Choose Motorcycle Suit Material

Table of Contents

How to Choose Your Motorcycle Suit Material: Cow, Kangaroo, or Textile?

This is one of the most common initial questions we hear.
Three choices available to you for the primary construction of your suit:

  • Cowhide
  • Kangaroo
  • Textile (DuPont Cordura/Superfabric)

Cowhide:

The cowhide aviator jacket. It proved warmer, dryer, and tougher than the wool and cotton garments prior. By the 1920’s cowhide motorcycle jackets had been adapted and were quickly becoming the normal.
100 years on, cowhide remains the most popular option in motorcycle road and track gear construction.
The reason for the continued success and longevity of cowhide as a protective material? Very simply, cowhide has an excellent balance of cost and durability with a 100-year track record of proven performance.

Cowhide is the most common leather type which is being used for:
1 piece motorbike suit
Biker gloves
Vests
Pants
Biker bags
Most probably everything that a rider wears to keep his/her self-safe on the road track.
It provides very good confidence of safety to the rider on the race road track.
There is a textured & grained finish in the cowhide leather that is very durable.
It is more comfortable for usage over time.
Cowhide is commonly not the cheapest leather on the market.
Cowhide leather is having great value as we talk about the quality of protection and comfortability offers to bike rider.

 

Disadvantage of Cowhide leather motorbike suit:

There are also some disadvantages of cowhide leather in the comparison with the kangaroo.
The cowhide leather suit thickness is normally 1.3mm which is 20-30% heavier than a kangaroo suit, and also 35% more than a textile suit.
The cowhide leather also needs to be clean and conditioned to make it ensure longevity.

Kangaroo leather motorbike suit:

Kangaroo leather is also called k-leather
Perfect for those riders seeking the very best comfort and mobility for their races.
0.9/1.0 mm thick top grain kangaroo leather specifically tanned for racing leather suits
It is Ultra-light weight
It is up to 10 times stronger than Cowhide
Multiple stitched re-enforced main seam construction
It has a stronger protection quality that gives a rider more confidence at the race road track.
Kangaroos only sweat through their tails and therefore there are no pores in the hide
The kangaroos don’t have as much fat as other animals have like cow & sheep
The kangaroo leather does not have to be shaved too much during the manufacturing process.
Kangaroo leather is naturally soft, lightweight, and flexible.
Kangaroo hide is resilient to moisture and so less likely to lose its shape or degrade over time
After the split process the kangaroo leather retains more strength as we compare it with cowhide.
The kangaroo leather is thinner than cowhide or even lambskin.
The thinner layer of skin gives a very lightweight 2 piece motorcycle suit.
Kangaroo leather is considered superior, as it is thinner and softer than cowhide.

Disadvantage Kangaroo leather motorcycle suit:

The biggest bad aspect of kangaroo leather is it is extremely costly.

Textile (Vegan):

DuPont Cardura base and super fabric impact/slide areas.
Textile suit uses no animal products yet provides excellent protection.
Textile gear has been used for years on the street, so what’s keeping it from being used on the racetrack?
Very simply it’s a matter of changing the way we think. But when something has been done one way for 100 years, it can be difficult to depart from that method.
Cost equivalent to cowhide leather.
Very lightweight. 35% lighter than cow hide and 10-15% lighter yet than kangaroo.
Textile suits are very lightweight
Textile suits have excellent breath-ability, and they’re tough!
Less environmental impact than animal hide.

Disadvantage of Textile motorcycle suit:

Much more limited design options.
Cordura color palette is smaller
Prints not available.
Super fabric only available in black.
Less durable than animal hides in some crash situations.