happy good friday to all! everyone ride safe this weekend... that being said...

im looking into leathers, i promised myself before i'd buy a newer bike id make sure i would have all the gear i need and want... got the coat, armor, gloves, helmet, some wal-mart boots (not sure if i will ever invest in real boots for street...just not very practical) BUT i am looking for some leathers I can wear on the road, and not feel like a total pecker chillin at my friends house. Usually I would go out for a spirited ride with friends and then go somewhere and just chill for a few hours then ride again and bla bla bla. basically im not looking for a full one piece suit, beacuse its not practical.


im a 34x30 which is an awkward size, but how much am i lookin at, and any idea who's got a good brand / price? thanks guys.

 

I know everyone clowns on the power ranger boot/race leather look if you want to go somewhere to hang out and take your bike but it is worth it in the event of a crash to have the correct gear designed to withstand the abuse of a crash.

If you want something that is a little more casual look into a 2 piece suit. I personally would want one with a full zipper instead of an 8 inch zipper in the rear. Hate for the jacket to slide up in the front and get rash on your stomach or worse the pants slide down a little... My suit is 2 piece with a full waist zipper.

For a jacket you could go plain black. If you get it without alot of the additional elbow/shoulder padding it may look more like a regular leather jacket than a motorcycle riding jacket.

The only thing I can recommend is make sure it is a motorcycle riding jacket, double stitched at the seams and that it has durable zippers to secure it closed.

I have seen people go to wilsons leathers and get a motorcycle style jacket and ride on them. All I can say is I hope they never crash in it. I have one for casual wear and while they are nicely made they would definately not hold up in a crash as they are single stitch and thinner leather. Mine is black and white (cant find it on their website) but here is one similar.

http://www.wilsonsleather.com/...amily


Also if you are worried about fitment, you can always have custom leathers made. Syed leathers in orlando fl, barnacle bills, or zleathers all make custom leathers. I looked into syed and I believe they were fair priced in comparison to off the shelf suits and you can design your own scheme.

Just a thought.

Steven

 

this is what i have so far...



alpine stars textile jacket, hjc helmet, gloves, and leather boots... (sorry for the small picture)



really looking for leather pants ...

 

Did you take advantage of that deal that was posted in here (~$20 for those FirstGear gloves)?

I got them and they suck.

I am with you on the "everyday" look. I have a Joe Rocket Alter Ego, and it's cool on the bike, but the storm-trooper look doesn't cut it for house parties.

If you want stylish and safe, I'd try Vanson. Their jackets just f***ing rock and look sexy too.

 

I don't know of any leather pants that look normal for just hanging out. I'm talking normal pants, motorcycle pants, whatever. Most people don't throw on their leather pants to just chill somewhere, unless that is you're a village person.

 

Then look into draggin jeans if you dont want to wear leathers out to a party. They make khaki cargo type pants and blue jeans with kevlar linings in the impact zones like in the butt and knee areas. They are about 100 bucks a pair I believe.

Granted they will only provide a hair more protection than regular jeans/khaki's. I dunno how long the kevlar would stay in place if the jeans tear apart though so take it for what it's worth. Also they wont provide much in the line of impact protection.

Steven

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Ross R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Did you take advantage of that deal that was posted in here (~$20 for those FirstGear gloves)?

I got them and they suck.

I am with you on the "everyday" look. I have a Joe Rocket Alter Ego, and it's cool on the bike, but the storm-trooper look doesn't cut it for house parties.

If you want stylish and safe, I'd try Vanson. Their jackets just f***ing rock and look sexy too.</TD></TR></TABLE>


yes i got the gloves, and yes you can defnately tell their $30 gloves...haha but im not ready to lay out $200 on a pair of gloves just yet. in all honesty, after pants and boots, i will probobly have spent more money on the gear than on the bike, but you can't put a price on your safety....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Gotcha &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I don't know of any leather pants that look normal for just hanging out. I'm talking normal pants, motorcycle pants, whatever. Most people don't throw on their leather pants to just chill somewhere, unless that is you're a village person.</TD></TR></TABLE>

There are leather pants that are designed to go on the outside of your normal pants. Just FYI. That's what I'm planning on getting.

 

Those Draggin' Jeans are supposed to be pretty darn protective (or I'm falling victim to marketing hype). The ones I'd stay away from are the Joe Rocket Steel jeans.....

that's a lawsuit waiting to happen.

*edit* The Vanson series' are nice. The Mark 2 CRSX is a great, great jacket and shouldn't get you anything but 'dead sexy' stares.


Modified by ASteele2 at 6:09 AM 3/26/2005

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ASteele2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The ones I'd stay away from are the Joe Rocket Steel jeans</TD></TR></TABLE>

Haven't heard of those. What's the deal with them?

 

Decide for yourself:

http://www.newenough.com/joe_r...e.htm

That review is a bit more favorable than I remember it to be. Still, though, I've seen Draggin' crash tests. If you've ever watched a lowside you'll understand my pickiness about the material of this stuff. It surprises even me (who, admiteddly, doesn't wear motorcycle specific pants most of the time), the lack of good lower-half protection (and how few people use what is available).