What's in your gear closet?

[fnfalman]

Originally Posted by ceo012384

fnfalman... nice gear collection. Looks like a couple sets of Z customs... very nice. Have you crashed in any of them? How's their repair service?

I wear only Z leathers. Well, there is a FieldSheer jacket that I wear occasionally. But, alas, I did crash test in the red outfit. The knee had a couple stitches that came undone at the "Madonna's bra" knee cup and of course scrapes along the left leg and left elbow and forearm when I slid before I tumbled. The upper half of the red outfit was once upon a time made out of heavy reflective textile. The left shoulder got a spot that was burned through. So I had Z replaced the whole top half with black leathers.

The blue/white outfit gets the most use out of it and it looks like hell but still good to go. I even wore that outfit offroading a couple of times when I was in Arizona visiting one of my buddies. NOT ADVISABLE. I nearly died of heat injury both times. The yellow is for the track and doesn't get used that often. I need to start wearing it for the twisties so that it can get broken in more, it's just that the outfit is very tightly fitted and very uncomfortable to wear when not hauling ass and hugging the tank. The black one is more of a touring/commuting type that I just got. Why? Just for the hell of it, really.

Z Leathers, like most custom shops, don't have to change their outfit appearances from year to year in order to stay "hip". You get a good chunk of leathers and CE armor at all the right places.

PS Z Leathers also repair outfits from other manufacturers too, but they say that it's increasingly difficult to do with the new outfits because of the way they're stitched up and all the plastic pieces/metal pieces for decorations and such. They can't replace the plastic/metal parts and the stitchings were made more for economy of production than for repair, so when you bust a seam, it's done for.

[ceo012384]

Originally Posted by fnfalman

I wear only Z leathers. Well, there is a FieldSheer jacket that I wear occasionally. But, alas, I did crash test in the red outfit. The knee had a couple stitches that came undone at the "Madonna's bra" knee cup and of course scrapes along the left leg and left elbow and forearm when I slid before I tumbled. The upper half of the red outfit was once upon a time made out of heavy reflective textile. The left shoulder got a spot that was burned through. So I had Z replaced the whole top half with black leathers.

The blue/white outfit gets the most use out of it and it looks like hell but still good to go. I even wore that outfit offroading a couple of times when I was in Arizona visiting one of my buddies. NOT ADVISABLE. I nearly died of heat injury both times. The yellow is for the track and doesn't get used that often. I need to start wearing it for the twisties so that it can get broken in more, it's just that the outfit is very tightly fitted and very uncomfortable to wear when not hauling ass and hugging the tank. The black one is more of a touring/commuting type that I just got. Why? Just for the hell of it, really.

Z Leathers, like most custom shops, don't have to change their outfit appearances from year to year in order to stay "hip". You get a good chunk of leathers and CE armor at all the right places.

PS Z Leathers also repair outfits from other manufacturers too, but they say that it's increasingly difficult to do with the new outfits because of the way they're stitched up and all the plastic pieces/metal pieces for decorations and such. They can't replace the plastic/metal parts and the stitchings were made more for economy of production than for repair, so when you bust a seam, it's done for.

Great info man... so do you have any basis for comparing Z to other custom makers, like Syed and Vanson (the other main 2 I am considering)...?

Also, your PS point... I hope that's not the case with my teknic chicanes. One seam by the hip started to come apart a bit and I wanted to get it re-strengthened. I was thinking about just getting a large gauge needle and thread and trying it myself...

[Rider]

Teknic Chicanes pants have now been added to the closet.

[fnfalman]

Originally Posted by ceo012384

Great info man... so do you have any basis for comparing Z to other custom makers, like Syed and Vanson (the other main 2 I am considering)...?

Also, your PS point... I hope that's not the case with my teknic chicanes. One seam by the hip started to come apart a bit and I wanted to get it re-strengthened. I was thinking about just getting a large gauge needle and thread and trying it myself...

I don't see any Syed leathers this far outwest but the custom Vanson suits I've seen are really nice stuff.

As far as getting a big needles and threads and stitch up your own, you can do that, but can you really get to the seam? If you can then knock yourself out. Most of the times, they have to open up the suit, take the lining out and then stitch the seams up from the inside, and that's where Z Custom is telling me that they are having problems with a lot of the newer suits.

[lauralynne]

Originally Posted by fnfalman

I don't see any Syed leathers this far outwest but the custom Vanson suits I've seen are really nice stuff.

Come on up to Seattle - lots of us rocking Syed up here

[ceo012384]

Originally Posted by fnfalman

I don't see any Syed leathers this far outwest but the custom Vanson suits I've seen are really nice stuff.

As far as getting a big needles and threads and stitch up your own, you can do that, but can you really get to the seam? If you can then knock yourself out. Most of the times, they have to open up the suit, take the lining out and then stitch the seams up from the inside, and that's where Z Custom is telling me that they are having problems with a lot of the newer suits.

Fair enough on the comparison.

And hmmm good point, I'm not sure. The chicanes are lined with mesh if I remember correctly so I might be able to get at the seam anyways.