you get moving the air blows on you and it cools a little. in stopped traffic it can be hot but you cant beat the protection. i dont like mesh jackets personally but the codura and kevlar ones give good pro. the warmest jacket i ever wore was a textile one so if its cold in the winter where you are thats a plus. personally i try to stick with leather.

Answer 10

"cordura" is also used for jackets. I've read that a medium weight cordura jacket has better abraision resistance than a medium weight leather. I'm not sure what the mesh jackets are made of, probably "kevlar". that sounds like what you're looking for.