im going to buy a new jacket being that the one i have isn't a riding jacket if i crashed, ouch!!! i don't have the $ to go out and buy a $500 leather jacket so i was looking at the textile ones. im trying not to go over $200 because in a little short on money + i need to buy new tires. the one i was looking at was the "ICON TiMax" for $165.00 I've herd that textile and leather offer the same protection. I found a HJC jackets on the Internet (leather) for $200

should i go for it? what do you think, is there another jacket you recommend??????? thanks

 

Hey you should go with leather.. textile doesn't protect as well.

 

I will never wear 2 things when i ride. Textile or Icon. But thats just me.

 

I prefer leather and prolly always will.

I've been told that in the event of a crash, leather slids and the textiles tend to melt and then grab at the road surface (possibly flipping you).

 

I bought the Joe Rocket Alter Ego textile jacket (available on newenough.com for $200) and am happy with it. I've only started riding and hope I never need it but it's bound to happen eventually. I can't really afford leather either so I went for something that had decent armor and was adjustible for weather conditions. It's probably not as good as leather but I feel safe wearing it. My recommendation would be to go for the a decent textile jacket and then get another leather one when you can afford it. Everyone needs different combinations of gear, right? This will just give you an excuse to diversify when you can.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Apocalypse &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I bought the Joe Rocket Alter Ego textile jacket (available on newenough.com for $200) and am happy with it. I've only started riding and hope I never need it but it's bound to happen eventually. I can't really afford leather either so I went for something that had decent armor and was adjustible for weather conditions. It's probably not as good as leather but I feel safe wearing it. My recommendation would be to go for the a decent textile jacket and then get another leather one when you can afford it. Everyone needs different combinations of gear, right? This will just give you an excuse to diversify when you can. </TD></TR></TABLE>


You realize you can get a fully armored leather jacket for the same price you paid for that Joe Rocket crap right?

 

I started out with a Joe Rocket Alter Ego as well. It served me well for about a year. Now it only comes out when it rains.

I am rocking a Alpinestar Venom leather jacket now!!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Reckless636 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You realize you can get a fully armored leather jacket for the same price you paid for that Joe Rocket crap right?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Where?

 

Not in my size. or is it ?

I could not find one that fit my 52 inch shoulders and allowed me to move my arms for $200.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Ross R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Where?</TD></TR></TABLE>


Call this place.. it's a place called Roseburg Cycles up in Portland Oregon...5416726065 is the Phone number. Ask for either Trish or Brad and ask them what kind of good leather jackets they have..
I've bought all my gear (except for boots) from that place and the service and prices are just unreal. Very friendly customer service and I've not seen any place sell as cheap as they do.





Modified by Reckless636 at 1:25 PM 12/31/2004

 

By far the cheapest place i have found to buy gear + free shipping
http://www.metricbikes.com


this jacket also comes in Red, Blue, Black, Yellow and Green for $166.95 has Ti Plates in the shoulders, and back + soft armor elsewhere.

 

i'd look at alpinestars textile. there is always a big arguement between leather vs. textile. and IS always repeated by internet racers that hear one thing and now think they know what they are talking about. yes leather is the best protection. no textile will not save you when you lowside in a corner at 90mph. personally i'd stay away from icon's jackets. i got one in a package deal when i bought my sv. it ripped by the chest pocket zipper, if it rips there without even being down. i know a lot of racers that will wear nothing but leater and a lot of stunters that only wear textile. i guess its all in what you want to do. and by the way if you lowside at 90mph in a corner a leather jacket will make it a lot betterbut it will most likely ride up on you when your sliding so a 1 piece suit is best. just my thoughts. i'm sure there will be plenty of people who want to argue. Most of all buy what fits.

 

personally, Id go with leather... Alpinestars and Dainese have some really nice jackets

 

The blanket statement "leather is better than textiles" is false.

The statement should read "racing quality leather is better than textiles". The keyword is "race quality" of which not all leather jackets fall into. Chances are, if you own just a jacket it is made of one of 4 other types of leather that are inferior to certain textiles.

The trick is to know exactly what kind of leather your jacket is made of. If you don't know what is it you cannot make a comparison.

http://www.motorcyclebeginners.com/fabric.htm

"The results were surprising. In the abrasion test, the heaviest grade of standard racing leather had far and away the best results, surviving almost twice as much abuse as the next competitor. But the next five best test subjects were all commonly-available synthetics. Further, the next leather subject in the abrasion test (gunmetal cowhide) survived only one-seventh as long as that heavy grade of racing leather. In the tearing test, eight of the nine most durable test subjects were the synthetics (the one leather in that group was the gunmetal cowhide)."

Unless you are wearing a full racing suit, or a really high quality jacket like Vanson (there may be others, I don't know off the top of my head), you'de be better off in a good textile.

 

I didn't buy a leather because down here they are more expensive then the textile. I really like mine, it's a Joe rocket, really comfortable and light compare to leather.

 

I have both. A Alpinestars NS-5 textile jacket for cold weather and a Dainese Zag Pelle for warmer days

 

Leather bro looks cooler too.....the ho'z will be on yo nutz bro! lol

nah to be serious leather will save ur *** in an event of a crash (God Forbid)

be safe not cheap..... good luck bro

 

[QUOTE=arjusmc] personally i'd stay away from icon's jackets. i got one in a package deal when i bought my sv. it ripped by the chest pocket zipper, if it rips there without even being down. QUOTE]

haha... exact same thing happened to my buddy's icon jacket within a week of purchasing it brand new.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mrdanglez &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

be safe not cheap..... good luck bro</TD></TR></TABLE>

EXACTLY!
Leather may cost you a 100 more or so but then you got to ask yourself how much is your skin worth to you? Think that over a few times

 

rapid roy, do you have any idea how alpinestars leather jackets compare in those tests? i kinda always assumed that joe rocket and icon products, regardless of it being leather or textile, are inferior. but then there's that one guy on here that claims he went down at 100+mph with his icon leather jacket and was fine.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DeLiRiOu5 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">rapid roy, do you have any idea how alpinestars leather jackets compare in those tests? i kinda always assumed that joe rocket and icon products, regardless of it being leather or textile, are inferior. but then there's that one guy on here that claims he went down at 100+mph with his icon leather jacket and was fine.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I have glanced at the report that a MSF instructor had a printout of. I don't remember enough of it to quote it, so I won't. If you find out what kind of leather your jacket is made from then that will help you determine how protective it is.

Inferior can mean many things. I have a Joe Rocket Meteor jacket, which I hate. My girlfriend has a FirstGear jacket that I wear and it kicks ***. In the end though if I were to fall I would rather be wearing the Meteor jacket as it has a decent amount of padding and a lot of reinforcement. Which one is inferior? The one that protects me but is uncomfortable as hell, or the less protective (but still more than adequate for street riding) that I can wear all day?

I am sure Joe Rocket, Alpinestars, Icon jackets are good enough for everyday use up to and above highway speeds. The money goes to extra features in a nicer jacket, and comfort is a feature.

Eventually I will spend the $5 and order the report myself, probably right around the time I start shopping for a jacket again.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rapid_roy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Unless you are wearing a full racing suit, or a really high quality jacket like Vanson (there may be others, I don't know off the top of my head), you'de be better off in a good textile.</TD></TR></TABLE>I have never seen a textile jacket hold up in a good slide.

 

http://www.newenough.com

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Son &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have never seen a textile jacket hold up in a good slide.</TD></TR></TABLE>

How many slides have you seen? Note I said "seen" and not "heard" about.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Apocalypse &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How many slides have you seen? Note I said "seen" and not "heard" about.</TD></TR></TABLE>I seen many with pictures, not first hand. Hearing doesnt count.
Also I have seen more than I need to see first hand. Before I started riding I use to watch guys do stunts. In a high speed spill(50mph+) the textiles were toast.
Some time last year at Streets a guy took a spill going he said no more than 70mph. The Aerostich suit he was wearing did hold up and the stitching did not rip but the suit was done. The way I look at it. Textiles are trash. But good textiles are good but they are a one crash deal. As with leather I know lots of guys with a couple crashes on the leathers and still wear them. I tried on a textile jacket once. It felt like I was wearing a damn blazer.