Leather or Textile? The Ultimate Motorcycle Gear Guide for Beginners

What’s a good answer to the question, “why do you own six motorcycles?”

“Because I can’t afford seven”.

Ask any rider, and they’ll tell you their dream garage would house at least 8 to 12 different motorcycles dedicated for different types of riding, plus a couple of project bikes to tinker with during the off-season. It’s the same with motorcycle gear: in an ideal world, we’d have different sets of protective jackets, pants, riding suits, and motorcycle jeans we could use for different weather, terrain, or riding style.

However, most of us live in the real world, and our garages usually house just one motorcycle and one set of protective gear. If you’re just starting out as a beginner rider, you’ll want gear that will work for most conditions, most temperatures, and most riding styles. Somewhere along the way, you may realize that although you’ve gotten your motorcycle license on a street bike, you’d rather transition to motocross machines. Or, perhaps, you bought a scooter for commuting initially, but now feel like riding a café racer. We’re all for experimenting with different bikes and styles and finding what you truly enjoy! When it comes to gear, however, the main debate usually centers around leather vs textile. While there are many different options out there, leather or textile is what you’ll need to decide about first and then build your setup from there.

To help you out, we put together this ultimate gear guide for beginners discussing whether you should go for leather or textile motorcycle riding gear.

Leather vs Textile Motorcycle Jackets

Protection, protection, protection

Regardless of whether you’re new to motorcycles or have been riding for decades, one thing remains the same: you want the best protection you can get. As they say, it’s not a matter of “if” you’ll come off, it’s a matter of “when”. You want to be protected as best as humanly possible, right?

So, when it comes to safety, should you opt for a leather or textile motorcyc