Leather Harley Davidson Jacket or Synthetic? Make the Right Decision
Posted: Tuesday, March 11, 2008
by Ken Av
Spot Motorcycle
Harley Davidson Jackets are available in numerous styles and materials. As a Harley rider, you are fortunate to have many excellent options when looking for a jacket. The flip side, of course, is sorting through all the options to pick out the best one.
The most important choice is probably whether to go with leather or some type of synthetic material. There are pros and cons to either, but in the end it comes down to an issue of personal choice
Harley Leather Jackets
Leather, as you know, is renowned for its classy looks and timeless styling. A top-notch leather jacket has that full, smooth feel that screams luxury. Leather also provides great abrasion resistance. Heavyweight material, of course, provides more protection, but at the cost of being very warm in hot weather. A few leather jackets are available with tiny holes to provide extra airflow. This will offset the heat in the warm weather, but could be not what you want in cold weather.
Leather jackets are normally restricted to fewer color options than synthetics since they are trickier to dye. They will usually be prone to a "break in" period, when the virgin material is still inflexible. This effect will fade in a short period of time as the material molds to your body's shape.A quick word on leather thickness: leather that measures under one millimeter in thickness is classified as lightweight, whereas leather thicker than 1.5 millimeters is very heavy.
Synthetic Jackets
Jackets manufactured from synthetics will fall short of the timeless styling of leather. But a synthetic can be very good looking in its own right, and can offer quite a bit of a premium in terms of functionality.Several different options in materials are available when choosing a synthetic jacket.
One of the most popular is Cordura, a protective substance that is often used in backpacks and luggage. Cordura jackets are frequently coated to become at the same time water resistant and permeable, a la Gore-Tex. Jackets made of Cordura also frequently come with interior body armor in the joints and/or spine. Opt for CE-rated pads for the best level of protection.
Also, since synthetics are inexpensively colorized, they are often sold in a great pallette of color options. Finally, synthetic jackets are often highly adjustable -- many have vents that provide more circulation, or replaceable inner linings for extra insulation.
Nylon and Denim Jackets
Certainly some types of jackets just don't exactly fit into the aforementioned classification. Denim, for example, provides a unique value: a type of timeless style which is appealing to some, while being cooler in the summer than leather. Nylon offers configurability and many of the cooling options of a synthetic but, according to some, doesn't provide the great looks of leather.
Harley Women's Jackets
A brief note on ladies jackets...
Finding items that are designed specifically with women in mind is now possible. You will be pleased with the options available. Most synthetic jackets are for both men and women, but at least a few options are available that are specifically intended for women. Choosing leather provides a wide range of options for contoured, stylish women's jackets.
----------
This article was written by Ken Av, a biker buff since his teens and an award-winning expert in evaluating bike apparel. Ken has reviewed a wide variety of items and knows which items provide the best bang for the buck.
This Article has been viewed 826 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.