• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

vegetarian gear?

bike_girl

bike_girl

wheee!
Joined
Jun 25, 2008
Location
Oakland
Moto(s)
Atala 1-speed, Torelli 12-speed, '05 SV650 master splinter
Name
tala
I'd like to hear some opinions on vegetarian gear vs. leather gear. I am new to motorcycling, also a vegetarian and I have a strong aversion to wearing/purchasing leather goods.

I've been told that you can slide a lot farther on leather than you can on textile, but I was hoping that y'all could give me some kevlar/textile recommendations that might be comparable to leather in terms of protection in the event of a crash. There seems to be an equal amount of the two products on the market.

Thanks!!
 
:rolleyes Not this again.

Nothing really compares to natural hide (cow, 'roo) for crash protection. There's lots of synthetic materials available, but the people working in the factories who made them probably eat meat so, either way, you're contributing to the senseless slaughter of animals. There's just no getting around it.

Sorry. :twofinger
 
thanks for reminding me why i don't normally join forums in the first place!
 
USARMworker said:
:rolleyes Not this again.

Nothing really compares to natural hide (cow, 'roo)
Click to expand...

As an Aussie living in America I must say it is reprehensible to wear Kangaroo hide while riding a motorcycle....... :rofl The 'roo is on our umm, beer cans and bicky tins and rugby jerseys, sacred symbol of all things Aussie?? Oh hell, scratch that, they are giant hopping rats, cute hopping rats though.. *boom* It's sundown in Queensland... Ahhh the sounds of home... :teeth

Anyway, bike_girl, my jokes aside, at casa de -pink- we've got jackets from here to next week in our hallway and I've had fights with my husband and The Curmudgeon about gear. We have everything from Helimot to mesh. Each of us is willing to accept a different level of risk with our skin.

My suggestion, because everyone here has 1 or 10+... Read through the crash reports here and then do your own independent gear research. You are likely to come up with what gear choice is best for you.

Enjoy...

-pink-
 
Bike girl,

I'm a Vegetarian rider myself, apparently one of few in this community. While I don't have a personal aversion to leather products, I can certainly understand your concerns.

For what it's worth, there's a huge array of non leather gear available for sale, including gortex boots and textile gloves. Textiles are very popular for touring, casual riding, and commuting, so you have a number of options. I would walk into a store such as road rider, and simply start looking. If you are looking for specific recommendations, I'm sure they can be made once you provide more information on your requirements and budget.

Most textiles will provide great protection for medium to moderate speed crashes. Suits such as those provided by Aerostich are approved for track use at speeds upwards of 150MPH. The largest difference is that textiles will not survive more than one good crash.

For what it's worth, most cow leather is a bi-product of the meat industry. If you choose to purchase leather goods, you may not be directly causing an animal harm. You will still be supporting the industry, however.

If you have further questions, feel free to PM me. I'll also keep an eye on this thread.
 
Last edited:
Burning1 said:
store such as road rider
Click to expand...

I adore Road Rider for selection and friendly staff. The woman who works there (not sure if there is more than one?), whose name I can't recall is super super friendly and very knowledgeable. :)

I wish they were closer!

-pink
 
pinkgeek said:
I adore Road Rider for selection and friendly staff. The woman who works there (not sure if there is more than one?), whose name I can't recall is super super friendly and very knowledgeable. :)

I wish they were closer!

-pink
Click to expand...

There are three women there actually. And I suck with names, so I don't remember any of them. Dave, behind the parts counter, is a pretty good guy as well.
 
Burning1 said:
Dave, behind the parts counter, is a pretty good guy as well.
Click to expand...

One of the (totally friendly and sociable :) ) guys at RR -again I fail with names- had his bike stolen the night before I was there. He was very sad, but still friendly. :( :( :( :(
 
bike_girl said:
thanks for reminding me why i don't normally join forums in the first place!
Click to expand...

No offense. Stay awhile. Don't listen to me, I'm just a meat eating jackass.

This has been discussed on BARF before. Search is your friend. :thumbup

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75088&highlight=vegetarian

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=247349&highlight=vegan

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174840&highlight=vegan
 
FWIW, BMW's boots are synthetic material and not leather...good quality but expensive...

their gloves are either leather or kango though..or at least on the palms...

you can wear winter type gloves which is mostly textile/mesh/kevlar but hard to find and less protection...

g'luck in the search..
 
Burning1 said:
I'm a Vegetarian rider myself, apparently one of few in this community.
Click to expand...

I'm one, as well. But with the reasons I became a vegetarian, I can accept a one-time animal sacrifice to protect my own hide, where nothing else works as well, while I don't accept eating meat - a much more frequent and much less justifiable sacrifice, to me.

There is good textile gear out there, and I have a set for rain riding. I've been very pleased with all of the Cortech textile gear I've owned. I have the first-gen version of the women's LRX jacket still.

I also have a set of First Gear textile riding pants just sitting in the closet; PM me if you want them for cheap.
 
I can think of good quality textile/synthetic gear from head to toe with one exception: Gloves. I honestly can't think of a non-leather glove I would trust in the event of a fall on the street or track. Any one have a solution for that bit?
 
Aerostich and Motoport (among others) all make excellent textile gear. Unlike leather, textiles are often (though not always) sacrificial. I know Aerostich has an evaluation and repair-or-discounted-replacement service.

Though not that many of us buy textile gear for moral reasons, the stuff is very, very common since leather sucks in the heat and in the rain. There is always going to be some compromise in protection, but with top-shelf textile gear it doesn't have to be that bad.

Oh, and please don't be put off by the seemingly rude posters. It's difficult to convey sarcasm or good-natured ribbing through a board post. Just try to imagine everyone saying what they post as if they were grinning while they say it, if that makes any sense.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top