Modern Vespa

Drag Test

"For the Drag Test, samples were stitched to a bag that held a 75-pound
sandbag inside a milk crate, then dragged behind a pickup truck..."

New, 100% Cotton Denim Jeans ----------------------- 3' 10"
Senior Balistic Nylon ----------------------------------- 3' 10"
Leather, Lightweight, Nude Finish, 2.25 oz/sq. ft. --- 4' 3"
Leather, Fashion Weight, 1.75 oz/sq ft. ------------- 4' 4"
Two-year-old 100% Cotton Denim Jeans ------------ 4' 5"
Cordura Nylon Type 440 ----------------------------- 18' 3"
Kevlar 29 Aramid Fiber, Style 713 ------------------ 22' 1"
Leather, Competition Weight, 3 oz/sq. ft. -------- 86' 0"


Taber Test

"For the Taber Test, the specimen was mounted on a rotating platform and
scuffed by two rubber-emery grinding wheels." The numbers represent the
number of revolutions until the fabric totally fails. A vacuum clears
debris.

Two-year-old 100% Cotton Denim Jeans 168
New 100% Cotton Denim Jeans 225
Kevlar 29 Aramid Fiber, Style 713 506
Cordura Nylon, Type 440 559
Leather, Lightweight, Nude Finish, 2.25 oz./sq. ft. 564
Leather, Fashion Weight, 1.75 oz./sq. ft. 750
Senior Ballistic Nylon 817
Leather, Competition Weight, 3 oz./sq. ft. 2600

More to consider...

"Finally, protection from road abrasion cannot be guaranteed by a
materials abrasion resistance alone. A jacket may have panels of
highly abrasion-resistant materials, yet if low-quality stitching joins
those panels and the seams come apart upon impact or during a slide, then
the abrasion resistance of the panels could count for nothing.
Furthermore, an ill-fitting garment may ride up in a slide, contorting
the body and exposing the skin. And the best jacket in the world, left
unzipped and/or unsnapped, won't give riders the protection they pay
for. When it comes to safety, the issues are more complex than just the
abrasion resistance of materials."

Tear and Abrasion Strength by the numbers

.............Pounds of force until fabric tears ........Abrasion cycles on pavement until fabric fails
CottonJeans ...................4.5 pounds to tear .............50 cycles to failure
70 Denier Standard Nylon ..4.5 pounds to tear .............165 cycles to failure
500 Denier Polyester ........8 pounds to tear ................180 cycles to failure
200 Denier Standard Nylon 7.5 pounds to tear ..............275 cycles to failure
500 Denier Cordura ..........22 pounds to tear ...............710 cycles to failure
620 Denier Cordura ..........35 pounds to tear ...............1200 cycles to failure
NEW Competition Grade Leather 80-110 pounds to tear ..1200-1700 cycles to failure
1000 Denier Cordura ........110 pounds to tear ..............1780 cycles to failure
Air Mesh Kevlar ..............1260 pounds to tear .............970 cycles to failure
Stretch Kevlar Blend ........420lbs pounds to tear ..........1800 cycles to failure

I regret the day I passed on a leather Hein Gericke Euro-collared riding jacket. Ironically the Hein Gericke gauntlet gloves I bought that same day are still in perfect condition. Over twenty years later.

The gloves were 67 bucks on sale back then. The jacket too. Would have been like three and a half for it if I remember correctly...

Cool info!

More fabrics:

From: http://www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/forum/riding-gear/63580-tear-abrasion-strength-clothing.html

Though I think the difference between leather and textile is still significant, those numbers are almost 20 years old! There have been some advances in synthetics in that time. Even "Cordura" now includes a wide range of products with different densities an levels of abrasion resistance. I like a lot of the Hein Gericke stuff. Too bad they no longer distribute in the US!

As an aside, the numbers in that list were taken from the website of a company that sells the stuff that's at the top end (the kevlar stuff). While it's likely to be true, consider it with a grain of salt.

What are the race suits made with?

Though I think the difference between leather and textile is still significant, those numbers are almost 20 years old! There have been some advances in synthetics in that time. Even "Cordura" now includes a wide range of products with different densities an levels of abrasion resistance. I like a lot of the Hein Gericke stuff. Too bad they no longer distribute in the US!

They have shops here in the UK, and in continental Europe too, I imagine you can find some kit on eBay or something?