Armor leather vs textile/armor/kevlar

DeanR

DeanR

Joined
Jul 28, 2007
Messages
2,852
Location
finger lakes ny
Bike
1999 ST1100
I like vented leather jackets......I would like to know if armored textile/kevlar helps to prevent broken bones, or are broken bones primarily the result of how you hit, your body build and musculature? In searching the site I'm finding a lot of info regarding brands but not really anything addressing the armor question.
 
It seems to me that I have read somewhere that textile will allow you to slide across asphalt better where leather will tend to grab more and cause you to roll.

I don't know because I haven't attempted to test this and I dont' want to. That said I have a textile jacket and pants combo.
 
Leather will keep you from getting road rash. The Kevlar riding jackets with inserts help to lessen the impact to one part of the body (elbow or shoulder, usually) by spreading out the force, sort of like shoulder pads on a football player. It does not guarantee that a bone won't break, but it may prevent a break that would have occurred if the rider was wearing no jacket/jacket with no armor.
I use a Belstaff riding jacket with elbow and shoulder inserts.
Another point is that most Kevlar/Goretex riding jackets have reflective patches or piping sewn into them, which enhances night visibility.
 
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Nothing prevents broken bones. The armour gives an added "cushion'' against the most common "bad spots". Leather slides better (longer) than anything else, except for some of the kevlar compounds. Sliding longer is about more protection against road rash.

In my experience, bones break by hanging up someplace, and only rarely from compression in the fall.
 
I am a big fan of leather. Own a Gerricke Aero X and a Firstgear Z Pilot. The latter is the heaviest leather I have ever seen.

The Moto GP folks all wear leather. I am taking my que from them, that's good enough for me.
 
tommyboy

Well said.

I wore full leathers for years (with a back protector but no other armor), until I first tried on a Roadcrafter (w/back protector) and realized that I was missing a whole dimension of protection with "just" leathers. I haven't gone back to leathers since I started with textile/armor a year or two ago. Yeah, textile doesn't abrade as well, but wearing armor under leathers sucks, and if I'm sliding long enough to trash my Roadcrafter, I'm probably screwed anyway.

If it were remotely comfortable by comparison, full leathers with comprehensive CE armor would be best, but it's too damn heavy, constricting, expensive, and I like to wear street clothes beneath my gear.
 
Leather needs to be maintained correctly to keep it's protective qualities. If you don't treat it and it gets wet a few times it will tend to rip.
 
I wear leather with armor and removable panels for hot days. I have seen first hand how the textile does not hold up to road rash. My buddy hit the road at 70mph with a textile jacket and leather chaps. He believes the armor saved his arm from getting broke but anywhere the jacket touched the road it wore through, where his chaps did see enough scuff damage(cosmetic) to replace them he had no road rash on his legs. He now wears leather with armor.
 
I am sure that a crash would change my mind but I cannot imagine wearing anything beyond mesh when it is over 90F. If I went all leather and sweated every time I rode, I would probably give up riding altogether. It is the equivalent of running the heat on your car with the windows up in the middle of the summer. When I have been caught with the textile jacket in temps over 80F when I leave work, I am very sad when I get home. And it is only a 20-minute ride.

I currently own no leather.

Down to 65F - Mesh
Down to 55F - Mesh w/ liner
Down to 45F - Textile
Down to 35F - Textile w/ liner (<-- haven't ridden below this)

G
 
Schavlan said:
This was posted at Stiener Fremme's site.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VDeJ7rLUYU&eurl=http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/34179/113/

Pretty wild stuff. Think of Silly Putty and you'll get the idea.
Click to expand...


Holy Crap! Is this what the Brits do for giggles on the early evening news? "Hey, Everybody -- Let's whack the the S**T out of the dufus in the funny hat!" "And while we're at it... take a few smacks upon his knees just to see if he complains!"

Amazing! I think I need a few tubs of that for when I'm old and feeble. Well, I'm already feeble, but it sure would be nice to have a suit of that when I start to fall off my chair!
 
On the video I thought the guy was going to put the patch on his crotch and let the guy smack him there with the shovel! That is the only reason I watched all the way through.
 
Abrasion protection from what you wear is dependant on the speed which you skid across the pavement. Most heavy synthetics today will match the performance of leather up to 60 - 65 MPH. beyond that, leather has a definite advantage for abrasion protection. This has been proven in tests and on the racetrack.
 
The motoport kevlar mesh is approved in Europe for racing. It is the only thing other than leather that is approved.

I'll stick with my motoport gear... leather is just plain heavy and hot here in the desert.

Mark
 
So, to my original question of the usefulness of armor.....

Marginal benefit at best, regarding bone breaking protection?
 
Armor spreads the force over a larger area than just the point of impact. This spreading action is a very good thing.
The CE armor in the motoport stuff has 3 densities (really 2 with a denser one sandwiched between the softer outer ones).

Mark
 
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