SV650.org - SV650 & Gladius 650 Forum



Riding Gear Post your own reviews, opinions and experiences on this subject.

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 26-06-06, 07:55 AM   #1
Kinvig
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Alternatives to leather - motorway driving

Was on the motorway over the weekend wearing my draggin jeans.

It occured to me that if I was in a crash they would offer no protection against broken bones etc. My jeans will be fine on the daily commute but on the motorway they just won't do.

So...what leg wear do you guys wear for motorway riding that isn't leather? I find leatehr a bit uncomfortable in the heat & want something a bit more breathable. Any suggestions?
  Reply With Quote
Old 26-06-06, 08:12 AM   #2
Viney
Member
Mega Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: In the shadows to the left
Posts: 7,700
Default

...and theres the rub. Leather offers the best protection apprently, but as you say you get a little sticky. Textile is also good, but less abrasion resistant and also you get a tad sticky. You can perforated tetiles, or ones with lots of vetilation etc which could be the answer. My thoughts though are that you are less likely to come off on a motorway than a normal road (Tyre blowouts/bike faliure/catastophic filtering incedent aside) so i would stick with the dragging jeans. They are tested to silly speeds anyway, and its not a garuntee that the padding will stop broken bones, just reduces the likley hood.
Viney is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28-06-06, 09:41 AM   #3
fubber
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I have knox knee and hip armour in my draggin jeans - don't know if you can fit these to all models of their jeans but certainly can to mine - worth a look on the draggin website to see?
  Reply With Quote
Old 28-06-06, 09:44 AM   #4
thor
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Vented leathers.

I have a richa jacket with zipout side panels. Great in the summer!
  Reply With Quote
Old 28-06-06, 09:56 AM   #5
Red ones
Member
Mega Poster
 
Red ones's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 1,422
Default

Dianese D-Dri - its like goretex, at 70 or so mph the ventilation is enough to be comfortable, but you get the protection and waterproofing
Red ones is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28-06-06, 01:05 PM   #6
SVeeedy Gonzales
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Depends on the armour (and type of crash) if you want to avoid broken bones. I was wearing hood jeans with knee and hip armour (and a back protector, but no other armour - none in the jacket itself) when I got sideswiped and knocked into another car at 70mph last year. Fell off the bike before it hit anything and came out of it with just small bumps and bruises. I'd I'd hit anything after falling off I don't think any armour in the world would have helped... if I'd had my leather jeans out (no armour in them) I suspect my knees wouldn't work very well now - all down to the armour.
  Reply With Quote
Old 26-06-07, 10:43 AM   #7
philbut
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Alternatives to leather - motorway driving

I always wear Draggin jeans but with my MX knee and shin armour in. I prefer wearing fitted stuff to the ones that just attach to the jeans cos I know it won't move if I came off. It's proved itself pleanty of times in the mud so i trust it to do the same on the road (hope I never have to test it mind!)
  Reply With Quote
Old 26-06-07, 12:04 PM   #8
jamesw1024
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Alternatives to leather - motorway driving

I wear some textile RST trousers that have leather in the important places, I think they're quite good.
  Reply With Quote
Old 29-06-07, 07:30 AM   #9
MiniMatt
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Alternatives to leather - motorway driving

I suspect broken bones are pretty much down to luck a lot of the time and leather in itself is only an answer to abrasion rather than broken bones. Obviously if your leathers in particular are fitted with armour then you're one up.

Remember that statistically you're far more likely to come off on your daily commute than you are on the motorway, so in a way you should be wearing your leathers on the commute and your jeans on the motorway (assuming the abrasion resistance of the draggin jeans is up to the task).

My gut feeling is that you're also more likely to break bones on A/B roads and town driving too, accidents here are more likely to be getting t-boned at junctions and the like - ie. you're likely to go flying through the air with considerable impact velocity. Not sure how motorway accidents break down really but gut feeling again would be that your more likely here to slide along on your **** for a quarter mile and hope to god that a truck doesn't run you over (in which case no amount of armour is going to save you).

I'd be a teensy bit wary of MX armour by the way. MX armour is generally hard plates with some comfort padding, while regular amour is generally padded out a lot more with EPS foam and the like. The point is, MX armour is designed to protect against cuts and serious pain from flung up stones and the like - ie. high velocity, low energy impacts. Regular armour should be more designed for absorbing high energy rather than high velocity - otherwise you'd just break your leg on the armour rather than on the car, in the same way that a solid steel bike helmet wouldn't work as you'd just turn your brain to mush when your head hits the inside of the lid, instead of when it hits the bonnet of the car. That said, any armour is going to be better than none
  Reply With Quote
Old 29-06-07, 05:41 PM   #10
Red ones
Member
Mega Poster
 
Red ones's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 1,422
Default Re: Alternatives to leather - motorway driving

Quote:
Originally Posted by MiniMatt View Post
Remember that statistically you're far more likely to come off on your daily commute than you are on the motorway,

Bugger


My daily commute is the motorway!
Red ones is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Dainese Mako Leather Leather Jacket... Brand New... tonyt For Sale - SV's and SV related items 8 20-09-08 06:13 PM
iPod or alternatives Scoobs Idle Banter 33 07-09-07 10:57 AM
SVS clip-on alternatives embee SV Talk, Tuning & Tweaking 1 25-06-06 07:05 PM
Handlebar alternatives.... Iansv SV Talk, Tuning & Tweaking 11 27-12-05 01:15 AM
clear alternatives for a k3 kwak zzr SV Talk, Tuning & Tweaking 12 22-11-05 09:36 PM


All times are GMT. The time now is 11:37 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® - Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.