Since the birth of the era of motorcycling, it was obvious that something was considered necessary to protect the exposed human body from the elements. The likely solution was leather. The leather motorbike jacket, a style made all the rage by such movie greats as James Dean and “the Fonz”, not only serves as a trend statement, but is an important piece of equipment to any serious biker for keeping warm, dry, and in one section. motorcycle club A good “riding grade” leather jacket combined with motorcycle chaps or leather jeans, will act as a second skin in between you and the highway, and can quite factually “save your hide”. With all this in mind, let’s look at the things to consider while purchasing motorcycle leathers. motorcycle bike club
The most universal material for motorcycle leather is cowhide, chosen for its strength and durability. Buffalo hide, an additional high quality leather, is made not from the U.S. buffalo, but the water buffalo most generally found in India and Pakistan. Many leather products come from this part of the globe, and the Pakistanis are world renown for their skill in the manufacturing of leather clothes. Whichever sort of hide you choose, you must recognize the tanning process, and how it adds or degrades from the quality of the leather. motorcycle club michigan
Leather was certainly once the hide of an animal, and therefore must go through a tanning process to strengthen it, and to keep it from decomposing. Tanning makes the skin secure and rot proof without sacrificing its form and strength. The tanning process involves several stages, including the elimination of the hair and the outer layer of skin, as well as the fatty part of the flesh. The hide is then stabilized by one of a number of methods using animal oils, alum, chrome salts or vegetable tanning. How it is in point of fact finished determines the quality, or riding grade, for our purposes.
Types of Leather
To fully know the types of leather offered, one must first be acquainted with the term “grain”. The grain is basically the epidermis, or outer layer of the animal’s skin. Whereas imperfections such as cuts, scars, and scratches will exist, the grain in its natural state has the best fiber strength, and therefore the best strength. The grain also has natural breathability, resulting in better comfort to the wearer.
Completed Split Leather
The middle or lower part of a hide that has been split into two or more thicknesses. A polymer covering is sprayed on and embossed to mimic grain leather. Completed splits should only be used in low pressure applications because they in essence have no grain. If the plastic coating is left out it is often used to make suede. Not usually thought of to be riding grade, but can look good nevertheless.
Top Grain Leather
Top grain leather has been sanded to do away with scars and imperfections, then sprayed or pasted for a uniform look. The smooth side is where the hair and the natural grain was. Top grain is not the same quality as full grain or naked leather, but thicknesses of 1.2-3mm make this kind of leather a very strong and tough riding grade leather.
Full-Grain and Naked Leather
Full-Grain leather is prepared from the finest hides, and has not been sanded to eliminate imperfections. Only the coat has been removed. In the case of Naked Leather, where not anything other than the dye is added; this very soft leather needs no breaking in period. Hides are typically 2mm thick, and must be hand chosen for uniformity. The natural full-grain naked leather will wear better than other leather, and will actually improve over the years. This type of leather is the ultimate riding grade; the most sought after, and consequently, the most expensive.
Now that we know what type of leather we want, we must understand the fact that leather is hot, and appreciate the options that we have for the climate we live in. For winter biking, a leather jacket with side laces and a belt would allow you to fine-tune the jacket to fit comfortably against the upper body. Of course, being able to entirely zip up only adds to your safeguard from the wind. You can also wear a leather vest underneath your motorcycle jacket for extra warmness. For hot summer days, a leather jacket with air vents allows the air to move underneath the jacket and around your body. For an all year round jacket, consider one with a zip or snap away insulated liner.
Leather is not supposed to get wet, as that tends to reduce the natural oils, and it is desirable to wear a rain outfit over your leathers in inclement weather conditions. However if they do get soaked, allow them to dry naturally away from extreme warmth. If the leather seems to be losing its shine, it can be oiled to improve its form. This supplements the natural oils in the leather itself, which can be washed out through repeated exposure to water. Frequent oiling of leather with mink oil or further commercially obtainable products will maintain your leathers supple and improve their lifespan considerably.
Now that you have found the perfect biker jacket, take care of it, and it will reward you with years of wear. The typical lifetime of a heavy textile coat will be from 3 to 6 years at the most. A well maintained top condition leather motorcycle jacket will easily give you 10 years and more of riding satisfaction!
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