"Fall protection" is provided by the protectors in the elbows and shoulders. Falling on your elbow without protectors will probably break it regardless of whether your in leather or textile.
The main difference between leather and textiles are their "slide" behavior. Whereas normal jeans will only protect you from road-rash for about 10 feet or so, a good Cordura or Leather garment will protect you over a slide of almost 250 feet before your skin touches the pavement. Keep in mind too that sliding along the ground causes friction, which generates ALOT of heat. Even if your jeans hold up, you'll have a serious burn underneath. Cordura and Leather will take up some of this heat so that your skin is protected.
So what's the difference - well, leather is natual and Cordura is man-made. Cordura comes in lots of colors, often has Gore-Tex or other waterproof linings, sometimes has a removable inner jacket for warmer weather, and is pretty light to wear. Cordura clothing can be worn a bit looser or with other clothing underneath.
Leather is usually limited to some basic colors (black, blue, red, white), is heavier to wear, usually worn tight on the body, and costs more. And ere is nothing more sexy than a nice looking biker woman in a pair of leathers
wink: to our girls here).
