What features a rider look in Leather Jacket?

Benefit a rider can take from leather jacket?

Motorcycle gear provides protection from the weather while riding as well as reduces chances of injuries in the case of crash or drag. The key features that reduce injuries is material that will not be worn away if you slide across the road surface not be easily cut or torn by sharp objects in a crash.

There are standards that set the performance criteria for the abrasion, cut, tear or burst resistance of motorcycle gear. The tests applied can provide useful guidance for assessing products.

Standards set for performance for jackets, pants and suits

The only way to be sure is if the performance of the garment has been tested. The tests covers jackets, trousers, one-piece suits and two-piece suits and includes a wide variety of tests intended to assess the protection and integrity of the clothing ensemble.

Impact Abrasion: The test involves the sample being dropped through a distance of 50 mm onto a 60 grit abrasive belt moving at a speed of 8 m/s (approximately 18 mph)

Seam Burst Strength: A circular sample cut from the clothing is placed over a diaphragm and is clamped around its edge. The specimen is gradually extended into a dome shape thereby applying forces to the seam in all directions.

Impact cut: A test specimen taken from the clothing is mounted over a block containing a rectangular hole. A striker of fixed mass with a sharp blade fitted to its lower surface is dropped with a defined energy level so that the blade impacts the sample directly above the rectangular hole.

Why Leather?

Leather has natural qualities of abrasion, cut, tear and burst resistance to protect a rider in a fall, however not all motorcycle leathers are equal. Performance depends on the type and quality of the leather and the construction of the garment.

Modern textiles are now very competitive with leather. They can provide better weather protection in addition to having high abrasion resistance, but their construction is critical. Effective fabric products have to be made up of layers of different materials, each performing a different function (weather protection, abrasion resistance etc). A single layer of abrasion resistant material will not provide the equivalent protection of leather.

Comfort and fit

Try jackets on over the sort of clothing you would normally wear when riding. Jackets should be close fitting but comfortable to wear when in riding position. Too tight will become uncomfortable. Too loose and your impact protectors may not remain in place when you most need them in a crash.

If a jacket is too loose, it may also billow and flap, which is distracting. Flapping will also force out warm air, reducing the jacket’s ability to keep you warm in cold weather.

How is it designed?

Avoid short jackets that leave your hips exposed, unless you are buying a suit that zips together. Stretch panels for comfort and mesh for ventilation should not be used in exposed or high impact areas. The safest areas for these materials are under the arms and inside legs.

Avoid straps, mesh panels or external pockets that could become tear or snag points. Avoid hard objects such as buttons, buckles or studs particularly in exposed areas and impact points.

How is it constructed?

Avoid seams or fastenings in the most exposed areas of your body. The fewer joins and seams the better, because they are the points most likely to burst open on impact or when sliding along the road.

Seams in exposed and high impact areas should have two or three rows of stitching. A layer of material should protect at least one row of stitching in these areas in case the exposed stitching is worn away on the road surface.

Additional layers should be double stitched and MUST be placed on top of the main protective layer – not inserted as a separate double section, which can be torn away. Check inside and feel through the material to ensure there is no gap in the main protective layer.

Stitching should be regular and continuous without any dropped stitches, which may weaken the seam.

Are all fastening points secure and protected?

All fasteners should be protected from the risk of exposure in a crash. Zips should not be used in the high exposure and impact points. Where zips are used, they should be covered with a flap of material on both sides to prevent contact with the rider’s body or the road’s surface in a crash.

Wrist straps are essential to prevent sleeves from riding up, they should fasten on the inside of the wrists to prevent the fastening from being torn off in a crash.

Are impact protectors fitted over the elbows and shoulders?

Over half (56%) of all injured riders have injuries to their arms. Impact protectors can only be effective if they stay in place. Pull the sleeves around your arm to check how well the protectors stay in place.

Straps to tighten the sleeve and hold the protectors in place can be a good idea, but be careful that they are not so tight that they constrict blood flow.

Final check

Can you move comfortably, use all controls, make signals and turn to look behind you while in riding position?




What features a rider look in Leather Jacket?