Which leathers?

[lafwud]

Hi All,

So after my off yesterday in which I was wearing textiles and kinkyboots post on her leathers that failed during a 50mph off, I need to get shopping for some decent leathers and a new lid. I've done a search on the forums and not really found much on this before but apologies if it's been covered already, just point me in the right direction.

Who are the manufactures to go for, whilst price is an issue, I'm not daft and I'm not going to spend £100 on a set of leathers, equally I'm not going to pay £1600 for some either so something sensibly priced really! I'm after two piece as I will use them for general day to day use, weekend fun and maybe the odd trackday if I get into that.

Any one have any recommendations. Is ebay a viable option or should I stay clear? Live in Manchester so any local places other than HG so I can try things on?

Thanks,

Neil

[gareth h]

I picked up a set of Wolf leathers for 399 from george white, held together well in a track "incident".
I think they had 2 piece sets in stock as well

[black-k1]

lafwud said:

Who are the manufactures to go for, whilst price is an issue, I'm not daft and I'm not going to spend £100 on a set of leathers, equally I'm not going to pay £1600 for some either so something sensibly priced really! I'm after two piece as I will use them for general day to day use, weekend fun and maybe the odd trackday if I get into that.

Do you want your leathers to give you protection in the event of an accident? If so, then how much protection? You can (nearly) equate cost to protection levels so £1600 leathers are sensibly priced if having the best levels of protection are important to you.

If price is a real issue then my recommendation would be to look for a second hand set of BKS, Hideout or Crowtree leathers on e-bay, Gumtree, Ad-Trader, Loot etc. If you can afford it then get a set custom made from one of those suppliers.

While the initial cost may seem expensive, quality leathers offer good value for money. My BKS leathers were purchased almost 14 years ago. I am currently getting a zip replaced which is the first problem I have had with them and the leather/stitching looks like it has many years of use yet. If a £1600 set of leathers lasts 16 years then £100 per year for the best possible protection, is a good deal in my book.

[MGB Boy]

Is a set of Arlen Ness ones hanging up at work, Not sure what speed they came off at but they came out pretty well. No split seams etc.

[R1 Loon]

Most bike shops have a clothing dept, so try some on there and then buy from elsewhere once you've worked out the size if you can find it cheaper.

RST are a good balance between cost & protection. My first set survived a track incident and a pretty hefty smack (thank you Mr Peugeot driver) and are still good enough for track use.

[Graemsay]

My brother's get the Venom jacket and trousers by Scott Leathers, and they feel far more substantial than the mass market brands, though not as burly as something like BKS. Mind you, they are half the price.

They're based in Barnard Castle, which isn't exactly convenient for Manchester (nearly 120 miles), but not inaccessible either.

http://www.scottleathers.co.uk/

[lafwud]

black-k1 said:

Do you want your leathers to give you protection in the event of an accident? If so, then how much protection? You can (nearly) equate cost to protection levels so £1600 leathers are sensibly priced if having the best levels of protection are important to you.

If price is a real issue then my recommendation would be to look for a second hand set of BKS, Hideout or Crowtree leathers on e-bay, Gumtree, Ad-Trader, Loot etc. If you can afford it then get a set custom made from one of those suppliers.

Yup, protection in the event of an accident rather than just for looks I realise spending £1600 on leather is a good idea for some of the best protection out there, it's just not realistic for me at the moment but I don't want to compromise safety by just buying the 2pc suites you see for £99! I'll keep an eye out for some of those names on ebay, ta.

I'll also check out Arlen, RST and the scott leather as well. Thanks Guys.

[Cunny DK]

I've found on a budget RST have been very good. I had an off doing 42 mph, barrell rolled flipped, landed on arse, shoulder elbow, knee. shattered the knee protection, the stitching on the arse rubbed through and it came away a bit at the seem which was easily repairable. Still wear the leathers now and I know Loon has 2 sets of the same leathers that he uses on TD's which have seen tarmac and are still usable. I also have RST textiles for commuting.

[ginettajoe]

lafwud said:

Hi All,

So after my off yesterday in which I was wearing textiles and kinkyboots post on her leathers that failed during a 50mph off, I need to get shopping for some decent leathers and a new lid. I've done a search on the forums and not really found much on this before but apologies if it's been covered already, just point me in the right direction.

Who are the manufactures to go for, whilst price is an issue, I'm not daft and I'm not going to spend £100 on a set of leathers, equally I'm not going to pay £1600 for some either so something sensibly priced really! I'm after two piece as I will use them for general day to day use, weekend fun and maybe the odd trackday if I get into that.

Any one have any recommendations. Is ebay a viable option or should I stay clear? Live in Manchester so any local places other than HG so I can try things on?

Thanks,

Neil

Go over to J & S at Northwich, they have the biggest stock of leathers you could wish for, from budget brands up to some expensive gear. I have just bought a two piece IXS and I'm really happy with it. It's worth a 30 minute drive, you won't regret it. Make sure you have a few hours to spare because I was there for over three hours & I still didn't look at them all. HTH

[lafwud]

ginettajoe said:

Go over to J & S at Northwich, they have the biggest stock of leathers you could wish for, from budget brands up to some expensive gear. I have just bought a two piece IXS and I'm really happy with it. It's worth a 30 minute drive, you won't regret it. Make sure you have a few hours to spare because I was there for over three hours & I still didn't look at them all. HTH

Popped over yesterday. Didn't get any leathers at the moment but did pick up a new Shoei raid 2 lid to replace my HJC

Thanks,

Neil

[raw1981]

I used to sell motorbike leathers and while the likes of Dainese are excellent, they are a little overpriced.

I can't recomment Weise highly enough. £400 will see you kitted out with a two piece, complete with knee sliders but you won't look too much like a power ranger. if it's track days and sports riding, the Tornado range will suit you. (OOH, suit you sir!)

The level of quality is fantastic. The grade of leather is very good, the workmanship is excellent, they are supremely comfortable, practical with pockets everywhere.

This is the best part here: In the entire time I sold Weise kit I never had a single return due to quality. They all come with a 2 year warranty, but it seems returns are extremely rare. If you do have to return it, it's Fowlers in Bristol and they are very good about getting things like this organised.

Dainese are good, but I'd never pay retail prices for them!
HTH

[Vidal Baboon]

I narrowed it down to Halvarssons, Weise, Spada and Scott.
All comming in at around under the £500 mark. The Scott leathers came with Knox armour, I tried them on at the NEC last year, but couldn't find a local supplier for trial fitment which was a bummer.

Interesting to see quite a few TT riders in Scott Leathers.

[SVS]

I'd go for Scott Leathers or Halvarssons. If you want leathers, I'd go for made-to-measure Scott Leathers. Fit is vital for protection and Scott Leathers do made-to-measure for a very good price. I recommend contacting them to ask which bike shows they'll be doing this year, in case this is more convenient for you.

Havlarssons' Safety range of textile clothing offer the highest protection available - better than many leather suits:
www.jofama.se/motorcycle_wear/products.php?lang=2&...

Check out the Halvarssons Safety Grip glove too. Halvarssons can be bought online from Grand Prix Legends, amongst other places.

Scott Leathers is the only other company offering this level (i.e. CE Level 2) of protection in textile gear:
www.scottleathers.co.uk/textiles.asp
I had one of these jackets for years and it was great Recommended.

Interesting to have Rick's feedback on Weise and Dainese. Unfortunately my Weise gloves lost their waterproofing in a few months Though I didn't bother to return them as they were free with a magazine sub!

I thought Dainese wasn't highly rated, with numerous dealer returns and poor ratings in RiDE magazine tests. Am I wrong then?

Edited by SVS on Thursday 24th June 17:56

[raw1981]

Actually good point, I met the regional rep for Halvarrsons, and the kit he had to offer blew my mind. It is fantastic quality for the money. Didn't manage to persuade the boss to go for it, so not sure what the aftersales service is like. You'll not get anything with knee sliders om it, but if you're not into that sort of thing you could do a lot worse than Halvarrsons.

Spada I did feel you got what you paid for. Good for the price, but not sure I'd entrust my life to them.

Arlen Ness are good, Also Wolf are pretty good. RST are inferior to Weise IMO and the same price. Quality is poor for the price, I'd say they should be priced closer to Spada.

And for the love of God, STAY AWAY FROM FRANK THOMAS! 2 year warranty, but they'll probably have to make good on that warranty at least once. The amount of returns I got from FT was mind boggling.

I stand by my recommendation, Weise offers the best quality, the best protection and the best practicality at the best price. It has the best balance of all the manufacurers, although Halvarrsons are a cracking deal as well.

[Vidal Baboon]

raw1981 said:

Actually good point, I met the regional rep for Halvarrsons, and the kit he had to offer blew my mind. It is fantastic quality for the money. Didn't manage to persuade the boss to go for it, so not sure what the aftersales service is like. You'll not get anything with knee sliders om it, but if you're not into that sort of thing you could do a lot worse than Halvarrsons.


I stand by my recommendation, Weise offers the best quality, the best protection and the best practicality at the best price. It has the best balance of all the manufacurers, although Halvarrsons are a cracking deal as well.

I've got sliders on my Halvarssons- they are they more sporty range (STR), but the Halvarssons Ikarus have sliders too. Out of all I tried on, they seemed to be on par with Scott for quality. For value, Scott have them pipped due to the Halvarssons jackets not comming with a back protector.

I never got the chance to try the Weise, IIRC it was the Tornado I was interested in, but felt both Scott & Halvarssons looked the better deal. My jacket has a coating on which stops it getting too hot. The trousers don't and you can really feel the difference in temperature.

[ginettajoe]

lafwud said:

ginettajoe said:

Go over to J & S at Northwich, they have the biggest stock of leathers you could wish for, from budget brands up to some expensive gear. I have just bought a two piece IXS and I'm really happy with it. It's worth a 30 minute drive, you won't regret it. Make sure you have a few hours to spare because I was there for over three hours & I still didn't look at them all. HTH

Popped over yesterday. Didn't get any leathers at the moment but did pick up a new Shoei raid 2 lid to replace my HJC

Thanks,

Neil

........ excellent, I hope you found your trip over worthwhile. What did you think of the range of leathers??? Which side of Manchester do you live, & what 'bike do you ride?? If you fancy a rideout sometime, just give me a shout.

Best regards, Howard

[bob1179]

Graemsay said:

My brother's get the Venom jacket and trousers by Scott Leathers, and they feel far more substantial than the mass market brands, though not as burly as something like BKS. Mind you, they are half the price.

They're based in Barnard Castle, which isn't exactly convenient for Manchester (nearly 120 miles), but not inaccessible either.

http://www.scottleathers.co.uk/

Next time I'm home I might pop up to these guys and see what they can do for me. I'm after some made to measure leathers, plus it's a great ride from where I live to Barnard Castle.

[Distorshion wave]

Another vote for rst, i have the pro 1 piece set.
It survived a slide on my knees, then onto my front, at coppice donnington.

I would buy another set, no worries.

Couple of things, berik and arlen ness are the same leathers, they are made in the same factory.

Make sure get a good back proctor, to go with your leathers, forcefield score well in tests, ive got a knox one.

[Ballon]

lafwud said:

Hi All,

So after my off yesterday in which I was wearing textiles and kinkyboots post on her leathers that failed during a 50mph off, I need to get shopping for some decent leathers and a new lid. I've done a search on the forums and not really found much on this before but apologies if it's been covered already, just point me in the right direction.

Who are the manufactures to go for, whilst price is an issue, I'm not daft and I'm not going to spend £100 on a set of leathers, equally I'm not going to pay £1600 for some either so something sensibly priced really! I'm after two piece as I will use them for general day to day use, weekend fun and maybe the odd trackday if I get into that.

Any one have any recommendations. Is ebay a viable option or should I stay clear? Live in Manchester so any local places other than HG so I can try things on?

Thanks,

Neil

I have a set of BKS (when BKS were not owned by FT) (2 piece) that don't fit me, I bought them of a mate who no longer rides thinking they would fit me as we are of similar build or so I thought. He must of been in a thin phase!! I would guess they would be for a 6ft +/-, 42 - 44inch chest and 32-34 inch waist.

They are in very good condition as they have not been worn that often. If you are interested PM me.