wife in leather

[happy pilgrim]

fancy splashing out some cash to buy quality leathers for wife and me!!
tried various off the peg? nothing seems to be quite the right fit, can't possibly be our body shapes who makes the best custom made leathers??

 

[Tarka]

I no longer wear leather outside of the bedroom,but from memory,Crowtree and MW had a good rep for tailor made leathers.........

 

[alimey4u2]

be our body shapes who makes the best custom made leathers??

Kushitani..1000 quid off the peg, custom extra.....
Couple of supersized happy meals & your looking at 1800 quid....

Vanson second......

 

[Clive]

In your area I'd look at BKS http://www.bksleather.co.uk/

 

[Big Lee]

I got a set of 2 piece MTM Crowree leathers for just over £800, the price of a mid range Dainese suit, with stretch panels, slider velcro, full armour in the knees, shoulders, back, hips, elbows. IMO excellent value

 

[happy pilgrim]

ok thanks all , i will have a look at bks as they are the closest .100miles as a matter of interest i did look at going the textile route but it just isn't as good, is it? if you try jacket and trousers on, all very warm but where is the protection? all the makes i tried you could quite easily shift the armour. therefore if and when you hit the ground it will just move around your arm etc?

 

[Tarka]

as a matter of interest i did look at going the textile route but it just isn't as good, is it? if you try jacket and trousers on, all very warm but where is the protection? all the makes i tried you could quite easily shift the armour. therefore if and when you hit the ground it will just move around your arm etc?

That`s a lifetime`s worth of debate,but I gave up on leathers about ten years ago and have worn textiles since.

Obviously,you have to shop around and get the textiles which fit correctly,as some are totally wrong.....but the same applies to off the shelf leathers.

The reasons for giving up on leathers were....

I was sick of having to carry waterproofs on decent length rides when you`re unsure of how the day`s weather may turn out.

I was sick of gradually broiling inside the waterproofs.

There`s never enough pocket space in leathers.

I find leathers unneccessarily heavy and restrictive.

Leathers that fit well over one set of clothing won`t fit well over a different set,nor be properly adjustable ( for instance,try your leathers over just a tee shirt,then over the several layers you`ll wear in winter )

I find leathers terribly hot and clammy in high temperatures,and then they give next to no heat insulation in cold temperatures.

And,although it`s perhaps a bit vain,you look a right dork on a big trailie in leathers.

 

[The Machine Cat]

fancy splashing out some cash to buy quality leathers for wife and me!!

 

[MikeP]

That`s a lifetime`s worth of debate,but I gave up on leathers about ten years ago and have worn textiles since.

Just to add to the discussion

I've had two BKS suits of my own and several 'job' suits, all made to measure and excellent they were too.

I've known Brian Sansom for some years (going back to when he was a gobby little 19 year old Punk). He started up producing Designer Leather clothing and motorcycle stuff as a side-line but inevitably the bike stuff took over because his attention to detail is so good. If I have any problem with his stuff it's that it's too sport-bike oriented, great in a semi-crouch but not very comfortable when off the bike. He is experimenting with textile clothing too.

I went the textile route for a while but found that it can be just as heavy/hot etc. as some leathers. The suits with removable Gore-Tex or similar liners are seriously compromised (if the inserts aren't in place when it rains you either get wet or have to strip off to put the liner in!).

So far the best compromise I've found is the BMW Atlantis suit. Water-proof leather and it works. The suit isn't cut like the usual "I can see what you've had for breakfast" leathers so you can wear different layers beneath according to the conditions yet it's not as bulky as a textile suit so it's easy to put on an over-suit if you want to add more thermal/weather protection.

It has the advantages of both textile and leather (it's machine washable for instance), the only downside is that it does absorb some water when it's wet but then so do most textile suits that rely on an inner membrane for water-proofing.

There is an additional Gore-Tex liner for the suit but I've never bothered with it. So far the Atlantis has worked very well in some pretty extreme conditions.

Just worth a thought IMO.

 

[Mr K]

There was some new stuff in "RiDE" recently - Halvarsons - I think - Fabric suits that equalled leathers for protection.
Saw the gear at the show and it's dashed stylish. It seemed reasonably priced too!

Their web-site is up and running now: http://www.jofama.se/motorcycle_wear/

The really top-end kit was under £1,000 for a full suit and around £200 for a perfectly servicable jacket/pants combo.....
They had all kinds of interchangeable "layers" for differing climate/time of year etc and apparently UK police forces are trying the gear out too.

 

[steve16]

How about.........

.....a nice pair of Savanna -2 trousers ( cheap)

 

[Blackal]

BMW Leatherguard trousers (not sure about a matching jacket?).

They are "comfort fit", waterproof (and machine-washable) leather with a goretex membrane bonded to the inner surface.

Unless you are in the Sahara, they don't get too hot in summer but are brilliant in winter (with longjohns under) or on their own for the rest of the year.

Bit steep at £395 in UK but are superb.

Al

 

[Fanum]

'Decent' textiles are as good as leathers IMO.....as our Tarquin says, leathers do have their drawbacks but if you get a good quality textile suit and get the measuring right, they're great.

I've slid down the road in Rukka kit at 60 (including an initial bounce off the Armco that I fell onto ) and it prtected me superbly......I had a big impact/abrasion mark on my right forearm that was deep enough to scar but that was a direct blow on the armour in the sleeve so I believe it was the armour itself that did it, and it didn't shift but instead spread the impact of the armco. (I know that doesn't make much sense but I hope you know what I mean)


The only leather I wear now is an old pair of trousers for off-roading 'cos I ride on flint tracks a lot and I feel thick leather probably protects me slightly better on that stuff.

Everything else I've got is Textile, but good stuff.

 

[Bilks]

Ah MikeP.



Good memory u have there, also young "Brian" was ofton seen around Exmouth
dressed as a young dandy (aka Prince Charming Adam ant ish!) style..

Oh how we larft! - now look at him, BKS leathers ! Top brand qaulity gear


Bilks.

 

[shugie]

I'd vote for the BKS stuff, I got them to do me some perforated trousers for hotter weather, although under some thin waterproofs they are quite good even in cold weather, and they do fit well enough that the armour stays in place when it needs to.
Brian's attention to detail, and willingness to sort things until the customer is happy more than make up for the cost of his stuff. He also made a longer leather jacket for me, which is more the shape of a textile jacket, although that too is perforated, which might have been a mistake, it is a bit chilly for use on anything other than a hot day.
All their stuff seems to be made of very thick leather, which takes a while to wear in, but is quite confidence inspiring.

 

[alimey4u2]

I have perforated (ventilated) one piece levvers & they can be chilly below 60 deg F. If very cold, I wear thermals under & a fleece, over the levvers & under Belstaff Trailsmaster jacket & trousers (old school here.) Normally wear a T-shirt between 60F & 70F. Over 80F... wear skiddies only. All just a matter of layering... (Not used to Deg C here, gonna have to change soon... )
Soooo..... I can wear my levvers in all seasons. They really do instill confidence & I never ride without them.

 

[The Phantom Pieman]

Hideout are also extremely good ....

Less "race" orientated than BKS

 

[happy pilgrim]

all quite interesting re: textiles being as good? BUT if textile as good why do no bike racers wear them?

 

[John Armstrong]

"Textiles are as good" for those who don't go round corners at 100 mph+ IMHO.

 

[alimey4u2]

I have this "possibly" misguided notion that leather is the best for abrasion.
A friend of mine has only one glutimous maximus as a result of incorrect clothing. Yesss..... that's one cheek completely worn away......