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by Rick K. for webBikeWorld
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It was just about this time of year, long ago and far away,
when Mom would drag me to the nearest department store to poke through the
new crop of fall clothes for the upcoming school year.
But we ran into the same problem every fall. I wasn't
short, fat or tall -- I was perfectly average in size, which meant that all
the clothes that fit were long gone, to be found on the backs of all the
other perfectly average Joes who had the smarts to get to the store in
August rather than September.
You could count on it -- if there was a shirt, shoes or
jacket that I liked, my size would be sold out. Thus, I usually ended
up with the most bizarre combinations of leftover colors and fabrics that
could be found. I had little success trying to convince the opposite
sex that this look was was a new styling trend.
Variations of that problem have been haunting me ever since.
For example, I have evolved a very thick neck planted on an average sized chest.
This means that no off-the-rack dress shirt will fit; if the chest is
correct, the neck is too small and if the neck fits, the body of the shirt
looks like a parachute.
It's the same with motorcycle clothing. I have a heck
of a time finding clothes that fit correctly; if the waist fits, the legs
don't and if the pants do, the jacket won't.
This problem is especially acute with one-piece leather
motorcycle suits. According to the charts, I fall in between a size 54 and 56. I have
tried on several brands; usually the size 54 will fit from the waist down
but is too small in the chest. The next size up, a 56, fits me in the
chest but the waist, the rear and the legs are too big.
The sizing issue is evident in the photographs of me wearing
the Lookwell Leathers
one-piece off-the-rack suit that we reviewed not too long ago, although the
suit doesn't feel that loose when it's worn and at the time of that review I
thought they fit well.
Another problem I have is that the knee armor in
off-the-rack motorcycle pants is always situated in the wrong location. It
usually ends up somewhere down south of my knee. I'm not sure why this
is, because I don't think my legs are out of proportion to my height, so who
knows? I'm convinced that the manufacturers do not adjust the location
of knee armor depending on the pants size; they simply measure down X
centimeters from the crotch and install it there.
I can sometimes find a near-perfect fit in one brand or
another, but I finally decided to spring for a set of custom motorcycle leathers
just to get something that really would be perfect. After considering
the various options, I discovered that it really isn't that much more
expensive to order a custom fitted suit anyway, considering how much I've
spent on clothes that I don't wear because they don't fit.
Kangaroo vs. Cow Hide
And I figured that as long as I was going all the way, I might as well do it
right and use kangaroo skin, rather than cow hide.
Why kangaroo?
It's supposed to be one of the strongest yet lightest leathers available. The Australian kangaroo industry conducted many studies on
kangaroo leather, and they claim that the hides have a "highly uniform
orientation of fiber bundles in parallel with the skin" that, along with the
lack of sweat glands, gives kangaroo skin excellent abrasion resistance,
which is perfect for motorcycle leathers.
Custom motorcycle leathers made from kangaroo skin are
usually much lighter than their cow hide counterparts. The Lookwell
one-piece suit weighs in at a hefty 10.5 pounds (size 56), compared to the
GiMoto custom made kangaroo skin suit shown here at just a hair over 7
pounds, about 30% less. The weight difference is very noticeable when
wearing or carrying the suits.
Sharp-eyed readers will realize that this is somewhat of an
apples-to-oranges comparison, because the Lookwell size 56 suit has bunches
of
extra leather to begin with simply because it doesn't fit me as snugly as
the GiMoto custom motorcycle leathers. A true weight comparison could
only be found by having two identical custom suits made, one in cow hide and
one in kangaroo.
Nevertheless, I'd guess that a kangaroo suit would weigh
around 20-35% less than the same suit made from cow skin.
Measuring for Custom Motorcycle Leathers
I'm not sure how I discovered the GiMoto brand, but their website led me
back to Motostrano, the U.S. distributor. GiMoto makes a nice
selection of one- and two-piece leather suits and Motostrano includes a lot
of information on ordering the GiMoto custom motorcycle leathers, which can
also be ordered in
two piece styles if desired.
After some email discussion back and forth with "Joe" at
Motostrano, who was very helpful, I downloaded the custom leathers order
form and broke out the measuring tape.
Now
if you're thinking about ordering some custom motorcycle leathers, this is
the area where I think I can provide the best advice, based on my experience
with this project.
The first thing is that I've noticed that all of the order forms for the different
manufacturers of custom motorcycle leathers are different; that is, they ask
for different measurements.
This in and of itself is rather strange -- you'd think there
would be some standardization in the dimensions they need, but apparently
not.
The GiMoto form requests 20 different body measurements.
I'm not sure it's a case of "more is better" when it comes to custom
leathers; there are a few crucial measurements and my feeling is that a few
millimeters off one way or another on some of the less important dimensions
won't really matter.
The first important tip is to use an accurate tailor's
measuring tape. These are the soft fabric types that are used to
measure a body for clothes. Believe it or not, they're not easy to
find. I had one from a Vanson Leathers promotional kit, but it isn't
very accurate.
I have recently searched all over for a good cloth tape
measure but I honestly can't find a good source. If you know where to
find one, please forward the info to me at the email address at the bottom
of this page and I'll add it to this article (Update:
see comments section below for
potential sources of measuring tapes).
Here's another tip: the cloth measuring tape that you use should always be compared to a
good-quality steel tape measure for accuracy. I found out too late that the Vanson
tape is not accurate at all -- it's already off by one millimeter at one
inch! By 25 inches, it's off by 4mm. Not good. (Note: See
visitor comments below).
The other major problem with all of the ordering forms I've
seen is that they are vague about the location of the exact measuring points.
For example, the GiMoto form asks for an "outside waist to ankle" length.
There's a graphic of a generic human form, but who really knows where the
"outside waist" dimension is? Or the wrist? Inside the crotch?
The "hip bottom"? It would be nice if they included some
photos of an actual measuring session.
We also did some experimentation and found that every person
taking the measurements will come up with significantly different numbers
each time, so be careful.
Here's another potential problem: as an ex-machinist, I know
that it's very important to avoid cumulative errors. These are the errors
that creep in when the start of one measurement is taken from the end of
another. Generally speaking, all measurements should always start from
the same point.
For example, it's hard enough to measure from the ankle to
the knee, then from the knee to the hip and from the hip to the neck, given
that we don't really know where the exact points in each of these locations
should be.
So why not use the floor as the starting point? Then
the measurements could be from the floor to the ankle, floor to knee, floor to
hip and floor to neck. Simple subtraction would then provide enough
information to know the distance between any of these points.
Sure, you'd still have the problem of knowing exactly where
each of these points lie on the body, but at least the cumulative error
could be eliminated. If the measurement from the ankle to the knee is
off and the measurement from the knee to the hip is also off, by time you
get up to the neck the measurements could be significantly wrong.
This is compounded by the person taking the measurements,
who may find it difficult to start the tape at exactly the same point each
time.
Which brings me to another tip: I suggest using a felt-tip
pen to mark each point on the body, so at least there's a better chance at a
consistent starting point for the measurements. A photo could be taken
and sent with the order form, which can help the custom motorcycle leathers
manufacturer understand the source of the measurements (and the shape of the
customer's body). Actually, I'm surprised that the custom leathers
manufacturers don't ask for a few body profile photos anyway.
The bottom line here is to be very careful, because it's way
too easy for multiple errors to slip in to the ordering process. Get a
good tape measure, mark up the body to use the same points, take multiple
measurements (even measuring again a few days later) and provide the custom
motorcycle leathers manufacturer with as much information as possible.
And one more thing: make sure you understand what you should
wear when the measurements are taken. Motostrano recommended wearing underwear
only and holding the tape firmly but slightly loose around the skin.
It is important to know whether the manufacturer wants close-fitting
measurements with no extra space or if they want the measurements to reflect
the final fit.
And by the way -- we've covered this before, but remember
that to work correctly, motorcycle clothing must have a snug fit. This
is to allow the armor and padding to stay in place during a fall to protect the rider. If the suit, jacket or pants are too
loose, the armor can easily move out of location, greatly diminishing its
protective qualities. Keep this in mind when measuring for your
leathers.
The Wait
Although all of this information on measuring for ordering a set of custom motorcycle leathers
may seem like common sense, it took me some time to understand all of these
implications. Believe it or not, we took only two sets of
measurements, which pretty much corresponded, then filled out the form and
faxed it in.
The next day I started thinking, and after checking some of
the measurements again, I sent some corrections to Motostrano. Also,
the order form from the GiMoto site has very small boxes to enter the
measurements and I was afraid that by time it was faxed over a couple of
times that my scribbling wouldn't be legible. So I sent an entire new
set of measurements in an email to Motostrano, hoping that they would
forward it to the GiMoto factory.
Motostrano claims a 4 to 8 week delivery time for GiMoto
custom leathers, which sounded pretty reasonable to me. I placed my
order on April 2 and received the leathers on July 27, which was nearly 16
weeks, or just about twice as long as the estimate. I'm not sure if
this is typical or not.
The Colors
Most of the custom motorcycle leathers manufacturers allow a certain amount
of customization with leather panels of different colors. Extra-cost
options abound but can quickly add hundreds of dollars to the order.
Choosing the color combination on a set of custom motorcycle
leathers is definitely the most fun part of the process. I used the
GiMoto online custom color application to play with various combinations and
settled on the mildly high-visibility and hopefully body-slimming pattern
shown in these photos.
The Fit
The longer I waited, the more nervous I became. I kept second-guessing
the measurements and had to stop looking at my copy of the order form
because every time I did, I'd come up with a different result.
The day finally arrived and I took the suit out of the box.
I was -- and remain -- impressed. This is one great-looking set of
custom leathers, and the construction and quality is first rate.
But how do they fit? After all my worrying, everything
turned out fine. The suit fits very tight, more like a set of MotoGP race leathers than
a touring suit for sure, but it does fit. The legs are especially
comfortable; they feel rather like a thin layer of padding has been sewn in
to the liner, but this isn't so. It's just that the stitching and the
design and, I think, the kangaroo hide make them very soft and pliable.
I was expecting a bit of a struggle when it came to
stretching the upper section over my torso, but it doesn't seem any more
difficult than putting on the Lookwell suit, which is definitely larger.
I have not yet tried wearing the
EDZ Motorcycle Wicking
Underwear underneath, which is supposed to help one get in and out of a
set of leathers, but will do so as the weather cools off a bit.
In the end, the only measurements that I'd change if I could
would be the length of the torso, because the suit seems a bit tight in the
crotch. Perhaps I could also have used another 10mm or so in the waist and
chest -- it's a tight fit, and I'll have to be careful not to gain an ounce of weight!
But I wanted a tight fit and that's what I got.
There's no way that this armor is going to move out of place in this suit. In fact,
the only other spot that is probably too tight is in the crook of my arm, of
all places. We may have transcribed the numbers incorrectly, because
of all the dimensions on the suit, the elbows seem like a strange place to
have an error.
I've worn the leathers several times and while I don't
really notice that they've stretched, I can say that wearing them gives an
altogether different feel for the motorcycle; the tight fit
allows my body to "feel" the messages that are being transmitted through the
various bike bits.
What's Missing?
I now realize that I never asked about a back protector or a wallet pocket
(I wonder what Rossi does with his wallet while he's racing?). There's
no mention of these on the
order form and the Motostrano custom motorcycle leathers ordering page only
lists an "integrated pocket for spine protector" as one of the features,
but there is none on my suit. I guess I was so concerned about
all of the other details that I simply forgot to ask.
I discovered that I can fit the
Knox Stowaway back protector inside the suit, but it does make the suit
fit that much tighter. It would have been nice to have some extra room
included in the back to account for the armor.
I also never thought about asking about internal pockets for
a wallet or cell phone. The
suit has a single small pocket inside the chest, barely big enough to fit a
wallet. The suit has no other storage, which I guess
befits its racing heritage. So it's back to the drawing board to look
for a very small tank bag or some type of seat bag that can stow a bottle of
water and a cell phone.
The Details
The zippers on the GiMoto suit look dainty, but I'm hoping that the GiMoto
folks know what they're doing and that the zippers will hold up. I've
been having some trouble lately with the Nylon zippers used on most motorcycle
clothing, with broken teeth, sliders that refuse to slide and unraveling
stitches.
The GiMoto suit if fully lined with that black mesh
taffeta-like material that seems to be ubiquitous in all motorcycle
clothing. I have no complaints at all with the comfort of the suit.
Stretch panels are included in the back of the legs, the crotch and under
the arms. These add to the comfort level and they are also
strategically located to keep the suit tight where it matters.
The armor is the CE-approved, foam backed full-race hard
stuff in the shoulders and the elbow/forearm region. Only a very thin
layer of minimal padding was included at the hips and the chest, which is a
bit of a surprise, but this seems typical on other custom motorcycle
leathers I've seen.
The collar is the short racing type and it uses kangaroo
leather on both sides.
The Construction
Based on my observations, there seem to be two strategies regarding leather
one-piece suit construction. Some leather clothing manufacturers use
various layers of leather sewn with double, triple (or more) stitching.
The panels are designed to act as the abrasion layer.
The other strategy is to minimize the number of external
stitches and leather wear panels because the thread is one of the first
things to go during a slide.
I have included a couple of photos (below) to compare the
Lookwell and GiMoto suits; this GiMoto suit is designed with a minimal
number of panels and lots of hidden or internal stitches, while the Lookwell
suit has many different panels and external double stitching.
GiMoto claims that they use triple or quadruple stitches in
the critical areas. There are several places on the suit with one row
of external stitching, like on the shoulders and arms, but it appears that
these are also backed by folded leather areas with multiple stitches.
I'm guessing that it's more expensive and time consuming to
design and sew a suit with hidden stitching, so most of the off-the-rack
leathers use the panel strategy. It's my understanding that holes in
the leather might weaken that particular area, and I'd rather not see the
external single stitches on the GiMoto suit, so I hope they know what
they're doing.
Venting and Air Flow
The suit shown here is by no means the only design or style that can be
ordered from GiMoto. Perhaps I should have biased my design more
towards a sport-touring fit, but I got what I ordered.
Both perforated and non-perforated leather in kangaroo or
cow hide can be ordered. I usually like to purchase perforated leather
clothing, because I figure I can always wear some
windproof underwear in cooler weather.
Leather is pretty hot to begin with, so anything that can be
done to keep me cool is welcome. The GiMoto suit shown here is fully
perforated down the front and it works great. I am surprised, in fact,
because I feel nearly as much air flowing through this suit as I do when
wearing my maximum heat wave mesh clothing.
It does get pretty sticky inside the tight-fitting suit on
really warm days though, and peeling it off can be a struggle. My
advice is to take it slow and work your way out of the suit a little at a
time to avoid pulling a muscle, which is easy to do with the gyrations that
are necessary to remove the leathers.
Makes a squid look pretty cool, eh?
Conclusion
This was my first experience with ordering a set of custom motorcycle
leathers and there was a lot to learn that I hope can benefit our visitors.
I really like this suit; it's stylish and it feels great, albeit a bit
tight. Just one more reason to drop 10 pounds?
If I had to do it over again, I'd pay much closer attention
to the measurements and I'd include lots of supporting information and
photos in the hope that the manufacturer would actually use it. I'd
also request some extra room in the back for a protector.
I'm glad I went for the kangaroo leather and the
perforations. The suit cost $1,620.00, including shipping, which is
provided free by Motostrano to U.S. customers. Considering that the
off-the-rack GiMoto suits run somewhere between $1,000.00 and $1,300.00, I
think the extra money is worth it to get the custom fit. This is a
moot point for me anyway, because I have not been able to find an
off-the-rack suit that fits.
Have a tip regarding custom motorcycle leathers that you'd
like to share with others? Send correspondence to
