I was wondering if anybody has seen these leathers in person or has had any experience with the seller or the leathers themselves for that matter? Motorcycle Racing Suit and Leather Pants Motorcycle Jackets I was doing a search on MC leathers seeing if I can find a less costly, but quality set of leathers for the wife and I found these guys. I saw a post from Jan/2008 asking the same question but nobody ever responded to that post. Since that was 4 years ago, I thought I would ask again. They're in SoCal in the City of Commerce but only open Mon-Fri (9-5) so I can't take a look at them or the establishment unless I happen to be passing by there or take some time off work. I called them and they said they do custom leathers (i.e. will make a set for a female) and they would typically cost $100 more than the ones they have online of the same style. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to cheap out on the wife, I'm more than happy to get her a pair of Dainese or A-Stars or other known quality brand but she's not too keen on spending the money on something she won't wear too often. I say if you end up using them once in a crash, then they've paid for themselves! Especially if they did their job. Oh, and for some reason she was dead set against the Storm Trooper Leathers!:wink: Cheers!
I can speak for a leather jacket that I purchased from that same kind of vendor. Check my thread for my first impressions. http://vfrworld.com/forums/gear-accessories/37117-riding-jacket-bought-off-ebay.html I think that ALL the vendors on the internet selling some brand of leathers you might not be familiar with, are purchasing from a very small number of sources. I recall coming across a thread saying they all come from Pakistan, but the leather is often purchased from larger countries like Australia. So I think quality wise, anything you purchase will be similar to what I purchased. My guess is that while it won't match the quality of Dainese or A*, you will be satisfied if you purchase a set of leathers. If you order according to their sizing chart, it will probably fit ok as well. Jose
She did like the design for my Joker leathers with the curly toed riding boots though right? :lol: :focus: Sorry no help at all here with the TopGear Leathers,I have no experience with them.....yet. I was however giving that one piece Perrini Fusion Suit the serious stink-eye the other night on Ebay. Been looking for a decent quality reasonably priced set of leathers myself. Didn't care for them in the White,Black,or Yellow though. BTW - Thanks for the link to the TopGear Leathers website double O Tee Vee'S. :thumbsup: Says they offer that one piece Perrini Fusion Suit in Red,and that IS the color I was looking for. :whoo:
...Well lets just say she didn't immediately object:wink: No worries, they seem to look pretty good in the photos. I might try and stop in the week after next (leaving on a business trip tomorrow), but when I get back I believe one of my next projects I'll be working on I'll be passing their store on my way there and back. If you aren't in a hurry, I can let you know the quality first hand. It probably won't be until Thursday (Feb 9th). They definitely have my curiosity piqued.
That settles it then,it's a date. Thanks double O would you please. As long as that Perrini Fusion Suit is at least a decent quality set of leathers to start with I could take them down to the local leatherworks here and have them custom fitted to me. While they're there I could have the seamstress give them a good once over. If she would happen to spot any flaws or weaknesses I could always have her reinforce any panels or add any extra stitching that she deems necessary to make them a little more road worthy. Yeah,mine too.
I just came back from my Recon Mission at "Top Gear Leathers". First, let's start off by saying that these are by no means on the same level as a set of Dainese or A*, but most of us assumed that anyway. This is not due to the quality of the leather or stitching but in the interior "trim". The leather thickness and overall exterior was fine and seemed to be a very decent set of leathers, the weight was on par with my Laguna Seca 2-piece, but it is the inside of the suit that you will see and feel a difference. That being said, the one cool thing about the "inside", is the liner is completely removable from neck to ankle and this is where the "trim" comes into play. If you have ever tried on a pair of Dainese or A* leathers, the inside feels very plush and the liner is nicely fitted to the inside of the suit with a slight bit of padding in some areas. The Perrini I tried on fit well (Size 44 'Fusion' one piece, for you Stosh), (I'm 5'8" ~160lbs.) but the edge of the sleeves was a little rough feeling due to the Velcro that the liner uses to attach to the leather shell. There also did not seem to be any real thickness to the liner so in places it was just a slight layer of cloth between the leather and your skin. According to the guy helping me (Omi), all of the elbow, shoulder & knee padding is CE rated but I did seem to have a little difficulty getting things to line up just right at first; at least the upper half of the suit, I chalk it up to being a one piece suit, but once everything was in place, the suit felt comfortable. So bottom line, if you are on a serious budget but would really like a set of leathers for riding, I would say that for ~$400.00, these wouldn't be a bad place to start. Personally if I hadn't just bought a pair of Dainese at the MC show in December, I probably would have bought the Perrinis today, but the 2-piece (which they didn't have in stock though). I'm not sure I would use them for racing, mostly because there is no history with this manufacturer that I am aware of, but I would definitely use them for street riding as my street speeds would be a little more sedate. Another thing to add is that Omi said that the suits run a bit small, so if you order them on the web site, or by phone, make sure that you give them all of your dimensions (as seen on the size chart page) and have them built to your size. His feeling is that the "off the shelf" models do not compare to when they tailor them to your specifications, but that's a given for any maker I'm sure. One last thing to chime in, this post is by no means an endorsement of Top Gear Leathers, just but my opinion. You may not find the same level of fit and feel as I did and "to each, his own". But I hope this helps if you were sitting on the fence.
I have got a set of leathers made by them, they are not that bad apart from my gut hangs out of the front when the jacket and trousers are zipped together but I am trying to slim down to fit in them properly.
I went back and bought a $200.00 pair (Model #333BK) and plan on doing a review for everyone. Just a cursory report, the overall stitching and external look and feel is good, but they are very spartan in regards to the padding and armor. I think with just a few $ more they would be great for street riding protection. Look for a review some time soon...
I was looking at these as well, but didn't they have racing one for $250 that had all of the pastic reinforced kevlar padding? The only thing I didn't like was the orange color in the leather. I was going to see if they had one with red instead. Here is what I was looking at. 2pc-Motorcycle-Racing-Leather-Suit-with-Hard-Padding
You may want to call them and see what they have, speak to Omi (Pronounced 'O-Me') and he'll help you out. The one thing you'll notice on most of the 'Top Gear' branded models (i.e. not the Perrini models) is that there is no hip or thigh padding. They do have some armor that is replaceable, Elbow, Shoulder and Knee and back protection on the #331 (I'm assuming that it's replaceable). Looking at the armor that the #331 has, it is roughly the same for the #333 I bought, with the exception of the knee armor. The #333 does not have the extra shin protection that appears to be on the #331 you are looking at. That being said, I own a pair of the Bohn 'Adventure Pants' that fit under the suit's pants and is very comfortable. I also have a Knox back protector so I'm covered up top too. The one thing you might consider is taking your measurements, with any additional armor you might be/want to be using, and have them custom fitted to those dimensions. It is $100 more for the "custom" but you'll be more comfortable I'm sure when you wear the after market armor. As I mentioned, I am planning on doing a review of the model I bought, but they are a little different than the ones you are looking at. All in all they seem to be a great buy, but I'm not sure I would be racing in them with the stock armor/padding. For track days and street riding protection I think they'll provide the abrasion/impact protection with the leather and armor they have, but I think they are missing the higher level protection and padding I would prefer if I was racing. I have a set of Dainese Laguna Seca Vented leathers and when you compare them side by side, you'll know why the Dainse are so much more expensive. I bought these for two reasons, inexpensive abrasion protection, seeing that I already have the after market armor, and I wanted to see if they would be a viable option for others. Not that I can throw away $200, but for that price I could always use them as a Halloween costume, loan to a friend/new rider, whatever. I hope this helps, if not, you can wait for my review. I plan on doing that this weekend. If you do call them, let Omi know that you and Darryl had this dialog on the VFR World forum. Cheers.
Appreciate the info. Probably won't call until April or May but thanks and I will look forward to your review.
I looked at Top gear leathers last summer. The problem is most of the cheaper suits are 2 piece suits, and most race orgs require 1 piece for racing.... For that price I can get a leftover Teknic Chicane 1pc for $350.
That's kind of on the same vein to what I'm saying. I think for racing, I wouldn't be going for the 'Top Gear' (one piece), maybe the Perinni one piece as it is a little more up to speed (no pun intended), but for casual street riding and or track day use the 'Top Gear' (one or two piece) would be OK. As far as two piece leathers, from what I have experienced as long as the two piece has a full circumference zipper (which these do), most track day organizers will allow them. Yes I agree, some times you get lucky and can find a close out special for cheap and that would be the way to go for racing. I have no plans on racing but if I were to at least do a track day or "spirited" street riding, I'll be wearing the Dainese and use the 'Top Gear' for casual street riding or when the weather is colder as the Dainese suit is perforated! Cheers
Yea, I hear you. I am looking to race a Ninja 500 this year at least part time. And I'm not the easiest size to find either. Top Gear would most likely have to make one to my dimentions if I were to go that route. I found that 2010 Chicane at a clearance price in a 54, so that will probably be the route I go. I just hope it sticks around in time for me to finish school and make sure I'm in a position to drop the cash....
They say that timing is everything. I had to pass on a few items due to low funding at the time but I found even better bargains later on. What gets me is the inverse, I bought a pair of SIDI Cobra boots not too long ago for $250.00, now I see them going for $199.00 as close outs on some websites. Timing! Sometimes I just troll all of the online stores for specials and one of kind deals just in case there's something too good to pass up. Sometimes the less popular suit sizes you'll find available for really low prices and are the only thing left on the shelf. Sport Bike Track Gear, Motorcycle Gear (Formerly New Enough.com), Motorcycle Superstore, RevZilla often have awesome deals on close outs.
I wasn't thinking of buying the Top Leather suit for racing. I will be lucky to do more than one or two track days this year. This would be my all purpose suit for taking on the local twisites and every day riding. My funds are limited so this is the most logical option to me. I will look into the Bohn under pants though. I like that option too.
I was finally able to do a quick review and comparison for those who are still curious. One note that I can add in here that I don't think I got on the review is that I did stop into Cycle Gear today to look at their house brand (Bilt) leathers and apart form having some additional padding not on the Top Gear set that I bought, they appeared to be of the same caliber i.e. leather quality/feel and workmanship. I wouldn't be surprised if they were made in the same factory somewhere in Pakistan. (not sure if that's really where they come from, just saying they probably come from the same place) TopGearLeathers333BK-Part1.MOV - YouTube TopGearLeathers333BK-Part2.MOV - YouTube
