Leather Shopping Tips
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 leather pants will act as a second skin between you and the road, and can quite literally "save your hide". With 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. bison, 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 breath ability, 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 layers. 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 a thickness of 1.1 to 1.3 mm 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, nothing other than the dye is added. This very soft leather requires no breaking in period. Hides are typically 1.5 to 1.8 mm 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.
Climatic Considerations
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 laces and a belt will allow you to adjust the jacket to fit snugly against the upper body. Of course, being able to fully zip up only adds to your protection from the wind. You can also wear a leather vest underneath your motorcycle jacket for extra warmth.
For hot summer days, a leather jacket with air vents that can be zipped open allows the air to circulate underneath the jacket and around your body. Even better for hot weather riding is a jacket that is perforated over its entire area. For an all year around riding jacket, consider a jacket that combines vents with a removable zip or snap out insulated lining.
Leather is not meant to get wet, as that tends to deplete the natural oils, and it is advisable to wear a rain suit over your leathers in inclement weather. However if they do get wet, allow them to dry naturally, away from extreme heat.
If the leather seems to be losing its luster, it can be oiled to improve its appearance. This supplements the natural oils in the leather itself, which can be washed out through repeated exposure to water. Frequent oiling of leather with mink oil or other commercially available products will keep your leathers supple and improve their life span dramatically.
Types of Leather:
Nappa: Pig Skin; soft & lightweight!
Cowhide: Grain Pattern in the leather. A rougher Texture.
Buffalo: This is Water Buffalo. Medium weight. Usually smooth.
Nubuck: Is like suede, but brushed.
Goat: Very Soft and Lightweight.
Naked Leather: Has a Natural finish. Usually grain marks show.
*Note: I sell very little 'Italian Stone Leather'. It is usually "Patchwork Leather", Thin, and Not as Durable. It is common to find Unsewn areas around the patchwork.
'Italian Stone Leather' also has a Solid Leather Series which will be stated in the item’s description. This leather is not pieced together and therefore is a better upgrade to the patchwork leather.
If you are interested in this type of garment, email me. I will be glad to send you information on what selection I may have.
Now that you have found the perfect biker jacket, take care of it, and it will reward you with years of wear. The typical lifetime of a heavy textile jacket will be from 3 to 6 years. A well maintained top quality leather motorcycle jacket will easily give you 10 years and more of riding pleasure! To purchase motorcycle leathers, visit our online store at: www.LeatherRider.com
Leather Glossary Of Terms
This glossary provides definitions for many of the terms encountered in the Leather Rider product lists and elsewhere in the leather industry. |
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| Aniline: Leather that is colored all the way through with a transparent dye. The effect is applied by immersing the leather in a dye bath. Because the finish is transparent and shows the natural markings of the leather, only the best quality hides can be used. Antiqued: Leather that is dyed with one color over another (usually darker over lighter) so as to create rich highlights and an artificial aged appearance. Also called distressed leather. Buffed Leather: Leather from which the top surface has been removed by abrasion. Often known as suede or nubub. Corrected Grain: Leather that has been buffed to remove blemishes, then covered with a new, artificial grain created using pigments and other finishes. |
Crocking: Removing the crock, or excess coloring, that rubs off of a newly-dyed hide.
Crust: Leather which has been tanned (treated to become nonperishable) but not colored or otherwise finished.
Distressed: Another term for antiqued leather.
Drum Dying: The process of coloring leather by tumbling it in a rotating drum immersed in dye. A very effective method allowing maximum dye penetration.
Embossed Leather: Leather that has been "stamped" with a design or artificial texture under very high pressure. Used, for example, to create imitation alligator hide.
Finish: Any enhancing effect applied to leather after it has been tanned. Examples are dyeing, embossing, buffing, antiquing, waxing, waterproofing, and so on.
Full Grain Leather: Leather which has not been altered beyond hair removal. Full grain leather is the most genuine type of leather, as it retains all of the original texture and markings of the original hide.
Glazed Leather: Aniline-dyed leather which has been polished to a high luster by passing through glass or steel rollers under great pressure.
Glove Leather: Lambskin or other very soft leather typically used for gloves.
Grain: A word used to describe the natural characteristics of an unprocessed hide, such as its pores, wrinkles, markings, and texture.
Hand: A word used to describe the feel (i.e. softness or fullness) of leather, typically upholstery leather.
Nap: Describes the soft, "fuzzy" effect achieved in leather by buffing or brushing.
Natural Grain: A leather that displays its original grain.
Nubuc: A leather whose surface has been buffed and brushed to create a soft, velvety effect. Differs from suede in that while suede is created from the flesh (inner) side of a hide, nubuc is created using the grain (outer) side, giving it added strength and durability.
Oil Tanned: Leather that is tanned using oils to create a very soft, pliable finish.
Patina: The aura or luster that develops in a quality piece of leather with age.
Perforated: Leather in which a pattern of small holes is stamped using a die.
Pigmented Leather: Leather that has been coated with a flat surface color on top of or instead of the usual dye finish. Leather is usually pigmented to add durability and hide natural blemishes.
Plating: The process of pressing leather under a heated plate. Often used in upholstery leather to mask imperfections.
Pull-up: Describes the behavior of leather that has been treated with oils, waxes, and dyes in such a way that when the leather is pulled or stretched (i.e. on upholstery), the finish becomes lighter in the stretched areas. Considered a mark of high quality.
Retan: A second finish added over an underlying tannage.
Sauvage: A coloring effect created by blending two similar dyes to create a mottled or marbled appearance.
Semi-Aniline: Aniline leather to which a matching pigment layer is added to even out the color and add protection.
Side Leather: Leather made from one half, or "side", of a full hide. Typically refers to leather whose top grain (outermost layer) has been left intact.
Split Leather: Leather made from the lower (inner or flesh side) layers of a hide that have been split away from the upper, or grain, layers. Split leather is more fragile than side leather or full-grain leather, and is typically used in the form of suede.
Suede: Split leather that has been buffed and brushed to create a fuzzy surface feel.
Top Grain: Leather whose top (outermost) layers have been left intact, in contrast to split leather.
Two-tone: An effect created by applying layers of similar or contrasting dyes to a piece of leather in order to create a mottled or aged appearance. Antiqued and Sauvaged leathers are examples of two-tone leathers.
Upholstery Leather: Leather created from a whole hide and intended for use in furniture, automobiles, airplanes, and other upholstery applications.
Vegetable Tanning: A method of hide tanning which utilizes materials from organic materials such as bark instead of the traditional chemicals. Vegetable tanned leather has greater body and firmness than traditionally-tanned leather.
Weight: A term which describes the heaviness or thickness of leather. Typically given in ounces per square foot or millimeters (thickness).
Whole Hide: Refers to leather created using a full hide, as opposed to a side, and typically intended for use as upholstery leather.
