Discussion
I spent some time in Riossi and Hein Gericke yesterday looking at the different leathers and it was quite easy to see some of the differences between quality of leather. Some of the Frank Thomas and Riossi suits looked cheaper, kind of creased whereas the Dainese and Alpinestars looked much better quality. I wasn't sure about the armour in the Riossi and Pro Sport stuff either. It was the flat flexible type as opposed to the moulded stuff, it seems that there may be more chance of it moving during a slide? although I noticed one of the Riossi suits was using knox armour.
The sales guy in Riossi was explaining some differences to me and steered me away from 2pc suits to seperates (same maker though) he seemed to think that 2pc stuff was only for sports riding, even though the majority of my journey will be M'way and I am crouched over on my bike. He was saying that you shouldn't be wearing anything under a 2pc other than a T-shirt, but the majority of the seperates have a removable padded lining for warmth. I already have a decent Cordura jacket for this weather so I don't need the thermal extra's but he was convinced I would be better with seperates.
I haven't bought anything yet, still looking and learning.
Mags
The sales guy in Riossi was explaining some differences to me and steered me away from 2pc suits to seperates (same maker though) he seemed to think that 2pc stuff was only for sports riding, even though the majority of my journey will be M'way and I am crouched over on my bike. He was saying that you shouldn't be wearing anything under a 2pc other than a T-shirt, but the majority of the seperates have a removable padded lining for warmth. I already have a decent Cordura jacket for this weather so I don't need the thermal extra's but he was convinced I would be better with seperates.
I haven't bought anything yet, still looking and learning.
Mags
The sales guy was right about wearing nothing more than a T shirt under leather, but it just doesn't apply to 1 or 2 piece, it applies to all leathers.
Bearing in mind that a good fitting leather will be quite tight for reasons already explained, a jumper will accelerate the stretch in the leather, so come the warm summery type weather which we experience from time to time, you could end up with a leather that bags and billows in the breeze, but more importantly it increases the possibility of the leather snagging if you take a slide down the road.
To say that a 2 piece zip together is for sports riding only (or in the main) is wholy inaccurate. many riders on full tourers wear two piece zip together. Seperates are ideal for those who are an awkward size and therefore need to mix and match top and bottom sizes, or can't afford to buy all the kit in one hit, or simply prefer the option of wearing a leather jacket with Denims.
As far as armour is concerned, that comes down to personal preference. Hard armour can cause problems in so much that if you take for example a bang to your elbow, the impact and shock can be transmitted to say your collar bone or shoulder blade thereby causing a worse injury. The soft memory type foam armour is the best which has a high level of shock absorbancy, doesn't move, and will mould to your body shape quite quickly.
Bearing in mind that a good fitting leather will be quite tight for reasons already explained, a jumper will accelerate the stretch in the leather, so come the warm summery type weather which we experience from time to time, you could end up with a leather that bags and billows in the breeze, but more importantly it increases the possibility of the leather snagging if you take a slide down the road.
To say that a 2 piece zip together is for sports riding only (or in the main) is wholy inaccurate. many riders on full tourers wear two piece zip together. Seperates are ideal for those who are an awkward size and therefore need to mix and match top and bottom sizes, or can't afford to buy all the kit in one hit, or simply prefer the option of wearing a leather jacket with Denims.
As far as armour is concerned, that comes down to personal preference. Hard armour can cause problems in so much that if you take for example a bang to your elbow, the impact and shock can be transmitted to say your collar bone or shoulder blade thereby causing a worse injury. The soft memory type foam armour is the best which has a high level of shock absorbancy, doesn't move, and will mould to your body shape quite quickly.
ok, I know this is not going to go down well, but I recommend Hein Gericke "Hard Edge". My mate and I both bought a 2-pc suit when I first started riding back in the mists of summer last year for £400. When he came off his FJR at "around" 70 on the M55 in October he suffered from a fractured collarbone and some bruising. His Shoei and the leathers were a write-off, but they did the job and I would recommend them to anyone (upgrade the "hiprotec" to 12mm and they are even better!)
A quick point on helmet purchasing. Decided to buy the inevitable ARAI Doohan Rep. Couldn't fit my fat Irish head into a size M, so needed a size L. Waited until Bike Show to buy one. Arai had a display of helmets chained to a board so people could try them. Tried the size L again - felt like a prick in a shirt sleeve. Tried the M - perfect. After a hundred people had tried on the helmets, the lining had been compressed. I bought the Medium which was initially tight, but then formed itself to my head and fits like, er, a glove.
T-C, those were really superb posts. Do you have any idea how Kevlar performs ? I crashed my Kevlar suit with little damage, but it was a low speed, low side.
Regards,
BOR
T-C, those were really superb posts. Do you have any idea how Kevlar performs ? I crashed my Kevlar suit with little damage, but it was a low speed, low side.
Regards,
BOR
Kevlar has good abrasion qualities on its own, but to have a suit made from 100% kevlar would make it bulky and unwearable. This is why kevlar strands are often interwoven with other products so that you get the textile strength of the kevlar with the flexibility of the other material.
Kevlar comes in many forms, from the hard shell like material used for crash helmets to a woven fabric to a chain mail interwoven fabric. I think there is something like 70 different types of Kevlar which can be used for anything ranging from clothing to bullet and stab proof vests.
Many of the glove manufacturers claim to have Kevlar in their products, but quite often when you open them up there is a token patch somewhere around the palm with no significant protective properties either, or no kevlar is fitted at all and the manufacturers will take the chance as it is unlikely that anyone forking out good money is going to cut them open.
True Kevlar is yellow in colour and made by a firm called Du Pont based in Switzerland.
Kevlar comes in many forms, from the hard shell like material used for crash helmets to a woven fabric to a chain mail interwoven fabric. I think there is something like 70 different types of Kevlar which can be used for anything ranging from clothing to bullet and stab proof vests.
Many of the glove manufacturers claim to have Kevlar in their products, but quite often when you open them up there is a token patch somewhere around the palm with no significant protective properties either, or no kevlar is fitted at all and the manufacturers will take the chance as it is unlikely that anyone forking out good money is going to cut them open.
True Kevlar is yellow in colour and made by a firm called Du Pont based in Switzerland.
True Kevlar is yellow in colour and made by a firm called Du Pont based in Switzerland.
I have a sheet of green kevlar ( it is true kevlar), but its ballistic grade the kind of stuff the army use for clip boards, and bomb disposal use for their suites.
Not sure how abrasive resistant it is, but I have been cutting sections to supliment the armour in my jacket for use on my trails bike
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