Leather

T_C said:

But compared to crash equivalent leather, not really. MC grade leather with armor, jacket runs ya $500, pants another $300.

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Well that Stich leather would come out to about $1700

Love my Joe Rocket Honda CBR leather jacket I got on clearance... but it is my winter jacket... I never use the liner (too hot)
Heavy leather and armored... I have been wearing all winter, but we have had a couple of 70+ degree days, and on those it is starting to get a little too warm.

SteveST1300 said:

Well that Stich leather would come out to about $1700

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Huh.. knew they weren't cheap but didn't know the off the shelf stuff would run you that much. Custom made I could see, but then that would also require you to up the price on the leather too since I was quoting standard store stock prices.

Someday I'll own a Stich... someday I'll win the lottery.. maybe it would help if I buy a ticket. But I doubt it.

I wear one of these all year round and can't fault it

http://www.dainese.com/eu_en/motorbike/g-razon-pelle-estivo.html?cat=12&subcat=13

It has a thermal liner and armour in the shoulders and elbows.

I've a predecessor of such a model/series: http://www.dainese.com/eu_en/motorbike/g-talos-gore-tex.html?destinazione_uso=44&cat=12&subcat=14 so with like € 700,- for a Gore jacket and + € 250,- for Gore pants, a selection of gloves, good Gore boots, breathable function underwear and a versatile flip front helmet you're in the mentioned $ 1700,- range... but suited for all climate conditions.

Im really liking those Fox Creek leathers, but man ...pricey. Will last me till I die though.

With the mellow back track of Baz Luhrmann's "Sunscreen" playing in your head...

"If I could offer you only one tip for improving your life, wearing leather would be it.

The long term benefits of leather have been proved by serious bikers over many highways and many years, whereas wearing something unreliable like shorts and flipflops means you will experience a trip to the emergency room. There, uncaring nurses will scrub gravel out of your wounds, and doctors will dispense ineffective painkillers and meaningless advice … like telling you to trade that “murdercycle” in for a Camry.

Bull****. I will dispense some real advice right now: "

Continue on the tune at : here

I'm very happy with my Roadcrafter. They have a proven record of lasting years, with many still being worn after more than a decade of heavy use. They have proven themselves during crashes- I witnessed one during a 55mph slide on the highway. It needed one arm replaced due to a scuff, but it wasn't even close to wearing through. And they CAN be repaired, they aren't a throw-away suit like the less expensive brands. And if you price out any other quality textile suit, then add in rain gear since most other suits aren't waterproof, only water resistant- you come very close to the cost of the Roadcrafter.

Nothing wrong with leather if you can afford the quality versions...and don't mind the quirks. But the good stuff just ain't cheap.

My kids gave me a Joe Rocket (Honda) Superhawk leather jacket a few years ago. Great jacket for 45-75 degrees, plus it looks good! Has CE armour in the elbow, shoulder and back areas, zip out quilted liner, zip out cordura panels for ventilation. A only wear it when there is no rain in the forcast. Draw backs are that it is not waterproof and is heavy compared to textile. If I wander far from home overnight or a couple days and the weather might be iffy then always wear my Olympia AST or Airglide.

Well a new aerostitch catalog came in the mail. On page 11 they list a "waterproof " leather jacket with armor for $467 and matching pants with armor for $ 497 called a Transit Jacket & pants. Imported. Anyone familiar with these?

Are those pre-owned or discounts? On their site the jacket is $947 and pants $847 for Transits.

the Ferret said:

Well a new aerostitch catalog came in the mail. On page 11 they list a "waterproof " leather jacket with armor for $467 and matching pants with armor for $ 497 called a Transit Jacket & pants. Imported. Anyone familiar with these?

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The site owner at VFRD has worn that suit for the past two or three years. He makes numerous cross country trips per year and swears by the Transit suit.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

nhdiesel said:

Are those pre-owned or discounts? On their site the jacket is $947 and pants $847 for Transits.

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Appears to be new, its a spring 2013 supplement catalog. just came in the mail. Also says you can save $100 if you order both pieces at same time.

I realize that this is an old thread, but in case someone is still looking: I use two textile suits for commuting by Olympia, one for cold weather one mesh for warmer days. Both are very comfortable and appear heavy enough to do a good job if need be (fortunately no experience with that yet....) However I recently picked up a Recruit leather jacket by Scorpion on clearance from Motorcyclegear.com (no affiliation) for those days when a jacket and pants make more sense (shorter rides, etc...) and I want something that looks a bit nicer than a full armored suit. The jacket fits really well, is armored, has a liner, is vented and is made of heavy leather. It also has a style that can be worn for non riding use. It seems like it would provide very good protection from both the weather and in a crash (which I hope never to test). All of the modern gear seems significantly better than I recall using in the 80s and early 90s. As always, the key is to buy equipment that you like and that fits and protects you from the environment well enough that you will wear it.

Blitzen said:

As always, the key is to buy equipment that you like and that fits and protects you from the environment well enough that you will wear it.

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Just like hearing protection, the best ones are the ones that you will use.

travellingtenor said:

I ordered a custom leather jacket from Z-Leathers.

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Is their site http://www.zcustom.com/ ?

New to the forum and a little late here, but I still wear leather. Now, I am new to the sport touring world, but I have put MANY miles in leather on cruisers in all weather.
Schott and Fox Creek are my two jackets. I love them both. Both are fabulous companies to deal with as far as ordering, sizes, etc.

Not sure what style you are looking for, but the leather will be top shelf.

I find leather to be cooler than expected.

Having said that, I am in the market for a lighter weight textile jacket that is cool and practical and has a waterproof liner that can be removed.

I have this jacket

http://www.cyclegear.com/CycleGear/Biker/Jackets/Leather/brand/CUSTOM-BILT/Cafe-Racer-Leather-Motorcycle-Jacket/p/41282_200473_1753

it is fully armored but has a more comfortable fit than race leathers. The leather is softer and less rigid. I actually will often wear this jacket out as just a jacket because it looks and feels nice. Fully perforated but has a zip out liner to block the wind as well when you need

I enjoy it for more casual riding. And have a pair of armored riding jeans I normally wear with it, but have a set of leather pants with sliders I just aquired and am going to have the jacket fitted with a 360* zipper so I can have a 2 piece suit again (currently I just have 2 1 piece suits) for more spirited riding but when I plan to make a few stops and will want to take my jacket off.

Photo is of me a few weeks ago taking a test ride on the M109R when I realised I needed an ST because I couldn't be happy riding one of those pigs

Suppose I should update..after considering Vanson, Schott, Langlitz,Tourmaster, River Road and a few others, I ended up ordering a Fox Creek Vented Racing Jacket. Really, really happy with it. Nice jacket, good venting, soft, supple, doesn't need any break in, comes with a full sleeve zip out liner. Couldn't be happier with my choice. Sorry for the " modeling shot" ( although no one would confuse me with a model ..aren't they tall and thin? ) I was standing on a bridge down at Red River Gorge last week on our annual Men's Fall Ride and my son snapped this pic.

redst05 said:

I have looked into this and have heard some real positive reviews.
http://www.aerostich.com/jackets-pants/transit

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I second that, and can contribute my own review.

I bought the Aerostitch 'Transit' leather jacket and pants combination 3 years ago when I visited the Aerostitch facililty way the heck up at the far west end of the Great Lakes. Ironically, I was going there to get fitted for one of their one-piece textile suits, but after trying on and carefully inspecting the Transit outfit, there was no doubt, the Transit was the one for me.

I've since travelled about 30,000 km (18,000 miles) with it, and I am very happy with it. It is extraordinarily well manufactured (as it damn well should be, for what it costs, which is close to $2K with taxes), it's built like a Swiss watch. It is 100% waterproof... I have ridden through some prolonged monsoon-like thunderstorms, and stayed warm and dry. It is also quite comfortable in summer weather - I have no problems wearing it on sunny days in temperatures up to about +27?C (85?F). Once it gets warmer than that, though, I switch to a BMW 'Airflow' outfit.

The leather surfaces are perforated all over. This does a very good job of letting air penetrate and preventing me from getting hot. But, the GoreTex that is everywhere within the garment keeps the water out as well as the best rainsuit ever would.

I'm not sure what the minimum temperature it would be good for is, because I've not had the opportunity to use it in cold weather. I'm going to guess it would be adequate down to about 10?C (50?F), perhaps a bit lower than that if it was a sunny day.

It is a very thoughtfully designed bit of kit, with pockets and vents in all the right places, and large swaths of bright reflective material on the back of the jacket and at the bottom of the pant legs. It is well-armoured in the back, elbows, knees, thighs, shoulders, etc., but the armour fits the garment very well and I don't get the feeling I am wearing an armoured garment, as I sometimes do with the BMW outfits. Both the jacket and pants have held up very well since I bought it and shows no signs of wear at all - it still looks new 3 seasons later.

Because I went to the Aerostitch facility to buy it, I had the opportunity to try on multiple different sizes until I found the size of top and pants that fit me perfectly. It turned out that the sizes that fit me best were one size larger than what I would normally buy (for example, if buying jeans, or a suit jacket).

All in all, it's a hell of an expensive purchase, but a purchase I am very glad that I made. I'm totally satisfied with it, and it has become my preferred riding outfit, displacing 3 other BMW outfits that I have. I recommend the Aerostitch Transit outfit without any reservation to others.

Michael