what maximum hide thickness on motorcyle style jacket?

[Bern1]

To answer the op's q, my Lost Worlds Easy Ryder is what Stuart says is 4oz HH. It is heavy but comfortable. Not sure I would want to haul around anything thicker or heavier on my back.

 

[Peacoat]

To answer the op's q, my Lost Worlds Easy Ryder is what Stuart says is 4oz HH. It is heavy but comfortable. Not sure I would want to haul around anything thicker or heavier on my back.

Yes, I agree. 4 oz. is about the max for me, with 3.5 oz. being the minimum. The 4 oz. leather is about 1.6 mm and the 3.5 oz leather is about 1.4 mm. The generally accepted minimum for riding is 1.4 mm or 3.5 oz.

A friend of mine went down in a curve doing 40 to 50 MPH. He was wearing a Harley branded leather jacket, which I believe are about 3 oz. He slid on asphalt but was protected by the leather. He still got strawberries on his arm, but they were relatively minor, and none of the road grit penetrated the jacket or his skin.

For my money the Vanson Competition weight is thick enough without being bulky, after break in. Also the heavy Johnson Leathers MC is a good thickness. Both of those leathers are about the same with the Vanson being about 3.75 oz. and the Johnson being about 4 oz. The old Aero Highwayman in steer is in the same category.

 

[navetsea]

this is the leather I picked, not grainy at all, the texture is very smooth and even, probably has been sanded or pressed I dunno , but it can crease alright and quite absorbent, could someone here help me to identify what kind of cow leather category this one falls into?

 

[tblay]

Having spent my entire riding life in hot, humid climates, I can't imagine wearing a jacket thicker/heavier than 3–3.5 oz. If I wore a 7 oz. leather jacket, I'd either die of heat exhaustion or crashing due to dizziness from heat exhaustion or crashing due to concentration problems from dehydration. The other option would be to shorten my riding season to the 2.5 months of true winter we get here. Maybe you live in a climate where you can dress like the Michelin Man and remain comfortable enough to ride, but holy moly, I could never do it.

 

[navetsea]

hehe, I live in constant summer as well but on a higher elevation surrounded by mountains so the wind here is fresh but the sun is killing, so I need something to block the sun exposure, I found leather is much better at that compared to denim.
to me it is on the lining material, and how the sleeve cuff ends. moto style jacket with no knits and non insulating liner won't make me sweat here, a thin sheepskin with padded liner would make me sweat instantly.

 

[Carlos840]

Navetsea, maybe go to a motorcycle shop and see what is available...

Seriously, especially in warm weather you will be so much more comfortable in a purpose built jacket. I do ride in my AL or Schott cafe racer and i always end up a sweaty mess.
There is little aeration, they aren't as comfortable, and offer less protection. But, they do look awesome...
My bike jacket on the other hand gives me much better range of motion, comes with a detachable warm liner, has vented stretch panels on the inside of the arms.
Most importantly it has two vents on the chest and two vents on the back next to the arm pits, that you can open or close with zippers.
The ones in the front allow air in, the ones in the back prevent balooning.

Apart from the looks department my purpose built jacket wins in every category, it even cost half as much.
Not all modern riding jackets will make you look like a playmobil....

 

[navetsea]

Yesterday I was called to have a look at the hide, I drove there and took this picture...
locally they don't really name it as such, but what I saw was a stone grey pull up cow leather not very oily but it showed somewhat pull up effect when I folded, smooth and suede side has more or less same color, so probably other than sun fading, not really going to have any surprise color from scuffing.

I think it would fit the style I'm going with and the purpose since it is more water resistant than my grainy cow, on the edges it is 2.1mm and further in it is not as thick 1.8mm
seems supple enough, and won't collect & show dirt as much as black grainy hide, so... hopefully it would work

 

[navetsea]

so it will turn out like this... hopefully

 

[navetsea]

I think, I went too far with previous drawing(s) making it difficult to understand, since
now after a long vacation they finally called me, I needed to redraw it

I decide with both zippered chest pockets but I keep the tab so I can wear it unzipped and still have some security. pocket lining inside is half oval following the shape of ribcage to the side

inside would be vertical pockets on each side

3panels sleeve, more V pockets, straight shoulder patch with piping on both ends to make it look like pauldron

 

[Seb Lucas]

Hmmm. The chest pockets look like they have nipples, with those center snaps. Very Joel Schumacher

 

[AeroFan_07]

For your climate, a Vanson Pro-Perf jacket would be what I would choose, in a color a bit lighter than black. Good luck with your jacket you are creating!

 

[navetsea]

ha.. when worn hopefully the tab would be slightly to the side and on the rib below chest, hopefully... but I'll check again when there is a mockup to try on.

 

[Seb Lucas]

It's worth checking design details like that. Once an image enters the mind it's hard to get rid of it. My friends think the ball and chain pulls on the chest pockets of my cafe racer look like a stripper's pasties. I see what they mean.

Nice bit of design work otherwise. Too contemporary for someone my age. Have you ever thought of doing a Navetsea version of a classic half belt? You could have them made and sell them. There's a market for an affordable half-belt out there. All the ones I've seen are crazy expensive.

 

[Graemsay]

This is a BKS Leather police rider's suit that was worn during an unintentional dismount at 100 mph / 160 km/h. Apart from some awesome patina, and a bit of tearing on the Kevlar stretch panel, it's in good shape. The rider had a bruised hip. There are more details and pictures on their Facebook page.

BKS use 1.3 / 1.4 mm thick cowhide for most of their suits, which equates to 3.5 oz. It'll be double thickness on impact points, but these haven't worn through. You don't need super thick leather to keep yourself in one piece.

As for armour, Rev'it brought out Seesmart this year, which is a very soft, 6 mm (about 1/4") thick, but still provides CE Level 1 protection. There's a video at Motorcyclist Online showing it off.

 

[navetsea]

wow nice marble fades from that spill

@Seb
thanks, and yeah I can imagine... now you scared me, but hopefully those pocket tabs would be placed where I imagined but if it doesn't work I will scrap that part

well I'm just able to doodle stuff up and bring it to this jacket maker close by... usually they came out collarless and with none or even number of pockets...

 

[2wheelgrplr]

For your climate, a Vanson Pro-Perf jacket would be what I would choose, in a color a bit lighter than black. Good luck with your jacket you are creating!

Another vote for Vanson Properf for hot weather riding. I picked up one of their new perforated models recently - the DRAC, basically a Drifter with perforated chest that could be zipped close from the inside. Great looking jacket, worked well in warm weather, sadly a little too small for me. A friend is wearing it now, and I might just get myself a regular Properf jacket next in my correct size. As much as I like my Revit mesh riding jacket, I love my leather jackets more and would probably be happier with a perforated classic-style leather jacket for dry hot summer riding.

 

[Stormlord]

I have bought a 2.6mm leather moto jacket in Germany. It's not that stylish but I prefer exotic to style. Looks like batman