Cheap Custom Made Leathers From The Internet

The leathers have arrived. Having spent 10 weeks waiting for the arrival of a set of Fiat Yamaha replica leathers and having heard plenty of negative opinions (and few positive ones!) I wasn't sure what to expect. Now they have arrived, it's time to give them the review I previously promised.

The leathers arrived in a tiny box, it was almost hard to believe that they had managed to fit everything in to such a small package. Giggedy.





The initial impression wasn't the best; the leather felt almost too soft, although seemingly as thick as the Spyke one piece suit I had been using. There are several areas of colour transfer of blue dye on to the yellow and white areas and the quality of the printing is not as great as it could perhaps be. Having seen the existing dye transfer I do not have a lot of confidence that all the colour won't run off as soon as I get caught in the rain. There are areas on the sponsor logos that have either rubbed off or just been poorly printed. The logos are also printed on to a single pice of leather which has then been sewn on. In comparison the Spyke set has the spike logo sewn on as a three layer system, with the suit, a backing sheet and the letters cut from white leather then all sewn together. A couple of the logos don't quite seem right. Specifically the YAMALUBE logo on the right bicep, although this might be a sizing issue as a quick google confirms that the logo is correct for the years 2007 to 2009. The YAMAHA logo on the back of the thighs travel in the same direction where as they should perhaps be written in opposite directions. Also, the forearm reads semakin de depan which is a later Yamaha promotion and not quite right in this case.


When it comes to the stitching, I'll be honest and say that I'm not certain what makes a good thread and what doesn't. I can say that the appearance of the stitching is similar to that of the Spyke suit I have been using this summer. The material used in nn-leather areas does not feel up to the quality of that on the cheaper off-the-shelf suit. Both are a black fabric, although the Yamaha replica leathers feel like some kind of neoprene material whereas the Spyke suit feels more like a harder wearing fabric without the neoprene 'squish'.

The suit liner is of a slightly better design than the spike suit for me, purely because the spike suit is a zip in type and constantly comes undone and turns itself inside out. The replica suit is sewn in, so although unwashable, I want be getting as frustrated when I try to put them on. Until they start to smell at least! There are some armour pads sewn in which are claimed to be CE approved. They feel similar to that in the Spyke suit although the sleeves on the older suit are much stiffer and feel slightly more protective with a pressed cardboard type construction; perhaps useless in an emergency situation but reassuring in daily use. The supplied knee sliders look of poor quality and the 'carbon fibre' and metal sliders look more likely to end up shattered, being removed by a tweezer-toting male nurse with no sense of sympathy in A&E than they would be protective. It will be interesting to see if they rust over time although they appear to be made of very thin stainless steel. If they turn in to cookie-cutters as I slide down the road I shall be sure to let you know.


The Fiat Yamaha replica suit was ordered as a made to measure suit, but measured by myself and sent on a data sheet to the seller. It's now clear that the tailor either completely disregards the numbers he is given or that he has absolutely no faith in the ability of motorcycle riders to operate a tape measure. The leathers are baggy and slightly awkward to wear whilst the Spyke suit needed breaking in when first worn and was very tight. After a month of frequent use the Spyke suit had stretched to be more accommodating and flexible. It felt like it was a perfect fit in terms of bicep and thigh fit, but too short on the body and too tight in the chest and shoulders, especially with an Aeigis back and chest protector stuffed inside. The replica suit has no feeling of tightness and I have little hope that they will shrink over time. In this regard, although the suit is easier to don and doff I think they'll be the worst kind of fit in an incident when, as we are all aware, a close fit is one of the most important factors in avoiding injury. A range of motion test shows that a Spyke suit will stop my arms from going above my head and help keep limbs located in their sockets by resisting external pressure. The replica suit offers no resistance to stretching right up to the sky, making me think a dislocated shoulder would not be protected against by the cut of the suit in the event of an off. The legs have 2 zips, presumably for in or out style boots. I wear over the top style boots and it's hard to get everything in to the boot whilst the legs are not wide enough to go around the boot top. I'll have to find which is most comfortable as I ride out in them.



As should be obvious from this review; this suit will not be being work on a track day. It does not fill me with confidence that it will be safe in an off, at speed. The most likely cause of injuries that would be caused by the suit rather than the speed of incident or street furniture, would be due to poor fit with weaker materials (although not proven worse...yet) a close second. The suit looks kind of ok, but for £550 I'd rather have a little more. If the fit had been better I would have been more forgiving on the overall package but mostly every criteria is a miss. The only thing that will keep me wearing them is that they match my bike. If I plan on going any distance or at any speed faster than a bimble I'll be wearing the Spyke suit.

As an after thought to the suit itself I'd like to talk about the transaction. I bought the suit through a company called Nexus Moto. They (he) has a website; Nexus - Personalised Road and Race Apparel and offers to supply custom suits. I noticed his ad on ebay although his auctions seem to have disappeared recently. Effectively I paid a middleman £200 over the cost of a suit from a non-UK company advertised on ebay. The suit came directly to me from the overseas manufacturer, the guy I dealt with did nothing except contact the manufacturer on my behalf. I was promised a suit with a hydro-pack modification free of charge as I payed the guy through BACS so he would avoid ebay and paypal fees. I didn't get the hydra-pack. I haven't contacted the guy about it, as what could he do? I doubt he will offer a replacement suit (which would take another 10 weeks to arrive!) and I didn't pay extra for it so he can't give me my money back for the promised modification. I would say though that if you decide you also need to pay over the odds for a suit that won't protect you in a high speed off then make sure you remind him of the deal before the leathers are delivered.

Despite all of the negativity, I will still be wearing the suit. I will keep in mind that it probably isn't the most protective thing I could wear but it is better than a t-shirt and it does match my bike. Hopefully the colours won't run in the wet and become a new-age tie-dye Fiat splodge suit, I won't fall off my bike and @Drinky will think I look super cool and won't take the mickey for too long.

 

The picture of my Spyke suit demonstrates the difference in fit.

Here are a few more images to display the comparison>

 

I have blanked my face on every picture I have put on here. Remember the fitness thread? I'm not really wanting to put a face to the name, on the whole internet.

 

I will check tomorrow, but it's hard to see the inside as the liner is sewn in. I also wouldn't be able to spot a Kevlar stretch panel if it had Kevlar written on it.


Over all, yes a poor buy. I would not recommend them to anyone else.

 

James yours already look loads better, with sewn badges. Mine are the equivalent of leather stickers. Just a square of leather printed and sewn on.

I couldn't say whether they're the same supplier or not. His website shows a couple of customers but it's hard to find any reviews.

 

Did you sell them as genuine dainese? My suit doesn't have any branding, though I had expected it to

 

My Spyke suit is like that, but too short in the body so can be uncomfortable around the groin. These were supposed to be the same but longer in the body. They are not! Maybe I should wear them in a cold bath and shrink them on!