In the market for a jacket as the hodge podge gear I have has met it's limit. 35 mile commute is done pm/am and 60s to 40/upper 30s are normal. My only experience is with leather, but have been reading about the textile jackets. How is the lifespan of those vs leathers?

 

Leather will always last longer than textile when worn the same. I switched to textile 5 years ago and have not worn my leather at all. It`s lighter and much more versatile than leather. Protection wise, I have D3O armor in my textile and no armor in my leather so I really can`t say. I do know that leather will hold up better in a slide.

 

I wear a heated jacket liner under a light weight jacket if the temperature is above 50. Below that, I wear my leather jacket. I've had it for 16 years and it's still going strong. With proper care they do last a long time.

 

I have both. I find I wear the textile more in cooler weather as it is a bit larger than my leather and I can layer under that nicely. Hoodie, or light insulated jacket under the textile works well. The leather is nice, it's 10+ years old and is still in great shape. I will occasionally grab that to wear depending on where and what I'm doing. Neither are HD products, both are off name, and both have been inexpensive and provided excellent service.

 

This time of year it's all about layers. Start off with several early in the morning and shed as the temps rise. It was 34 degrees when I left for work this morning and I was sporting a t-shirt, hooded sweatshirt, leather jacket and hi-viz windbreaker on the outside. Of course it's only 20 minutes into work but felt like I could have ridden all day like that. Supposed to reach mid 60's today so I would have been down to the sweatshirt by afternoon.

I ride until the first time DOT salts the roads regardless of temp...two years ago it was into January. Last year late December. I expect to see low to mid teens before I put the bike up for the winter.

Edited to add relevant information in response to your question as I just realized I was off on a tangent. Whatever you choose...textile or leather, you may want to choose something with a zip out liner for the above stated reasons. Ride safe.

 

Layers! A good long sleeve base, an insulator to keep heat from escaping (fleece), and an outer shell that doesn't allow cold air to come through (leather or a good textile should do the trick). Gauntlet gloves will keep cold air from sneaking in through your sleeves and a gator of some sort will do the same for the neck area. Leather will probably last longer but a good textile will last for many years too.

 

When it's cool but not cold, I wear a t-shirt and my leather jacket. If it gets warmer...and it usually does...I unzip my sleeves and let in the air.

 

i live in Montana, i ride 9 months a year, obviously not all in state. i went thru the same debate as you and finally had a friend say, why don't you try heated gear

i was hesitant and thought it was not a good choice.

i bought a heated jacket liner after getting caught in a cold front in north dakota coming home from daytona.

Wow, it was cold and i had almost every piece of clothing i had with me on.

i hooked up the heated gear and put it on, bitching about wires etc. 5 minutes later, I'm shedding clothes and I'm warm and toasty.

legs and feet were cold but the warm blood from my upper torso started circulating and they warmed up as well.

the only area where i felt cold for the remainder of the trip was my hands, as my winter gauntlet gloves did their best but eventually the cold won out.

i highly recommend heated gear, no need to buy new coat, use your current one and plug in.

last, get some heat packets from a outdoor store. activate them and place them on top of your hand inside your gloves. will keep your fingers warm and not affect your grip.

ride safe

 

Leather is great for being windproof but without anything below it, you will not be warm.
I have gone to textile jackets, that are wind proof, and heated gear. A heated jacket liner and a pair of heated gloves and I can ride all year.
Yes, it is about layers, but with the heated gear you only need three.

 

Good textile gear will last a very long time if properly cared for. Same as leather. I'd say leather wins in the abrasion resistance but textile has come a long way. As with leather, textile you get what you pay for.

I ride with Olympia textile jacket and pants. Gets cold out I put the insulated liners in. I stay very warm. Add a fleece balaclava. Also added handlebar mitts. I ride pretty much year around. I've been on adventure bikes, this is my first Harley and it provides much more wind protection than my V Strom. I won't have the handlebar mitts on my Harley lol.

On the Harley I'm looking forward to the heated grips and will most likely invest in heated gear. Heated socks or insoles will probably be first for me.