View Full Version : Arlen Ness or Dainese or Alpinestars???
First of all in a one piece for track riding, which make would you have? and.........where would you get them from for best price???
david.hicks
22-Aug-2006, 19:47
None of that foreign muck - the best leathers are English, English I say (adopts best Pub Landlord accent) - get 'em made to measure direct from the manufacturer (BKS, Crowtree or similar small firms scattered up and down the country) for less than the price of a big name fashion suit.
doogalman
22-Aug-2006, 20:00
seconded.
They actually all work out pretty much the same, according to the quality you want to opt for.
You can be unlucky with seams giving way of course, but that is less likely if you spend more, so long as you dont buy the 'latest fashion' at the latest price :)
Modern suits with hard armour all survive going down the road so much better than anything with soft armour.
Buy what fits you - remembering that if you go for a custom suit you have to go to them at least twice to ensure it fits properly, and that all costs more money.
The other advantage with a custom suit of course is you dont have to have all those stupid swirly bits of leather stiched on.
I like the kangeroo arlen ness ones..............I was hoping someone could find me some somewhere at a steal of a price.
I went for Alpinestars when I was looking last year - got mine at MCA in Leicester, and there was also a place in Southend who seemed to be reasonably priced - can't remember who sold what though....
Sharpy G
22-Aug-2006, 21:06
I like the kangeroo arlen ness ones..............I was hoping someone could find me some somewhere at a steal of a price.
try Cissbury Leathers mate, that's where I got my Arlen 2 piece from
Prefered the fit of the Spidi 1 piece on me tho' so got the NRG Pro
G
aka.eric
22-Aug-2006, 21:10
Wolf make a decent set of leathers.Were some kangaroo sets on fleabay for £400,Cissbury Leathers were one seller.
RST are they British?, always been cheap,but Andrew Pitt,Whitham wear them,could be a good buy.
doogalman
22-Aug-2006, 21:54
What the top racers wear are NOT the same as you could get of the peg.
Remember its almost the end of the season, so bargain time is coming soon, with the London Bike show being the best place for bargains. It used to be at Ally Pally but is moving down to the Exel centre so they can have more space !
Paul James
23-Aug-2006, 08:23
I like the kangeroo arlen ness ones..............I was hoping someone could find me some somewhere at a steal of a price.
Would have thought you were in the ideal job to know of someone who could steal some for you. :rolleyes: :frog:
rcgbob44
23-Aug-2006, 08:51
I`m still looking for a decent chrome studed leather thong, with armour to complete my outfit!.................woops wrong web site!!!!!
Martinp
23-Aug-2006, 09:30
I like the kangeroo arlen ness ones..............I was hoping someone could find me some somewhere at a steal of a price.
There is a honda dealer near me selling last years kangaroo jobbies for £650 which from what I can tell is a good price but not specatular imo.
Got a Dainese suit which has held up well to a few off's so far, although the seam's have split on the legs twice now, not good for a 1000 quid suit, good fit though.
Now use my A-Star Haga suit most of the time and never (touch wood) had to try out the armour etc, not as comfy as the Dainese jobbie but it was cheaper, saying that Lily has been down the road 3 times maybe 4 in her A-Star suit and it's still intact if not a little battle scarred.
I did see a fantastic Arlen Ness suit at Brands (WSB) on one of the trade stands but it was not for sale I think it may well be one of next years suits so no doubt no deals to be had, but it did look good
Being the owner or both Dianese and bks I can honestly say that BKS is by far the better product. The dianese is fantastic in its design and a good fit but the seams come undone and they are almost imposible to repair if you have an off. BKS meanwhile are almost 40% heavier but are the finest I have seen for contruction and can be repaired to as new condition.
Just my sixpence worth any way!
Peter
doogalman
23-Aug-2006, 11:46
I've had my BKS allmost 8 years, great suit.
Worth contacting BKS as the do an off the self range, and may even have offers on them , worth asking.
couchcommando
23-Aug-2006, 11:55
None of them for crashing in. I use and have tested my Scott made to measure ones 3 times now, all times the leathers have come away with scrapes only and weren't repaired between 'test' sessions ;)
They cost £600 4 years ago which is cheaper than some of the off the peg fashion leathers.
If you must buy off the peg I have seen first hand texport leathers fair very well, I have also seen HG stuff tear apart and cause injury, the suit was refunded in full and the explanation was a poor batch of leather, made the injured party feel so much better.
I guess everyone has different views/experiences of off the peg leathers but I have yet to hear a bad word about any of the MTM suits by Scott,BKS,Crowtree etc..
They are well worth waiting a few weeks to have a set made :) I can see no reason why you would buy off the peg suits for more money than a MTM suit ?
Just another thought when MartinH lowsided a Oulton a few weeks ago at possibly the slowest corner his BKS leathers didn't fair well at all, there's a hole about the size of a cricket ball on his backside! :o luckily they have an inner leather lining but considering the reputation that comes with BKS I would of expected a hell of a lot more to be honest.
I am lucky enough at work to have the MTM bks stuff.....allbeit in black!
Which Honda dealer was that............also been looking at a german A/ness dealer the kangaroo stuff is e999............which makes around £680 delivered.........sizes are a bit strange though
psychlist
23-Aug-2006, 15:53
The DSC Sussex meet is held in the bar next door to Cissbury Leathers in Findon, if you turn up in person and flash your DSC membership card you can usually get a discount (depending on how favourable the manager is looking upon us at the time), they always have end of line items in a sale too ;)
If you make it on the 3rd Sunday of the month just before noon then you can pop next door and buy me a coffee :D
buy?:lol: ;)
Theres a sale on at mca Leicester as well.......ahh decisions decisions...
Martinp
23-Aug-2006, 16:16
I am lucky enough at work to have the MTM bks stuff.....allbeit in black!
Which Honda dealer was that............also been looking at a german A/ness dealer the kangaroo stuff is e999............which makes around £680 delivered.........sizes are a bit strange though
Avonvale Honda
790-820 Stratford Road
Solihull
West Midlands
B90 4BQ
0121 744 7744
http://www.solihull-honda.co.uk
I tried on a Medium I think was to big for me. Not that it helps you!
HTH
clint 999R
23-Aug-2006, 22:13
after a lot of checking out and trying i went for alpinestars race replica suit not cheap at £1450 but i found them to have protection everywhere with out be bulky or uncomfortable had them 2 years still fitt and feel like new even after a heavy impact with tyre wall last year. hein gericke did have them on offer at one time £995 must admit do like them arlen ness tho
I'd have to go for MTM Scott leathers too. Got measured up at the Ally Pally show a few years ago, and the leathers arrived well before trackday season :) I've only managed one crash test session in them so far, about 70mph off at Brands. It was wet, so not as much damage as there could have been, but they're just very lightly scuffed in a few places. For what it costs, I'd go MTM every time. Might not have the fancy designer names, but I'd rather have something that did the job than looked nice :)
Why do people buy this off-the-peg rubbish? For a similar price you can get a tailor-made suit from Crowtree that is vastly superior in build-quality and protection.
I use Crowtree for race & road. I will never buy anything else. I've been using them since 1991. My current race suit has withstood 3 100+mph spills on the track basically unscathed.
Crowtree's service and support is second to none and in the unlikely event that you damage your suit seriously they will repair it for a pittance. They know their customers by name, the suits are beautifully constructed by caring hands, they take their reputation seriously and will never let you down. You won't get that service or protection from Dainese, Alpinstars or whatever.
I'm another MTM convert, I like my hideout suit and they've been really good with after-sales support.
They'll do a leather MTM suit, reasonably plain, quite cheap. Even cheaper if you had your ACU license Andy ;) give em a call ...
psychlist
24-Aug-2006, 13:05
:) I've only managed one crash test session in them so far, about 70mph off at Brands. :)
... and very ladylike it looked too as I rode between you and your bike ;)
I bought a second hand Spidi 2pc suit and had it altered by 9-Lives to fit me properly as a 1pc suit for racing and it survived a couple of spills and tumbles with just a few scuffs :D
If it fits you well with no saggy bits then it's less likely to catch any imperfections in the road/track and make you tumble or "ruck up" underneath you and cause bruising on it's own, but then it will feel tighter and more awkward if you want to walk around in it. So it's a compromise that only you can decide on.
I work on the opposite principle of bulking up to fill out whatever suit I'm wearing :roll:
couchcommando
24-Aug-2006, 13:13
Why do people buy this off-the-peg rubbish? For a similar price you can get a tailor-made suit from Crowtree that is vastly superior in build-quality and protection.
I use Crowtree for race & road. I will never buy anything else. I've been using them since 1991. My current race suit has withstood 3 100+mph spills on the track basically unscathed.
Crowtree's service and support is second to none and in the unlikely event that you damage your suit seriously they will repair it for a pittance. They know their customers by name, the suits are beautifully constructed by caring hands, they take their reputation seriously and will never let you down. You won't get that service or protection from Dainese, Alpinstars or whatever.
I agree my Scott MTM was £600 and has performed brilliantly. I don't understand spending £1k upwards on non MTM stuff. However these non MTM suits do look better and some value looking good quite high, especially if they never crash :)
Never crash???? Either they don't try hard enough or are riding gods......ummmm...or we're ****! :lol:
Yep...pretty much any mtm suit is leagues ahead whereas OTP is prolly made in Pakistan or India.
Arlen ness........made in hong kong! same as the berik.........
crashed at coppice in Berick...they held together very well indeed
... and very ladylike it looked too as I rode between you and your bike ;)
As ladylike as you can be skidding up a track on your arse I suppose :lol:
Ooh ooh, found a bargain..........
Tonio600
24-Aug-2006, 14:45
None of that foreign muck - the best leathers are English, English I say
Nope, best leathers are French, Furygan can't be beaten :D
Nope, best leathers are French, Furygan can't be beaten :D
:lol:
The best leathers aren't leather ;)
http://www.ozeco.com.au/ecoaustralian/gfx/newest-pics/kangaroo-shot.jpg
What's that Skip? You want to protect my skin?
Wicked :D
Nope, best leathers are French, Furygan can't be beaten :D
Except by 'old men' on CB500's ;)
antonye
24-Aug-2006, 14:56
Have to say I've crashed plenty of times (half a dozen or more) in my Dainese and while they don't look like new they haven't fallen apart yet either!
Only one repair needed so far to patch a rip, which cost me £40 from Hideout in Safron Waldon. No bust seams either, but I have disintegrated one of the logos!
couchcommando
24-Aug-2006, 14:56
Is this me.........
Yes yes and yes :)
2003 crashed in dainese at coppice...and ripped myself a new rear!:o
But i still like them.........
2003 crashed in dainese at coppice...and ripped myself a new rear!:o
But i still like them.........
Aint the first time you had yer "rear" ripped is it.............and im sure not the last .................................LOL
psychlist
24-Aug-2006, 15:06
Is this me.........
Oh yes! Reminds me of my very first 1pc suit (Fieldsheer, 1978) in white, yellow and red :eek:
LesPaul
24-Aug-2006, 15:09
Give these a ring http://www.titanium-racing.com/home.html, they have been doing some good deals on the Arlen Kangaroo suit.
Darren
Aint the first time you had yer "rear" ripped is it.............and im sure not the last .................................LOL
Grabs wood..ooh er! When you woddle around like me, if it gets a bit scary, i just step off the bike!;)
I got my Arlen Ness one piece kangaroo's from Cissbury at the NEC last year £899 down to £599
couchcommando
24-Aug-2006, 15:12
How far do you bounce in those kangaroo suits tho ?
Crowtree and others MTM suits start at around £500...
How far do you bounce in those kangaroo suits tho ?
Crowtree and others MTM suits start at around £500...
You bounce far enough so that you only got to run over my head and not the rest of me at Cadwell :D
Grabs wood..ooh er! When you woddle around like me, if it gets a bit scary, i just step off the bike!;)
had me a go on a 999R at the dsc day....thanks to everton......
had me a go on a 999R at the dsc day....thanks to everton......
and............
everton
24-Aug-2006, 16:17
had me a go on a 999R at the dsc day....thanks to everton......
More than welcome Phil ... as I said! And Fordie tells me you went round sensible like :D
Sharpy G
24-Aug-2006, 17:49
everton, you never did come back to me on that nosecone ?
G
keith_mann1959
24-Aug-2006, 23:27
Crowtree Crowtree Crowtree
Can't imagine why you would use anything else for this kind of money.
Well Ph motorcycles have a sale on, so i bagged me a one piece dainese nitro in red/black/silver RRp £799.............£425!
and its feels loverly!!!
Sharpy G
27-Aug-2006, 21:44
wheres that Andy ?
Today I got some two piece Dainese for the road :D Birthday pressie from Couch. They're beautiful, fit so nicely. Just hope they last as well as the price tag suggests.
BTW...anyone looking for sale price Dainese/Alpinestars get to MCA in Leicester. I had no idea they had so much stock! Very helpful staff too :)
ph motorcycles or gatwick dainese...........er, near Gatwick!
david.hicks
28-Aug-2006, 20:52
I was nearby for the bank holiday so I popped in to have a look round BKS in Exmouth on Friday. They have a great collection of worn leathers hanging on the walls from famous riders and a good range of suits on display. The quality is breathtaking. Well worth a look if you are in the area (open weekdays only tho).
Carbon749
28-Aug-2006, 23:22
I like the kangeroo arlen ness ones..............I was hoping someone could find me some somewhere at a steal of a price.
Cissbury leathers in Stoke, sell on the net and E-bay.
I have a set of Arlen Ness leathers. Very nice quality, only complaint would be the fact that they say Arlen Ness in about 30 different places. There is no doubt what make of leathers you have.
Sharpy G
28-Aug-2006, 23:29
ph motorcycles or gatwick dainese...........er, near Gatwick!
that's where my bike came from
will have to take a look in there sale
I fancy a set of those Boras
G
that's where my bike came from
will have to take a look in there sale
I fancy a set of those Boras
G
Bora is so last year.............still £1000:D
Sharpy G
29-Aug-2006, 19:41
Bora is so last year.............still £1000:D
that's OK my bikes an '04 !
LOL
that's OK my bikes an '04 !
LOL
As i understand it, dressed up as a 2006 race rep?:lol:
Sharpy G
29-Aug-2006, 20:13
As i understand it, dressed up as a 2006 race rep?:lol:
wasn't earlier
LOL
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k72/gcas69/IMGP1710.jpg
Nick 916
31-Aug-2006, 16:27
had Astars GP rep suit and dainese 2 piece, found the Dainese a better fit, but does not come anywhere the Astar for feel or quailty, thou the 1450 price tag can be hard to swallow, but then, how much is your skin worth???
kwikbitch
02-Sep-2006, 16:28
Got a Dainese suit which has held up well to a few off's so far, although the seam's have split on the legs twice now, not good for a 1000 quid suit, good fit though.
After hankering after a nice two piece from Dainese I bought it...After my off at Cadwell and the state of them after a lowside (arm and leg zip and seams split, Big cuts from the armour inside, which after two weeks still haven't healed!) I don't think I'll be recommending them to anyone! Mind you, they were the best fitting off the peg women's leathers I could find, but I now know looks aren't everything;)! I think I shall go custom made next.
allthegearnoidea
02-Sep-2006, 18:10
Like TP I rate Hideout very highly. For a non flash looking suit their prices are very fair and its up to you how much you want to spend on extra decals/adverts etc.
Their aftersales service is outstanding and they fix any problems with the suit no questions asked.
The owner Kate has vast experience of egotistical males and their preferences and seems to waft/bully you to a sensible choice.
They also have an excellent selection of other gear at their shop and its a great ride to get there.
Dave
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