Leather Motorcycle Jackets

Soft, supple fashion leather may look good in the showroom, but it provides no real abrasion protection, a fact that will become painfully obvious when you are sliding along the asphalt at 50 mph. It also marks the wearer as a pretender, not a real motorcyclist. That heavy, motorcycle-weight leather may not hug your curves like the paper-thin stuff, but it will break in and become quite comfortable in a few rides. Though you will pay more, riding leather will also last far longer than the fashion-weight stuff.

Apparel with armor might look and feel lumpy when you first wear it; although the looks won't change much, you will learn that most armor molds and moves to fit the body it's wrapped around. Though meaningful research is just beginning on what sort of body armor is most effective, it stands to reason that the kind of armor built like a helmet, with an outer shell to spread out the impact load and a layer of slowly resilient foam, is the best bet. However, almost any sort of padding is likely to improve on the impact-absorbing capabilities of leather or corduroy.