Of course, it's a big step from a rack full of hides to a finished garment. According to several industry insiders, the essential shift in leather-garment manufacturing has been the rapid movement to offshore construction. While such a change surely alters the bottom line-you have to agree that we get a lot more garment for the money today than in the last decade or two-it also creates another issue for smart shoppers to consider. It's unfair to say that anything made offshore is inferior to an American-made item, but there are some strategic differences. For example, the first reason many companies turn to offshore providers is economy, and for those subcontracting garment manufacturers, the bottom line is king. As a result, you will find skins that do not have quite the sheen or texture you'd see in an expensive American jacket. In addition, the quality of construction is typically not as good.
A large variable in leather jackets is thickness. Often, jacket manufacturers will list thickness in millimeters. A hard-core sport suit might be in the 1.4 to 1.6mm range, with street-oriented jackets down in the 1.1 to 1.3mm range. Generally, the thicker the leather the greater its abrasion-resistance, but variations in tanning and construction techniques can make a well-made thick jacket more comfortable than a poorly made thin one. Don't go solely by the hide thickness, but do keep it in mind; it's not the only important parameter.
There are several areas that bear close scrutiny as you compare leather jackets. How do the hides look? Do opposing panels have a similar sheen and texture? Obviously, one jacket will have hides from different animals, sometimes from different sources or tanneries, and the better manufacturers take great care to match hides.
Look closely at the stitching. You want double stitching at least, with a third safety stitch a better option. In this construction, two sections of the jacket are sewn together with one stitch, and the remaining "flap" of material is folded over and top-stitched. In critical areas there may be twin, parallel-top stitches. On cheaper jackets, the two sections are glued together rather than stitched, so a crash that penetrates or wears through the main stitch will tear the garment apart in that area; the glue simply locates the parts of the jacket, and it's in no way structural.
While you're examining the jacket, pull at the various stitched seams and look at how the material separates. If you can see the thread stretch or the hole in the main material elongate, you've got a cheap or damaged jacket in your hands. Those seams should be so tight that you can't possibly pull the material apart.
So here's the bottom line on leather wear: You get what you pay for. Really, no kidding. (This penetrating glimpse into the obvious brought to you by...) Whatever you do, buy a real, honest-to-goodness motorcycle jacket. It pains us to see riders on the road wearing fashion leather-or worse, nothing at all. That's just road rash looking for a place to happen.
In The Other Corner: Textiles
If leather is the material of choice for old-style motorcyclists, miscreants and road racers, modern textile has become the calling card of the long-distance tourer and the ain't-got-a-car commuter. Good grief, how did this happen?
Simple. Textiles have come a long, long way since the nylon Mach 1 jacket you wore in high school. Modern fabrics are strong and durable, lead by DuPont's Cordura, which is supposedly twice as strong as nylon and three times stronger than polyester. What's more, because of this strength, textiles can be made lighter for a given degree of impact resistance.