leather or textile...need help deciding

spend the cash or leather or go for textile
i have a mesh jacket and its nice and dandy for the souths hot summers
but winter will be here sooner or later and ill need something to wear
will textile jackets and pants be enough for cool/winter rides?

i know most textiles are almost as good as leather protection wise so im not really worried about that
im more worried about freezing to death haha

and will a small windscreen help out?

 

I wear leather most of of the time except in the very hot summer weather. Then I wear textile. In the colder weather, I feel like leather with a liner is hard to beat for wind resistance, but then again there are a lot of synthetic fibers that are good at it, too. Anyway, I prefer the leather when it's not too hot.

 

well im planning on getting another bike
so i want something pretty good since im going to a bigger engine

im just broke most of the time so a $200 textile is more appealing than a $400 leather

 

I have two textile jackets. One is the mesh style and is quite comfortable in all but the hottest days stuck in traffic. Plust it has a rain liner.

The other is a heaier weight textile that has zippered vents that open for breathing. Not sure if it is water proof or not, but, when it is cold enough to wear it, I don't want to be out riding in that weather. Although I did ride during a snow fall once. The jack also has a zip out quilted lining for more warmth. I did take a ride in 40 degree day with this jacket and liner. And for the hour or so, it kept me nice and warm.

 

I have the Nitro Racing textile water proof/cold weather gear. The jacket has a zip out liner and is vented for warmer weather. The pants do not have the removable liner. I have ridden in 40deg down pours (Ohio springs suck!) for hours in this gear and I have to give it a big thumbs up.
Don't forget good water proof boots and gloves!
If you look around on ebay, Dennis Kirk, Bike Bandit and the like, you can find great deals on last year's stuff. I got the set for under $100.00 from 2 different distributors.
It took me a while to warm up :lol: to the textiles over leather but I am glad that I took the plunge.

 

ive got the nitro racing mesh jacket and i love it
its a bt heavier than joe rockets ballistics mesh but its still prety cool ...except mines black so it kindwa defeats the purpose at a red light

 

If money is a consideration, go with textile.

I have both a heavy leather jacket and a First Gear Leather/Textile Fuel jacket. The Fuel jacket has leather in the shoulder area and textile for the rest. Lately, I've been wearing the Fuel jacket all the time. It has a removable liner, so I stay warm in winter and with the liner out, I'm comfortable in 90 degree heat.

Check out the Closeout section of www.newenough.com. There are some really great deals on gear there.

 

I have two textile jackets (a winter and summer version)

It is very wind proof....But IMO, the gloves are more important in the cold weather. Get a nice comfortable warm pair in the off season (on sale) if you can. It's hard to stop if you can't feel your fingers!
Some of my buddies rave about their electric gloves, and they will ride down to about 25F

Windshield YES!!! another big help IMO
I have a streetshield EX on mine and almost never take it off. It really keeps the wind off my chest on the highway so I don't feel like I'm going to fly off the back.

 

I have a Cortech Fusion (now discontinued) picked it up at new enough.com Works great, nice vents, and a zipout quilted liner.'

 

you could allways get thermal long johns!
give the screen the flick, it spoils the look of the bike.

 

The windshield is a major plus for me in MN. it is unbelievable how much it helps with the wind. I recomend a quick release so you have the choice of using it when you need to and still being able to take it off if you prefer the look of the bike without. As for the leather VS textile I say whatever you are most comfortable with. Myself, I prefer leather but thats just me.

 

I have the Ballistic jacket from Joe Rocket, and have absolutely no problems with riding in 35 to 38 degree weather. It has a zip out liner, and I stay quite cozy in it. When the temperature hits the 80's and 90's, I still wear this jacket, with the liner out, obviously. I have never tried the leathers yet, but for the price, I doubt you can beat the textiles.