Very nice suit....

(what's it look like filled)

Looks a little baggy on you there Kruz. Think you should maybe consider consuming a little more fat in your diet? JK. It is cool. I see what you mean by the large armor in the knees and elbows but I really like that. If that fits a little snug, your going to see the armor is there and I would think the protection is better too. Looks like you have padding down shin. Also that flexible stitching around the knees is very nice.

OK, I gotta tell ya, there is no way this is going to fit me like those Dainese models, that first dude would bust a nut for sure the first time he tried to swing a leg over a motorcycle... LOL, then the crotch would probably split out. Kinda reminds me of that guy off of the Village People, y'know the YMCA video. My suit is going to look a lot more....uhhhhh..comfortable on me, as in loose, until I get on the bike...then it's going to fit just about right. You've seen pics of these guys in their one piece suits, on bike looks awesome but off bike they look like arthritic hunchbacks. I will say the jacket alone looks awesome with blue jeans over the Sidi boots, very stylish. I doubt I'm going to be wearing the whole suit to bike night anytime soon.

Rook, the knee and elbow protectors are gargantuan, the photos don't really show their true size, you'll be glad they're there if you ever went down though. I think the shoulder gaurds should have been more massive, they look almost delicate compared to knee and elbow protectors. The shin protectors look very solid also, hip protectors are soft armor, like foam. Man what are we doing here, we're starting to sound like a bunch of old ladies? This stuff is for riding, who cares what it looks like?

* Last updated by: Kruz on 4/15/2011 @ 10:10 AM *

Suit looks GREAT Kruz!VERY nice.NOW...we need to see the "expert" scuffing on the pucks there.You HAVE to! SOOON. She looks like she's a gonna fit just right...and probably feel awesome while riding.GOOD ONE!That elbow and knee armour is just right IMO.When yer on the bike,it's gonna look Badazz!

* Last updated by: blue07 on 4/15/2011 @ 11:05 AM *

(Make sure you angle the belt sander in the right direction to make it look real)

Only kidding, Kruz, I love that suit. Looks great.

Thanks guys, tomorrow is the big day, I plan to get out bright and early and go for knee down...J/K ...not on the street.... but I imagine my levels of cornering aggression are going to increase dramatically.

Final breakdown on weights is 6.53 lbs for the pants with knee sliders, 5.72 lbs for the jacket for a total of 12.25 lbs. Knee sliders weigh only .54 lbs each or 1.08 lbs for both, sure surprised me as they feel heavier. You guys think the sliders look cool on there, I was thinking about peeling them off for street riding?

I think the pucks look cool. I have always left mine on but I do not wear the pants more than 10-15x/year. . You have velcro there, might as well have the slider, too. Also, that is a lot of velcro but if you peel it off and on a lot , it will not hold as firmly.

Rookster, I need your arthritic assistance here.....oops, I mean artistic assistance...LOL! I'm looking at this jacket and the shoulder protectors are actually pretty good size but there is a small titanium insert on top of the larger composite shoulder guard that is so contrasty it focuses the attention there and makes the whole shoulder armor look small. I'm thinking, pull the titanium pieces and hit 'em with some satin black paint and it's fixed. Thoughts, comments...snide remarks?

* Last updated by: Kruz on 4/15/2011 @ 2:18 PM *

hi kruz, i have a similar dianese suit but have black inserts on the shoulders. looks good to me
they are sliders, stops the tarmac from grabbing your shoulders and spinning you around! the really expensive suit has these on the elbows and knees as well!

Yea Jafo, I know Dainese is crazy expensive, pants and jacket you see here set me back $1100 USD. I could've purchased a complete, Alpinestar one piece suit for $899 USD on the net. To go top of the line Dainese you're looking at maybe $2000 to $3000 over here but you do get what you pay for. It's like buying an $800 Arai helmet, no ones ever proven they're any safer than a $200 Icon but they have that cool factor...that's Dainese. I've heard the shoulder sliders are good and could save you a dislocated shoulder....or a broken kneck in a crash. I look at this way, if I go down on one of my favorite high speed runs no suit is going to help much. If I go down back on my favorite farm to market twisties this Dainese is more than enough protection unless I get run over by a farm truck...LOL!

Thanks for the tip, the shoulder armor is coming off and getting the blackout treatment, never did like those shiny bits on this jacket, looked kind of out of place.

Post up some pics of your Dainese gear sometime.

I like the bare metal . I think the ti external is a cool highlight of my Laguna jacket. One of the reasons I love it so much. Looks like it is for racing. The blackout treatment is more understated IMO.

Those plates prolly do not come off too easy. If you must paint them, The bestt hing to do would be to remove them. Do you really want to do that to your new 600$ jacket? If I just couldn't live with the metal, I would apply that blue painters tape to the leather all around the plates. Rub it down good and tight with your finger. then mask off a wide area all around with taped down newspaper. Spray lightly. No need to spray real wet, that could just encourage seepage under the tape. Maybe go with a heavier coat after the first coat has sealed the edges of the tape.

I think those would be bound to get scuffed against a wall or doorway. If you paint them that will show up and you will have to hit it with another spray. A The real way to do it would be to sand and prime and top coat the plates. Better yet, ceramic or powdercoat. I would leave it alone until it starts to ware in a bit. But that's me. I like the metal armor plates. I'd choose metalic over painted in a millisecond.

* Last updated by: Rook on 4/15/2011 @ 2:52 PM *

hi rook, the 'plates' are held on by 3 very very small screws and are made to be replaceable.
my jacket is a couple of years old and does have a few scratches on the shoulders, rubbing off doorways and not the road! :)

this is my suit kruz...

* Last updated by: jafo on 4/15/2011 @ 3:48 PM *

OK---now I am starting to like the black finish. It's really cool either way. If the plates come off with screws,you might consider applying vinyl. Comes in 5" wide tape or sheets. Gloss or matte. It is a bit tricky on some parts of body panels on the bike. For those small plates which would not require any serious stretching of the tape, It would be a good first time DIY job in vinyl. I think that would prevent scratches better than paint and be easy to remove or replace. You could find some

It's up to you. Spraying them would be easiest.

Nice looking suit Jafo, looks very similar to mine. BTW, do you ever have any regrets not going with a one piece? I think the two piece is a bit more practical unless your doing track only. I hope neither of us ever heve to test the abrasion resistance.

Hey guys, my suit came in. Went out to dairy queen to celebrate how loose it felt.

Even got my ears snipped for aerodynamics. Man, I am a trend suit her. Suit you?

No, Suit YOU! I fell like a hundred bucks in this. Rest of you cow hides look like you're wearing chump change.

OK... here ya go!

* Last updated by: Kruz on 4/18/2011 @ 6:58 AM *

looks nice

I like it.

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Looks good. I really don't think you would want to go any smaller than that even though you have some wrinkling in a standing position. If it is a bit difficult to move around on the bike with new leathers that fit you, you can almost imagine what it would be like to try to hang your knee with leathers that are too tight. I can crawl over the edge in my skin tights but no way can I point my knee out the way I do in jeans.

The knees do look huge but hey are perfect on the bike just like the race tight fit. Slider pucks look cool ON THE BIKE. I'd like to see some magnesium emblems on those to match the shoulder plate. (just a thought)

The only thing I could ask for would be a stretch panel across the top of the ass. There is no way you are going to get that stiff leather to conform to your lower back in a tuck but some accordian stitching would help. You have the zip to keep them together. Yours must be inside the waist. Mine is located a couple inches below on the outside. Same dif---I guess yours is protected better by the leather.

You look good on the 14. Not to big at all. I must say, my elbows just barely overlap the outside of my knees when I am chest down on the tank. I usually have my butt right up to the seat cowl though.

NOw lets get some shots of you hanging off the side in a corner. You come up this summer, you can take the busa.

* Last updated by: Rook on 4/18/2011 @ 9:00 AM *

OK, I did get my first ride in yesterday in the new suit sans the knee sliders. The pants are a nice fit at the waist but even with the stretch material in the groin and knee area they're still pretty stiff. Lifting my leg to clear the seat cowl took some effort without the sliders, with them I was afraid I would scratch the cowl. I rode the 10R yesterday which is a much more aggresive attack position than the 14 you see here but it still felt pretty good. The tight fit when in a crouch pulls my knees in against the tank and actually helps hold you in the race stance. Flip side is lifting my foot to get to the shifter and rear brakes is tough. I think with some break in miles the fit will loosen up and seem more natural. I even tried doing some yoga moves yesterday to stretch the leather in....LOL! Jacket is great, no problems reaching the bars, feels natural. I like the look, on the bike it looks near perfect. I did got a lot of funny looks when I stopped at Starbucks but what the heck.

Edgecrusher, I was best man at a friends wedding Saturday evening and wore the new suit instead of a tux......J/K!

Old school way to break in tight leather jackets or pants is to get them soaking wet (with water), get on the bike and ride until they're dry. They will stretch out to whatever shape you put them in while riding.
(gotta be SUPER uncomfortable though, when they're wet)

Looks GREAT KRUZ!!!!Awesome...perfect fit IMO.Ya...good one.

Hub....your suit looks BITCHEN as well!If I get down there...I'll be lookin for the pointy eared rider in black!Good Job Bro!

Yo KRUZ...that Yoshi matches perfectly with the whole design thing...your suit,the bike,the style...ya....EXCELLENT!IF I hadn't spent a zillion bucks on my TiForces...I'd be replacing with yer Yosh setup...looks REALLY good.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 4/18/2011 @ 2:28 PM *