Since the dawn of the age of motorcycling, it was apparent that something was
needed to protect the exposed human body from the elements. The natural solution
was leather. The leather motorcycle jacket, a style made popular by such movie
icons as James Dean and “the Fonz”, not only serves as a fashion statement, but
is an essential piece of equipment to any serious biker for keeping warm, dry,
and in one piece. A good “riding grade” leather jacket combined with motorcycle
chaps or leather pants, will act as a second skin between you and the road, and
can quite literally “save your hide”. With all this in mind, let’s explore the
things to consider when purchasing motorcycle leathers.
The most common material for motorcycle leather is cowhide, chosen for its
strength and durability. Buffalo hide, another 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 world, and the
Pakistanis are world renown for their expertise in the manufacturing of leather
garments. Whichever type of hide you choose, you must understand the tanning
process, and how it adds or detracts from the quality of the leather.
Leather was of course once the skin of an animal, and therefore must go
through a tanning process to strengthen it, and to keep it from decomposing.
Tanning makes the skin stable and rot proof without sacrificing its structure
and strength. The tanning process involves several stages, including the removal
of the hair and the outer 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
quality, or riding grade, for our purposes.
Types of Leather
To fully understand the types of leather
available, one must first know the term “grain”. The grain is simply the
epidermis, or outer layer of the animal’s skin. While imperfections such as
cuts, scars, and scratches will exist, the grain in its natural state has the
best fiber strength, and therefore the best durability. The grain also has
natural breathability, resulting in greater comfort to the wearer.
Finished Split Leather
The middle or lower section of a hide that
has been split into two or more thicknesses. A polymer coating is applied and
embossed to mimic grain leather. Finished splits should only be used in low
stress applications because they basically have no grain. If the polymer coating
is left out it is often used to make suede. Not considered to be riding grade,
but can look good nevertheless.
Top Grain
Top grain leather has been sanded to remove 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
quality as full grain or naked leather, but thicknesses of 1.2-3mm make this
type of leather a very strong and durable riding grade material.
Full-Grain and Naked Leather
Full-Grain leather is made from the
finest hides, and has not been sanded to remove imperfections. Only the hair has
been removed. In the case of Naked Leather, where nothing other than the dye is
added; this very soft leather requires no breaking in period. Hides are
typically 2mm thick, and must be hand picked 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 ultimate riding grade; the
most sought after, and consequently, the most expensive.
Now that we know what type of leather we want, we must understand the fact
that leather is hot, and understand the options that we have for the climate we
live in. For winter biking, a jacket with side l
