South West Bikers | Motorcycle Forum

Discussion time, I personaly beleive there is no right or wrong answer, just personal choices......

I'm interested in everybody else's styles and thoughts,

Over the years my riding style and equipment has changed, I've gone from one piece race suits, to two piece leather zip together,( race fit and look) now I'm at the point of wearing Jeans and casual fit leather jacket. Which doesn't zip together, I will say the jeans are AAA slide and 2 impact, jacket is AA slide and 2 impact,
Took a while to feel safe not being zipped together, but the comfort is amazing and suffer alot less with stiff knee's and shoulders.

I ride a zzr, and enjoy being out rather than having to pass everything in site now.

What do you ride and what style of clothing do you wear?.

My favourite is bike jeans and a leather jacket.
I do have two piece leathers (zip together) and also full textiles for when it's cold.

I don't know what safety rating any of it is and don't really worry about it either, I guess over the years I've become complacent.

Two piece textiles when it's cold.
One piece suit on track.
Two piece leathers that zip together for road.
Lots of padding and armour for dirt.

Would never ride on the road without a zip together, as room as you slide without a zip the jacket is gonna ride up and you could lose the skin from your torso.


JUST my opinion though.

A long-style textile fully armoured jacket, Hein Gericke leather jeans, TSX S-Speed boots and Kangaroo leather sports gloves are my go-to outer wear on a bike. Also I never go anywhere without a back protector, a full strap on jobbie; I never rely on what's supplied with the jacket, no matter what the claims. I have VERY good reasons for this.

One piece leathers with a textile jacket on top in cooler weather. Always proper bike boots and gloves and of course a quality helmet. I don't race on the road but do like to make reasonably good progress with the occasional pootle to watch the grass grow......and pee stops before Si mentions it

Interesting to read the replys. Have to say I agree billionm8s comment about jacket riding and losing skin in a slide, that was/is my concern with my new out fit which doesn't zip together.
I'm considering getting a zip sewn into the jacket so it ataches to my rst Jeans,

I agree the zip-together leathers combination is ultimately a safer bet, but, depending on what you use your bike for, there are very good compromises too.
I have a 360 degree zipped two piece leather race suit but rarely use it now I've stopped doing track days, it's just too uncomfortable on my sport tourer. For me, my combo of a long and fully armoured textile jacket, high waisted leather jeans (again fully armoured) and a full length strap on back protector is enough for all but the hottest day out.

Thinking about it my best bit of protection is always trying to maximise my roadcraft.....




.....and not ride in to the back of white vans when looking at the satnav at the wrong time

Garryzzr1400 wrote: ↑Apr 29th, '23, 15:23 Interesting to read the replys. Have to say I agree billionm8s comment about jacket riding and losing skin in a slide, that was/is my concern with my new out fit which doesn't zip together.
I'm considering getting a zip sewn into the jacket so it ataches to my rst Jeans,

I have ridden with the similar Richa connecting zip and am just purchasing the Oxford Products one to go with my new laminate jacket. Just a shame one connection zip does not fit all makes. Here is one for RST.

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorc ... rod/583291

Tvrv37, thank you for that info,

That RST belt zip connector is exactly what I have with my RST jeans, works perfectly with my RST textile jacket, but not my new WEISE casual fit leather jacket.

Like you say such a shame all the company's don't use a standard fit zip, nobody would lose out as all products would be purchased.

For the road and for summer I am waring a set of Bill-It SR8 jeans (AAA rated) with upgraded level 2 hip and knee armour. (They don’t make them any more as super heavy and fully covec lined and actually perform better then leather) As per the suggestion above always have zip together. That gets zipped to a RST leather jacket again with AAA rating and level 2 armour throughout with an elbow slider thrown in for good measure.

For road and for early spring / late autumn use the same jeans but with an RST textile jacket with thermal liner again zipped to the jeans with a level 2 back plate but only level A protection. This normally has a waterproof rain suit over the top and soon to purchase over boots, over gloves and a water proof neck liner

For track an under suit, under a one piece RST Pro Leather suit with AAA rating and Level 2 armour throughout. Then over the top a Helite GP Air airbag vest.

Look up Lwr Gerry on this forum. She'll be able to fit a zip for you.

billinom8s wrote: ↑May 1st, '23, 22:02 Look up Lwr Gerry on this forum. She'll be able to fit a zip for you.

Is Gerry back working? Thought that she was still recovering from her cancer treatment didn’t realise she had restarted seemstress work.

I totally get where you're coming from. Comfort can make a huge difference, especially on longer rides. I've gone through a similar transition—used to be all about the full leather race suit, but now I’m more into practical comfort without sacrificing safety.

I ride a GSX-R and have settled on a two-piece setup as well. My current gear is a pair of AA-rated riding jeans and a CE-rated leather jacket. They don't zip together either, but like you said, the freedom of movement and comfort is worth it, especially on those all-day rides.

I’m curious to hear what others prefer, too. What matters most to me now is finding the right balance between protection and comfort, and it sounds like you've done the same.