There you are with your shiny brand new motorcycle helmet; it’s a sunny Saturday so you decide to scoot on down to the beaches. Entering the on ramp at the boulevard, the car in front of you slams on its brakes and you have no choice but to jettison your ride and take the slide of your life.

Lying on the side of the road as you wait for the ambulance to arrive, you realize that you just narrowly cheated death, and thank God for guiding you to that motorcycle helmet shop. Or…

As the adrenaline starts to fade, an excruciating pain enters in waves. You remember you were going to the beach, all decked out in your flip flops, baggies and t-shirt with the clever slogan, hoping to score some chics by taking them for a ride on the back of your scooter.

The ambulance arrives; the paramedic takes a look at you and says, “Nice helmet dude, but you’ve got a serious case of road rash!”

Rule # 2: Save Your Hide

You survived the accident, now the question becomes how long and how painful will the recovery be?

Broken bones aside, failure to protect the upper and lower torso from the sandpaper like abrasions that an asphalt road produces can lead to protracted sessions of skin grafts and plastic surgery, lasting long after the bones have healed. Complications and setbacks from infections can occur as a result of having no skin, further extending the recovery process.

Motorcyclists are acutely aware of the dangers of the road, and just like the helmet manufactures, the motorcycle apparel industry is constantly innovating with new technologies to minimize the effects of what could have turned out to be a tragic accident.

Leather: The Tried and True of Motorcycle Safety Gear

Putting aside the cult of personality surrounding the leather motorcycle jacket, fact is that leather has been the material of choice for motorcyclist since the early 30’s for one very good reason: it serves as a second layer of skin, disposable and happily sacrificed in a high speed slide on an asphalt pavement.

While the properties of leather allow for a clean slide without bunching up or disintegrating, it should be noted that all leathers are not the same. Thus coined the phrase “riding grade” leather.

Originally it was horse hide that was widely available and manufactured right here in the U.S. Today, most motorcycle leather apparel is made in Pakistan, India, or China, and can come from goats, pigs, water buffalo, or cow hides. Some motorcycle jackets today are even starting to be made from kangaroo hide, a novel idea as most things are down under!

Riding grade leather indicates a material that is thick, and resistant to tear. It for the most part utilizes buffalo or cow hides that have gone through the top grain or naked leather tanning process, and is of a thickness anywhere between 1.2 to 1.5 millimeters.

Pig skin or pig nappa, while soft and thick, tears easily and is not considered to be riding grade. Goat or lamb skin jackets are soft and attractive, but these are light weight leathers, not reaching the thickness or durability standards to afford the necessary protection. Splits can be made from cow or buffalo, but because they are from the bottom part of the skin they have no epidermis, which is what gives the leather its strength.

While the standard motorcycle jacket is usually dyed black, this is not always the best choice from a safety perspective. Visibility on the road is a valid concern for motorcyclists, and today’s modern leather jackets address that issue by adding colored accents or reflective piping, especially useful for night riding.

Don’t Forget the Legs

Although a pair of jeans may be made of a thick and heavy material, they will pretty much disintegrate when making contact with the road. Motorcyclists have taken a queue from the cowboys by adopting the chap, a leather over garment meant to be worn over jeans, protecting the legs but leaving the buttocks and genital area exposed.

Another option that offers maximum protection for the lower torso is a good pair of riding grade leather pants. Leather overpants are also available, meant to add an extra layer of protection over your jeans.

Riding grade leather motorcycle jackets, chaps or pants when worn together have been proven over the years to offer the best protection for the upper and lower torso. Leather, however, is not the only option available for motorcycle safety gear, as a whole new generation of synthetic materials emerges aimed specifically at the outdoors adventurer.

Next: Cordura Motorcycle Safety Gear

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