Kawasaki replica suit

**L.L. Cool M** · 4th January 2007, 16:37

Hello,

Not really sure if this is being posted in the right place, so feel free to give it a push in the right direction.

I am somewhat looking at leather suits as a first time buyer, for no real reason other than I sort of want one but it's questionable if I need one. I think these look fairly good/amusing/match my bike and are sold at a majority of places overseas online. Does anyone know anything about these/are they any good? Prices for various leathers over here seem very high compared to online (not that I think I can get this one here anyway).

Yes I know it's Kawasaki (in a fairly full-on manner as well), and yes I intend to ride Kawasakis for some time, etc...

The suit:
http://www.joerocket.com/affiliates/...oducts_id=1099
And being sold here for an okay price:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/JOE-R...QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks for any advice.

**masterofpuppets** · 4th January 2007, 17:35

you're probably paying a whole lot more for it to be "official" kawasaki gear.
and keep in ming thats in US$, so about 11-1200 bucks. i presonally wouldnt buy a set of leathers without trying them on.
in saying that tho.... they're cool

**imdying** · 4th January 2007, 17:51

Originally Posted by masterofpuppets

i presonally wouldnt buy a set of leathers without trying them on.

Kawasaki make plenty of nice bikes, and will continue to, so if you're in the need of a suit it could be a go. I'm with wanting to try it on though, that could end it tears otherwise.

Something here might be worth a look? http://www.lifestyle-imports.co.nz/replica.html I've seen a Lucky Strike jacket from them, was a pretty good look.

**vamr** · 4th January 2007, 19:14

Originally Posted by imdying

http://www.lifestyle-imports.co.nz/replica.html I've seen a Lucky Strike jacket from them, was a pretty good look.

The lack of (listed) armour on those jackets would put me off.

**HenryDorsetCase** · 4th January 2007, 19:19

Im another in the chorus of "try it first".. in that I bought a set of leathers on tardme which "should" have fitted but really dont. I blame my "Gimli, son of Gloin" physique. I cant grow a beard to save myself though. I ended up with custom made which DO fit.

If you can find out the manufacturer, and someone stocks the suits here, you could maybe try one on here before ordering? Thats predicated on you being near an LBS that stocks leathers....

Its a bitchin' suit though :thumbsup:

**MotoGirl** · 4th January 2007, 20:06

I bought my Alpinestars leather suit on ebay from a seller called "Flyin Brian". I bought most of my gear from him and always get great service.

He has this same suit, see here:
http://search.stores.ebay.com/Flyin-...146023QQsofpZ0

If you say you've seen this suit for $x.xx elsewhere on ebay, he will drop his price to match (this is what I did). He gives fantastic service, gives good discounts if you buy multiple items, has speedy shipping, and will mark your suit with a value of like $50 so it clears customs. This is very important so you don't get stung with any extra costs/duties etc.

As for trying it on, I got a size conversion chart from my local dealer, took my measurements, and figured what US/Euro size I needed - my suit fits fine.

**MotoGirl** · 4th January 2007, 20:09

Originally Posted by HenryDorsetCase

If you can find out the manufacturer, and someone stocks the suits here, you could maybe try one on here before ordering?

I had the same bright idea when I was looking for a suit - unfortunately, they don't stock all sizes and you have to order and pay for the item before they'll even bring it in!

I wasn't going to pay $1,700 for a suit that I didn't want to buy from a dealer

**onearmedbandit** · 4th January 2007, 20:32

Originally Posted by vamr

The lack of (listed) armour on those jackets would put me off.

Think they've got CE approved armour.

**NinjaBoy** · 4th January 2007, 22:20

Originally Posted by L.L. Cool M

Hello,

Not really sure if this is being posted in the right place, so feel free to give it a push in the right direction.

I am somewhat looking at leather suits as a first time buyer, for no real reason other than I sort of want one but it's questionable if I need one. I think these look fairly good/amusing/match my bike and are sold at a majority of places overseas online. Does anyone know anything about these/are they any good? Prices for various leathers over here seem very high compared to online (not that I think I can get this one here anyway).

Yes I know it's Kawasaki (in a fairly full-on manner as well), and yes I intend to ride Kawasakis for some time, etc...

The suit:
http://www.joerocket.com/affiliates/...oducts_id=1099
And being sold here for an okay price:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/JOE-R...QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks for any advice.

remember these are listed in $USD, multiply by 1.5 to get approx $NZD. Also you need to find out the shipping cost which is also in $USD. Then you need to take this converted figure and add GST.

Generally you get away with not having to pay duty... ie. getting it recognised as motorcycle safety gear with plastic armour rather than as clothing which attracts duty.

Over the last couple of years the shops have got a lot better with having stock, a range of sizes and pricing generally. So check out what you can get locally first.

While you can get bargains on ebay etc... with the USD dollar considerable stronger than it use to be, the savings are not what they use to be.

**onearmedbandit** · 4th January 2007, 22:28

Eh? The kiwi is strong againt the green back at the moment, buying roughly 73c per dollar. Also the Yen is very weak against our dollar currently, so if you need anything from either two countries now is the best time to do something.

**sexy beast** · 4th January 2007, 22:55

i would also suggest trying leathers first before buyin. i remember my first leathers which i still have bought bit over a year ago. i tried it on and even hopped on a dummy bike frame (yea at MOTOMAIL) to see if it felt right.
end of the day its your call buddy. i wana get some kawasaki leathers too nad closest ive come to seeing one local is LIFSTYLE IMPORTS (link by IMDYING). will be making a trip to check out the guy this weekend, so if you wana tag along you're most welcome.

**L.L. Cool M** · 4th January 2007, 23:29

Paying a whole lot more for official stuff and conversion rates? For the price of the link I included, it would be about NZ$1,100 all up including shipping. When I look at the suits on offer at Motomail (the only place I can compare suit prices at this time of night), the cheapest ones start above that and are very generic and plain looking.

I fully agree with the trying it on first though. What an annoyance. Good-looking, cheapish suit but who knows what it's like on? My measurements seem to be all over the place when I check them as well, especially when aroused. I guess I'd somewhat slot into a 44 though.

The lifestyle-imports site - I saw some of their stuff before, and I don't really like the look of it. In my opinion, this suit has looks that are far beyond that of the Kawasaki jacket they offer.

How important is that hump on the back of some leather suits? I assume it helps greatly with back protection and the carrying of water through the desert.

The similar Suzuki and Yamaha suits from the same manufacturer (Joe Rocket) look good as well. When I was at the Moto GP in Phillip Island, all the bikers in attendance wore manufacturer-type leathers. Whereas here it doesn't seem possible to find them easily, and instead we get Alpinestars/Spool brands, and the like. I wonder why that is?

**onearmedbandit** · 4th January 2007, 23:32

I replaced my alpinestars suit after my crash, but also bought one of the Lifestyle Lucky Strike jackets, at $330 delivered I didn't give a fuck whether I wore it or not, it suited my new paint scheme. It is actually a decent piece of kit for the money, stiching, armour etc. Sure it's not top quality, but it cost a shit load less than my a/star jacket. Rick's (lifestyle) service is second to none as well, replaced my jacket about 6wks after I bought it because it was the wrong size. (I hadn't worn it). SPB also speaks highly of them, as do a few other members.