Motorbike Leather: A Purchasing Manual Used For Leather Motorbike Clothing

Since the dawn of the time of motorcycling, it was evident that something was considered necessary to protect the bare human body from the elements. The natural solution was leather. The leather bike jacket, a style made all the rage by such movie icons as James Dean and “the Fonz”, not simply serves as a fashion statement, but is an indispensable piece of equipment to any serious biker for keeping snug, dry, and in one section. A good “riding grade” leather jacket combined with motorcycle chaps or leather slacks, will operate as a second skin between you and the highway, and can quite plainly “save your hide”. With all this in mind, let’s look at the things to think about while purchasing motorbike leathers.

The most widespread material for motorcycle leather is cowhide, chosen for its strength and durability. Buffalo hide, a different high quality leather, is made not from the U.S. buffalo, but the water buffalo most generally found in India and Pakistan. Lots of leather products come from this part of the planet, and the Pakistanis are world renown for their expertise in the manufacturing of leather clothes. Whichever kind of hide you choose, you must understand the tanning process, and how it adds or detracts from the quality of the leather.

Leather was not surprisingly once the coat of an animal, and therefore must go through a tanning process to strengthen it, and to keep it from decaying. Tanning makes the skin secure and rot proof without sacrificing its constitution and strength. The tanning process involves more than a few stages, including the deletion of the hair and the external layer of skin, as well as the fatty portion of the flesh. The hide is then stabilized by one of numerous methods using animal oils, alum, chrome salts or vegetable tanning. How it is actually finished determines the quality, or riding grade, for our reasons.

Types of Leather

To fully understand the types of leather offered, one must first know the term “grain”. The grain is merely the epidermis, or external layer of the animal’s skin. Though imperfections such as cuts, scars, and scratches will exist, the grain in its unaffected state has the best fiber concentration, and therefore the best toughness. The grain also has natural breathability, resulting in superior comfort to the wearer.

Finished Split Leather

The middle or lower section of a skin that has been split into two or more thicknesses. A polymer covering is applied and imprinted to mimic grain leather. Finished splits should only be used in low stress applications because they essentially 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 eliminate scars and imperfections, then sprayed or pasted for a uniform look. The smooth side is where the hair and the natural grain used to be. Top grain is not the same class as full grain or naked leather, but thicknesses of 1.2-3mm make this kind of leather a very strong and hard-wearing riding grade material.

Full-Grain and Naked Leather

Full-Grain leather is prepared from the finest hides, and has not been sanded to remove imperfections. Only the fur has been taken out. In the case of Naked Leather, where nothing other than the dye is added; this very soft material necessitates no breaking in time. Hides are normally 2mm thick, and have to be hand picked 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 extreme riding grade; the most sought after, and therefore, the most high-priced.

Now that we realize what type of material we want, we must comprehend the fact that leather is hot, and comprehend the options that we have for the climate we live in. For winter biking, a coat with side laces and a belt can allow you to adjust the jacket to fit securely against the upper body. Of course, being able to completely zip up only adds to your protection from the wind. You can also wear a leather vest below your motorcycle jacket for extra warmth. For hot summer days, a leather jacket with air vents allows the air to circulate underneath the jacket and around your skin. For an all year round jacket, consider one with a zip or snap away insulated lining.

Leather is not supposed to get soaked, as that tends to drain the natural oils, and it is desirable to wear a rain set of clothes over your leathers in inclement conditions. However if they do get wet, allow them to dry naturally away from extreme temperature. If the leather seems to be losing its luster, it can be oiled to recover its form. 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 further commercially accessible products will maintain your leathers supple and improve their lifespan dramatically.

Now that you have found the ideal biker jacket, take care of it, and it will recompense you with years of wear. The normal lifetime of a heavy textile coat will be from 3 to 6 years at the maximum. A well maintained top quality leather motorbike jacket will without problems give you 10 years and more of riding pleasure!

By: Bob McGuire

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