Textile vs Leather
 

I'm looking at a couple used (but new condition) jackets, one of them being a joe rocket textile jacket (rasp) with elbow/shoulder armor and padding up the back, and an Alpinestars leather jacket (dyno) that only has elbow and shoulder armor. Providing they both fit me equally well which do you guys think would provide me with better better protection?

In terms of protecting your skin, the A* will last longer in a crash. Leather is a lot harderr to disintegrate than textile. However, the A* doesn't have a back protector like the Joe rocket one.

I'd personally go with the A* jacket with a back protector add on. Make sure it fits underneath the jacket before buying one. Burnaby kawasaki have some you can try on as dies Jim Pattison Suzuki.

leather will last much longer and its repairable in case you fall.
my 1 pc dainese held up pretty good when i fell at mission, but the threads got ripped out. just need to take it to a leather worker to fix next season

Does BBY Kawasaki carry A* in stock? I went there a while back and they had to order them in, I don't think they had any there for people to try on.

Textile's nice for in the summer and is quite a bit lighter in my opinion than leather but I ride with a leather jacket 95% of the time, better protection against the wind if you're riding in colder weather and obviously lasts longer in a fall. I put a back protector in on mine, fits and does the job well.

If it helps your decision making, textiles will, and I repeat, will melt during a slide. Now, it won't happen on the initial impact, but (I can't remember the length) are you willing to find out how far you'll slide before having the jacket melt through and onto your skin? I've never owned a textile jacket, but I did borrow my friends Teknic when I was at Action Motorcycle School and basing from wearing that and my Shift leather jacket, I found that I sweated more in the textile than my leather. It even felt more comfortable wearing a UFO back protector with the leather than the textile. Provided they both fit you comfortably, go with the Astar leather and get a true back protector. Contact me if you need one, I sell 3 different types to best suit your needs.:)

i ended up getting the a*'s jacket, it turns out it does have padding in the back, i just didnt know about it :p, plus i got it for a great price (180 and only used a couple times) so i'm happy :)

for around town a textile is more than enough as the main problem with a city accident is impact, not sliding. on the highway or canyons or track, leather all the way.

leather is always the best protection

Go with leather
Better protection then textile
And also looks better

Textiles have been known to melt in prolonged slides. Go with leather.

i ended up getting the joe rocket jacket for a hardcore lowball too :P it'll be great for in the summer as its much better ventilated

leather ftw