If you want to buy a textile motorcycle jacket and you are concerned about safety (i.e. how the jacket will perform in a crash), then you need to pay careful attention to the material the jacket is made of.  Many of the textile jackets that are so popular today are made from polyester.  But Cordura and Kevlar are the only fabrics that are comparable to leather in abrasion resistance.   

Leather has always been considered the safest thing to wear on a motorcycle.  It isn't waterproof, it's not quite warm enough in the winter, and it's a little too hot in the summer.  But leather is still the safest thing you can wear if it's saving your hide that you're worried about.  Motorcycle racers wear leather for a reason.  Even if it's unbearably hot, you won't see them riding with anything else.

However, 1000 denier Cordura is actually better than leather for abrasion resistance, and Kevlar is even better than that.  Both Cordura and Kevlar are available in a "mesh" fabric for hot weather, and they are also available with or without chemical coatings like polyurethane and gore-tex for waterproofness.  But most of the import textile jackets on the market today are not made of either material. 

The last time I looked, the top selling jackets from Tourmaster, Cortech and Fieldsheer were all made from polyester.  Tourmaster's calls the fabric they use "Carbolex," but if you read the fine print you will see Carbolex is made from polyester.  In my opinion, buying one of those jackets is like buying a "leather-like" (i.e. vinyl) jacket thinking it will protect you like leather would.  It's not as good a deal as it sounds.

I've noticed that, as textile jackets have grown in popularity, I've heard more and more of people getting into crashes and having the polyester and polyurethane coatings in their jackets melt into their skin.  Polyester may feel soft and be more comfortable to wear, but what good is that if it can do more harm than good if you fall off?  You might as well wear something really comfortable like cotton or denim.  Those fabrics may not be very abrasion resistant or waterproof, but at least they won't melt into your skin.

If you want a textile jacket, you should pay careful attention to the material it's made out of.  500 denier Cordura has good abrasion resistance, and 1000 denier Cordura is even better than leather.  Don't buy a jacket made of something that sounds like protective Cordura; insist on the real thing.  I'd even go for generic nylon over anthing made out of polyester.  Both fabrics can burn and melt when they get really hot, but polyester is different since "the burning ash from polyester can bond quickly to any surface it drips on including skin" (see Fabric Identification "burn test" for Polyester). 

Aerostitch and Olympia jackets are made from 500 and 1000 denier Cordura, like the Aerostitch Roadcrafter and Darien jacket, and the Olympia AST jacket.  Vanson also has jackets made from 1000 denier Cordura, like the new Odyssey Scooter jacket.  And Vanson has Cordura mesh jackets like the Vent Max and Ventilator.  When it comes to protection, I think these are some of the best jackets you can buy.  If the Aerostitch jackets are too expensive, the Olympia apparel is an excellent alternative.  If that's still too much, you can get the Vanson Odyssey Scooter jacket for as little as $150.

There is another less well known company called Motoport/ Cycleport that sells uncoated Cordura jackets in 620 and 1000 denier weights that are reasonably priced.  Cordura jackets usually don't breath well, but that is because the fabric is usually coated.  Uncoated Cordura is different and can actually breath better than denim.  And if money is no object, Motoport also sells Kevlar jackets that are probably the best you can get for abrasion resistance; and they sell Kevlar mesh apparel that is likely the safest thing you can wear in hot weather.  Of course, you can find all of these jackets used on Ebay for bargain prices.

If you want to buy a textile jacket and you are concerned about safety, here are some things to remember.

1. Figure out what the jacket is made of, whethet the fabric is solid or mesh.  If the answer is a tradename like Carbolex, find out whether that fabric is made from nylon or polyester (if the manufactuer doesn't say, try Googling the name).
2. Nylon is better than Polyester for protecting you on a motorycle; the higher the denier the better the protection ("Ballistic Nylon" is probably the best).
3. Cordura is better than regular Nylon; again, the higher the denier the better.
4. And Kevlar is the best you can get.  If you are willing to spend the money, Kevlar solid or mesh will give you the best protection.
5. Also remember coated fabrics may be better if it rains, but uncoated fabrics are better for safety (if you do get the coated version of the fabric, be sure to wear something else between the coating and your skin).

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