Bike Leather: A Purchasing Handbook Representing Rawhide Motorbike Apparel

Ever since the dawn of the time of motorcycling, it was apparent that something was considered necessary to protect the bare human body from the elements. The likely solution was leather. The leather bike jacket, a style made popular by such movie giants as James Dean and “the Fonz”, not simply serves as a fashion statement, but is an essential piece of equipment to any serious biker for keeping inviting, dry, and in one piece. motorcycle club  A good “riding grade” leather jacket combined with motorcycle chaps or leather pants, will operate as a second skin between you and the street, and can quite factually “save your hide”. With all this in mind, let’s look at the things to mull over while purchasing bike leathers. motorcycle bike club

The most common material for motorcycle leather is cowhide, chosen for its strength and durability. Buffalo hide, an additional high quality leather, is made not from the U.S. buffalo, but the water buffalo most commonly found in India and Pakistan. Many leather products come from this part of the globe, and the Pakistanis are world renown for their skill in the manufacturing of leather wear. Whichever type of hide you choose, you must understand the tanning process, and how it adds or subtracts from the quality of the leather.  motorcycle club macomb

Leather was certainly once the skin of an animal, and therefore must go through a tanning course to strengthen it, and to keep it from decomposing. Tanning makes the skin secure and rot proof without sacrificing its form and strength. The tanning process involves more than a few stages, including the elimination of the hair and the surface layer of skin, as well as the fatty part of the flesh. The hide is then stabilized by one of several methods using animal oils, alum, chrome salts or vegetable tanning. How it is actually finished determines the superiority, or riding grade, for our reasons.

Kinds of Leather

To fully understand the types of leather available, one must first be familiar with the term “grain”. The grain is basically the epidermis, or external layer of the animal’s skin. Whereas flaws such as cuts, scars, and scratches will be present, the grain in its genuine state has the best fiber concentration, and therefore the best durability. The grain also has natural breathability, resulting in better comfort to the wearer.

Finished Split Leather

The center or lower section of a rawhide that has been split into two or more thicknesses. A polymer veneer is applied and stamped to mimic grain leather. Finished splits should only be used in low pressure applications because they basically have no grain. If the polymer coating is left out it is frequently used to make suede. Not usually thought of to be riding grade, but can look respectable nevertheless.

Top Grain Leather

Top grain leather has been sanded to eliminate scars and blemishs, 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 quality as full grain or naked leather, but thicknesses of 1.2-3mm make this kind of leather a very strong and durable riding grade leather.

Full-Grain and Naked Leather

Full-Grain leather is completed from the finest hides, and has not been sanded to take out imperfections. Only the fur has been detached. In the case of Naked Leather, where not anything other than the dye is added; this very soft material needs no breaking in time. Hides are typically 2mm thick, and must be hand chosen for uniformity. The natural full-grain naked leather will wear 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 accordingly, the most costly.

Now that we know what type of leather we want, we must understand the fact that leather is hot, and grasp the options that we have for the climate we live in. For winter biking, a jacket with side laces and a belt would allow you to adjust the jacket to fit securely against the upper body. Of course, being able to entirely zip up only adds to your shield from the wind. You can also wear a leather vest underneath your bike jacket for extra heat. For hot summer days, a leather jacket with air vents allows the air to circulate underneath the jacket and around your body. For an all year round jacket, consider one with a zip or snap out insulated liner.

Leather is not meant to get watery, as that tends to reduce the natural oils, and it is desirable to wear a rain outfit over your leathers in inclement conditions. Nonetheless if they do get damp, allow them to dry naturally away from extreme heat. If the leather seems to be losing its sheen, it can be oiled to improve its outward show. This supplements the natural oils in the leather itself, which can be washed out through repeated contact to water. Frequent oiling of leather with mink oil or other commercially available products will keep your leathers supple and improve their lifespan considerably.

Now that you have found the just what the doctor ordered biker jacket, take care of it, and it will recompense you with years of wear. The normal lifetime of a heavy textile jacket will be from 3 to 6 years at the maximum. A well maintained top class leather motorbike jacket will without difficulty give you 10 years and more of riding satisfaction!