Motorbike Leather: A Purchasing Guide for Leather Motorcycle Apparel

By: Bob McGuire

Since the beginning of the era of motorcycling, it was clear that something was required to protect the uncovered human body from the elements. The likely solution was leather. The leather motorcycle jacket, a style made all the rage by such movie giants as James Dean and “the Fonz”, not simply serves as a style statement, but is an important piece of equipment to any serious biker for keeping warm, dry, and in one piece. A good “riding grade” leather jacket combined with motorcycle chaps or leather slacks, will work as a second skin in between you and the highway, and can quite accurately “save your hide”. With all this in mind, let’s investigate the things to think about while purchasing motorcycle leathers.

The most common material for motorcycle leather is cowhide, chosen for its strength and durability. Buffalo hide, another high quality leather, is made not from the U.S. buffalo, but the water buffalo most commonly found in India and Pakistan. Many leather products come from this part of the earth, and the Pakistanis are world renown for their expertise in the manufacturing of leather clothes. Whichever sort of hide you choose, you must recognize the tanning process, and how it adds or subtracts from the quality of the leather.

Leather was not surprisingly once the skin of an animal, and therefore must go through a tanning procedure to strengthen it, and to keep it from decomposing. Tanning makes the skin secure and rot proof without sacrificing its constitution and strength. The tanning process involves a number of stages, including the removal of the hair and the surface 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 really finished determines the excellence, or riding grade, for our principles.

Varieties of Rawhide

To fully know the types of leather offered, one must first be familiar with the term “grain”. The grain is merely the epidermis, or surface layer of the animal’s skin. Despite the fact that flaws such as cuts, scars, and scratches will be present, the grain in its natural state has the best fiber vigor, and therefore the best toughness. The grain also has natural breathability, resulting in superior comfort to the wearer.

Completed Split Leather

The center or lower section of a rawhide that has been split into two or more thicknesses. A polymer coating is sprayed on and stamped to mimic grain leather. Finished splits should only be used in low pressure applications because they essentially have no grain. If the polymer coating is left out it is often used to make suede. Not usually thought of to be riding grade, but can look respectable nevertheless.

Top Grain Leather

Top grain leather has been sanded to do away with scars and blemishs, then sprayed or pasted for a uniform look. The smooth side is where the hair and the genuine grain was. Top grain is not the same class as full grain or naked leather, but thicknesses of 1.2-3mm make this type of leather a very strong and tough riding grade material.

Full-Grain and Naked Leather

Full-Grain leather is completed from the finest hides, and has not been sanded to take out imperfections. Only the hair has been detached. In the case of Naked Leather, where nothing other than the dye is added; this very soft material requires no breaking in phase. Hides are typically 2mm thick, and must be hand selected for uniformity. The natural full-grain naked leather will wear much 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 material we want, we must understand the fact that leather is hot, and comprehend the options that we have for the climate we live in. For winter biking, a jacket with side laces and a belt would allow you to tweak the jacket to fit comfortably against the upper body. Of course, being able to fully zip up only adds to your safeguard from the wind. You can also wear a leather vest below your motorcycle jacket for extra warmness. For hot summer days, a leather jacket with air vents allows the air to flow underneath the jacket and around your body. For an all year round jacket, contemplate one with a zip or snap out insulated liner.

Leather is not supposed to get watery, as that tends to deplete the natural oils, and it is desirable to wear a rain outfit over your leathers in inclement conditions. Nonetheless if they do get damp, allow them to dry naturally away from extreme heat. If the leather seems to be losing its luster, it can be oiled to recover its outward show. This supplements the genuine oils in the leather itself, which can be washed out through repeated exposure to water. Frequent oiling of leather with mink oil or added commercially obtainable products will maintain your leathers flexible and improve their lifespan noticeably.

Now that you have found the ideal 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 maximum. A well maintained top quality leather bike jacket will effortlessly give you 10 years and more of riding enjoyment!

Article Source: https://www.collectibles-articles.com

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