| If this is the first time you've been in the market | | | | protection inserts as the first point of contact |
| for a leather motorcycle riding suit, or jacket for | | | | with the impact object. |
| that matter, you are likely going into the | | | | The bare bones distinction between a high quality |
| experience with little information and a lot of | | | | suit and low quality suit can be said to be the |
| questions. Most of motostrano customers come | | | | quality of the leather and the quality of the |
| to us looking for a suit armed with | | | | stitching. A high quality well-made suit can |
| recommendations and advice from friends, many | | | | withstand the most brutal of slides and still stay |
| of whom also have no idea what makes up a | | | | together, protecting the riders skin. Lessor quality |
| good fitting, quality suit. We're not asking you to | | | | leather matched with poor stitching is what |
| ignore those recommendations or your own | | | | causes a suit to 'blow up', or come apart on a |
| opinions, because they may in the end weigh the | | | | rider during a crash. It takes a certain amount of |
| heaviest in your decision on what to buy, but | | | | skill, learned proprietary knowledge and craft to |
| take a moment to consider some new | | | | produce a suit will live up to the task. |
| information your buddies may not be passing on | | | | Next to protection, what any suit or jacket |
| to you. | | | | spends most of its time doing is keeping you |
| A one or two piece leather suit is usually a | | | | comfortable. Mainly, this means that the suit |
| relatively significant investment for most riders. | | | | should fit you well, so that you will want to wear |
| The cost alone is the reason so many riders don't | | | | it. An overly heavy suit with no venting on a hot |
| own a suit, let alone a good quality jacket. It's | | | | day, won't be your first choice when you go to |
| safe to say that a majority of street motorcycle | | | | suit up for a day's ride in the street. An overly |
| riders ride with less than ideal riding gear. Given | | | | uncomfortable suit will also have the affect of |
| that fact, riding with any real protective gear | | | | being a distraction to your riding when you are on |
| other than a helmet is a step above the rest. | | | | the bike. You want your suit to fit as good as |
| Nevertheless, our opinion is that you should own | | | | possible. |
| and use the best quality riding gear that you can | | | | Sizing. Especially when ordering online, sizing |
| afford. Beyond that, your gear should fit your | | | | questions are one of the first things on people's |
| needs, your riding style and most of all it should fit | | | | minds. As a retailer with both a web site and a |
| you. | | | | retail showroom of our products, we don't |
| We are often asked what the difference is | | | | necessarily recommend that that you go and try |
| between the low end and high end suits. It comes | | | | on a suit at your local dealer and buy the item |
| down to the amount of features the suit has, the | | | | from us. Kinda tacky and most motorcycle |
| quality of the leather, the quality of the interior of | | | | dealerships don't offer a wide variety of sizes in |
| the suit, the quality of the armor (if the suit | | | | their showroom for you anyway. Motostrano |
| features any), the type and amount of stitching in | | | | offers a free exchange return policy on all of our |
| the suit. The more expensive the materials and | | | | suits, so you can be sure to get the right size. |
| the more time needed to make the suit, will | | | | Motostrano stocks suits, unlike other stores who |
| make up the cost of the suit. Like anything, you | | | | only special order their inventory, so we won't |
| tend to get what you pay for and poorly made | | | | cringe if you have to exchange or return a suit. |
| suits will not only protect you less, but won't last | | | | Our sales associates can also guide you through |
| as long just during the regular use of the suit. | | | | the fitting process either on the phone or by |
| Features to look for in a suit include: | | | | email and help you select the right product. |
| * Leather type, either cowhide, kangaroo or goat | | | | Sizing across all manufacturers varies. Some |
| * Leather thickness and suit weight | | | | makers size their suits in US Sizes, others in |
| * Type of venting and perforation features | | | | European Sizes. The difference in numbers is that |
| * Type of padding and protection | | | | European sizes are 10 above US sizes. So, if you |
| * Type of spine protection, aero hump, or inserts | | | | tend to wear a size 42 US jacket, you'd be a size |
| * Slider type and hardness | | | | 52 in European sizing. |
| * Type and quantity of stitching | | | | When we speak to customers on the phone who |
| * Internal lining, removability | | | | don't know what size they are, the questions we |
| * Insert pockets or snap-ins for back protectors | | | | ask are: |
| * Stretch material used | | | | * What's your height |
| The first thing you need to understand about | | | | * What's your weight |
| motorcycle protective gear is that leather, | | | | * What size US suit jacket do you wear |
| whether cowhide or kangaroo skin, is always | | | | * What's your waist size |
| more protective than any type of textile (fabric) | | | | Using these questions we can usually get the |
| material currently available. Textile motorcycle | | | | sizing right in a few seconds. This is, however, as |
| gear is light weight and therefore comfortable, | | | | long as the rider isn't exceptionally built in the |
| easy to get in and out of and breaths well, but | | | | shoulder, stomach or thigh areas. Some, though |
| there is a reason that no pro or amateur racer | | | | few, riders will simply not fit well in any off the |
| today is using textile gear on the track. Textile | | | | shelf suit. |
| suits and jackets do not protect riders as well as | | | | You want your suit to fit as snug as possible, |
| leather in a crash. Today's suit manufacturers do | | | | even to the point of being a little constraining. At |
| use textile materials in parts of the suit that | | | | Motostrano we preach that your new leather suit |
| rarely experience impact or stress, such as under | | | | should at first be border-line uncomfortable when |
| the arms, the groin and of course in the lining of a | | | | you first try it on. A new suit will give a half a |
| suit. | | | | size to a size after a few times of using the suit. |
| The qualities of leather make it a very difficult | | | | Leather gives to an extent to form to the rider's |
| material to burn or tear in a crash slide situation. | | | | shape and size. First time suit buyers are typically |
| This isn't to say that textile jackets and pants | | | | lost when it comes to trying on suits because |
| shouldn't be owned and used for regular street | | | | they want the suit to fit perfectly the moment |
| riding, but of the two, leather offers more | | | | they try it on. A good fitting suit should be very |
| protection. Various types of leather and a wide | | | | snug on the few times of use. A perfectly fitting |
| range of leather thickness is used across all | | | | suit has few creases, baggy points and folds, yet |
| manufacturers. | | | | is just snug enough to be a little tight on the rider. |
| You can really look at a leather suit as a 2nd, | | | | You shouldn't be able to grab a hand full of leather |
| very thick skin, that is worn over your body. | | | | easily and bunch it up in your hand if the suit is |
| Sewn into this skin, in any serious leather suit, will | | | | fitting well. The suit should fit as well as possible, |
| be protective strategically placed armor for even | | | | like a second skin, tight to your body. |
| more protection and then stretch panels and liners | | | | Most first time suit owners try on a suit and want |
| for comfort and cooling. In a crash situation, the | | | | the knee protection and sliders to be up on their |
| leather protects from impact force that would | | | | knees. Look at this photo of Eric Bostrom with his |
| otherwise tear your skin and sliding abrasion that | | | | knee down and slider in full action and you'll have |
| would otherwise scrape your skin off. Impact | | | | an idea of where you want your sliders to be in |
| armor is there to absorb as much of any impact | | | | relation to your knees. Knee armor should stop at |
| energy as possible. | | | | about the middle of your knee cap. Knee, elbow |
| Higher end leather tends to be thinner and soft, | | | | and shoulder amour shouldn't be loose on you. |
| therefore lighter and more comfortable for the | | | | The other point that first-time suit owners often |
| rider, than heavy-weight leather. Thin, soft leather | | | | overlook is that your suit is designed to fit you |
| also takes less time for the suit to break-in than | | | | best when riding the bike. You're not going to use |
| heavy weight leather. Thin leather, taken to the | | | | your suit to go out on a date and although |
| extreme may be comfortable, but can also no | | | | showing up at your favorite rider gathering area |
| longer be fully protective, or if it is, is only a | | | | and posing in a full race suit looks cool, that's not |
| 'one-crash' garment. | | | | what a well made suit is designed for and we |
| Leather suits are typically offered in "one piece" | | | | hope that's not playing in your purchasing decision. |
| and "two piece" varieties. One piece suits provide | | | | A race suit is designed to be in the riding position, |
| the best protection of the two types, due to the | | | | leaned over and aggressively positioned. It's |
| fact that there are less seams that can be | | | | designed to fit the rider comfortably while riding |
| subject to tearing during an impact situation. A | | | | the bike. We speak with folks all the time who |
| two piece suit is slightly more versatile than a one | | | | get the suit on and complain they can't raise their |
| piece suit, since it can be unzipped at the waist | | | | arms over their head. Ok- great! you're not going |
| and be ridden as a jacket alone. Some | | | | to want your arms flailing over you head if you |
| manufacturers, such as Alpinestars, offer | | | | get off the bike- you'll want some restriction |
| separate jackets and track pants that can be | | | | there. |
| zipped together to make a full-type suit. Usually, | | | | When considering the features of a suit, you'll |
| however a riding jacket zipped to a riding pant | | | | realize quick that the higher cost suits offer the |
| does not zip all the way around the waist. | | | | most advanced features. If you can't spring for |
| Increasingly, hi-tech suit manufacturers such as | | | | the big buck suit, you can still get a quality |
| Alpinestars feature injection molded hard-plastic | | | | protective suit that fits, without having to settle |
| protection on their suits, combining leather | | | | for a low end suit that will come part on you |
| protection with impact-absorbing hard body armor. | | | | while riding, or just plain be uncomfortable while |
| This brings us to the topic of armor. Body armor | | | | riding. The full range of Alpinestars suits is |
| is the part of the suit designed to protect the | | | | designed to fit within most riders' budgets and still |
| rider's body from hard impact with the ground or | | | | offer world-class features such as CE Approved |
| other objects. Many leather riding jackets on the | | | | armor, soft leather, venting and interior lining. |
| market today have no body armor in them at all. | | | | Another important point to consider is that there |
| The other important part of a suit or jacket is | | | | are a multitude of suit manufacturers on the |
| the impact absorbing armor. Higher end suits | | | | market today. A good amount of them utilize the |
| today use "CE Approved" hard plastic and/or | | | | racing scene as a marketing and sales tool for |
| multi-layered memory foam armor inserts at | | | | their products. It makes good sense to look at |
| these impact areas. Utilizing hard armor and | | | | which riders are riding with what suit brand, |
| various types of foam and padding, creates an | | | | because these guys have careers and lives to |
| energy absorbing zone through out the suit, | | | | protect and they crash all the time. They want to |
| protecting the rider during heavy direct impact | | | | be around at the finish line, but realize too, that |
| crashes. | | | | pro racers usually have custom suits built for |
| Protection zones to look at include: | | | | them by their sponsors. What your favorite pro |
| * Shoulders | | | | racer is wearing may or may not be available to |
| * Elbows | | | | the average rider. Suit makers also use their |
| * Spine | | | | sponsored riders for product testing and product |
| * Hips | | | | development. Many of the suits worn by pro |
| * Knees | | | | racers are not yet available to the public, because |
| * Shins | | | | the manufacturer puts time, money and energy |
| * Chest | | | | into getting feedback from their sponsored riders |
| * Thighs | | | | for products that are not yet released yet. This |
| Alpinestars' higher ends suits, now offer exterior | | | | information is then taken back to the lab and |
| hard plastic protection in certain areas. This serves | | | | used to build next generation protection products. |
| to protect the rider even more by putting the | | | | |