Leather suits

[Tony]

I ventured down to 2 Wheel Tuning today to check out leathers from Reflex Gear and Kushitani.

Hanging on a display was a 1-piece multiple crash tested Reflex Gear suit. The suit appeared to have held up well. I was told that Reflex Gear is a relatively new suit company based in SoCal. With an off the rack price of under $400, the suits are a bargain. For $790, Relflex Gear will make you a full custom suit with your choice of design and color. That price is unbeatable. I was told they are even able to make a knock-off of your favorite premium suit (Dainese, RS Taichi).

I squeezed into both a 1-piece Kushitani and a 2-piece Reflex Gear. You seriously have to be flexible to get into a 1-piece by yourself. The uppers fit okay but both bottoms were too long. I think I'm going to have to buy a custom suit. I found both suits heavy.

The 1-piece Kushitani suit like most 1-piece suits had a race cut meaning it's cut shorter in the front to allow for a comfortable forward lean riding position. For men, this means a one octave increase when standing upright. Be prepared to hunch over if you plan on buying a 1-piece race type suit. The Kushitani K-Foam armor was like butter. The craftsmanship and leather were top notch. It's easy to see why Kushitani is a top tier leather suit company. However, I was surprised to find that the suit lacked any decent back armor. I have a feeling you're suppose to supplement the suit back armor for a stand alone strap on product. This quality comes at a price of $1600.

The 2-piece Reflex Gear suit did not have the same refinement as the Kushitani but it did appear to be well made. CE armor everywhere though it was of the hard plastic type and not nearly as comfortable.

I think I'm a brand snob because I was drawn to the Kushitani. But I honestly couldn't point out why the Kushitani cost $1200 more than the Reflex Gear suit. I like that 2 Wheel Tuning never tried to hard sell me and actually pushed the cheaper suit. 2 Wheel Tuning is bringing in some smaller Reflex Gear pants for me to try on.

In the end, I've decided to go with a 2-piece suit though not necessarily from Reflex Gear. The cut is more comfortable and I like the versality of using the jacket with my overpants.


UPDATE 3/10/2005: Custom suits by Reflex Gear have increased in price to $825. Still the cheapest of the custom suits but not nearly the bargain it was.

[zerog]

Thanks for the great information, Tony.  When are you planning on stopping by 2 Wheel Tuning again?  I might be interested in checking out this Reflex Gear suit some time.

I am thinking of getting a 1-piece suit.  I have always had problem with singing songs out there cause I usually have to bring it down an octave.  Maybe a 1-piece suit is just what I need to remedy that problem  

[Tony]

Thanks for the great information, Tony.  When are you planning on stopping by 2 Wheel Tuning again?  I might be interested in checking out this Reflex Gear suit some time.

I am thinking of getting a 1-piece suit.  I have always had problem with singing songs out there cause I usually have to bring it down an octave.  Maybe a 1-piece suit is just what I need to remedy that problem  

I'm going back Friday 1/28/05 to hopefully try on some smaller Reflex Gear pants and to have the 3000 mile service performed on my bike. If you go out to 2 Wheel Tuning, it's worth checking out Forward Motion Motorcycles around the corner to view their used bikes. The owner Lionel fixes up newer popular sportbikes for resale.

[flstc2003]

Thanks for this trueblue. I may give Reflex a call and see if they realy will make an "extend size" suit  for no extra charge.
Bob

[aprilmaybe]

Ohhh can we get a group discount?

[Tony]

Ohhh can we get a group discount?

I don't know about the group discount but I was informed by Shawn from 2 Wheel Tuning, that the owner of Reflex Gear is going to be raising prices about $50 in 2+ weeks (Feb 15th or thereabouts)

[zerog]

Hey April, maybe you could contact them about the group discount thing.  I think I'm also interested in getting a suit from them.

[Tony]

On Saturday 2/6/2005, I cruised up to San Jose to check out Helimot and their leather suits.

After entering the shop, I walked up to the counter and was immediately greeted by an employee whose name I forget. He offered me some cookies and water, and then we began to talk about the suits. Safety is everything. The nameless employee began detailing all the care that goes into designing and manufacturing a suit.

Littered around the shop, you'll find crash tested suits that do not show any sign of failure despite the road "rash". Also, there is a night and day difference in the appeal of the design when seeing the suit in person as opposed to the infrequently updated website. I was sold. I put my deposit down and was measured by the owner, Helmut, for a suit.

You should expect to spend a considerable amount of time in the shop. Helmut is a busy man. I spent nearly 5 hours at Helimot. While I waited to be measured for my suit, I spoke with another employee who eventually assisted Helmut with my measurements. Her name is Lisa, I believe. I found out that she started on a Ninja 250, too, before moving up to an SV650.

For those who visit Helimot, dont' be swayed by her good looks. You'll be blushing sooner than you know. During the measurement process, she'll kindly ask you several times to raise your pants to an uncomfortable level so that Helmut can take a particular measurement. The first time she asked I thought she was kidding.

Later, while being measured by Helmut, he commented that I was smart to start on a Ninja 250 and to take my riding gear seriously. He mentioned that alot of riders start on bikes too large for them and riding gear is an after thought for them. He quickly ushered me into his office to show me a photo on his computer of a fast Ninja 250 rider, "GaryJ," who puts 600cc riders to shame in the canyons. Helmut is a funny man. Afterwards, he thanked me for letting him measure me.

By the way Helmut rides an SV650.

To be continued...

[Tony]

The advantage of the 2-piece is the ability to take the jacket off during your ride. I think that's why 2-piece suits are considered touring suits. I was under the impression that the jacket could be used stand alone or with my overpants. For the Helimot 2-piece suit, it would be safer not to use the jacket separate from the pants because the jacket is cut shorter. However, the pants can be worn with a different longer cut jacket. I was informed that touring riders often wear leather bottoms with a textile 3/4 length jacket.

I've flopped back to a 1-piece especially since I have the opportunity to adjust the forward lean cut and fit.