Best Leather Motorcycle Jackets of 2025 to Keep You Safe—and Looking Sharp
Leather and motorcycles go hand-in-hand. From the original leather jackets popularized in the 1950s to the high-tech suits worn in modern grand prix racing, there’s a reason that leather remains the weapon of choice in the war against road rash: it just works.
With that being said, not all leather is created equal, and that’s especially true for motorcycle jackets. There’s a massive difference in quality and capability between a true riding jacket and the style pieces you typically see as streetwear. Take our word for it here: Accidents happen, and you don’t want to be caught in the latter when they happen to you.
Luckily for us, there are a handful of jackets out there that look as good on the street as they do sliding across it. Here are our favorite leather motorcycle jackets of the year that are built for motorcycle riders.
Best Leather Motorcycle Jackets at a Glance
- Best Leather Motorcycle Jacket Overall: Alpinestars Blacktrack
- Best Casual Leather Motorcycle Jacket: Pando Moto Falcon
- Best Budget Leather Motorcycle Jacket: First Manufacturing Crusader
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Best Leather Motorcycle Jackets of 2025
Best Leather Motorcycle Jacket Overall: Alpinestars Blacktrack Jacket
Alpinestars may be best known for their eye-catching racing and off-road gear, but they make some handsome street pieces as well. As far as leather goods go, it’s their subtle-meets-technical Blacktrack leather jacket that gets the nod from us.
On its face, the Blacktrack is the essential minimalist leather jacket with a slim fit, snap collar, sparse branding, and a dip-dyed finish that gives the leather a semi-matte appearance rather than the super shiny/oily look some of us prefer to avoid. The leather is thick and heavy yet surprisingly supple right out of the box, and is also backed with a detachable thermal liner for colder weather.
As for safety, full-grain cowhide construction guarantees excellent abrasion resistance while Alpinestars’ super thin and flexible Nucleon armor adds extra impact protection at the shoulders and elbows. Taken together there’s enough here to earn the Blacktrack a CE class A certification, making it ideal for use as a daily commuter.
Best Casual Leather Motorcycle Jacket: Pando Moto Falcon Aviator
Pando Moto is a relatively new brand on the motorcycle gear scene, but they’re made a name for themselves building gear that’s as high on protection as it is on style. Their Falcon Aviator jacket is a prime example as its casual bomber style hides some serious safety chops beneath its cool exterior.
Speaking of the Facon Aviator’s exterior, this particular jacket is actually made from goat leather rather than traditional cowhide. It’s still impressively thick at 1.2mm, but it’s also much more flexible and soft to the touch, requiring little to no break in before it starts to feel like a second skin.
Elbow and shoulder armor are both included as standard on the Falcon Aviator, as is a removable thermal liner and waterproof interior pocket. The ribbed collar, cuffs, and waist add major comfort and flexibility to the bill, while a motorcycle-specific cut with longer arms and pre-curved sleeves ensures you’ll stay covered while you ride.
Best Cruiser-Style Leather Motorcycle Jacket: Roland Sands Paramount 74
Nobody nails west coast motorcycle style quite like Roland Sands, whether he’s building custom bikes for brands like Harley and Indian or designing obnoxiously cool leather motorcycle jackets like the Paramount 74 seen here. With it’s double western-style pockets, dual chest vents, and mandarin-style collar, the Paramount is about as slick as they come, but it’s no mere fashion piece.
Made entirely from full grain 1.1mm thick buffalo leather, the Paramount is built for the slide and built to last. It also includes armor in the elbows and shoulders, and includes a back pocket for adding an optional back protector, earning the Paramount an impressive AA safety certification.
We’ll also note that the RSD Paramount 74 is built with an solid amount of adjustability including two massive side zippers for added airflow and two complementary zippered vents at the rear as well. A removable quilted thermal liner rounds out the Paramount’s long list of standard features, giving this jacket true three-to-four season versatility.
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Best Retro Leather Motorcycle Jacket: Schott 118 Perfecto
If you’re not familiar with the name Schott, you should be: The New York-based brand literally invented the leather motorcycle jacket back in 1928, and were actually the first company to ever put a zipper on a jacket. In the century or so that followed, Schott’s iconic Perfecto jacket would rise to legendary status on the shoulders of Marlon Brando, James Dean, Joan Jett, and the Ramones.
The Schott 118 Perfecto is still made the same way now as it was them: right here in the US with premium hand-cut cowhide and nickel-plated hardwear. The Perfecto 118 also includes a sewn-in insulated liner, making it ideal for the colder months.
The Perfecto’s cult status and commitment to tradition means it doesn’t come with armor or any other modern safety features, and while there’s room to add standalone protection underneath, it’s important to note that this Schott jacket is the most style-forward of our list. With that being said, the leather is top quality and impressively thick, and few jackets have been as thoroughly crash tested on pavement as the 118 Perfecto over its 100-year history.
Best Retro-Modern Leather Motorcycle Jacket: Dainese Chiodo
When most of us think of a classic motorcycle jacket, it’s double-breasted, asymmetrical zippered jackets like the Schott Perfecto above that come to mind. There’s no denying the Perfecto’s iconic status, but style-wise the Schott’s shiny leather, silver detail, and busy layout are a little too much for some riders.
That’s why we’ve been loving the Dainese Chiodo this season, which trades the Schott’s big belt and bulky epaulets for muted all-black hardware and low-profile waist adjusters. You’re still getting a healthy dose of that CBGB-meets-James Dean style here, but it’s also a bit more practical and a lot more affordable.
And, because this is a Dainese jacket, the Chiodo also benefits from some modern upgrades including elbow and shoulder armor, a waterproof stash pocket, and bonafide CE-A class safety certification for peace of mind. It feels heavy, soft, and substantial, and also absolutely reeks of the finest Italian cowhide (and we mean that in the best way possible).
Best Budget Leather Motorcycle Jacket: First Manufacturing Crusader
If you’re looking for premium style on a tighter budget, First Manufacturing stands out as the market leader when it comes to leather motorcycle gear. FMCo’s jackets lack nothing in quality or function, yet just about all of them come in under $400 including the handsome brown Crusader seen here.
The Crusader is our weapon of choice because it’s made from top-tier 1.2mm thick naked cowhide, which will usually set you back about twice the price. Style is on point here as well, as the Crusader’s quilted shoulder panels and hand waxed finish both punch well above their price point.
There’s also ample zippered ventilation spread throughout the jacket for three-season functionality, and a zip-in insulated layer to boost the warmth as needed. First Manufacturing doesn’t ship the Crusader with armor to keep costs down, but they do include pockets to accept your CE-rated armor of choice in the elbows, shoulders, and back.
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What to Look for When Choosing a Leather Motorcycle Jacket
Whether you’re buying your jacket online, off the rack, or second-hand, there are a few specific features all good leather jackets share. Here’s what to look for if you want a jacket that’s equal parts cool, comfortable, and capable.
Protection
A leather motorcycle jacket’s primary function is to protect you from the pavement in the event of a crash/slide scenario. This is the most important difference between a fashion piece and a proper motorcycle jacket, so if you’re shopping for the latter you need to know how to tell the two apart.
The best and most obvious way of knowing whether or not a leather jacket is crash-worthy is to look for what’s called a “CE certification” or approval. These certifications are only granted to leather motorcycle jackets that meet specific requirements in their construction, one of which is passing a series of standardized laboratory tests that simulate real-life crash situations (not unlike crash testing for cars).
Unfortunately, the CE certification process is only required for motorcycle jackets that are marketed and sold in European countries, which means some jackets sold primarily in the US market won’t carry this designation. If you’re considering a jacket without a CE rating, we recommend only buying from well-known, motorcycle-specific brands (Schott, Vanson, and Bates are good examples) that make their jackets from high-quality full-grain leather.
What About Armor?
Many leather motorcycle jackets include armored panels in the elbows, shoulders, and back to add impact resistance to the inherent slide protection of leather. Armor is a requirement for any jacket with a CE certification, but many non-certified jackets will also include it as standard equipment.
With that being said, some jackets prioritize style and tradition over outright safety and will skip on the armor entirely in exchange for a more tailored fit and classic appearance. Ultimately the decision whether or not to ride with armor is up to you, but again, any leather jacket you ride in should, at minimum, be built using the thick full-grain leather described above if you want to keep your skin on your body where it belongs.
Insulation and Seasonality
Most leather motorcycle jackets are designed for three-season use, meaning they’re ideal for the cooler weather of fall, winter, and early spring. To that end, most of them will include some degree of insulation, whether that’s a sewn-in flannel backing or a removable thermal liner.
Generally speaking, we recommend jackets with either removable thermal liners or no thermal liner at all because they’re more versatile as the seasons change. You can always add additional insulating layers underneath as needed, but the ability to strip the jacket down to its most breathable state goes a long way toward comfort in the early fall and late spring.
As for summer use, perforated leather (essentially leather with hundreds of tiny holes punched out of it) is your best bet as it allows air to flow through the jacket while maintaining the protective properties of full-grain leather. Perforated jackets don’t offer much warmth or wind protection, however, so they aren’t particularly useful in cooler weather.
Movement
Another key differentiator between fashion jackets and true motorcycle jackets is their ability to move naturally with your body when you’re in the riding position, sitting on the bike with your arms out over the bars. Most traditional-style leather jackets accomplish this by incorporating leather “gussets” behind the shoulders, while others use elasticated baffles to the same effect.
The best leather motorcycle jackets also employ a unique cut that’s specifically tailored around the riding position. The arms are slightly longer to allow for added reach, while the chest is typically a bit narrower to keep the jacket from bunching up while your arms are outstretched.
Why You Should Trust Me
I've been riding and wrenching on motorcycles for the last 20 years or so, and I love just about anything on two wheels from budget-friendly dual sports to fire-breathing superbikes. A million miles in the saddle has taught me what works and what doesn't as well as what's worth paying for and what's just marketing hype. When I'm not busy riding them, you can find me writing about motorcycles for publications like Men's Journal, Men's Health, Motorcyclist, and BikeEXIF.