Sticks_n_Stones
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posted March 18, 2008 10:00 AM
 Edited By: Sticks_n_Stones on 18 Mar 2008 11:01
Leather or Not? Need New Gear!
Buying a new one piece suit, and dont really want to spend over $800 because I got to also buy some new leather pants to complete my 2 piece for everyday riding.
I've heard rumors about some new material that is as good as leather for abrasion resistance and am curious. Any of you actually SEEN it? Rumor mill said last year a suit cost $1800. Hopefully its gone down since then!
Or leather: what do you guys wear, and recommend, in the $800 to max of $1000 range? Im a big SOB so I will have to have it custom made, or at least tailored to me from a bigger size. (if they exist). I'm 6'5", very wide shoulders, and my riding weight (damn holidays  ) is 310 pounds. This is me on my TL1000R which is actually a very big bike, akin to a Busa in size 
And here
I will probably need advice from fellow freaks my size, but all info is very appreciated!
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NinjaNick
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posted March 18, 2008 04:19 PM
I'm6'2 280lbs. I have a 52 GPX Type-R suit from newenough.com. I gained a few pounds and moved up to a Speedmaster size 56 for this year. They have 360 full circumference zipper to attach to suit pants. The pants ran big to begin with so they still fit in the waist.
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NinjaNick
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posted March 18, 2008 04:20 PM
They're Joe Rocket.
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NinjaNick
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posted March 18, 2008 09:35 PM
Well 56 speedmaster arrived today and I gotta ship it back. It is HUGE!! I'm going 52 or 54.
Sticks...get a 56 Speedmaster jacket. It will fit you perfect or be a little on the big side....trust me.
Are you even checking back on this thread punk??
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted March 19, 2008 05:47 AM
Hey punk, I'm busying than a one legged man in a ass kicking contest when I get home! Have to do Bikeland when I'm at work. lol Thanks for the info, I'll go check newenough right now. Just wondering, how is it for torso length? My extra height over the average 6' guys is in the torso, legs are only a 36-38 inseam.
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NinjaNick
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posted March 19, 2008 06:31 AM
I'm 6'2 and I'm returning it today for a 52. They run bigger than my suit jacket I was told on the phone this morning with Joe Rocket Inc. I'm 6'2 280lbs and a 52 is fine for me in the SPEEDMASTER. PURCHASE a 56 Sticks. It's the best jacket for big guys out there. If you don't like it return it and I'll give you another idea.
Buy it today!
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zx12adam
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posted March 19, 2008 09:40 AM
Leather only for me.
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted March 19, 2008 10:42 AM
oh yeah, that jacket in the pics above is a 52. Tour Master seems to run small... Because I bought a 54 from Powertrip and its more than a bit too large. except in the shoulders... 
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NinjaNick
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posted March 19, 2008 08:00 PM
Find then, don't get the speedmaster! lol
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted March 20, 2008 07:39 AM
Oh I aint doggin on speedmaster, they have been around along time, and are a very well respected provider of gear. Gear that alot of my friends rely on for getting to work safe every day.
Just hoping that some of you more experienced riders can download some info on the quirks you've noticed with certain makers gear: which ones fit tight in some areas, or lose in others, or which ones are bigger than advertised, or smaller... I'll take EVERYTHING into account here fellas! Even which ones are easy to clean, removeable liners, zipper break problems, which ones are not as water proof as they claim, or vice versa, which ones keep you cool in the summer heat better than others, etc... And if I get enough info, I'll save the page and post it next time someone asks a gear question. Which seems to be every couple months.
LIST WHAT YOU'VE GOT, WHAT YOU HAD, AND THE PRO'S AND CON'S OF EACH PLEASE!! T H A N K Y O U ! ! !
love my caps
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frEEk
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posted March 21, 2008 05:18 PM
hey sticks. i've read about materials said to be superior to leather in every day already years ago, but none have got any attention yet, at least not for our niche. one called turtle cloth or something is used mainly for gloves for police and prison guards because it is shiv and blade proof (supposedly). there were others too. some claim kevlar to be superior, and my kevlar suit has done well in "testing". i really wonder if companies have tried the new materials and concluded it was inferior, or no-one is interested in trying anything new?
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted March 21, 2008 05:39 PM
yeah, I've been wondering alot myself. I know that kevlar seriously degrades in sunlight if unprotected, and it also is notorious (in bullet proof vests at least) for water absorbtion and subsequent degradation. I work in the materials testing section of Boeing and can tell you nothing revolutionary has come out yet in the materials that we use. Manufacturers have just concentrated on the matrix's (resins) of composites, and weave directions.
How is your suit doing? you are the first guy I know who has a kevlar suit. Notice any sunlight degradation yet? Water absorbtion?
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NinjaNick
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posted March 25, 2008 12:13 PM
JOE ROCKET SONIC 2.0 LEATHER JACKET - Goes up to XXXXXL (5XL)!! Why get something called "PowerTrip"? Get a real motorcycle jacket, get a Joe Rocket! 
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Ninja Thou
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posted March 28, 2008 12:50 AM
Edited By: Ninja Thou on 28 Mar 2008 01:57
Hey Sticks,
"If it's not Boeing, I'm not going!".
Anyway,
KANGAROO LEATHER is widely accepted as being one of the strongest light weight leathers available. Yet the reasons for this strength are not widely appreciated.
Studies conducted by the Australian CSIRO confirm that kangaroo is one of the strongest leathers of similar substance available (Stephens 1987).
Similarly when split into thinner substances kangaroo retains considerably more of the original tensile strength of the unsplit leather than does calf. When split to 20% of original thickness kangaroo retains between 30 to 60% of the tensile strength of the unsplit hide. Calf on the other hand split to 20% of original thickness retains only 1-4% of original strength (Stephens 1987).
Studies of the morphology of kangaroo leather compared to bovine help explain these remarkable differences.
The collagen fibre bundles in cattle hide are arranged in a complex weaving pattern. The fibres are often at angles as much as 90 degrees to the skin surface. Cattle hide also contain sweat glands, erector pili muscles and a distinct gradation in elastin levels, concentrated in the upper part of the skin.
Kangaroo on the other hand has been shown to have a highly uniform orientation of fibre bundles in parallel with the skin surface. It does not contain sweat glands or erector pili muscles and elastin is evenly distributed throughout the skin thickness (Bavinton et al 1987). This structural uniformity explains both the greater tensile strength of the whole leather and the greater retention of strength in splits. Bovine skin is much more complex in cross section. Hence in whole section it has many more weak point from which tears can start when placed under tension. In addition when sliced into splits the collagen fibres running at significant angles to the skin surface will be cut. These then become weak points in the structural strength.
Thus the structural uniformity in the morphology of kangaroo leather readily explains its dramatic strength and the retention of this strength when split.
This uniformity requires efficient fat liquoring and staking to obtain optimal results from processing. These processes have the effect of unsticking fibre bundles from each other, thereby enabling each bundle to move independently. Since kangaroo fibres are aligned parallel to each other they contact other fibres along much of their length. Bovine fibres on the other hand only contact other fibres at the points where they intersect with them.
This is why GP riders suits are made out of Kanga'.
QANTAS: Founded 1920... Zero fatalities.
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted March 28, 2008 09:59 AM
The important question is twofold: How does Kangaroo taste? And how much are there suits? I've never seen a kangaroo leather offered before but I will look around now.
Thanks for the info!
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted March 28, 2008 10:07 AM
Edited By: Sticks_n_Stones on 28 Mar 2008 11:07
newenough.com has these Alpinestars for $649. 
Or these Joe Rockets for $557: 
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countersteer
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posted March 28, 2008 11:26 AM
sticks can you fit into the joe rockets? alpinestars runs too small, and be aware that they are in euro sizing. i have the joe rocket sonic 2.0, perforated black and its a great jacket for the money. $300 and kneedraggers had it delivered to my door within 24 hours of ordering it. someday when i can justify spending the $700, ill buy a vanson jacket (like i was supposed to). right now im trying to get another suomy spec1r helmet :P (hodgson laguna seca model)
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Scott
Long Island, New York
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ninja thou
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posted March 29, 2008 09:49 AM
quote:
The important question is twofold: How does Kangaroo taste? And how much are there suits? I've never seen a kangaroo leather offered before but I will look around now.
Thanks for the info!
These people make tailored suits out of Kanga: http://www.gimoto.com.au/. They no doubt can tell you cost.
Kangaroo tastes great; Aboriginals have been eating them for millenia. It's fat free meat ('Cept for the tail... which is delicious)
It seems a travisty to eat a national icon, they have a habit, especialy at night, to jump right in front of you car though, and the big ones are built like brick shithouses. One night ,one dropped verticaly, as if it had fallen out of the sky, straight into the grill of my old Commodore. (Thats the 4 door version of the Pontiac GTO we export to your country. Here we call it a "Monaro") It was only a little one, it got rag dolled under the car, I just kept driving feeling really sorry for the little kanga until I saw the needle go off the hot end of the temp gauge. Stopped and took a look; there was coolant spraying out in 5 different directions. I was 1/2 way between Canberra and Melbourne. That put an end to my sympathy for the animal. Thank the lord I wasn't on a bike at the time. I'm sure this country would be better off if we farmed Kangas instead of cows. Fragile ecology here.
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted March 29, 2008 10:34 AM
I emailed them ninja. We'll see monday probably.
Only problem with farming Kangas is that they dont herd like cows, and are way way more aggressive! Just look at You Tube videos of all the kangaroo attacks hehe
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ninja thou
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posted March 29, 2008 11:12 AM
Edited By: ninja thou on 29 Mar 2008 12:13
I just had a surf around their site. The colour coordinator program is good for customizing a suit.
This sounds mad but its true, I had a Kanga mug me for a packet of Doritos! I made the mistake of giving it a dorito, it decided it liked them so much it took the whole bag off me. It had the nerve to stand there and much away happily on my doritos; staring at me from time to time as if daring me to try and take the bag back. I declined... thinking it was not a good day to be disemboweled.
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ninja thou
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posted March 29, 2008 11:23 AM
Edited By: ninja thou on 29 Mar 2008 12:27
quote:
I emailed them ninja. We'll see monday probably.
Only problem with farming Kangas is that they dont herd like cows, and are way way more aggressive! Just look at You Tube videos of all the kangaroo attacks hehe
Some rodeo cowboys who have been stomped and the odd Matador that's been grieviously gored may disagree. Having said that, you don't need fences 12 foot high to contain cows.
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted March 29, 2008 11:31 AM
I used to live on a ranch. And worked for the neighbors who raised cattle. Cows are a very timid creature whose "herd sense" is very easily used to get them to do what you want. Just find the dominant female and "steer" her to the field or corral you want them all in. A pretty docile creature all in all. The bulls are a different matter. They are kept seperate most times from the females unless you are breeding them. BUT: the ranchers will throw a couple good sized bulls into the herd if they are losing some to predators.
Allways wondered how suprised the wolves were to come face to face with a horny, pissed off Brahma Bull when they were expecting only scared cows.
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ninja thou
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posted March 29, 2008 11:40 AM
Yep,
Much the same gender wise with roos. The big males think they own the place. The wild ones won't come near you, but if they have regular contact with people, the old maxim of familiarity breads contempt holds true with those large male marsupials, in spades.
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted March 29, 2008 11:42 AM
Check out this new road rage safety gear the Arabs came up with:
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ninja thou
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posted March 29, 2008 11:57 AM
The things you see when you havn't got a machine gun
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