Leather or Mesh

[HBerry]

Hey all-

Im looking to get a jacket seeing as I have been a squid this past week and ridden around with only a sweat shirt. So I have been looking at the Joe Rocket Pheonix, but I was wondering, will mesh be able to withstand a fall like a leather jacket will? Or will I get stuck with donating my skin to the road if I fall?

[SSearchVT]

Nothing protects like leather. But, if you don't wear it because it is uncomfortable it does no good. A comprimise you might want to look at is perforated leather.

[VinceF2]

The Mesh will not hold up as well as leather... not even close... However it will hold up better then your sweatshirt... so it is the lesser of two evils there...

My wife and folks wear the mesh on the really hot days... if they didn't have that they'd prolly wear nothing at all... so again it's better then no gear...

If you can afford leather... and are buying on the protection principle... then get the leather... and if you're concerned about being hot... get some perf'd leathers... you'll stay cool when moving...

Enjoy...

[sahd03]

Excellent mesh vs. leather discussion on Tony's website too - quite recent... www.sportriders.com ... check it out...

[HBerry]

Ok so my second question would then be, what would be a good preff. leather jacket that is not going to be overly hot on those 90+ degrees days and still overs good protection?

[hohum]

Originally posted by Mystery Squid
What it boils down to is this:

Mesh: Single use, disposable, drag it across the pavement once, and you might as well throw it away. Good mesh can offer protection close to, but not quite, leather.

Leather: Will last years, through multiple wrecks.


I was in your shoes when I first got my bike. I went with the Phoenix, at least you'll have something to wear, and you can get them relatively cheap for around $100. Then again, if you feel you're too much of a Squid, and don't trust how you ride too much, it's probably better if you get leather....

Bingo! Squid hit the nail right on the head!

I ride in both, mostly because mesh is too damn cold to wear below say 55 degrees... If you get mesh, do yourself a favor and get the First Gear Mesh Tex 2 jacket. Bout $125 for the jacket, has a removable 'sort of water proof' liner (I tested this thoroughly this weekend. Works great in light rain, in downpour, forgetaboutit). Also, the First Gear HT Air Overpant is Damn nice too... those kept my legs almost totally dry during can't see 30 feet in front of you rain for an hour.

Cheers,
Chris

[hohum]

Originally posted by HBerry
Ok so my second question would then be, what would be a good preff. leather jacket that is not going to be overly hot on those 90+ degrees days and still overs good protection?

On a 90+ day perf is still going to be DAMN hot.

[HBerry]

Ok so onto my next question then... It appears the First Gear is a good jacket, is the Phoenix going to offer good protection or would you reccomend a different Mesh jacket?

[hohum]

Originally posted by HBerry
Ok so onto my next question then... It appears the First Gear is a good jacket, is the Phoenix going to offer good protection or would you reccomend a different Mesh jacket?

Everyone always questions whether the Phoenix will be decent protection and my answer would have to be 'it depends'. I wish I had saved the pics I found of a Phoenix jacket after a 60 mph pavement surfing... it was off the BMW list, I'll see if I can't dig em up... but the short story is that the jacket was toast after the offing, but the owner suffered no injuries to his upper body, no road rash, nada... so the jacket performed pretty damn well... Now, if that offing were at ANY higher speed or for ANY longer a surf down the pavement I don't think he'd be in as good shape.

In short, if you are going to ride the streets like you would ride on the track, you should buy yourself the type of gear you would wear on the track. If you are riding like you should on the road, the mesh will likely offer enough protection to help save your skin immensely in an offing and certainly better than nothing.

Cheers,
Chris

[Ducrappy]

I would think that pavement surfing in mesh would at the very least cause friction burning on your skin. I would not trust my life to a mesh jacket. Get the best leather you can afford. I speak from experience. I bought a Deathrage jacket last year and because of its strength, carbon fiber elbow and shoulder pads, and kevlar stitching, I was able to come away from a 60-70 mph get-off with not a single scratch or bruise on my upper body. I did have to get rid of it though becuase I went down in some sharp gravel which sliced up the arms pretty well. I now have a Dainese jacket that fits amazingly and has great elbow/ shoulder protection.

[HBerry]

Ok it appears I will be getting a leather jacket. Thanks for all the good advice. How about pants? Same thing Im guessing?

[MissTwisties]

I got the Joe Rocket Phoenix mesh jacket and pants. I am wearing the jacket in extreme hot weather (to me extrme means 80 degrees and over...lol) Since I am not a hardcore rider and don't do extreme speeds, I trust it will protect me enough if I crash doing a low side. I believe doing a high side won't keep you from broken bones wearing mesh or leathers anyway! I wouldn't be wearing leathers in hot weather. And I wouldn't go on a longer ride without any gear either. So instead of forcing myself to stay home, I wear my mesh jacket, it is VERY comfortable on hot days. It is well padded. My jacket zip up with my pants in the back. I also have mesh gloves with carbon fiber knuckles. Boots, and helmet of course. I've heard people saying their mesh jacket holded up pretty good after a crash, but I also heard the opposite also...

[OreoGaborio]

werd

my only question is..... why's he got em up so fuckin high?

[HBerry]

Well I will have to look at the stealership to see what I like and let you all know my final decision

[IllKneeGrow]

I personally go with leather, protection is better.

Everyone asks me how I deal with the leather in hot weather. And what it comes down to with me is that I would much rather sweat all day instead of having to deal with road rash and probably a nice scar for the later years of my life.

[hohum]

Originally posted by IllKneeGrow
I personally go with leather, protection is better.

Everyone asks me how I deal with the leather in hot weather. And what it comes down to with me is that I would much rather sweat all day instead of having to deal with road rash and probably a nice scar for the later years of my life.

And I would rather keep riding than pass out from the heat. Passed out on the highway in my leathers in stop and go, been there, done that, never again! Not that leathers don't have their place, I just prefer to have a variety of gear, each with its time and place.

Cheers,
Chris

[HBerry]

Yeah passing out doesnt sound fun either. You all love to make this a very tough decision.

[VinceF2]

If it's too hot for gear it's too hot to ride IMO

[HBerry]

Can it be too hot to ride? Maybe I should get both mesh and leather and decide what to use based upon the weather.

[Ducrappy]

As long as you're not stuck in stop-and-go traffic in the dead of summer, you won't pass out. If you keep moving, the air passing around you will help to cool you down. I've yet to have a problem wearing leather in the summer. However, I wouldn't suggest leather if you were to cruise the strip at Hampton if you're into that kind of thing. Then you might have a problem with heat exhaustion.

If you're going to buy just one jacket, buy a leather one. A mesh jacket may be fine in the summer for ventilation, but come fall, you will be wishing you bought leather.

[MissTwisties]

Originally posted by HBerry
Yeah passing out doesnt sound fun either. You all love to make this a very tough decision.

In the end, it all comes to what YOU want and YOUR decision. Go and try some gear on, mesh, perforated leather, etc. I think no matter what people say, it all comes back to what you really want from a jacket. If you are really into protection more than comfort, go leather no doubt. If you are for comfort in HOT days and decent protection, I believe mesh is good enough. I use both, depending on the weather. Opinions will defer on that subject anyway.

You could be in a bad accident wearing leathers and get pretty messed up anyway, and you could be in an accident wearing mesh and be just fine. And vice versa. You never know in what condition you will be when you walk away (or not) from a crash. Too many variables/possibilities.

Good luck!

[Ducrappy]

The problem with buying two jackets is that presumeably you will be using the same amount of money that would buy you a decent leather jacket to now buy two jackets. The less you spend, the less reliable/durable the padding, armor, stitching, and leather will be.
I say spend as much as you can on leather and if you find that it is too hot to ride in, then save up for a mesh jacket. Don't skimp on protective gear.

[hohum]

Originally posted by HBerry
Can it be too hot to ride? Maybe I should get both mesh and leather and decide what to use based upon the weather.

Yup thats the best of all worlds, to have both, and preferably from the same maker so you can mix and match zippable tops and bottoms.

Thats what I do... In the summer months from June through August, I wear my textile/mesh stuff. In the cooler months I wear the leather, BUT, like MissT said above, its really a personal thing. Good luck... Go try some stuff on, see what you like, and then order it online to save yourself a decent chunk of change.

Cheers,
Chris

[HBerry]

Well if I were to buy two I would expect to buy two expensive jackets, not two that equal the price of what I was going to pay for one. I will go tonight or tomorrow and try some on.

[hohum]

Originally posted by A996S
The problem with buying two jackets is that presumeably you will be using the same amount of money that would buy you a decent leather jacket to now buy two jackets. The less you spend, the less reliable/durable the padding, armor, stitching, and leather will be.
I say spend as much as you can on leather and if you find that it is too hot to ride in, then save up for a mesh jacket. Don't skimp on protective gear.

Hey, Mesh is cheap... Not the "I have to save for it" kind of stuff leather is. I say the opposite, if you have no gear now, but can't afford the leather you want, buy the Mesh to ride in for the next few months cos its cheap and save for the leathers you really want for the fall, cos Mesh is better than nothing, and probably as good as cheap leathers for the type of riding you will be doing (not on the track or at a track pace or level of lean/lack of traction)

Just goes to show there's two sides to this issue... Like I said go to a place where you can try on both, and see what you feel like.

Cheers,
Chris