New leather pants

[Havok]

Decided to take a look at the Dainese store today. Walking around i was checking out the clearance rack and tried on a pair of pants, they were a tad big so the clerk found me a smaller pair told me they were on clearance as well (though not marked on the tag) a size smaller, they fit perfect for new leather pants tight but not unbearable. I was bummed because i knew they were not on sale and was not going to get them, then the bomb ass ass customer service they give came out and he tells me that since he told me they were on clearance he will discount them for me, he said he could not do the 30% they normaly would but said he could do 25%. Needless to say i rode home in these today

http://www.dainese.com/us_en/motorbi...t=21&subcat=22

Talk about comfort!!!!!!!! My god are the nice to ride in. So much better then jeans or textile.

[alex.s]

sick! i want fancy pants...

[Indy250r]

Congrats on the great deal. I have Dainese pants, it's amazing how comfortable they are.

[Havok]

Originally Posted by Indy250r

Congrats on the great deal. I have Dainese pants, it's amazing how comfortable they are.

I am shocked at how much better they feel to ride in. So effing comfortable.

[reaubideux]

Awesome congrats on landing the good deal. After just getting the Alien jacket I'm really debating on whether or not to pick up the matching Alien pants. I wish I had a Dainese store near me.

[Havok]

Originally Posted by reaubideux

Awesome congrats on landing the good deal. After just getting the Alien jacket I'm really debating on whether or not to pick up the matching Alien pants. I wish I had a Dainese store near me.

The Aliens are nice and if i had not got a deal on on the sf ones they would be the ones i would get as they are more street oriented. The only difference i can see is the sf has sliders, the armor is sewed in and it has a bit more stretch panels in them.

[jamesio]

Originally Posted by Havok

I am shocked at how much better they feel to ride in. So effing comfortable.

more comfy than jeans?

[reaubideux]

Originally Posted by Havok

The Aliens are nice and if i had not got a deal on on the sf ones they would be the ones i would get as they are more street oriented. The only difference i can see is the sf has sliders, the armor is sewed in and it has a bit more stretch panels in them.

If I were really shopping for pants right now, I think I'd probably end up going w/the A* A10 Leather/Textile pants but since I won't be getting new pants until Christmas time I've got time to talk myself into (or out of) the Alien pants.

[ManyCavies]

Looking good Jeff

[Havok]

Originally Posted by reaubideux

If I were really shopping for pants right now, I think I'd probably end up going w/the A* A10 Leather/Textile pants but since I won't be getting new pants until Christmas time I've got time to talk myself into (or out of) the Alien pants.

I would not go with the A*s you have the jacket all ready and the dainese is not that much more. The description on the A*s says it connects to select A* jackets. Better to get a match for your pants and do the 360 zip.



Thanks crissy I am digging the new leathers.

[Indy250r]

Originally Posted by jamesio

more comfy than jeans?

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more comfortable. Plus, they make it easier to move around on the seat, without (somehow) feeling slick.

For all I know, most good leather pants may be this way but these are the only ones I've had.

[reaubideux]

Originally Posted by Havok

Better to get a match for your pants and do the 360 zip.

That's what really keeps bringing me back to the Alien pants, the ability to make a 2-piece suit out of them.

I'm keeping the A* in my mind b/c they're about $150 cheaper which, for me, that's a good chunk of money, and they're the only other pair of pants I like that don't come w/knee sliders.

[LazinCajun]

Those Dainese pants look very nice! That's a good deal too, glad they honored the clearance for you.

I have the A*'s mentioned in this thread, and love them (although I don 't have much to compare them to). There's one small problem with them -- the top of the knee pads came from the factory folded down so that it poked into the top of my knee. It's easy enough to fix, but common enough that I saw it mentioned on newenough.com. Kinda strange...

[ninja250]

I have owned the same pants for about a year.
Love the SF pelle ventilated by Dianese.
I got them one size larger so I can fit sweats underneath in the winter.
They work great as winter and summer riding pants being as they are vented and one size large to put things under them.

I crashed them once at 50mph into a guard rail and they still look perfect. I ride them every trip I go out.

Extremely comfortable too. I find myself just wearing them around the house sometimes pretending I'm a dainese model when I haven' shaved for a week and just woke up with a hangover ready for my moody grey picture. lololol

Alpinestars gear measures up to Dianese in no way possible.
Two completely different things.
Expensive fine Italian vs. Cheap thin Chinese.
MAJOR difference.

I go through four sets of alpinestars gloves a year.
My frank thomas kangaroos last 10x longer.

[jamesio]

Originally Posted by Indy250r

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more comfortable. Plus, they make it easier to move around on the seat, without (somehow) feeling slick.

For all I know, most good leather pants may be this way but these are the only ones I've had.

sweet! i am going to look into the alien pants

[Indy250r]

Originally Posted by jamesio

sweet! i am going to look into the alien pants

FWIW, for riding, they are great as I said, but for walking around in, they kind of suck. Just so you can have more info when you make the choice.

[THE BIG SITT]

Originally Posted by Indy250r

FWIW, for riding, they are great as I said, but for walking around in, they kind of suck. Just so you can have more info when you make the choice.

Sorry to jack the thread, but where are you from Indy250r? I'm in Greenwood

[Indy250r]

I'm in Columbus.

[jamesio]

Originally Posted by Indy250r

FWIW, for riding, they are great as I said, but for walking around in, they kind of suck. Just so you can have more info when you make the choice.

are they super hot walking around in? hot as in do they get heated lol

[Havok]

Originally Posted by jamesio

are they super hot walking around in? hot as in do they get heated lol

I was fine walking around in them. I had them on for about 3 hours in the morning as I rode to Adrians house. Changed out of them for a few hours while I painted. I put them back on when we went for lunch around 1 and kept them on the rest of the day. That included going to lunch and eating, riding the ridge and gmr, walking around berts thenhanging out at Adrians. I didn't get home till like 10:30-11:00 so a solid 9 or 10 hours and they were fine.

I was between us 38 and us 36 size. The 38s were too loose the 36s are tight. Since I am still cutting weight (went from 360lbs to 219 lbs /flex)and the 36s were not uncomfortable/restrictive tight I went with them.

As kasey said the A*s are hit and miss right now, my boots are holding up well my gloves fell apart in 8 months. The Dainese is worth the extra money for me tbh, the D-skin leather is amazing and the soft armor they use is so damn comfortable, the armor feels molded around me as opposed to most other armor the feels as if it's just on top of me.

[jamesio]

Originally Posted by Havok

I was fine walking around in them. I had them on for about 3 hours in the morning as I rode to Adrians house. Changed out of them for a few hours while I painted. I put them back on when we went for lunch around 1 and kept them on the rest of the day. That included going to lunch and eating, riding the ridge and gmr, walking around berts thenhanging out at Adrians. I didn't get home till like 10:30-11:00 so a solid 9 or 10 hours and they were fine.

I was between us 38 and us 36 size. The 38s were too loose the 36s are tight. Since I am still cutting weight (went from 360lbs to 219 lbs /flex)and the 36s were not uncomfortable/restrictive tight I went with them.

As kasey said the A*s are hit and miss right now, my boots are holding up well my gloves fell apart in 8 months. The Dainese is worth the extra money for me tbh, the D-skin leather is amazing and the soft armor they use is so damn comfortable, the armor feels molded around me as opposed to most other armor the feels as if it's just on top of me.

Nice! I think I am similar in size to you...I'm 6'1" and about 215 my jean size is a 34. What is yours? Just trying to get a better idea for fitment. I think you did right by going with the slightly snug pair. The leather will stretch out and feel better over time. My Dainese racing jacket was a little snug at first but now it stretched out a little bit from constant wear and the leather feels amazing I am hooked on Dainese gear as well, it's good stuff

[Havok]

Originally Posted by jamesio

Nice! I think I am similar in size to you...I'm 6'1" and about 215 my jean size is a 34. What is yours? Just trying to get a better idea for fitment. I think you did right by going with the slightly snug pair. The leather will stretch out and feel better over time. My Dainese racing jacket was a little snug at first but now it stretched out a little bit from constant wear and the leather feels amazing I am hooked on Dainese gear as well, it's good stuff

I found the Dainese stuff to be pretty true to size. I currently wear size 38 jeans that stay up due to an overly tight belt and when I tried on the 38 Leathers felt as if they were just as big on me as my 38 jeans (meaning they were baggy) I don't have any 36 jeans yet to compare the 36 leathers to. I am 5-11 219lbs so a bit shorter and wider then you so the 34s should do you good. If you order online I suggest stg.com. They will help with sizing and they allow returns.

[jamesio]

Originally Posted by Havok

I found the Dainese stuff to be pretty true to size. I currently wear size 38 jeans that stay up due to an overly tight belt and when I tried on the 38 Leathers felt as if they were just as big on me as my 38 jeans (meaning they were baggy) I don't have any 36 jeans yet to compare the 36 leathers to. I am 5-11 219lbs so a bit shorter and wider then you so the 34s should do you good. If you order online I suggest stg.com. They will help with sizing and they allow returns.

Cool! Haven't ordered anything from stg before but I got my dianese racing jacket and sidi st boots from revzilla. The boots ended up being too large and when I called them the guy was very helpful and set up the exchange. He was unsure of the stock left of the ones I wanted to exchange them for (limited black/white ones!) so instead of just placing the order and hoping for the best he went and physically checked to make sure he had them. Turns out I got the last pair in that color scheme in my size The boots arrived NEXT DAY. It was awesome.

[Havok]

I am the opposite, I have not ordered from revzillia but hear they are great. STG has not let me down yet.

[jamesio]

Just ordered the Alien pants by Dainese

[reaubideux]

You suck, James.

I'm going to have to wait a few more months to get mine. I expect a full review with lots of good pictures.

[jamesio]

Originally Posted by reaubideux

You suck, James.

I'm going to have to wait a few more months to get mine. I expect a full review with lots of good pictures.

Beat you

I think you just wanna see a dude in leather pants

jk! they got here today but I was stuck at the ER all day. So I will have to wait till monday to pick them up. I will definitely try them on, maybe jump in the shower with them and wear them around for a bit but I wont be able to ride with them till my foot heals up from my crash.

[reaubideux]

Originally Posted by jamesio

I think you just wanna see a dude in leather pants

Damn, you caught me.

Originally Posted by jamesio

...but I wont be able to ride with them till my foot heals up from my crash.

Hope you're doing okay. Get better. I'd offer to take your Alien pants and break them in for you but I doubt we're the same size.

[jamesio]

Originally Posted by reaubideux

Damn, you caught me.



Hope you're doing okay. Get better. I'd offer to take your Alien pants and break them in for you but I doubt we're the same size.

So I ended up returning them twice! Once because I got the wrong size and then when I finally did get the next pair (took a while coming from italy) that same day before I got them I got invited to do a track day! So I returned them again and got the SF pants because they have the sliders. Of course, revzilla cs was great about the whole thing. I have the pants on right now...they are sooo comfortable and they are perf!

However, before I returned the alien pants I had to open them and try them on. I am a size 54 and they felt just as comfy as the SF's. The D-skin leather is amazing. They are def more comfortable than jeans. Didn't ride in them but I suspect they would feel great. I will probably take my SF's out today. If you end up getting them you can expect to be very satisfied, as with pretty much any Dainese product.

[Trailerboy531]

Hey Jeff where is this Dainese store? I'm interested in checking their gear out; is it around these parts?

[Havok]

Originally Posted by Trailerboy531

Hey Jeff where is this Dainese store? I'm interested in checking their gear out; is it around these parts?

Its in orange county, Huntington beach area.

[dale-j]

Originally Posted by Indy250r

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more comfortable. Plus, they make it easier to move around on the seat, without (somehow) feeling slick.

For all I know, most good leather pants may be this way but these are the only ones I've had.

Nope, it's the D-Skin and the Dainese cut. They're more expensive for a reason. Not that you need another reason to feel good about the purchase but NORMAL leather loses somewhere around 20% of it's strength each time it gets saturated wet and dries out, unless conditioned with Lexol or similar while still wet. D-Skin is not only treated so that it is super flexible, it also soaks up less water, AND it does not lose strength when it gets wet and dries.... so you made a good choice.

If I sound like I've drunk the kool-aid, not exactly. I have worn Dainese gear but they discontinued the suit I ordered (the Tobruk, in D-Stone) and never offered the replacement Horizon in a pant and jacket set. It's discontinued now too, and I still haven't found what I'm looking for, but the quality and fit (if you're slim and tall) of their gear is tops.

[jamesio]

Originally Posted by dale-j

Nope, it's the D-Skin and the Dainese cut. They're more expensive for a reason. Not that you need another reason to feel good about the purchase but NORMAL leather loses somewhere around 20% of it's strength each time it gets saturated wet and dries out, unless conditioned with Lexol or similar while still wet. D-Skin is not only treated so that it is super flexible, it also soaks up less water, AND it does not lose strength when it gets wet and dries.... so you made a good choice.

I heard that whole thing about leather loosing 20% of its tensile strength when it gets saturated is just b.s. put out by the motoport company. I don't know if I buy that. I could see that being true for cheap commercial leather but high lend italian leather like Dainese uses for there products is treated and can with stand a lot of water.

[dale-j]

Originally Posted by jamesio

I heard that whole thing about leather loosing 20% of its tensile strength when it gets saturated is just b.s. put out by the motoport company. I don't know if I buy that. I could see that being true for cheap commercial leather but high lend italian leather like Dainese uses for there products is treated and can with stand a lot of water.

If you read my post, you'll see that this was my point about the D-Skin. There are others (Firstgear has one called Kwik-Dry, Aerostich sells a wax/silicone impregnated one with a Gore laminate) but the vast majority are not designed to get wet.

I have seen the the breakdown first hand on motorcycle specific leathers (Joe Rocket, Power Trip) that were not cared for well and tore or abraded badly in really minor crashes... Not old stuff and yes my gear, my crashes. I don't think Motoport needs to make this stuff up with the quality of their gear by the way.

For me, as a result I regularly condition with Lexol and if I soak a jacket in the rain I use it as an opportunity to clean and condition it before I let it dry. Your mileage, as they say, may vary... but my take on this is that if you intend to get leather wet, get good high end leather like the D-Skin that is designed for it, or take good care of the regular stuff.

[jamesio]

Originally Posted by dale-j

If you read my post, you'll see that this was my point about the D-Skin. There are others (Firstgear has one called Kwik-Dry, Aerostich sells a wax/silicone impregnated one with a Gore laminate) but the vast majority are not designed to get wet.

I have seen the the breakdown first hand on motorcycle specific leathers (Joe Rocket, Power Trip) that were not cared for well and tore or abraded badly in really minor crashes... Not old stuff and yes my gear, my crashes. I don't think Motoport needs to make this stuff up with the quality of their gear by the way.

For me, as a result I regularly condition with Lexol and if I soak a jacket in the rain I use it as an opportunity to clean and condition it before I let it dry. Your mileage, as they say, may vary... but my take on this is that if you intend to get leather wet, get good high end leather like the D-Skin that is designed for it, or take good care of the regular stuff.

Apologies, I knew your point about the D-skin. My D-skin sf pants got soaked on their first ride out. So did my white Dainese racing jacket, which is not D-skin. I didn't use lexol on my sf pants yet but the first time I got my racing jacket soaked I was stressing out about it. When I got back I did some research and found that a lot of people like to soak there new leathers and then take them out to ride in so they mold to their body and riding position. I did however still pick up some lexol leather cleaner and the lexol neatsfoot conditioner (for light colored leather). The stuff is great.

I agree that any motorcycle leather, if cared for badly, will deteriorate more rapidly, even Dainese's stuff. However, "leather loosing 20% of its tear and abrasion strength every time it gets wet and dries" is still just a manufacture's claim to me, and, in my opinion, is a very general, unspecific statement with no posted data to back it up. They even go on to say that even if a good leather conditioner is used, damage is still unavoidable.

First off, where are they getting this data from? Are there any studies? Also, that statement certainly can't be applied to all types and manufacturers of leather motorcycle gear. Companies make all different kinds of leather, some made to have different qualities. For example there are vintage leathers, cowhide leather, kangaroo leather, different thicknesses and grains, and leather that is treated or made to withstand something specific (ie D-skin, and what you mentioned in the beginning of your post). Motoport even states that, "different methods used to clean, tan and dye the leather effect it as well". There is no way that all the different types of leather are going to react the same when they get wet and dry.

Then there is the issue of the quality of leather at hand. A leather jacket that Joe Rocket puts out vs a leather jacket that Dainese puts out is incomparable. Dainese's leather is going to be way more quality every time, in every aspect and option. Certainly the quality of the leather would play a big role in the process.

I have heard nothing but stellar things about Motoport's gear, but at the end of the day, they are still just another company trying to sell a product, trying to persuade a consumer to choose their stuff over another companies stuff. They claim that leather looses 20% of tear and abrasion strength every time it gets wet and dries, yet don't provide any data, info, or specific leather they are referring to. They just say, "leather". Motorcycle specific leather has been tried and true by motorcyclists of all types many more years than motoport's stuff has. I choose to take their claims with a grain of salt.

[dale-j]

I'm with you on pretty much everything here. I do take claims like the 20% (unavoidable???) damage each time with a big (BIG) grain of salt as that's a heck of a tough thing to quantify, and I think that something like Lexol, used as directed, could hardly lead to that kind of deterioration.

On the other hand, I also take issue with the krrrrap leather quality in most run of the mill gear like Joe Rocket. I think they just use the cheapest stuff they can find, and advertise it on its thickness not its quality. The Power Trip stuff is made by Joe Rocket as well, and I still can't figure how it tore in a 10 mph lowside when my old (bought used, and probably five seasons of use) Dainese Sport Pelle pants were barely scuffed. The torn leather was dry inside, looked like cardboard the way it tore, and the jacket was less than a year old. Yes, it got wet a few times but not really saturated. The Dainese pants were cleaned with Lexol inside and out and then conditioned (just on the outside, when still wet) when I bought them which I chalked up to the difference, but I think you're right - you get what you pay for when it comes to leather quality. As an aside the JR Stuff was made in China, and the Power Trip was made in Pakistan. Maybe the cows are different, but almost certainly the leather tanning process is different compared with Dainese (or Vanson, or FirstGear)...

The other issue I have with some (not all) gear is the seam construction. I had an Alpinestars suit (Venom, 2pc leather) that I never had reason to question the leather quality on, but when I cleaned it I found that despite claiming triple stitched main seams all the decorative seams on the suit were not applique'd on top of the main leather, they were only a single layer and stitched with a single row of thread. Triple stitched main seams aren't going to matter much if the rest of the suit blows apart... I sold that suit in a hurry. Joe Rocket stuff is guilty of the same, I have the Atomic jacket which boasts 600D Nylon Cordura, but there are unnecessary seams everywhere on it, and only single stitched. I don't know what they're thinking but I suspect it's just about the $$ for Joe Rocket....