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sportbikes.com Ezine: Riding Gear - Riding Leathers for Ladies
Riding Leathers for Ladies
Author - Shandra Crawford
Date Published:
Monday, March 05, 2007
Summary:
As many of my fellow lady riders already know, it is tough to find good riding leathers for women.
Article:
As many of my fellow lady riders already know, it is tough to find good riding leathers for women. Most manufacturers either made men's cut leathers, but just "sized" them down, or gave us a leather jacket that was more suited for going out to dinner than riding on a motorcycle. Most motorcycle stores don't carry a large line of women's clothing and accessories either. Thankfully, some of the leather companies have realized that women like to have leathers that fit good, look good, and protect us as good as the men's versions do. Some online companies have also realized that we wear more than just size "medium" and now carry the manufacturer's full line of clothing for women.
The leather brands I will be comparing are Teknic, Alpinestars, and Joe Rocket. I have tried, worn, rode in, and fell off in all these brands, and for women, these had the best fit , look, and protection out of anything else I tried on for off-the-rack leathers. If you really want something nice, have Vansen custom make you a set, but if you're looking for something under $1500, this is some good gear.
Teknic
This one is my personal favorite. Teknic leathers have a tendency to run small, and fit small frame people very well. They have 2 piece leather suits with a full waist zipper that can be worn on the track or on the street. The jacket worn alone is also very comfortable for street riding, as you have a full range of arm motion. There is dual density foam in the shoulders and elbows that does not move around while you're wearing the jacket. In the event of sliding across the asphalt, the foam protects better than just the leather alone and also stays in place. There is a stretchable fabric in both the chest and legs that allows for better fit across the bust and hips, as well as a double layer of leather in the seat. The only complaint I have is that the ladies 2 piece suit comes without knee pucks, while the knee pucks are standard on the men’s 2 piece suit. (Come on you guys, girls drag knee too!) Teknic also has a small line of just leather jackets
Teknic also has a couple of really nice textile jackets with zip out liners for riding on those chilly winter evenings. The jackets are also cut a little longer to cover a little more of your backside and keep those drafts out. There is also dual density foam in the shoulders and elbow of these too. Not a big selection of textile, but they are nice.
Gloves and boots complete the leather set, and Teknic has a few nice sets of gloves and boots, but again, these run small so they do have a tendency to be tight. The boots do have a non-skid sole, nylon shin plate, and ankle insets for impact protection. The gloves are gauntlet style, with double layer leather palms on the top end or a rubber grip on the textile end. I liked the feel of some other gloves better, but I found these at a really good price.
Price Range:
2 piece leather suits-$500
Textile jackets-$180 to $200
Boots-$150 to $190
Gloves-$40
Alpinestars
I really liked these leathers as well, but had a hard time finding my size. These fit more true to size, and fit medium frames really well. I noticed the sleeves on the jackets are also a little longer, so they don't slide up when you're riding. The Bostrom 2 piece suit is great-it also has dual density foam in the shoulders and elbows. This one has Kevlar stretch panels, again a good fit across the bust and hips, and an excellent range of motion. A full waist zipper lets this one go on the track as well, and the jacket by itself is good. The padding doesn't move, and this suit comes with knee pucks! They also have a line of just leather jackets.
Alpinestars also has some good textile jackets with CE certified protectors, some have precurved sleeves, zip out liners, and air flow venting systems as well. The cuts on their textile jackets range from fitted to waist to "car coat" style waists. These ran a little big on me, so I preferred the fitted waist style. However, they have a good selection of styles and colors you can choose from.
I loved the Alpinestars 4W SMX3 boots, but again, had some problems finding my size. They have a venting system that keeps your feet really comfortable, and a removable footbed for added fit adjustment. These boots also had a complete shin/ankle/calf/heel/toe impact and abrasion protection system. Their SP-3 gloves have Kevlar reinforced palms, gauntlet style, and fit really well. I liked these better than the Teknics gloves, but again, the store I was at did not have my size in stock. Alpinestars did not have a large selection of ladies gloves styles, but they did fit very well.
Price Range:
2 Piece leather suits- $690 to $900
Textile Jackets-$126 to $300
Boots-$150
Gloves-$40 to $80
Joe Rocket
This is the clothing line that has the "men's cut sized down" feel to it, but it's comfortable and fits medium to large framed women well. The jackets have a generous fit through the bust line, slightly longer sleeves, as well as the "boyfriend" style cut. The leather jackets have a ventilation system, zip out liner, body armor, and spine protector, as well as an adjustable waistband and twin zipper hip adjusters. The only thing I did not like was the 8" zipper for attaching pants because you would have to install a full waist zipper for track use, and I've ripped 8" zippers loose before in a fall. Joe Rocket does not offer 2 piece suits for women, but they do have a good selection of pants that you can mix and match with the jackets.
Joe Rockets line of textile jackets are comfy, they fit well, have a good range of options for ventilation system, zip out liner, body armor, sleeve liners, spine pads, adjustable waistband and twin zipper hip adjustments. They are also priced very well, and you can usually find them on sale more often than the Aplinestars or Teknics. They also come in a good variety of styles and colors.
The Joe Rocket ladies riding boots reminded me of a hiking boot, but it was lightweight, and was a lot cheaper than Alpinestars or Teknics. It is not super flashy, but it is a good basic boot. Their selection of glove styles is larger than Alpinestars or Teknics, and they have cermic-infused leather palms in the top of line glove for protection. All of the gloves have finger and knuckle protection with double leather palms, and the ones I tried on were really comfortable. The only bad thing about their gloves is the only place I could find the whole line in stock was at the Joe Rocket website.
Price Range:
Leather Jackets-$300 to $400
Textile Jackets-$100 to $200
Boots-$90
Gloves-$30 to $50
