| Author | Message | ||
     Fresnobuell |
Seems like there are million choices for leathers out there. Can you recommend a brand? I am not looking for the cheapest, but something with a good value. 1 piece or 2 piece? Eventual use will be for a few track days a year and those dedicated canyon run days...thanks in advance. | ||
| Crusty |
Bates or Vanson. | ||
| Rasmonis |
Purchasing new leathers can be quite expensive 1 piece or 2 piece. It took me about a year to get mine, I just set up searches on ebay and waited for a price I could afford using the Buy now option (thus avoiding snipers and bidding frustration) - patience is key. Ended up with a brand new set of Dianese leathers (2 piece - two different auctions) for about $500 bucks total which is pretty good for Dianese. Unless you plan on spending a lot of time on the track, 2 piece leathers is the way to go because you can alway just wear the jacket and they usually have pockets. It's all just a matter of preference. I have one of each. I also found a relatively new (small amount of road rash on the right thigh)1 piece Dianese Techno suit for about $400 on ebay. These suits new cost about 1K. On the high end you'll find Vanson/Dianese leathers, Alpine Stars, Joe Rocket, Spidi and Frank Thomas leathers on the mid range, everything else falls on the lower range. I recommend finding a suit you like, get measured or try them on to get a good idea of what size per brand your interested in will fit you best. They all fit just a little different. Then set up searches on Ebay for the brand/style you want and wait for the deal. I'm just a Noob when it comes to this stuff, I'm sure there will be plenty of more experienced folks out there with better advice. | ||
| Slaughter |
Bates, Z Custom, Vanson, Syed are made domestically. There are others but those I'm familiar with. Most budget leathers are made in China and other countries... folks don't realize that Dainese are made in China, except the top of the line... Fieldsheer are the same. For saving a little money you can look at Newenough.com I'd recommend 2-piece, full zipper connection. It's nice to take off the top and not have to deal with it flopping around halfway off. Full zipper is very crashworthy. I'd also recommend perforated/ventilated. You can get a cheapie rain suit if needed if it ever rains but unvented leathers are MISERABLE on hot days. Perforated ventilation is better than zipper vents. (Message edited by slaughter on September 28, 2007) | ||
| Xb12s_streetdemon |
i just got a 2 piece custom fit set from vanson. i drove up there and got fitted and then went to harley to order it since i wanted something with BUELL on it.it took about 5 months to get it. and the fit is perfect but they rape you on the alterations. its like $50 for each alteration from there standard pattern. but it is top notch stuff. | ||
| Elf |
Another good domestic one is Barnacle Bill (google it). Totally custom, quality stuff! Prices are reasonable too, but not posted on the website, as each suit is custom made/fitted. | ||
| 12r |
As Slaughter says, Dainese (and Alpinestars for that matter) are made in different parts of the world. Romanian Dainese is not the same as Italian Dainese  | ||
| Xl1200r |
I love my Vanson jacket, but I'm not in love with the typical wait. Luckily I found one at an online retailer who had it in stock so it was at my door in a week. most others seem not to be so lucky. | ||
| Diablobrian |
I haven't seen Hein gerrick or first gear mentioned yet. These are a couple of very good options too. I have a 2-piece "speed freak" first gear suit that I am VERY happy with. I highly recommend going to a shop where you can try the leathers on...preferably while sitting on your bike since what fits comfortably in the show room is not always the same as what fits on the bike. I cannot stress this enough! Race suits tend to be cut in such a way that it is hard to stand up straight in them (if they fit properly) but they do not bunch up on the bike, of flap in the breeze. Avoid the cheapie no-name leathers and buy the very best that you can afford. They only look expensive until you compare the cost of the suit to the cost of a skin graft! Then they look quite reasonable....and far less painful! | ||
| Hexangler |
A lot of Speedway racers use http://www.njkleathers.com/ They make custom road race leathers as well. I would consider them. Hex | ||
| Eboos |
I have taken several crashes in my Alpinestars Vector 1 piece suit and it is holding up great. My crashes consisted of several low sides (not at real high speeds), a high side onto the grass, and a hard thud into the gravel (which did the most damage to the suit). I am very happy with the fit, the comfort, the protection and the durability of my suit. I also bought a 2 piece MX1 for the street. These pieces were made in China if I am not mistaken. | ||
| Buellshyter |
Icon | ||
| Jon |
Vanson | ||
| 4cammer |
I have 2 Vanson jackets and just love them. The quality and grade of leather is excellent, though I do hope that I will never have to find out. If you can wait till next season, monitor eBay as good deals will pop up all winter. Just make sure you know your size. | ||
| Tombo |
I have several Vanson products and have been very happy with them. If you live in New England it is worth visiting the factory. | ||
| Ceejay |
Have a Kobe non perf. fit is really good, superheavy duty leather(feels like the jacket is 30 lbs, until you put it on then you don't notice its there) wish I could have gotten some pants but I had to go with technik, since the kobe place was out of pants. The only time I ever notice my jacket is when it isn't there. I'm having a full zipper sewn in and I've been riding the past week without it-using a textile, and I don't like it much. I've haven't went down with it so I don't know of it's crash worthiness but I've had it for three years and about 15,000 miles and it hasn't shown to be worse for wear. Plus it was only about 200 bucks. The only downside has been the fact that it has a japanese name on it  , which given thier love of racing may be a good thing. | ||
| Tx05xb12s |
I ride in 2-piece perforated Fieldshears. Got them for around $500 brand new and added Knox armor underneath. Not crash tested yet, but with the steel zippers I added along with the Knox stuff, I feel about as safe as it gets for the lowest amount of cash outlay. Otherwise, I'd probably go for something a little more expensive like Alpinestars or Dainese. | ||
| Molly_hatchet |
shift makes nice stuff and u can usualy find them on sale...ebay or check the pay it forward for links. |
