I wouldn't reccomend buying something unless you've tried it on first. And I've got the Ballistic as well; can't go wrong with it!

 

a good perf leather jacket will breath just as good as a textile though... and if you shop around you can get one for near the same price

 

But will feel much diferent at a stop sign........................

 

will also feel much different when your tumbling across the pavement at 60 mph... i'd prefer to sweat than bleed any day of the week, alot of people wear textile, and its so much better than nothing, but just saying the 2 big reasons people buy it is A) cost, and B) heat

but if you shop around like i said you can get a good perf leather jacket for about the same price as a really good textile... and a really good perforated leather jacket will be just as cool as a textile, i have yet to find even a fully textile jacket that breathed as well as my vanson hurricane pro-perf, so to me that makes textile seem obsolete

 

Leather is the only way to go! We were out all day yeaterday int he blistering heat and still wore leather jackets, NON-preferated! Like you said," Id rather sweat than bleed anyday!" .

 

yeah, but they are refering to the jacket that is complete mesh, not standard textile jacket.
http://joerocket.com/catalog/item.cfm?products_id=139

Note: isn't the ballistic a series, not a specific jacket?

 

i think your right about it being a series and not a specific jacket

maybe i just have a high tolerance for heat, but i just don't find the questionable added cooling of mesh to out weigh the extra protection of leather

 

What makes you soooooo sure that fully perf'd leather is gonna protect you THAT much better than a decent textile? The major difference is that a leather jacket might survive a fall and still be usable. The textile won't be!

 

hmm maybe the dozens of articles and tests i've read, the strengths of leather and textile aren't even worthy of comparison... or possibly watching me and my friend slide across the pavement together, same speed, same time, same place, then seeing his decent textile jacket's arm being ripped nearly completely off and him covered in road rash screaming in pain on the pavement, while i had not a single scratch at all and my jacket literally only had some scuffs that you would have to squint to see... a true side to side comparison

there is a difference, with all the millions/billions spent in developement and research for new synthetic materials, yet the moto gp boys still wear leather(kangaroo though) exclusively... that just says something to me

courtesy of cycle magazine:

At 50 mph:

Jeans: <4 ft
Fashion Leather Jacket: 4ft
Textiles (Kevlar, etc.): 20-30ft
Heavy Motorcycle Leather (3.3oz/in): 78ft

thats nearly four times the abrasion resistance

 

I ve crashed in leather 3 times before, twice at the track a once on the street.
All 3 times I dont remember feeling the impact of hitting the ground. I don't know if textile will provide as good a protection as leather and I am not planning to find out either.

All 3 times were lowsides. I had one huge crash at VIR last year, going more than 90+ mph in a corner. Lets just say, I ended up going airborn and as I was landing I see my bike in the air too. My left ankle is still messed up from that crash. Now that I think about it, it's hard to believe that I came out of that with only fracture ankle.

Leather is the ony way to go for me, but a textile/leather combo would still be pretty good too if you consider that any protection is better than nothing at all.