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Post by Diego the toe clipper on Jun 15, 2020 19:26:26 GMT
So in my bid to keep the middle aged, middle class dream alive, I'm thinking of going back to track days.
My current track leathers are now 26 years old, feeling a bit tight, and last time out I had a low side which scuffed them up a bit on one side. They are also solid black leather, which seemed cool on a cloudy autumn day in Newbury when I was 20, but aren't actually at all cool in Jarama in July in my mid 40s.
So I've been looking out for some bargain used 2 piece leathers that I can use for the odd track day, but also not look a complete cunt if I use them on the road (see Mekon's Race Rep Cringe thread!!)
There's a lot on offer too. Most have been worn twice at most and today I went to see a Berik suit. Black with white stripes, (not so cringe-worthy) and perforated leather. Great fit too.
But I don't know the make, anyone got any opinion? Fact based or pure speculation, I don't care.
I've got it in my head that they might be the company who took over the old Suomy Leathers line, but I might be making that up...
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Post by mekon on Jun 16, 2020 16:42:45 GMT
Irradiate the fuckers with UV light whatever you buy. Who knows what mouldy spores await you.
I'm buying a high powered uv torch at 405nm to try and shift some toenail fungus and will be using it on all my shoes etc.
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Post by spuu on Jun 17, 2020 15:03:51 GMT
Clipper if they are good enough for Ruben Xaus...  Have to say though I am with Mekon. There are certain things i wouldnt buy second hand. Bike Jacket? No problem. 2 piece leathers... err no thanks |
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Post by Diego the toe clipper on Jun 18, 2020 15:40:32 GMT
Clipper if they are good enough for Ruben Xaus... Have to say though I am with Mekon. There are certain things i wouldnt buy second hand. Bike Jacket? No problem. 2 piece leathers... err no thanks Great, so a gobshite wears them.... On the topic of hygiene though, don't get me wrong, I'm looking at "used" stuff that is common here, like suits that got bought with the intention of being used but clearly never have been. People don't wear leathers much here unless they're on the track, a lot are bought "because my wife said I had to have all the protective kit" but then they never even wear it. I went to see a suit the other day which still even had the tags on. The guy had won it at an event and never worn it. Pity it turned out to be a lady's suit! Another one I saw was a guy who bought it when he passed his test, then took 2 years to get round to buying a bike, at which point he'd eaten too many pies... again, never been worn. I'm not out to buy a suit that some sweaty track monster has used and abused. Just out to take advantage of someone else's stupidity to my own financial gain. A suit you try on in a shp could have been tried on more times (by different people) than the stuff I'm looking at. |
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Post by nippon on Jun 23, 2020 11:17:54 GMT
i'm sure berik were something else, yeah. was it arlen ness?
a few racers have worn them. aoyama was a contract man but perhaps more influencial to your decision, so was shoya...
i agree about fumigating an old two piece. whoever buys my 20 year old rs taichi suit is in for a treat. whichever year it pissed down at the donington GP, 2004 or 2005 maybe, i had a slash in mine on the way home. it's no easy feat that i can tell you but i was fúcking soaked anyway and just didn't want to stop. the situation was made worse by the fact my old man binned it coming out the circuit. we stopped at that pub on the left while he went to derbyshire royal infirmary. he'd dislocated all the fingers on his clutch hand and they were all at a right angle from the knuckle. they pulled them straight but couldn't get his glove on for the ride home. so they taped his claw up in a plastic bag. a bit like that hand model from zoolander. only dead shít.
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Post by spuu on Jun 23, 2020 13:40:21 GMT
i'm sure berik were something else, yeah. was it arlen ness? a few racers have worn them. aoyama was a contract man but perhaps more influencial to your decision, so was shoya... i agree about fumigating an old two piece. whoever buys my 20 year old rs taichi suit is in for a treat. whichever year it pissed down at the donington GP, 2004 or 2005 maybe, i had a slash in mine on the way home. it's no easy feat that i can tell you but i was fúcking soaked anyway and just didn't want to stop. the situation was made worse by the fact my old man binned it coming out the circuit. we stopped at that pub on the left while he went to derbyshire royal infirmary. he'd dislocated all the fingers on his clutch hand and they were all at a right angle from the knuckle. they pulled them straight but couldn't get his glove on for the ride home. so they taped his claw up in a plastic bag. a bit like that hand model from zoolander. only dead shít. You have a moral obligation to never put those on sale to the general public. Funny story though  |
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Post by Diego the toe clipper on Jun 23, 2020 13:41:18 GMT
Yeah, they are made by the Madif factory (who also had their own brand) and their lines include Arlen Ness and Berik. Not sure if the Suomy reference was wrong or if I was getting mixed up.
Anyway, I saw 7 suits in the end. A nice looking original Suzuki suit turned out to be poor looking on the stitching (I thought Suzuki would be more careful with who they let sell stuff in local dealers under licence). A Prexport suit with the trousers still in the plastic and the jacket like new looked like top quality and a bargain, but no ventilation, which in Spain can be a nightmare, the rest were used old tat.
So in the end the Berik suit wins. I spoke again to the seller and they confirmed that they had worn the jacket on the bike around town a few times, but had never even worn the trousers on the bike... bought all the kit, had a scare and sold the bike within a few months, never went on track and never did a long trip on it....
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Post by nippon on Jun 24, 2020 13:10:14 GMT
You have a moral obligation to never put those on sale to the general public. Funny story though what if i was upfront about the piss? jokes. i'd NEVER sell. my student grant paid for them!  |
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Post by elnoodle the reasonable on Jul 11, 2020 14:27:49 GMT
I remember reading years ago about Jim Whitham pebble dashing the inside of his leathers on the start line. He spent the entire race in a warm cocoon of runny shite. There was some fanboy who was continually hassling him for an old set of his leathers so he dried the shitty ones and popped them in the post to him.
New every time for me...
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