Roge said:
Leathers only real advantage is in an off and that is becoming a marginal point.
::026:: Especially as on the road the danger is hitting something solid (where nothing does a great job of protecting the human body from sudden deceleration) for race tracks leathers are definitely better as they will slide a lot further, on the road you rarely get the luxury of sliding from 80+mph to a standstill without hitting something like a wall / curb / car / bus / tree / fence.
I always have armour fitted, but nothing too heavy, in my sportsbike days I used a heavy duty back protector, but find these inconvenient for touring so go with built in armour for hips / knees / elbows / shoulders / back - and try my best not to crash :exclaim:
Never used non waterproof textiles as I do not like having to fit liners, same goes for putting on waterproofs, normally by the time I stop to get waterproofs on / liners in I have already got wet, and sods law states if I fit them before setting off it won't rain anyway. In summer I sometimes use a mesh style textile jacket for local jaunts in the countryside, and if touring solo I can fit this in my luggage for hotter days.
My preference is for the one "do-it-all" suit, and as mentioned before I have one that works well from pretty cold to quite hot, I fit the thermal liner from October - March in the UK, but during "summer" ::025:: I take it out and just carry a microfleece when touring as it takes less space, is quicker to put on than fitting the liner, and can be used as a jumper in the evenings.