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My first leathers - do I need to go crazy?

82K views 108 replies 58 participants last post by  schmii 
#1 ·
I'm looking for my first leathers. I have the money so that's no prob but I have a dilemma. I have been looking at the JR GPX 2 piece which is reasonable at 849 retail before any discounts and the Alpinstars 2 piece for 1449.

The JR has soft armour and the Alpinstars has hard motogp armour.

What I'm asking is do I really need to spend that much more for what essentially is hard armour? Personally I'm partial to hard armour but I'm look for some opinions here.

In the event of a get off will the JR suit be up to it?

Thanks
 
G
#27 ·
gixxstar said:
I'll weigh in on this as I have a little bit of experience in testing suits out. I have 3 and all of them have been down.......Funny think is one's low end JR highside (was 400 taxes in) That one lasted a few crashes but I was lucky I was going fairly slow. The leather tore up in chunks on the arms and a lot of stiching came apart. I would rate it as garbage, the parts that tore up were goatskin and I actually came out with hole in the shoulder in one crash. Came with hard armour. Next is a JR Speedway suit. Wore much better than the highside but the stitching still came apart in a few spots. Had soft armour and did it's job.

I have to say soft armour's a hell of a lot more comfortable than hard armour.

Next up I finally learned my lesson and bought a Vanson suit. I bought used so It was surprisingly cheap. Finish is ugly like all Vanson's but the quality is top notch. The leather crashes very well and this model came with hard armour everywhere including the shoulders. You can search hard for a used one your size (kinda deceptive since they're often custom made- the guy I bought from must have had a huge gut) or you can get them to make one to your specs. These have been down twice and are only a bit uglier and completely functional. I'm very happy with it and wouldn't buy cheap again.
When you say the finsih was ugly, what exactly do you mean.......how the pieces fit together, the surface/colour of the leather itself or? I still have the set of Treens I had made back in 86 (been sitting in a box since 90 :( ) it's too bad I don't weigh 150 lbs any more. :eek: So I'm kind of looking for something on that level of quality, they were/are real nice. Probably something from Vanson, Bates or Z Leathers.

BTW, anyone know what happened with Treen, seems now they only make goves these days and from the website I have to wonder if they are even doing that now. I did like their old deerskin w/kevlar roadrace gloves, they were super comfortable.
 
#28 · (Edited)
I guess what I was saying is most of the Vanson suits I'd ever seen were less attractive than those made by Dainese or Spidi, Alpinestar etc. This isn't the case any more. They've come out with new designs over the past couple years that are much better for the fashion conscious racer :p. Functionally and quality wise, I think they're about as good as it gets and all the zippers and stitching are among the best. I added 2 more crashes since then. There's still no appreciable damage. Great suit.

Here's a link for some pics if you want to see what I mean looks wise. It's not bad at all but there's better.
http://precisionroadracing.com/robgallery.html
 
#29 ·
My bro (Atom) has a Vanson suit and he had a pretty bad get off. The suit did it's job very well. If you look at the back of his suit you can see the imprint of the armour from the slide! Very cool and still good to go.
 
#30 ·
this is a similiar thread i replied to a little while ago on leather suits.

Don't waste your time with junk to protect your skin!! You can't just walk into Zellers and pick up some skin and slap-it-on!

Buy Vanson if you plan on riding over 60k's an hour. And so what if they cost $1800 bucks. Thats cheap considering they will SAVE YOUR ASS!!

Ive had mine for 13 years, when i first started riding then racing, 25 times down and they are still gold. A couple minor repairs, and one of those was to get my leg out of them.

BUT, if your riding invovles 'cruises' to starbucks, then yeah, go for them, they look trick Spyke, Alpines, etc crap.

Besides VANSON, there is also SYED's, Helimot, And Z-leathers in cali to ckeck out.

Ok, take it easy and keep it pinned right back to the stops!
 
G
#31 ·
hey

dont get all that cheap leather get some real leathers likre mine, dainese richmond moter sports has some cool ones left hanging on the wall i bought a 2 piece suit for $900 plus tax and the regular price was $2300 not bad deal hey???? there are a few left and sizes vary good luck
 
#32 · (Edited)
It's easy to say, go and spend $900 on a $2300 suit, I think anyone who needs equipment and has money would do that. Even people who had a slightly less than $900 budget would go for it.

But if the product wasn't over 60% off, woud you still buy that exact same suit? Were you willing to spend $2300 + tax? If your budget was $900 and this sale wasn't on, you wouldn't have been able to get the smoking deal you did.

Not trying to be an ass, but not everyone can get the deal you got, so it isn't fair to say "dont get all that cheap leather get some real leathers like mine".
 
#33 ·
i just bought a JR speedmaster jacket from BK couple of weeks back

it's actually my first jacket and i got a good deal for it...it's not the new model with the insane speed hump on the back....haha
fits really nice and wasn't that much more expensive then textile, couldn't pass it up!!

good luck with the search though....good fit most importantly
 
G
#34 ·
I read all the replies, which helped a lot. I took into consideration what everyone said and went to Burnaby Kawasaki and bought a Vanson suit for the race training course at West Coast Superbike School. I fell actually during the course on the last turn at Mission. When I got up after sliding for a few feet, I looked at my new suit and surprisinly it only had a few scratches. The stiching held up where I did most of the sliding. The instructors and other racers at the course told me that getting good quality leathers not only saves your behind but also saves you the trouble of having to buy a new suit right away because it can take few crashes. So Vanson was the way for me... it looks great, top notch quality, and fits awesome! I ended up buying a Vanson Jacket for the general street riding... just feel more protected

guardian
 
#67 ·
I went out and bought full gear at the start, went top of the line (Arai) on the helmet and bought a one piece leather suit, boots gloves etc. that were probably on the 'disposable' end of the equation from BK. This is several years ago now, late 90's. The Fieldsheer suit was plain black and cost about $400 IIRC, and like the current non-big-name stuff at BK is miles better than denim or textile, and I still think a very good value. The boots were not fully articulated plastic armored but they were all leather and it all did the trick for my first highside. It is all still functional enough to keep as a back-up/passenger suit (except for the helmet, which was a 1-shot deal). The soft armor worked just fine, the big point is that I was in leather, with some kind of armor and a good helmet, and walked away with some bruised ribs and the only permanent damage was to my gear and ego. NO concussion. Money on a helmet is money well spent both on comfort AND protection.

I now have a 2 piece A'stars suit that has nice articulated hard armor and a bit more armored boots (GPS?) but would recommend anyone on the fence to just make sure that it's all covered in leather with *some* kind of armor first and foremost. And get a good helmet and a real back protector.

Yes, the A'stars stuff fits pretty well and looks good, but the big thing in my mind is, YES! get a full suit of some sort, *especially* at the start - you're more likely to need it at the start.

Steve
 
#38 ·
Cover yourself with leather and armour!

jermyzy said:
I'm just wondering, did you guys go out and buy all the best equipment right from the start (e.g. when you first started learning)? Do you really need to buy a full suit when you're just starting to learn?
I got my license in March and I bought a JR GPX 2 piece suit right away. By the sounds of this forum the JR is not that great but it is certainly better than what I see most people wear. Which is mostly jeans and jacket (if that!).

If you are just learning it is all the more reason to buy full gear. The first two years you are newbie and the third year is the the year you are most likely to crash. Get the gear. It may hurt the wallet, but the fall without the gear will hurt alot more!

Cheers, :drinkbeer
 
#39 ·
Sometimes the best equipment isn't necessarily the most expensive. I tried to get into Alpinestars clothing, but it didn't fit my body shape for the life of me, therefore, that is crap for me.

The best equipment is what fits you best and as SpideRider said "buy the best you can possibly afford".

With that in mind, a $800 Joe Rocket suit is not going to be as good as a $2800 Alpinestar suit, but if the JR suit is all you can afford, then get the JR suit. If I choose not to wear full leather, I adjust my riding and take that into consideration, but that is a different topic.

For me, I just went and blew a wad of $$ for my gear, but do I have a bike at this moment, unfortunately no. I do have the luxury of bumming a couple rides off my Dad's bike, but I am saving my pennies for my own bike. At the same time, I have decreased the size of my bike budget and put some of that money into my gear.

If you are debating how you are going to buy gear from your (I made this number up) $10,000 budget after blowing 9gs on the bikes and insurance, get an older bike, and put that money into gear. The leather suit is an investment. Good leathers can last a VERY long time, especially if maintained properly. So the better the gear the initially, the less upgrading you'll need to do ;)

I like to follow my this motto as best as I can:

Do it once, do it right.

Hope that helps. Read ALL the stickies in the forums, and gl.
 
#41 ·
ReelExterminato said:
Well right now I am looking at the Alpinestar 2-piece GPU or TZ1, the retail at RMS is $1250 and $1400 respectively. What else is good in that price range, if TeeTee says I'd be paying more for the name than if I bought another brand... Live everyone else, I wanna get something good without breaking the bank :)
i have the TZ1 jacket plan on getting the pants tp zip to it next season... very happy with the jacket
 
#42 ·
What about...

any info on this suit?????

Teknic Lightning Two Piece.

$649.96 USD from kneedraggers.

Features:
Sports cut, better anatomical shaping for improved all round comfort.
Outer shell of top quality non-perforated Cowhide: 1.2 - 1.4mm thickness.
TASC (TEKNIC® Advanced Seam Construction). Rows of hidden stitching providing maximum seam strength.
KNOX® CE Approved KFP1 armor fitted in knees, shoulders and elbows.
KNOX® CE Approved TP2 back armor.
Advanced Elbow pocket, secures elbow armor into the outer shell.
Knee stretch panel allows better knee movement.
Safety wrap seat lined with second layer of leather.
Full motion arm system, a panel of stretch Cordura that extends from the cuff to the chest of the suit with no seams.
TEKNIC® Full motion leg system, a 1pc stretch Cordura panel from the crotch to the calf.
Rear kidney stretch panel in pants.
Comfort Collar system.
Standard TEKNIC® style knee slider.
All zippers are genuine YKK® zippers.
Full circumference YKK connecting zipper makes this suit race legal.
Rear exhaust perforations.
Silver “Airtex” lining is anti-bacterial and non allergenic.
 
G
#45 ·
maintenance on leathers

good day sirs,

i chance to read on that good leathers is an investment..

i would like to ask you sir any personal opinions on the ways on the maintenance of our leather jackets.

thanks sir in advance for the reply....:)
 
G
#46 · (Edited)
The S1 suit is good’ I got by http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...d=1,1&item=8020368026&sspagename=STRK:MESE:IT but quality is better from Alpinestar also cost is so economical only 425.00$, I highly recommend the S1, I wear n ride my FZR 750 I feel soooo comfortable. Crash tested by many of the best. Anatomical construction means arms are sewn in a curved shape and are sewn onto the jacket body in a pre-rotated position, so that when you are on a motorcycle, it feels natural.
http://stores.ebay.com/vdiscount


Thxxx
 
#47 ·
my quiestion here is which is legal at Mission raceway? I heard you need a 1 piece suit.. which is a lot of money for something I'm not going to be using on my daily commute to work, menawhile with a 2 piece suit I'd use it a lot more of the time
 
#49 · (Edited)
:rockon get the one you look good at satrbucks in, and sod the protection,lol :laughing or the one that makes yer ass look good:laughing Hein Gericke,
 
#50 ·
When I started riding sportbikes in 88 I was given a few pieces of advise from a crowd that knew what they talked about.

"Spend as much as you can afford on helmets and tires"

I would opt for the better suit for the added protection that the hard armor will afford. Just figure out what the final costs will be after you have upgraded the armor in the 2 piece suit and then you have firm numbers to work with. If you are intending to go on a track one day you will probably wish you went for hte 1 piece. Course that was the thinking from years ago. I havent met anyone riding this year as of yet....
 
#51 ·
I am going full leather for this season and have been tormented by what to pick up. Of course the Vanson Cobra 2 looks like the slam dunk choice for ultra-high safety and longevity, but... Once you factor in the cost for both the jacket and pants, and then the armour (all of it), and then the liner for the jacket ($150 US!!) it starts to get a little out of hand.

Right now I am looking at an MX-1 A* jacket and the zipped matching bat leather pants (no sliders, but good armour including hip padding). Both come with quite impressive armour for 'mid range gear', except for a proper back protector but I have an Icon vest for that (not the best but a hell of a lot better than nothing and comfy for loooooong rides).

This A* combo comes to $975 CAN through them and in black that is one hell of a sharp looking outift IMHO. I simply can't justify going full Vanson for pretty well twice that when I am not on the track and obviously have no plans to crash *cough*

I don't want to shill a company but it looks like going through NewEnough is the way to go, you *can* get 'better' deals through Ebay and most of those guys will replace items for size, etc, but if you are buying several things the shipping savings through NewEnough more than make up for the difference.

Can anyone chime in on the MX-1 gear from A*?
 
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