I have a 1 piece suit for track days, but wear a 2 piece for most street riding. I'll wear blue jeans, jacket, boots, and gloves along with my helmet for a quick run to the store (less than 3 miles round trip), but it's the leather for anything else.

What is a good place to shop at for leathers? Are 2 piece as good as 1 piece? I am 6'0 225-235 depending on the day and a gym rat so need to buy from some palce that will be able to "exchange or Swap" incase it wont fit (wear a 36 waist and like 52 in shoulders)... Going to bite the bullet finally....

Yeah I'll wear one when I ride solo or hitting the twisties. I tend to push it a little harder when I don't have some one to wait for. The looks from cagers around you is priceless! I won't play hard without it. My bike club mostly sportbikes really don't like hitting curves mostly superslab boring!!! I have a few riding buddies (not in my club) that we ride inland to find the twisties. Just don't feel safe pushing without it have a t-pro back protector that I wear with it. Seen a friend go down at 80 in a T-shirt very ugly. I won't ride without at least a mesh jacket and jeans. Mostly textile jacket and cortech riding cargo pants they're great in that you can zip them off at the knees to make shorts out of them once you get to your destination. Seno if you have a cycle gear around you they usually have A*, Dianese leathers there to try on.

I know revzilla.com do exchange you can give them a try. You're going to need your hip, waist, and chest measurement then use their chart and you should be in the ball park. Don't quote me but you'll probably be a 58 for most suit. You can also try sportbikestrackgear, I gave them a call and they were able to tell me what size I needed. It's a shame I turned around and didn't order with them though. hehehehehe.

All I would worry about is mobility on the bike. If it fits you so close there is barely a fold or wrinkle anywhere, that is great as long as you can still move around on the bike without fighting the suit.

What is a good place to shop at for leathers?

I like MotoLiberty because they have a walk in store in Dallas and you can try before you buy. Also their online prices are the same as Revzilla and SportBike Track Gear both good stores. All the big players will have an exchange policy as suits have to fit right, not like a jacket or pants where you can get by with a little sloppiness.

Are 2 piece as good as 1 piece?

From my expereience no, they are a compromise. The structural integrity of a two piece will never be as good as a one piece but they have several advantages. You can wear the jacket from a two piece with your favorite jeans and they are waaaay easier to get on and off. I can get into my one piece but it is impossible for me to get out of it without assistance. Believe me I've tried, just like being in a straight jacket.

I am 6'0 225-235 depending on the day and a gym rat so need to buy from some palce that will be able to "exchange or Swap" incase it wont fit (wear a 36 waist and like 52 in shoulders)

I'm 6'2", 220-225 and also a gym rat so you're going to have the same problem I did. If you fit the chest the waist is baggy, if you fit the waist snug then the chest is way too tight. My suggestion is to take a look at the Taichi line. I bought two of their GMX Motion Pro jackets over the summer and now their one piece WRX R300 suit. The fit of all is near perfect due to the liberal use of the Schoeller Keprotec stretch panels in the joints. Also they cut the jackets and suits to fit the Japanese build which is much tighter in the waist than American stuff.

You can also try Dainese or Alpinestars as they are Euro cut which is slimmer in the waist then American made suits. Also check out Pilot Leathers, they will make you a custom suit for $1200, about what I paid for my off-the-rack Taichi.

My opinion on Dainese is they are over rated, probably because of the Rossi advertising you're paying for the name. They look good and are of high quality but I found Taichi to be at least as good quality and better fit for the same or less money.

My new Taich WRX R300

* Last updated by: Kruz on 10/17/2011 @ 8:09 AM *

(edit)*** SARCASM ALERT ***
Some full leathers look clownish, but only on a man; Is not a race-leather clad female on a sport bike always incredibly sexy? What does this mean? This means that other people's definition of cool mc attire is arbitrary and brainless.

Black leather looks cool on anyone. Two piece synthetic suits tend to look like snowmobiling suits.

Leather jacket and jeans seems to be an accepted level of coolness, enough to prevent gawking and smart-assed comments.
But with that jacket and jeans, don't go wearing track boots, tennis shoes are more of the fashion.

So, in order to cater to the judgement of every ignorant fuck, please don't wear anything but jeans on the bottom. If you want some protection as well as fashion, wear body armor under Draggin Jeans, which will be H-O-T.
(edit)*** END SARCASM ALERT ***

Or just wear what you want and forget what people think and say. What is most comfortable at 110 mph? What is most comfortable while body-surfing asphalt?

There only need to be so many riders who take riding attire seriously before the tipping point will be reached and gear will be cool, like in Europe. Till then, set a positive example in spite of being snickered at occasionally.

I always wear a perfed leather jacket, I love that Scorpion; Gloves, A-Stars boots, Shoei, etc. I did wear leathers on the bottom for a few seasons but I lost weight and don't fit them anymore, need to get another pair. Synthetic armored bottoms for the mean time. When I had the leather pants I got the stupidest questions and comments. "Do you race horses?" "Are you a racer?" Giggle and point from doo-rags at the grocery store. F them all.

* Last updated by: tooncinator on 10/18/2011 @ 11:03 AM *

Well spoken Tooncinator, the cool look should be the full gear look not the dumazz squid attire. When I see a guy on a sportbike with full gear I automatically think serious rider. When I see no helmet or shorts and flip flops I'm thinking total squid....very uncool, prolly got four inch chicken stripe on his rear tire LOL. Women in a one piece are incredibly sexy unless they have a figure like Rosie O'Donnell then you're just tempted to paint Goodyear on their sides.

I have allways wore Rossie or Sidi Boots ,Gloves, either Leather/ Textile or Mesh Jackets, & Helmet, I used to only wear Jeans but now Kevlar Jeans, the day I slid down a road in 1985 @ 155 kmh & all I got was a 2" skingraft to my left Knee wearing jeans! & yet My last Accident 26 years later I hit the Corner of a tray top ute @ 20-25 kmph, off fer 16 months & just returned to work last thursday still only 4.5hrs thurs, 4 hrs Fri 5.5hrs yesterday & 5 hrs today I can tell ya all it did not matter what I wore that day as my knee was jamed inbetween the corner of the ute & the front R/H foot peg that Snapped Off as my Leg Shattered, armor would have just protected the part that didn,t Shattter anyway! like my Sidi Boots that stopped my Ankle From Shattering when the R/H peg was snapped off! all im sayin is it depends what stops ya in the first place

My goodness Bean, that's terrible...glad to see you're all right now. Yer right mate, it's not how fast you're going but how you fall and what you hit that makes all the difference. Our gear is designed to absorb sliding friction and the initial fall from the seat to the ground. It does this very well but it's not designed to hit a wall at 70 mph. In that scenario, all of the gear in the world is not going to save you. Crashes are weird, I've seen extreme high speed getoffs where the guy gets up and walks away (wearing full gear of course) and another at 15 mph where the guy ends up in the hospital with a punctured lung and broken rib. Almost killed him, no rhyme or reason to it really just luck of the draw. I am a firm believer in saying a prayer each and every time I climb on a bike.

toocinator wrote:

Some full leathers look clownish, but only on a man; Is not a race-leather clad female on a sport bike always incredibly sexy? What does this mean? This means that other people's definition of cool mc attire is arbitrary and brainless.

Speak for yourself. But yes, my opinion is arbitrary and not likely the same as your opinion.

He also wrote:

So, in order to cater to the judgement of every ignorant fuck

Excuse me? We are all "ignorant fucks" ? Except you, of course.

Black leather looks cool on anyone

But is also hot on everyone, and not in a good way.

So Kruz responded:

Well spoken Tooncinator

Really? I don't think it was well spoken at all.

Back on topic, my ass and other parts of my body were saved by one-piece leather suit when I threw my ZX11 away in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Even so, the right outer calf ripped, probably on a bike part bouncing along with me, and I got a horrendous road rash in about a 1" by 4" section where the leather got torn. Not to mention a gash from whatever it was that ripped the leather.

So leather won't necessarily save you from road rash, if you really destroy your bike. In just a plain slide, it will do a great job.

It also won't protect you from impact in the kind of impacts you get from street accidents. Racing you maybe bounce a couple times, then you slide, often on pea gravel. On the street, you are more likely to hit a tree, or be hit by a car, than you are to low side and slide. So the ballistic armor in a suit will help save your spine etc. in a slide, but won't save you from an impact injury unless its very mild.

The problem I've seen with the race suit guys and girls in the local sportbike club is they tread the suits like X-Men suits, that grant them invulnerability. Or like some ride who have ABS and Traction Control and think it will save them from stupidity.

In a perfect world, I'd wear full one-piece leather with race-spec armor all the time. Even when on a road trip. But the world, work, weather all get in the way of the world being perfect.

As toocinator pointed out, this is just my "ignorant" opinion.

Privateer, the first part of that response was not intended to be taken seriously, but was meant to establish how weak and meaningless style judgments are. Tongue firmly in cheek. A reflection upon the way image conscious people tend to think in the USA these days.

My overall point was to wear what you want, with no regard whatsoever to the judgement of others.

Think of this as an analog to 'Why do you care what bike I choose to ride'. Instead, 'Why do you care what leathers I wear'. I am partial to perforated leather top and bottom.

In my perfect world, more people would serious leather, such that the popular opinion shifts to gear being cool. Then, perhaps more people that are sensitive to their image will gear up because they will have permission.

* Last updated by: tooncinator on 10/18/2011 @ 11:01 AM *

Agree, toon. So hard to tell what attitude is intended in forum posts, email, and the like.

Sorry I misread your intent. I just automatically consider when someone is using foul language they mean what they say.

Oh, and yes, I know some girls who wear one-piece race suits, and could trounce most of you in the mountains on her light little ZX10R, and she is so hot she makes me sweat every time she stops when I'm in the garage working on my ZX14.

EDIT: oh and yes, I think she is a capital B because she just does it to give me a woody.

* Last updated by: privateer on 10/18/2011 @ 1:17 PM *

Well spoken tooncinator....I got that. I think Privateer may have missed your point though, that's the danger of tongue-in-cheek sarcasm.

Privateer, I'm with you, leather racing suits do not make you invincible. That said, I think they're still, by far the best protection that modern technology can provide. Good judgement and common sense are still our best defense out on the highway.

OK, we can all get along now! LOL!

Ever notice how Privateer has a way of throwing a dart at "us" here...either..."she could outride anyone here"...or,in my case..."We can't all ride like you"....sheesh Privateer....beauty is in the MIND of the beholder.If you go in reading with a skewed idea of what's being said,then naturally,yer gonna think it's something that it's really not(like tongue in cheek sarcasm)...which actually...he made quite clear at the get go(so 'others' here wouldn't be offended!!!!!!)Course,that doesn't always work....telling someone what to expect BEFORE HAND!.

I think yer suit looks great Kruz...IF you could only ride like me...then I'd say...good choice!

PLEASE...do not take me seriously about the riding thing!

"ignorant Fuc&^" was part of the sarcasm Privateer...unless...You see yourself as an ...well...nevermind. It's just a forum .

* Last updated by: blue07 on 10/18/2011 @ 1:57 PM *

Bean, you got grey meat under your skin and your bike has grey plastic under its paint. cool!

blue07 wrote:

Ever notice how Privateer has a way of throwing a dart at "us" here...either..."she could outride anyone here"...or,in my case..."We can't all ride like you"....sheesh Privateer....beauty is in the MIND of the beholder.If you go in reading with a skewed idea of what's being said,then naturally,yer gonna think it's something that it's really not(like tongue in cheek sarcasm)...which actually...he made quite clear at the get go(so 'others' here wouldn't be offended!!!!!!)Course,that doesn't always work....telling someone what to expect BEFORE HAND!.

I think yer suit looks great Kruz...IF you could only ride like me...then I'd say...good choice!

PLEASE...do not take me seriously about the riding thing!

"ignorant Fuc&^" was part of the sarcasm Privateer...unless...You see yourself as an ...well...nevermind. It's just a forum

Jeebus, blue, I told him I was sorry I made a false assumption. Do you have to be a jerk and rub it in? I mean, is it fucking necessary to make it personal? Ok, then, we will.

By the way, we all have our failings. Apparently you failed high school English Composition, or never took it.

That was tongue in cheek, btw.

* Last updated by: privateer on 10/18/2011 @ 8:18 PM *

C'mon folks we're all friends here, no sense in getting so touchy. Use emoticons next time so everyone knows you're just kidding.

BTW, I had to go back and read tooninator's post twice to be sure what he was saying. Where's the Hub when you need him....lol!

You all know my answer is no!

..just like the old days.........

i was so shocked and shaken back then. Now, I don't even know what is going on! I go about my business postin motorcycle crap. totally oblivious.

* Last updated by: Rook on 10/19/2011 @ 12:21 AM *

RAAAWR!! Screw you Rook, Wanna FIGHT?!?!

Haha

Hub brings up a good point, you can't carry much in a one piece suit for the road. I have one small pocket sewn to the inside of the upper part of the suit. I can carry only the essentials, credit card, drivers license, insurance papers, house key, zippo lighter and one Flora de Olivia Corrojo. I don't have room for a full key ring or even my wallet or cell phone.

I'm sorry for the foul language, I was being rash.

After contemplating this thread I really, deep down, think that it is all about people feeling like they need permission to wear this or that. You all don't need permission from those who would judge you based upon your appearance. Wear what you want.

That's what I should have said at first.

Also StarButts gift card!

I go about my business postin motorcycle crap. totally oblivious.

RAAAWR!! Screw you Rook, Wanna FIGHT?!?!
Haha

Yeah, bite me!

i don't need no damn emoticon!

You too Toonces. You want some? Right chear. Come git it.

;)

* Last updated by: Rook on 10/19/2011 @ 10:23 AM *