Looking for a good, cheap Leather Suit

[kazam58]

I did a quick search and didn't find any similar topics. I'm looking to start doing some trackdays later this year and eventually work myself up to racing next year...hopefully. Anyway, the only thing missing from my arsenal of gear is a good leather suit. My issue is that I need something cheap, preferably $500 or less, and I know that in most cases, you get what you pay for when it comes to gear. But I'm 18 and broke lol
Any and all suggestions for a 1pc suit are welcome! I've searched a good deal, but there are too many companies (especially smaller ones I haven't heard of) for me to know where to begin.
Thanks in advance everyone!

[Purspeed]

Post what you find here and perhaps we can give you some feedback.

Just make sure that the leather is 1.5mm thick, get Helimot back protector and TPro armor all around (especially elbow, shoulder, hip and knees and buttocks) and make sure that you don't get JoeRocket.

[DerTeufel]

Joe Rocket sells a back protector that is made by T-pro.

http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/s...iece+race+suit

http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/s...iece+race+suit

http://www.kneedraggers.com/list/1395

That's just a small part of what you can find.

[Daeldren]

There was something on BARF a while back about TILT customs
http://www.tiltcustoms.com/Home.html

I was actually thinking about going through them, for under $500.00 you can have a custom basic tracksuit through there. Not sure about their quality Im sure it can't be any worse than the lower end suits from other manufacturers.

Maybe Alex knows about them.

[CANTFUNCTION]

I don't have a suit yet but I was thinking about getting this one.
http://stores.sportbiketrackgear.com/Detail.bok?no=4933

Also was looking at a Pilot suit. They are a little more than you want to spend. Just a thought.
http://www.pilotleathers.com/suits.html

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Daeldren

Maybe Alex knows about them.

I don't know much about 'em, other than what I read on BARF and SBR as well. I think "Rimmy" on SBR got a set of them awhile back, those are his new all-yellow leathers.

[DerTeufel]

Originally Posted by Daeldren

There was something on BARF a while back about TILT customs
http://www.tiltcustoms.com/Home.html

I was actually thinking about going through them, for under $500.00 you can have a custom basic tracksuit through there. Not sure about their quality Im sure it can't be any worse than the lower end suits from other manufacturers.

Maybe Alex knows about them.

My current suit is made by this guy, www.spartanleathers.com

Very well made, thick leather, and if the armor doesn't suit your fancy, you can upgrade it at a later time. It's a tad bit over $500 with shipping.

[Elfling]

Originally Posted by Daeldren

There was something on BARF a while back about TILT customs
http://www.tiltcustoms.com/Home.html

I was actually thinking about going through them, for under $500.00 you can have a custom basic tracksuit through there. Not sure about their quality Im sure it can't be any worse than the lower end suits from other manufacturers.

Maybe Alex knows about them.

Their stuff is good quality- have a friend who bought from them and it's a well done suit. It's cheap because he ships them out to Pakistan for construction after designing them, which is nothing 99% of the manufacturers don't do already.

[Daeldren]

Their stuff is good quality- have a friend who bought from them and it's a well done suit. It's cheap because he ships them out to Pakistan for construction after designing them, which is nothing 99% of the manufacturers don't do already.

from what I have read of the reviews, the owner is pretty good about customer support. Apparently he fixed some of the early issues with the suits so now they seem to be a good option for those of us who need custom suits. Being all of 5'2" its hard enough finding gear to fit me, I may look into this more once I get some money.

[Elfling]

Yep- same here. Short with a big ass = hard to find gear

[Broom]

find your local racing club and watch their for sale boards. thats the best place to find good deals on leathers.

of course that means going to your local dealer to figure out about what size you wear first.

[kazam58]

Originally Posted by Broom

find your local racing club and watch their for sale boards. thats the best place to find good deals on leathers.

Haha...yea...I don't have a local racing club. I don't even have a distant racing club, lol. Vermont is not the place for motorsports. Once I'm Rochester, which will be too late to try and find a suit, then I'll be closer to racing stuff.

I'll check out all those places you guys mentioned, thanks for helping me start this search. I was looking at an AGV Forza suit and I found last year's A* Octane suit for $380 new on ebay which seems to be a size up from what the sizing charts recommend. At that price I figured I could buy it and then get it taken in and fitted locally. However, sending out my measurements to someone would be just as good. I'll definitely be looking at those Tilt leathers, I can deal with parting a few extra dollars
Thanks again everyone!

[Apex]

Originally Posted by Broom

find your local racing club and watch their for sale boards. thats the best place to find good deals on leathers.

of course that means going to your local dealer to figure out about what size you wear first.

My local club does group buys on gear...and we normally get another 10-15% off cost.

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by kazam58

I did a quick search and didn't find any similar topics. I'm looking to start doing some trackdays later this year and eventually work myself up to racing next year...hopefully. Anyway, the only thing missing from my arsenal of gear is a good leather suit. My issue is that I need something cheap, preferably $500 or less, and I know that in most cases, you get what you pay for when it comes to gear. But I'm 18 and broke lol
Any and all suggestions for a 1pc suit are welcome! I've searched a good deal, but there are too many companies (especially smaller ones I haven't heard of) for me to know where to begin.
Thanks in advance everyone!

First suggestion would be go to the track and watch a track day. While you are there talk to everyone and ask them how much they spend on trackdays.

Second suggestion would be go to a club race and watch. While you are there talk to as many racers you can and ask how much they spend on racing.

Third suggestion would be live at home and work two jobs to pay for track days and race days.

Fourth suggestion would be go to college and get a great education and great job and become rich while having parents pay for trackdays and racing (since it is safer than riding on the street).

As far as cheap leathers and everything else you will need (and there is plenty) search forums for tracks and clubs. Do to the economic conditions there are a lot of people selling everything you need.

Trackdays and race days are very expensive (and worth every penny).

[Kurosaki]

Keep your eyes on ebay and craigslist for used suits. Used gear is great. I bought a pair of SMX plus boots about a month ago off ebay for 170. Still in great shape. They're 350+ new!

Or if you can find any teknic chicanes on closeout still, get one. 300 dollars for a 1pc suit.


I've crashed mine twice and it's still holding up great.

[Kurosaki]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

Trackdays and race days are very expensive (and worth every penny).

Lucky for us 250 riders, trackdays are not so bad on the wallet. The bike is easy on tires, sips gas, and crashes well.

I fill up sometime in the afternoon when I'm at the track. But even then I'm not out of gas. I do it just because. I'm pretty sure I could make it through an entire trackday on a single tank if I wanted.


Track fee around here is between 120-180 depending on the track. Load up in your truck or rent a trailor, fill up a 5 dollar gas can, and go.


Doing trackdays on the 250 is pretty cheap actually!

I bought a bunch of take offs for my 250 recently. I'm stocked up on tires for the rest of the year. I paid like 140 shipped for 2 fronts and a rear tire that still have a lot of mileage on them.



Racing on the other hand,

that adds up quick.

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by Kurosaki

Racing on the other hand,

that adds up quick.

But you can get paid once you're racing. So for evey $1000 you spend you might get $100 back.

[kazam58]

lol, thanks for the suggestions guys, especially you, Oscar
The reason I can start going to trackdays is because I will be going to college next year and the school is much closer to tracks than I am here. I'm not worried about my education too much, I'll have a master's in 5 years and I just graduated top of my class, but that's for the advice, Oscar, I'll work on getting rich. Maybe I'll share. I'm getting a large amount of money in scholarships so my parents are more than willing to pay for it.
I'll be able to fund my trackdays by working a little bit on campus during the week. I already work two jobs now, lol.
Kuro, I was wondering about the Teknic Chicane, I'm glad to hear that you like it. I'll be looking into that as well. I really wish I could visit a trackday or club race and ask around, but that simply isn't feasible since everything is 4 hours away from here. Not only that, but every time there is a trackday at one of those distant tracks, I'm not even in the states.
I already have all the other gear: boots, gloves, helmet, I'm just missing the suit. The issue with used equipment is that almost none of it fits me. I'm 5'6" and 145 lbs. Not many guys are that small.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Kurosaki

I've crashed mine twice and it's still holding up great.

You've put your poor suffering 'jette on the ground twice? Was it at least gentle?

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by kazam58

I'm 5'6" and 145 lbs. Not many guys are that small.

Perfect racer size.

What track are you thinking of? Loudon? Go to the Penguin School instead of a trackday. You can take the school and race the same weekend.

http://www.penguinracing.com/

[paterick4o8]

Originally Posted by Daeldren

There was something on BARF a while back about TILT customs
http://www.tiltcustoms.com/Home.html

I was actually thinking about going through them, for under $500.00 you can have a custom basic tracksuit through there. Not sure about their quality Im sure it can't be any worse than the lower end suits from other manufacturers.

Maybe Alex knows about them.

I was thinking of getting one from TILT. I rode with a guy recently who had a TILT custom and I can tell you it looked really nice and quality looked pretty good. Not sure of the quality in protection tho as he hasn't had a chance to test it yet

[kazam58]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

Perfect racer size.

What track are you thinking of? Loudon? Go to the Penguin School instead of a trackday. You can take the school and race the same weekend.

http://www.penguinracing.com/

lol, true, perfect racer, but not the average size

I was looking into a trackday at Loudon and I was incredibly close to going. The only issue, I wouldn't have enough money to attend a trackday in June (now) since I need a leather suit, and renting one is a pretty hefty fee. Then I'm gone throughout July, and when they have the school during August, I'm going to be in VA Beach (without the bike). Right after that, I'm in Rochester. It sucks because I was really looking forward to attending one of their classes, especially since I know they're one of the better schools out there. I'd only have enough for a one-day class. The two-day is far too expensive for me, especially when you start adding hotel fees for staying overnight and all that fun stuff. I really have to wait until August to start any kind of racing or schooling, but I need to get my gear sorted out now, since I won't have time to do so after June.
I'm leaning quite a bit in the direction of a TILT suit right now. I've heard good reviews, they're still in my price range, and it's custom fitted It doesn't get much better than that.

[hzrnbgy]

im having the same hard time shopping for nice looking leather racing suits. im 5'7" and around 137ish lbs. my budget is a little more flexible as i can go up to $1200. cant decide if i should go for the alpinestars or revit ones.

im looking for some tight fitting, well ventilated leather one piece suits. its mostly for freeway riding but might use it someday for track racing.

can you guys point me to the correct direction. ive seen some in here with their nice suits but dont know what brands are those.

thanks a lot

[Broom]

I can probably hook you up with a custom fitted and colored Komodo suit for about 1200. They'll even put your name on it. They're great suits. Click the link in my signature and you should be able to find Picts of mine.
Posted via Mobile Device

[CC Cowboy]

Vanson makes excellent custom made suits.

[hzrnbgy]

Originally Posted by Broom

I can probably hook you up with a custom fitted and colored Komodo suit for about 1200. They'll even put your name on it. They're great suits. Click the link in my signature and you should be able to find Picts of mine.
Posted via Mobile Device

that is great but i dont see any link. maybe its because you posted via mobile device

[hzrnbgy]

nevermind. got it. looks wonderful man

[Broom]

their site: http://komodogear.com/

really top notch stuff. i've spent some time with the owner of the company and he really takes pride and care into every aspect of his suits. no corners cut. if you're interested let me know and i can see what kind of deal i can get you for a custom fit suit.

[hzrnbgy]

just checked out their site. the K-FX suit is pretty. im liking it. can you hook me up? thanks bro. never thought of komodo as i was only checking motorcycle superstore

[CC Cowboy]

They have a nice site. Jon, do you still get 50% off?

[Broom]

when i bought my suit i think i got 20% off, but that was before i had built a relationship with them. not sure what i'd get now. haven't bought any gear in a while, but i'm due for some gloves.... trying to save up some contingency money from them by winning some races so i can get em for free. unfortunately for me i haven't been winning many races

[CC Cowboy]

Jon, just do what they do in NASCAR, cheat!

[Broom]

i got a responce from wayne at komodo about the suits. unfortunately for you, the custom suits are a little more expensive now then when i bought mine 3 or 4 years ago. here is his response:

I think your friend would fit into a size 38/40 for “off the rack”. he’ll have some slack because he is so lean. However, the length of the arms/legs should be good.

Custom suits are $2,000 in standard “off the rack” colors; $2,400 for full customization (fit/graphics/colors).

When you truly compare off the rack suits, “apples to apples”, Komodo has no peer when it comes to safety/value for the money.

sounds like your best bet might be to get a 38 or 40 off the rack suit. i think i saw a couple on their site for anywhere from 700-1200 bucks which is a pretty good price. unfortunately i think you'll have a hard time finding any komodo suits at your local shops to try on.... let me know if you're still interested or need more information and i can put you in touch with wayne personally.

[hzrnbgy]

$2000 is a little too much for me. but im still checking out the k-fx suits. size 38 looks perfect but i gotta double check on the dimensions first. dont want to end up with a really fitted suit. i might probably end up buying one of these suits. its just a matter of which size i will feel most comfortable with

thanks bro

[kazam58]

Well I ended up ordering a custom TILT suit, I'm psyched.

[Apex]

I want a race suit, just can't spend that kind of money.

[DerTeufel]

500 bucks is cheap for a custom suit.

[kazam58]

TILT actually offers a version for less than $400. I ended up getting the more expensive version just because I could...