Fit of leathers...

[benVFR]

Hey anyone know if there are any brands of off the rack leathers that come in a "tall" version?

My cheapo Teknic leathers get the job done but I barely fit in them, I have never really been able to zip the top all the way up and this year I'm heavier then usual and now the shoulders are quite tight too.

I just went and tried on some wickedly expensive Dainese leathers. (WAY too expensive) And even at that price level they don't appear to make any that fit well if you're over 6'.

The Dainese suit was more expensive then full custom Vansons so I am going to look at that.

Also just how uncomfortable are they supposed to be.. I of course was told the Dainese suit fit me very well but it sure didn't feel much better then my $300 leathers from New Enough, and I'm the guy who has to wear them. I am assuming my Teknics are fully broken in after 3 track days and several thousand street miles and I'm not sure how much they really loosened up.

Ben

[SVRACER01]

have you looked at SYED?

[nefarious]

the motoGp fit pretty well for off the rack, and you should be able to get your hands on a pair locally to try on. Mine are tall enough now if i could just loose the gut

[benVFR]

Anyone know any other places besides MotoMarket that carry the MotoGP brand?

They had one set I tried on and the height was there but they were too big in the chest/waist.

The price was right on the MotoGP stuff too.

I'll look around for Syed too.

[nefarious]

what saize was it, and are you? most manufacturers expect ya to have a huge waist at 6+

would a back protector eat up enough space? you could always have it altered and it would still cost you less than a vanson etc. plus its so nice and thin/light

[benVFR]

Yah my waist is only like 34, and I'm pretty out of shape right now, it should be more like 32-33. I'm like 185 right now, and I really should be under 180, ideally between 170-175.

My calves & thighs are always tough to fit into the off the rack suits and the waist is always big & roomy. (Though not as bad right now since I'm heavier then usual)

The other problem area is for my height (6'1") my legs seem to be short, I wear 32 inseam pants, so the off the rack suits are really uncomfortable in the crotch and shoulders.

I don't know.. I'm going to go visit Vanson and see what they say, their sizing chart seems to indicate I am way off in "custom" territory.

[benVFR]

I got fit at Vanson today, they couldn't fit me into anything stock.

I will see, I may order something custom, just having a really hard time deciding and/or I am also like 10-15lbs heavy right now and I'm a bit worried about how much weight I could lose and still have it fit.

Probably better to order it when fat though.. as the years go buy I am way less likely to be running around with single digit body fat like I was the last couple summers. And if I spend my time motorcycling that's unlikely to happen.

[SVRACER01]

i beleive that SYED leathers are made to your specs. ive seen them advertised in the back of RRW. you call them and they send you a book with all the info and charts and mesurements and prices..or try here or this catalog

[Manny]

I did a made to measure Syed suit this past winter. Great product (too bad I already tested em out) and the customer service was fantastic - really really great to deal with. Ive done custom stuff at vanson in the past and I would rather not wear gear then have to deal with those A-holes again. Syed rocks.

[benVFR]

Huh.. they were very cool today, probably cause the place was deserted.

I am not that crazy about the look of a lot of their stuff but the actual race suits look quite nice.

They showed me a bunch of really gorgeous custom H-D 2-piece suits... I'm like "Who the hell is buying these, H-D guys never wear clothes like that." Apparently they were for some factory team. (Dirt track?)

[Allan]

I hope Ben you are not implying or inferring or whatever that I was trying to sell you leathers that do not fit you just to make money!! I take only pride in selling Dainese and Arai, NOT money! You are NOT off-the-rack and the Dainese Bora suit size 54 did not fit you perfectly (I made that quite clear), BUT it was damn close and with time would stretch. When I first rode with my current Dainese suit in Daytona of '05, I literally couldn't inhale it was so tight...but after 2 practice sessions, I forgot all about it...the moral: leather will give. The length of the sleeves and legs was off slightly, but I thought racing boots and gauntlet gloves from Held or Dainese would solve that problem...
Here's the deal:
Vanson might make you a custom suit for less, but ultimately it won't fit you as snugly (it's not tailored by Italians - it's done by Americans...you make the call), the armor is not nearly as nice as Dainese armor, the leather is stiff and takes forever to break in, and the styling...well...Ferrari, Ducati, Dainese, Michelangelo, Leanardo, MV, Armani, Lamborghini, Pinifirina...Vanson?!?!?! I think NOT!
SYED...see 'Vanson' above...

I can order a suit from Italy with extra leather in the sleeves and legs if the length was your concern, but expect to wait...the Sistine Chapel wasn't painted in a week and Rome wasn't built in a day...you'll never be as fast as Pedrosa, but at least you can look as good!

So how's your Arai?

[benVFR]

Allan it just didn't fit... it left bruises on my shoulders and you could see the veins in my nuts through the leather. If it was that tight standing up it was not going to stretch out enough to get into a good tuck. I've already been through this with the Teknic suit I have and it never stretched enough. When they say 6' max height they mean 6' max height. Getting the legs and arms taken out on the Dainese suit would not have solved the problem... Vanson was saying they were going to have to make far more alterations then that to do the job right. (Chest in, torso lengthened, waist in, thighs out, calves out, arms and legs lengthened, etc, etc, etc..!)

I am not implying you were trying to sell me something you knew didn't fit to make money but whether you knew it or not that suit fit did not fit me and I am willing to bet if I had bought it after 2-3 track days I would have been furious when it never loosened up enough. You have got to understand at Dainese price levels there is NO excuse to not have a perfect fit!

Don't be thinking I'm just ripping on you guys as you know I've bought enough gear in your store to buy a starter race bike. I'm 100% happy with everything I've bought from you and there was no reason to ruin that record.

The Arai is great...