I think I should buy a riding jacket because road rash doesn't seem all that fun. So, my question is, should I buy a leather jacket, or a mesh jacket? I think I'm leaning toward leather. And how much will armor help in protecting me?
Any opinions are welcome.

Also, what is the best helmet for low noise level, good airflow, and protection?
Thanks guys.

 

I'm sure that almost everyone here will agree that leather will provide maximum protection. Consider jackets and pants with CE approved protection as well. I also recommend a good back protector. One of my friends went off a cliff and broke a collar bone, his wrist, and fractured one of his back bones and told me that if he didn't have his back protector on, he'd probably be paralyzed right now.

My friend ate it with a mesh jacket and it melted into his shoulder blade. Not pretty. I wear mesh when only EXTREMELY hot out. Otherwise, my full leather Dainese Bora with perforation is well ventilated.

Helmets are noisy because of good ventilation, thats physics. Some are better than others. My expensive Arai Corsair is louder than some cheaper helmets I've tried but ventilation is unparalled. Ear plugs take care of noisy helmets. Sizing is extremely important also. Not only for safety but also for excessive noise. Too large and it will get noisy.

 

Ok, leather it is. And armor it is as well. What are the best brands?

I know a lot of you guys wear earplugs, but is that really safe? Doesn't it shut out car noises? Or can you not hear cars over the motorcycle engine anyway? I've only ridden under 40 mph so far.

 

As far as best brands... that's a loaded question. I own Alpinestars TZ-1 and Dainese Bora myself and they're both very comfortable. I think the Dainese would be more protective because of the built in aerodynamic hump and thicker CE armor in elbows and shoulders. But then again, my TZ-1 wasn't even half the price of my Bora. For the money, the TZ-1 is outstanding.

The Bora is perforated so its more ventilated. More of a summer jacket. The TZ-1 can be worn on colder days and it'll keep you fairly warm.

There are a lot out there so you'll probably wanna go to a shop and try them on. Some are comfortable and some aren't (majority needs to be broken in). And when you try them on, you'll find the size you need. A little tighter is better than being kinda loose. Like I said, they'll break in.

On the freeways, you'll never hear other cars 'cause of the exhaust and wind noise. Only time you need to hear a car is when they honk they're horn. The ear plugs aren't that sound proof. Besides the horn, you only need to see the cars. There's no need to listen for them. Just know your surroundings and keep your eyes open.

 

personally, i like the noise; it lets me know every little thing that is going on. i would have never noticed i had 2 bolts loosen up on my sprocket otherwise. i'd probably get an alpinestars or dainese back protector; just names that i know which are good...

 

Leather
Earplugs
I can hear everything I need to hear.

 

i had a joe rocket textile and it was worthless. i was teaching myself how to ride and laid it down at about 10mph and the jacket already got several tears on it. so i can only imagine a mesh jacket being that much worse. my buddy went down at about 50mph and his upper body barely had a scratch on it with his alpinestars leather jacket.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by WeaponX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Also, what is the best helmet for low noise level, good airflow, and protection? </TD></TR></TABLE>

You won't be able to find a good combination of your first two priorities. More airflow results in a louder helmet. If you must have good airflow, invest in earplugs. Actually, earplugs are a good idea all the time. High-flow helmets include the Shoei X11, Arai Corsair, Suomy Spec1R.

 

Ear plugs are great for the rider that racks up a lot of mileage. If you ride a lot, it will affect your hearing over time. You can still hear fine, the main thing is it filters out the wind noise. Any good jacket should have plenty of armor in it, the only thing else I can think of is a good back protector but I dont wear mine when I commute only when I ride twisties.

 

you live in ohio and we only get 3 months of warm weather riding so if you want an all conditions jacket get leather. I'd rather be hot than cold anyday!

 

go with leather.. it's the only way to go