New Owner with Questions
I am a big fan of Fox Creek Leather.
http://www.foxcreekleather.com/
Been to their store many a time, they are GREAT folks!
http://www.foxcreekleather.com/
Been to their store many a time, they are GREAT folks!
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
From: Maine
I wear a textile mesh jacket with internal Ce armor pads in elbows and shoulders during summers in Maine. It would work well in SoCal year round.
Check out icon online, here's a link to what I use. Their Twenty inner gloves are great too at $29.
Dress for the fall.
http://www.rideicon.com/products/?productGroupId=73432
Check out icon online, here's a link to what I use. Their Twenty inner gloves are great too at $29.
Dress for the fall.
http://www.rideicon.com/products/?productGroupId=73432
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 4,377
Likes: 647
From: Santa Clarita
Ventura Leather in Downtown Ventura is excellent...they sell a traditional, VERY heavy leather jacket made in Pakistan...when I bought it, it was $250. It may have gone up, but they do negotiate prices there! They can alter the leather on site, and sew on patches. They sell vests, chaps for under $100, etc.
OP, I'd be REAL careful about admitting you are buying leather to look cool...that will put you into the category that I call 'Real Bikers'!!!! That is, dudes that have a bike and play dress up, and have a 'tude', just to play act. There are a ton of those kinda guys in SoCal, that's why I avoid all organized rides, like the Love Rides, toy runs, poker runs, etc. Nothing like riding near inexperienced poseurs when ya gotta move fast, or when they do something stupid! Just sayin'... Good gear is purpose-driven, not appearance-driven, like that heavy jacket I'm recommending...it will work better for you when you're sliding down the tarmac, but it definitely will NOT be sleek on your body! Nonetheless, it's my personal go-to jacket.
Another good source is the dealership, actually. Every piece of clothing there is of great quality, and $400 for a leather jacket is actually a pretty good price, given the quality and styling that goes into them. What I suggest NOT doing is going into a dealership, or any other brick and mortar store, trying on clothes, and buying them on-line. In my opinion, that's just low...
OP, I'd be REAL careful about admitting you are buying leather to look cool...that will put you into the category that I call 'Real Bikers'!!!! That is, dudes that have a bike and play dress up, and have a 'tude', just to play act. There are a ton of those kinda guys in SoCal, that's why I avoid all organized rides, like the Love Rides, toy runs, poker runs, etc. Nothing like riding near inexperienced poseurs when ya gotta move fast, or when they do something stupid! Just sayin'... Good gear is purpose-driven, not appearance-driven, like that heavy jacket I'm recommending...it will work better for you when you're sliding down the tarmac, but it definitely will NOT be sleek on your body! Nonetheless, it's my personal go-to jacket.
Another good source is the dealership, actually. Every piece of clothing there is of great quality, and $400 for a leather jacket is actually a pretty good price, given the quality and styling that goes into them. What I suggest NOT doing is going into a dealership, or any other brick and mortar store, trying on clothes, and buying them on-line. In my opinion, that's just low...
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 4,377
Likes: 647
From: Santa Clarita
RE: chaps not being needed in SoCal. That depends on how one rides. I commute to work on a bike 90 miles one way, four days a week, in all seasons. When it gets to be autumn or winter, and YES, there ARE seasons in SoCal, and well into the spring, I use chaps. It's cold out there, even colder when the wind is hitting my legs, and I'm not afraid to use electric riding gear too.
On weekends, when I ride for fun, one of the first questions I ask when I think about a fun ride, is 'what's gonna be my comfort level? Is it worth it?' I'm not afraid to admit that if it's freezing cold outside or boiling hot, that's not a lotta fun, so do I really want to ride on days like that? If the answer is yes, on a cold day, then chaps are appropriate riding gear. That said, the VAST majority of Real Bikers (please refer to my previous post for that definition) will not ride when the weather gets below 60 degrees, and I'm being generous with that level. For those kind of riders, yeah, I agree, chaps will not be necessary.
Chaps are for the more hard core among us, unless a Real Biker decides she/he just wants to look cool. In that case, when motorcyclists are gathered on a warm day, just look around, see who's wearing chaps, or a skull face mask, to figger out who the 'Real Bikers' are! LOL
Chaps won't be in the first level of necessary clothing, for sure, in SoCal. But for those among us who really ride, yeah, they are needed here.
On weekends, when I ride for fun, one of the first questions I ask when I think about a fun ride, is 'what's gonna be my comfort level? Is it worth it?' I'm not afraid to admit that if it's freezing cold outside or boiling hot, that's not a lotta fun, so do I really want to ride on days like that? If the answer is yes, on a cold day, then chaps are appropriate riding gear. That said, the VAST majority of Real Bikers (please refer to my previous post for that definition) will not ride when the weather gets below 60 degrees, and I'm being generous with that level. For those kind of riders, yeah, I agree, chaps will not be necessary.
Chaps are for the more hard core among us, unless a Real Biker decides she/he just wants to look cool. In that case, when motorcyclists are gathered on a warm day, just look around, see who's wearing chaps, or a skull face mask, to figger out who the 'Real Bikers' are! LOL
Chaps won't be in the first level of necessary clothing, for sure, in SoCal. But for those among us who really ride, yeah, they are needed here.
Road Captain
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 541
Likes: 3
From: Sherwood Park AB Canada
This is good advise here, not dress for the fall time of year, but the fall that causes your hide to skid down the pavement in the event you go down. Good leather hide will save your hide and the accompanying pain that comes with it.
OP: Whoever said dress for fall, I second that. I have no idea what it's like in SoCal this time of year.
Club Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 2,697
Likes: 10
From: San Angelo, Texas
You two are probably the guys who have your highly polished bikes on trailers that drive right past a real biker that is on the side of the road with a problem and never give it a second thought.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 8,051
Likes: 50
From: Florence, MT (Bitterroot Valley)
You've invested a ton in a new ride. Now get yourself some good leather to ride with it. Fox Creek Leather is a quality product. http://www.foxcreekleather.com/ You won't be disappointed. It's durable, quality, and really looks sharp! It's important to look your best on a brand new ride. I'm closing in on 100,000 miles on mine, and I still like to look sharp. ZZTop said it best! "every girl's crazy bout a sharp dressed man"....
Last edited by bigskyhd; Nov 9, 2013 at 09:20 PM.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 4,741
Likes: 45
From: Indian Land, SC
You guys started somewhere...he's riding, and he's asking questions about what he needs to be comfortable riding, and he's getting some good answers. Except from the peanut gallery.
You two are probably the guys who have your highly polished bikes on trailers that drive right past a real biker that is on the side of the road with a problem and never give it a second thought.
You two are probably the guys who have your highly polished bikes on trailers that drive right past a real biker that is on the side of the road with a problem and never give it a second thought.
If he didn't include this sentence, I would not have responded as I did.
"I'm always looking for advice on how to look even better on my new ride!!!"
If he would have said I'm looking for protective clothing that look good, I for one would have respected that and we wouldn't be at this point.
Oh well, got to go wax my bike before I roll it into my trailer...NOT!!!!!