SquidBusters Archive - My experience ordering Custom Racing Leathers

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My experience ordering Custom Racing Leathers
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Posted by: Falcn

OK - so you want to take a track school, or start racing...you check the suits that are available out there and find (like me) that off-the-shelf doesn't fit!

What do you do?

Well there are more than a few custom leather suit makers out there. My personal choice was Barnacle Bill. www.racingleather.com You can even see my suit on his picture page: http://www.racingleather.com/picspg/picspg.html as I write this I am picture 2 and 3 at the top of the page and also picture 35. If you check my avatar you will also see me wearing the suit on my VFR

EDIT: here are the pictures I sent Bill.

I tried on various suits at the dealers, etc. and could never find a 1-piece that fit my chest and my legs at the same time. I work out and have bigger than average legs for someone my size. I could not usually get the leg section over past my knees if I went by "average" height/weight sizing recommendations. If I could then the suit was way too big up top. Sigh.

I did some research at the track, the best place, I thought, to do this research. I asked around, and lots of racers mentioned either Z-leathers or Barnacle Bill. I got to check the build quality of Bill's suits at the track and see how they held up in accidents. Racers that didn't even HAVE BB suits raved about Bill and his suit repairs that he did for them on off-the-shelf suits after they ripped or the seams came undone. It sounded and looked like he did very good work.

I got his business card from a racer and went to check out the website. I downloaded the sizing information sheets http://www.racingleather.com/order%...der%20info.html
Which is a very detailed plan on what to measure on yourself. I followed the instruction and took about 30 measurements (actually I had someone do the measuring for me since you can't hold a tape measure on yourself for lots of the measurements).

A new link that Bill has up on his site is the designs page which shows which designs he has for probably little extra charge - or you can custom design your OWN suit color and graphics. I went this route as the "design" page was not up on his site when I originally went there over 2 years ago.

I called Bill to make sure everything was kosher - and I have to give you a warning here. Bill likes to talk! He'll talk your ear off! But he is a very interesting person and has good stories.

I sent in my package detailing what I wanted and Bill got back to me via email almost immediately with the price of the suit and to discuss the design I made and possible options for the suit like an aero hump and back protector that he had in stock. He really goes all out to make the suit what YOU want it to be.

I particularly like the way he does his perforations on the suits. They are big holes - but not in just one layer of leather, Bill laminates/stitches two pieces of leather with offset holes over each other to provide tearing resistance. He does this he told me because of the damage he sees most often in suits with perforations, especially many tiny ones is the "tear along the dotted line" effect as he called it. Once they woudl snag on something, the small lined up perfs acted just like a perforated envelope and "riiiiiiiipp" open they came.

Do his perfs work well? HELL YES! If it is lower than 70 something outside I can get pretty cold wearing the suit with no thermal wind block layer on - it moves some serious air through the front.

The fit and finish of the suit was perfect. The first time I put it on things felt great. Bill said to take some pictures so he could see how it fit and if he though that any adjustments needed to be made he would take care of it. My suit needed no adjustments - take your time making the measurements! and call Bill if you have any questions.

Originally when I ordered my suit I was signed up for a track school in Canada - www.motocanada.com (they are now out of business unfortunately) and there was a deadline. When I ordered Bill didn't have a lot of suits to make so I was not worried about the deadline. As the school approached I was starting to get anxious. Bill had already made VFRgrl's suit for her and she loved it and showed it to me at the track. I didn't know how long it took Bill to make a suit, so I called him and made sure it would be done in time for the school. Bill said "No problem, I had you scheduled on my build sheet in plenty of time." Not 5 days later my suit showed up! He is able to build a suit FAST! since he has the experience.

I got to break the suit in on my 10 hour ride up to Canada on the VFR.

The suit cost me $1200 with the custom design, the aero hump, and the back protector. NOT BAD! for a suit custom built for me. Will I order another suit from Bill? You bet.

I refer everyone I know that is looking for leathers to Barnacle Bill.

If you have any questions about the custom suit buying process I might have left out, let me know.

Ryan

Posted by: RookWV

A custom fit suit is my next big gear purchase. Thanks for the info on BB, it goes right along with everything else I've heard.

Posted by: gsxrjeffro

I'm Looking At Customs Myself.. The Bad Part Is They Will Have Kill Three Cows Just To Make Mine..

Posted by: Falcn

I was browsing around Bill's site again - and if you want to be impressed by the level of repair work he can do, check out that he can totally repair CUT-OFFS - eg when the EMT's cut your suit off you when they haul your ass to the hospital.

Now that is awesome.

Posted by: tzortn

Thanks for the write up. Did you hear anything good or bad about other brands such as Vanson or Z Leathers?

Posted by: Falcn

I have heard nothing bad about Vanson - except the price tag.

Z-leather I just didn't like the look/style/price of from the brochures and I saw a lot more Barnacle Bill stuff running around at the track.

Posted by: Meg

Great stuff Falcn!! I may end up going that route... I have seen Falcn's suit first hand and it is thick as hell and very nicely made!!!

Posted by: Falcn

The leather Bill tries to use is "Our standard leather is 3 to 4oz thickness" - says so right there on his "suits" page - and as Meg pointed out, in person you sure can TELL!!

Oz. thickness compares to the metric mm this way:
http://www.twinleather.com/twnauto.htm
http://www.chilhowee.net/leather_thickness.html#1

4 oz. is 0.0625 inches thick. ~ 1.6mm thick
3 Oz is 0.046875 inches thick ~ 1.2mm thick

Posted by: Icemanrulz

Don't forget SYED leathers... I love my suit and they were very easy to deal with.
When I was shopping they were the best deal I could find.

Posted by: Falcn

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icemanrulz

Don't forget SYED leathers... I love my suit and they were very easy to deal with.
When I was shopping they were the best deal I could find.

Tell us more about your experience!

How much $$?
What options did you get on the suit?

Posted by: BlackB12

Yes keep the replies coming. I need a suit before next season. I'm like falcn in that if I get a suit big enough for me in the gut, it's too big elsewhere. What am I supposed to do, lose weight?! I've been losing that battle for years

MIke

Posted by: VFRgrl

Quote:

Originally Posted by tzortn

Thanks for the write up. Did you hear anything good or bad about other brands such as Vanson or Z Leathers?

I LOVE my Barnicle Bill leathers- can't say enough GOOD things about them!!!!! Pics of me in the leathers can be seen on my website:
Lori's webpage .
I didn't get the aerohump, but have the back protector and my name on the front and back- and had him sew an american flag on the sleeve- $950.
I'm with Ryan, he loves to talk but has a lot to say that is VERY interesting. Customer service-can't beat it.

Reviews of Vansons: A friend of mine who races 125s crashed @ summit point in his BRAND NEW Vansons- a broken piece of his bike caught in the preforations of his leathers @ the thigh and RIPPED through the preforations and caused a 14-16" tear. I'm sure he can get it repaired but the way the preforations are makes the suit vulnerable because they are very small and close together. Not to mention when I was looking for suits they quoted me $1600 for a custom suit (ouch)
Review of Z: A friend of mine went with Z's for her leathers. The first thing I noticed was the leather was not as thick as my Barnicle Bills. Her suit leather is much thinner- but has held up well in crashes. Her suit has also lost its shape after 1 year- mine still (after almost 3 years) still has its shape. It fit me perfectly the day it arrived in the mail.
Honestly, I can't see myself ever getting leathers from someplace else.

Posted by: Oxi-Rider

I know that John (Slipkid) had a syed jacket, and that thing was super badass. It weighed a ton, and was very well made. Giant pieces of leather, not lots of small peices, so there were less seams.

Mike, I have to have my pants resized at the end of the season, (appearantly, my legs are skinny, who knew?!) so maybe we can look at cost effectivness of buying a suit too big for you and having it altered vs. buying a custom suit the same time I am looking to get my pants altered.

Posted by: VFRgrl

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icemanrulz

Don't forget SYED leathers... I love my suit and they were very easy to deal with.
When I was shopping they were the best deal I could find.

I've also heard good things about SYED, and from what I've seen @ the track they make a really good suit. I personally like dealing with Bill because it makes the whole experience more customized. He asks about your bike ergonomics, if this will be for track only or track and street- if you want a built in back protector and if not what kind and how thick it was. For the ladies- he was able to make the suit so that it didn't squish my chest and I actually look female

Posted by: Falcn

Quote:

Originally Posted by VFRgrl

Reviews of Vansons: A friend of mine who races 125s crashed @ summit point in his BRAND NEW Vansons- a broken piece of his bike caught in the preforations of his leathers @ the thigh and RIPPED through the preforations and caused a 14-16" tear. I'm sure he can get it repaired but the way the preforations are makes the suit vulnerable because they are very small and close together. Not to mention when I was looking for suits they quoted me $1600 for a custom suit (ouch)
Review of Z: A friend of mine went with Z's for her leathers. The first thing I noticed was the leather was not as thick as my Barnicle Bills. Her suit leather is much thinner- but has held up well in crashes. Her suit has also lost its shape after 1 year- mine still (after almost 3 years) still has its shape. It fit me perfectly the day it arrived in the mail.
Honestly, I can't see myself ever getting leathers from someplace else.

Thank you so much for the input Lori. I was so excited when I saw Lori's suit at the track when she showed it to me. I couldn't wait to get mine.

I guess Bill was right about the perfs!!

Posted by: Falcn

FYI - for people that do not know the purpose of the "hump", or "aero hump" as it is sometimes called - it is protection for your neck in case of crash. The extra padding protects the spine from hard impact if you land on your upper back, and if you land on your head the hump prevents your head from snapping all the way back.

Posted by: VFRgrl

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falcn

Thank you so much for the input Lori. I was so excited when I saw Lori's suit at the track when she showed it to me. I couldn't wait to get mine.

I guess Bill was right about the perfs!!

oh-and one thing to note. Bill likes to say boobies. A lot.

Posted by: Oxi-Rider

You guys SUCK. You are making me want a $1200 suit bad! I know that i would like a one pice in the future, I just need other things like a new bike and a house before I get leathers as expensive as that!

Posted by: VFRgrl

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falcn

FYI - for people that do not know the purpose of the "hump", or "aero hump" as it is sometimes called - it is protection for your neck in case of crash. The extra padding protects the spine from hard impact if you land on your upper back, and if you land on your head the hump prevents your head from snapping all the way back.

I didn't get the aero hump 'cause I'm sub 5ft and I'd look like a little hunchback...trust me on this one

but is generally a good idea if you are over 5'4"

Posted by: Falcn

Quote:

Originally Posted by VFRgrl

oh-and one thing to note. Bill likes to say boobies. A lot.

HAHAHA I almost put that in my original post. I mentioned that I knew Lori and we both ordered our suits around the same time. He launched into a whole dissertation on women's suits - how they aren't really that different except for the "boobies"

Posted by: Falcn

I should move this post to the Articles section...

Posted by: Falcn

Bump due to all the interest in custom suits lately.

Posted by: Rick954

Thanks for the bump. Lit a fire under me again. I have found out that I am not an off the rack shape either. Eric raves about his Syed. Do you find the BB to be a bit heavier than the other customs at the same price point? I really like what I see on the site. Was your suit a bit tight when it arrived and then kind of molded to you after some wear?

Posted by: Falcn

My suit was perfectly sized, a little tight at first, but not tight enough to make it hard to get it over me. It was a bit tough to move in it until it was broken in, but a 10 hour ride to Canada fixed that!

Posted by: natrona848

rick, i think the BB is a bit heavier than my syed and a lot of others.

Posted by: Wingspan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick954

Do you find the BB to be a bit heavier than the other customs at the same price point? I really like what I see on the site. Was your suit a bit tight when it arrived and then kind of molded to you after some wear?

I don't know about other custom suits, but my BB suit is the heaviest leather suit I've ever seen. Not only does he use really thick leather to start with, but everywhere on the suit that is perforated is actually 2 full layers.

My BB suit is on the loose side. I think it was a combo of me being a bit generous with my measurements and Bill cutting the suit with the idea that I'm a street rider and not a track rider. When I stand up in my suit it looks way too big on me. When I'm on the bike everything falls exactly where it should and I've got full range of movement. A tighter suit protects better, but that can make wearing it in the real world more difficult. FWIW, I had Bill do my suit with 2 front zippers instead of one and it makes getting in and out a breeze.

Posted by: Falcn

Mike had his made with 2 zippers too. Wish I had known that was an option back when I ordered mine!

Posted by: Rick954

Thank's for the input. 2 zippers sounds like a wise option to choose. I'll bet a good under garment of some kind is also the right way to go. Does the Under Armour hot weather gear work well for getting a sweat soaked suit off?

Posted by: mzdagrl

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick954

Thank's for the input. 2 zippers sounds like a wise option to choose. I'll bet a good under garment of some kind is also the right way to go. Does the Under Armour hot weather gear work well for getting a sweat soaked suit off?

Well, my suit isn't custom, but it does fit like skin-tight leather, and I won't even put it on without my Under Armour. It's like a whole-body shoehorn. Keeps me cool, too, even though it's long sleeved and full-length pant legs.

Posted by: Falcn

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick954

I always wear my full sleeve and long pants summer under armor under my leathers. I would never try to put them on or take them off in the summer without them.