Need recommendations on riding leathers

[grrl]

I'm looking to buy armored riding jacket and pants for street riding. I have no idea what to look for in terms of features and manufacturers. I don't want to spend more than $600 if possible. Any firsthand recommendations or links would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

EDIT: After looking at some prices, I upped my budget to $600.

 

[Feldenak]

Your user name is grrl and you included leather and riding in the same sentence....you just sent half the population of ATOT into cardiac arrest.

 

[grrl]

Originally posted by: Feldenak
Your user name is grrl and you included leather and riding in the same sentence....you just sent half the population of ATOT into cardiac arrest.

Sorry, my screenname is based on my initials, not my sex.

 

[halik]

meh,
i got mine off ebay. Depends really how much you wanna spend. Joe Rocket and Alpinestar come to mind. Definitely get something that has full armor though, not just the pockets for it.

 

[grrl]

halik, when you say full armor, you mean ones where you can't remove the armor?

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: grrl
halik, when you say full armor, you mean ones where you can't remove the armor?

well no some jackets come with pockets that you can put the inserts into. Just make sure you get the jacket with the inserts with it. They are made outta plastic or something like that (the shoulder ones sorta look like roller blading pads).

 

[grrl]

<bump> What, no riders here?

 

[grrl]

bump

 

[bapace]

I like my alpinestar leathers.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Originally posted by: grrl
<bump> What, no riders here?

Well, yeah but the price tag is restricting. I like Vanson perforated leather. It's top dollar though.

 

[freebee]

Check out the Alpinestars GPU suit, IIRC, the black one is vented in front. There is some armor (not quite like their top end suits, no back hump or anything.) but overall a very good 1 or 2 piece. Should be in the $500-600 range.

edit-or as the 'busa rider said, the vanson stuff is good also. I'd cheap out on a bike before I cheap out on equipment.

 

[NL5]

Langlitz. The be all - end all in leather riding gear. I LOVE mine!

 

[The Stigenator]

depends on your budget... in anycase check out www.newenough.com for stuff.

I personally prefer firstgear and alpinestars. Some ppl like tourmaster. The issue is for street riding, anysort of gear will be better than none. Leathers might be too hot in the summer and might not be worth for day to day street riding, for canyon carving i dont see why not.

For day to day driving i use jeans, i know its a risk, if i crash, but if i feel up to it, i use my overpant on top. It works good.

As for armour, go for CE certified armour at minimum. I have seen all kinds of armour, from styrafoam to actual armour. So be choosy. My alpinestar's jacket had one of those cheapy styrafoam armour thinges, i took it out because in a crash it would cause more damage than without one. My first gear jacket has proper CE armour.

I tend to use textiles, but that's only because leather is so expensive.. one day i will get leathers..

 

[whoiswes]

another vote for the joe rocket/first gear/teknics/alpinestars grouping...

they won't survive multiple crashes, so if you're gonna be going to the track and/or riding alot, i'd invest in something better.

if you can afford Barnacle Bill's stuff, it'll last forever and fit like...well, custom leathers. not cheap in the short run, but almost always cheaper in the long run.

oh yeah - get the best gloves you can afford - your hands will thank you later.

 

[PumpActionWalrus]

I have a teknic lightning jacket, red, 2002 for sale if you happen to live near me which you probably dont

 

[grrl]

Thanks for the replies. And one more bump.

 

[gutharius]

YeeeeHAAAWWWW!!! Sorry couldn't resist.

 

[KingNothing]

You might check out the SVRider.com board, and post asking for recommendations. Very helpful crowd there.

NewEnough is good if you want to be able to return what you buy. Their customer service is oustanding. EBay is good if you're pretty sure you won't need to return it.

I have a pair of tourmaster Decker leather pants that I like a lot. They have full length zippers on the side so they're easy to get in and out of, as well as CE-approved armor. If you're worried about being hot, get perforated leather. At a minimum, make sure the leathers have a mesh lining so they're comfortable on your skin. Also make sure that you get jacket and pants with a full circumference zipper so that if you crash, your jacket doesn't ride up and expose skin.

BTW, you can definitely get leathers for less than $600 if you shop around, particularly if you buy from EBay. Get boots too, Oxtar and Alpinestars make solid products. What size shoe do you wear? I'll almost certainly be selling a pair of almost-brand-new motorcycle boots in a couple weeks.

Also check www.motorcyclecloseouts.com, they have some good deals sometimes. I think NewEnough has Honda leather pants on sale for $85 right now, if you're not tall I'd recommend those. Very comfortable pants.

 

[grrl]

Hi KingNothing, thanks for the link, I'll post there.

I wear 8.5 or 9, depending on the fit.

 

[KingNothing]

Ah, mine are too big then. I think someone else was selling a pair of Sidi's that might fit you though.