Custom Leather Suits

yak

yak

Well-Known Member
Hi Everyone

I'm thinking about getting a custom suit and I'm looking for some input. I'd like to have a suit that fits over my Knox gear (shorts, back, and chest protectors) and off-the-rack suits aren't measuring up well. My priorities in descending order are: comfort, protection, durability, ease of repair, and "low" cost. I've done a bit of Googling and have found the suppliers below. Does anyone have 1st hand experience with these manufacturers or alternate ones?

Thanks in advance.

Syed (given a positive plug in a recent Motorcyclist article)
Vanson
Barnacle Bills
Z Custom
 
K

kawi_rider

New Member
I just ordered a custom suit from Spartain Leathers. The prices are really good, shipping is reasonable too. I found out about them through WERA. Some of their racers are wearing Spartain suits and have given them positive reviews. Unfortunatley I can't give you any first hand feedback yet though as I am still several weeks away from getting my suit.
 
Y

YZF1000jon

Well-Known Member
Tall and skinny, almost as tough to find a suit if you're like me, tall and very not skinny;). It is easier to find tall suits that fit big however. Does Dave do full custom leathers by chance?
 
racer51

racer51

Active Member
Dont' forget Helimot

yak said:
Hi Everyone

I'm thinking about getting a custom suit and I'm looking for some input. I'd like to have a suit that fits over my Knox gear (shorts, back, and chest protectors) and off-the-rack suits aren't measuring up well. My priorities in descending order are: comfort, protection, durability, ease of repair, and "low" cost. I've done a bit of Googling and have found the suppliers below. Does anyone have 1st hand experience with these manufacturers or alternate ones?

Thanks in advance.

Syed (given a positive plug in a recent Motorcyclist article)
Vanson
Barnacle Bills
Z Custom
Click to expand...

Helimot - custom leathers to the "stars".
 
M87

M87

Active Member
I have Vanson leathers and have to say I am a little disappointed.
People there are friendly and helpful but they were late delivering and didn't follow my design exactly.
They fixed the problem but it was a hassle to ship it back and forth.
I put a hole in them in a low side crash in turn one which isn't high speed.
I also put a couple more holes in them in a 70-80 kmh crash. I suffered no injuries not even a scrape in either crash.
The leather is thick and takes a little while to break in but seems to wear through quite quickly in a crash.
So there you go, people who try to provide good service but don't always succeed and nice leathers that seem to protect you well but are easily damaged.
 
yak

yak

Well-Known Member
I really appreciate the information to date. Any additional info would also be appreciated.

I think I'll talk to the Helimont folks, but the "we try this and that" attitude expressed in the Roadracing World article toward their armour is a bit concerning.

I'm also interested in the Spartan leather especially since they use Forcefield armour. kawi_rider when do you expect to see delivery of your suit?

Thanks again to everyone that's posted so far.
 
K

kawi_rider

New Member
Unfortunately I have 6-8 weeks to go before I get my suit. Once I get it, I'd be happy to let anyone interested have a look at it.
 
J

jsherstan

New Member
I recommend ditching that knox stuff, it will throw off the proper fit for a suit. A proper fitting suit with have all the protection you need and comfort if you get a quality suit. First thing to do is go to a tailor and get yourself measure, then call all the suppliers of the suits you want and give your measurements to see how it compares to a pre-fab suit. If the suit is close off the shelf they'll be able to build you the perfect one or might already make the proper one. If not they most likely build suits for other body styles than yours and will have difficulty matching one correctly to your body size. A SUIT SHOULD BE UNCOMFORTABLE WHEN NOT ON YOUR MOTORCYCLE. Proper race suits are not meant for walking therefore they are very tight everywhere but not so much to restrict basic movements for racing. If you're tall and skinny like me I highly recommend Spidi. I got hooked up from Mark at Eurocorsa in Toronto and he brought one from Italy for me (416)-292-3913. Better than any other suit I've ever worn or seen including Dianese. Tell him Jesse Sherstan sent you and he'll tell you all you need to know.
 
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