Leather Suits Minimum Standard?

[Berlin]

I'm presently looking at suits for track day use and I've now returned 4 suits to mail order companies due to them being... Well, crap!

Three of the four were made of leather that was so flimsy it was laughable. I've got dress leather jackets that have thicker and stronger leather.
The final one was of such bad design (crash wise) that if it has gone down the road/track it would have burst immediately. All of the stitching was in the impact areas in the name of fashion. If its likely to be the bit sliding on the tarmac, then for me, it shouldn't have a join there.

And I'm not talking cheap suits here either. Some were retailing for £450!

They made the RST Pro suit I send back due to poor stitching look absolutely fantastic!

Is there a minimum standard that suits have to meet to be called a pretective suit? I know the armour in those suits has to be tested to CE standards but as far as I'm aware the suits itself doesn't have to be. This seems crazy!

I'm a big bloke so none of my local shops carry my size (euro 60/62 Uk 50/52) so I have to rely on mail order from those that do have this size. I'm getting a little tired of paying the postage for items that are clearly not going to protect me if (when) I do go down the tarmac on a track day.

Anyone got any recommendations for suits that *have* stood up to numerous crashes and don't cost the price of a new bike?

[hovis]

have you tried HG ?

[Caddy2000]

Hideout leather - won't go anywhere else now. They use full grain leather and double stitching, and all their suits and 2 piece leathers are CE marked - not just the armour.
Expensive? Yes, but well worth it!
Also they do both off the shelf and tailored (any design you like).

A huge :thumright: to them

[Caddy2000]

I'm presently looking at suits for track day use and I've now returned 4 suits to mail order companies due to them being... Well, crap!

Three of the four were made of leather that was so flimsy it was laughable. I've got dress leather jackets that have thicker and stronger leather.
The final one was of such bad design (crash wise) that if it has gone down the road/track it would have burst immediately. All of the stitching was in the impact areas in the name of fashion. If its likely to be the bit sliding on the tarmac, then for me, it shouldn't have a join there.

And I'm not talking cheap suits here either. Some were retailing for £450!

They made the RST Pro suit I send back due to poor stitching look absolutely fantastic!

Is there a minimum standard that suits have to meet to be called a pretective suit? I know the armour in those suits has to be tested to CE standards but as far as I'm aware the suits itself doesn't have to be. This seems crazy!

I'm a big bloke so none of my local shops carry my size (euro 60/62 Uk 50/52) so I have to rely on mail order from those that do have this size. I'm getting a little tired of paying the postage for items that are clearly not going to protect me if (when) I do go down the tarmac on a track day.

Anyone got any recommendations for suits that *have* stood up to numerous crashes and don't cost the price of a new bike?

Apparently the suit doesn't - but you can get CE rated suits (see my previous post)

[Lozzo]

There is no requirement at all for a leather suit to be to any standard whatsoever. Most of the leathers I see for sale are nothing more than fashion items, including most of the big name ones.

There is however a standard for them to achieve if they are to be classed as PPE (personal protective equipment). If, and only if, they achieve these standards then they can be classed as protective. It is illegal for any leathers manufacturer to claim their garments are protective if they do not satisfy the requirements of CE testing. This doesn't mean the armour is CE approved, but the whole garment - don't be misled by the big flashy CE hanging tag, it applies only to the armour which is dirt cheap.

Unfortunately for those who aren't in the know, even the Alpinestars and Dainese suits costing well over £1000 are not CE approved and cannot be classed as protective - in fact, most of them are complete and utter rubbish when you look at them and test them. Both Dainese and Alpinestars have been trying to get the levels required for CE approval lowered for years, but the CE governing body will not drop their standards to satisfy a couple of manufacturers who can't improve their quality.

My advice is to try and search out some Arlen Ness, Berik or Wolf leathers, or if the budget is a bit tighter then look at Teknic stuff. All of these agive bloody good value for money and are tried and tested to be good nough for the job without costing a fortune. If you can afford it then have a look at recommended made to measure stuff, because then you know what you're getting.

GLF Accessories in Flitwick have a sale on at the moment and there are a couple of MJK one-piece suits at half price that might do you. There's also Hideout and Scott to consider; all three of these will make top quality leathers to CE standards.

http://www.glfaccessories.com/

Look under 'Sale Items' on the left

[jambo]

I bought a set of leathers from Hideout last year and have been thoroughly impressed with them. They aren't cheap, but I'm a very odd shape (being very tall and very thin), so made to measure were the only way to get a good fit. The service was excellent, and they should last for about 10 years, given how well built they seem to be I'd say they're good value for money.

Check out http://www.hideout-leather.co.uk/ for products and prices.

Jambo

[embee]

Also look at Crowtree. (http://www.crowtreeleathers.co.uk/)

[Lozzo]

Also look at Crowtree. (http://www.crowtreeleathers.co.uk/)

I didn't mention Crowtree for a good reason. They are one of the best ever manufacturers of leathers ever, but this has been on their website for a while now.

" CROWTREE FUTURE 2008
This year we intend to go into semi retirement but are very busy at the moment .Over the last 18 month, i have had 4 or 5 firms interested in buying the name CROWTREE. As it drags on i will be still carrying on but in a smaller way for the time being . ALL the firms drag their feet when it comes to the ???????????s.We will keep the name and as we do less the name will go with us when we finally pack up.Customers can be assured all the gear we turn out will be done as usual as we have over the past 30 year . ALEC. P.S. For ANY quiery,PLEASE ring us , as the E MAIL from the web site does not work ( it as not since last August)"

I didn't mention BKS because they've been bought by Frank Thomas, and I wouldn't touch FT products with a bargepole. The leathers may be ok, but I just refuse to put any of my money into FT's pockets after they have ripped off so many customers with their crap.

[mister c]

have you tried HG ?
good post. i may be in hospital now, but i was waring hein gericke stuff when i came off and i will say that it saved my life. my biggest problem was i was in so much pain or else i would have still had the gear now,it was just a little battered, i told the paramedics just to cut anything off to work on me,so they did as they were told.:cool: what a fantastic job these lads do.

[Lozzo]

good post. i may be in hospital now, but i was waring hein gericke stuff when i came off and i will say that it saved my life. my biggest problem was i was in so much pain or else i would have still had the gear now,it was just a little battered, i told the paramedics just to cut anything off to work on me,so they did as they were told.:cool: what a fantastic job these lads do.

Glad to see you're still with us and able to post. Your crash sounded pretty horrific.

[Sid Squid]

And I'm not talking cheap suits here either. Some were retailing for ?450!
You get what you pay for. For decent, trustworthy leathers, that's cheap. And there are MTMs, (of which I have no personal experience I must add), that don't cost too much more than that.

I'd never buy another set of off the peg leathers, they never fit, they don't work well enough, and they're too expensive as they don't last anywhere near as long as MTMs.

[lukemillar]

You get what you pay for. For decent, trustworthy leathers, that's cheap. And there are MTMs, (of which I have no personal experience I must add), that don't cost too much more than that.

I'd never buy another set of off the peg leathers, they never fit, they don't work well enough, and they're too expensive as they don't last anywhere near as long as MTMs.

I do think that made-to measure leathers are by far the better choice, but unfortunately cost a lot more. I have looked at them a couple of times, but my budget has never stretched to them.

I tried on loads of leathers from all different manufacturers and in the end bought Wolf leathers. Then I lost about 10kg in weight and they no longer fit!

I now own a very nice Spyke suit. Quality is really good and the fit is superb but at the end of the day, I don't know whether it works as I haven't crashed in it! (touch wood)

[Sid Squid]

I do think that made-to measure leathers are by far the better choice, but unfortunately cost a lot more.

I disagree, greater initial outlay of course, but they last so much longer that they actually cost less money and they work much better in that time too.

[lukemillar]

I disagree, greater initial outlay of course, but they last so much longer that they actually cost less money and they work much better in that time too.

That's pretty subjective. Surely a suit's life is largely determined by how many times you crash in it!

[Berlin]

Thanks for all the answers.

I ended up biting the bullet and went for a set of Clover RC100's because I've found nothing but praise for them on the web.

And I bought them one size too small so I now have extra incentive for the Post-Chrismas Diet to succeed! :)

cheers, Carl

[Sid Squid]

That's pretty subjective. Surely a suit's life is largely determined by how many times you crash in it!
Possibly, but in my experience the leather and seams of off the peg kit just don't stand up as long.
And in my certain experience MTM stuff crashes way better too :???:.

[rictus01]

Whilst I'd agree you get what you pay for, and made to measure are very good, I've never had a set for the road.

I had a couple of onepeice suits made for racing and they stood up really well to multipule crashes, but that was some time ago.

However being (well before anyway) an off the peg size, I've never had a problem with fit that way, the Triumph branded mainline suit is nearly ten years old now and the stitching and leather is more that good enough, but then it was retailing at ?900 even back in 98.

I also have a wolf set, not bad and more than happy to use them out on the road, not as good quality wise as the Triumph stuff, but ok.

I think buy the best you can afford, I don't think I'd be buying anything with that light (almost airated) leather though :(, seemed to be a lot of that kind of thing up at the NEC.

Cheers Mark.

[Lozzo]

You get what you pay for. For decent, trustworthy leathers, that's cheap. And there are MTMs, (of which I have no personal experience I must add), that don't cost too much more than that.

I'd disagree with the first bit of your statement. Some of the most expensive off the peg suits available are also some of the worst on the market. I remember seeing a Ride Magazine test where a Dainese suit came bottom in an abrasion test, and an Alpinestars suit's stitching failed dramatically in the burst tests. One of my close friends is an independent safety consultant who was instrumental in setting the CE standards and works closely with the guys at Cambridge University who do the testing, he once told me about an Italian manufacturers leather suit that was less able to withstand abrasion than a £4-99 pair of Tesco value jeans.

I'd never buy another set of off the peg leathers, they never fit, they don't work well enough, and they're too expensive as they don't last anywhere near as long as MTMs.

I love my M2M MJK 2-piece suit, it fits perfectly and didn't cost a fortune. I'm just about to place an order for one of their off the peg 1-piece suits purely for trackdays. MJK, Hideout and Scott do off the peg stuff that is made to the same standards as M2M but a bit cheaper if you're a normal off the peg size, which I am now I've put some weight on.

[Blue_SV650S]

good post. i may be in hospital now, but i was waring hein gericke stuff when i came off and i will say that it saved my life. my biggest problem was i was in so much pain or else i would have still had the gear now,it was just a little battered, i told the paramedics just to cut anything off to work on me,so they did as they were told.:cool: what a fantastic job these lads do.

I had a set of Carrera leathers cut of me once ... bearing in mind how much they cost - had I been concious at the time - I'd have put up a hell of a fight!! :D

In all seriousness, the medics know their job, they will not risk your health for the sake of a set of leathers ... if they deem the leathers need to be cut off they will ... and rightly so!! ;)

[Caddy2000]

There was reference to the RIDE test on leathers, Hideout came top of that by a long way. Bought my trousers from them and they are fantasic! The said that there are only two reasons why you might want to get M2M from them: 1) If nothing off the peg fits you properly, so the armour isn't in the right place and would move about in a crash, and
2) If you want a special design.

Brilliant company to deal with, top rate service, and I'll be getting my next jacket from them. My IXON Fearless looks nice, is really comfy and warm in the winter, BUT would not stand up that well in a crash because all the seams are on the surface, and not hidden.

I've spent ?400 on my boots
and ?390 on my trousers
When I've saved up I'll be spending more on my jacket
I'm worth it!

[northwind]

Another consideration- most made-to-measure places can also do repairs and alterations. Spending a bit more suddenly makes a lot more sense with that sort of longevity. I can see me getting a m2m suit done this year or next... Once I kill this furygan jacket I suppose :rolleyes:

[Lozzo]

Another consideration- most made-to-measure places can also do repairs and alterations. Spending a bit more suddenly makes a lot more sense with that sort of longevity. I can see me getting a m2m suit done this year or next... Once I kill this furygan jacket I suppose :rolleyes:

Furygan is good kit, it might take you some time to kill it completely

[northwind]

Yep, it shrugged off a reasonably nasty slide with barely so much as a mark... Though the armour didn't. Not so impressed with it as I was with the jacket.