Black leather motorcycle jackets have become the norm, but that is by no means the only choice available, and arguably not the wisest choice from a safety perspective. Bright, eye catching color combinations of leather and synthetics are widely available, and many styles come with reflective piping to improve visibility on the road.

Over the years, a number of tanning methods have evolved. It was a stinky, environmentally unfriendly process that at times utilized dog feces, urine and brains. In Medieval times, tanneries were segregated and banished to the outskirts of town, the actual jobs being reserved for the lowliest of class.

The oldest if not the original tanning method is Vegetable Tanning. Hides are treated with the barks of trees that contain the naturally occurring element Tannin, from which the term “tanning” originates.

Chrome tanned leather is soft and pliable, and is the most used method for treating the skins of cattle, pigs, goat and lamb. It produces a flexible, stretchable leather that is suitable for garments, and of course, leather motorcycle apparel.

Leather can be finished in a variety of ways, or not at all. It is at the finishing stage that is determined what the leather is going to be used for, and in the case of motorcycle jackets and chaps, the grade of apparel from a protection perspective.

The leather tanning process can be broken down into three stages: Preparing the hide for tanning, the actual tanning of the hide, and the finishing stage. While it used to take weeks or even months to tan a hide, today’s modern tanning processes have reduced the time and energy spent to a matter of days.

As a consumer of leather motorcycle apparel, the choices of leather are vast. One must judge the quality of a leather garment not only by touch, feel, or good looks, but by its origin, the animal that donated the skin, and the way in which it was prepared to keep it from rotting.

The cruising jacket implies a more casual style of motorcycle fashion, something one would wear for a slow ride to nowhere on a big, fat Hog. Cruising down a country road on a lazy day still requires attention to the road, and a good leather cruising jacket promises to provide all the comfort and protection typical of any motorcycle safety gear.

Although originating from the scooter culture, today’s modern scooter jacket is by no means limited to 150 cc’s. The safety concerns of scooterists are not unlike those of the motorcyclist, and as such, functional scooter jackets are made from the same protective materials found in the traditional motorcycle jacket, rendering them suitable for any size vehicle from a safety perspective.

Motorcycle Safety Rule # 1: Save the Head Let’s face it. If you are in a high speed motorcycle accident and your unprotected head hits the road with any kind of force (which it probably will), you are road kill! Bikers are an independent bunch that like their freedom and are willing to fight for [...]

The traditional motorcycle jacket is built to protect the rider from the road and the wind, and to provide secure storage in the form of zippered pockets tucked inside and out. Snaps, zippers, belts, and various side adjustments are designed to provide for a snug fit, and to keep things from flapping around in the wind at high speeds.