FOAK: Leathers for FB

As title says, looking for suggestions for leathers
suppliers/manufacturers, made more for the Fray Bentos kind of person

TIA

Chris H#2

 

Ask Adam Duckworth if his old leathers are going spare.

 

That time of year.

 

<risking RSI>

MJK

 

I suggest you go for made-to-measure and contact, in alphabetical
order:

BKS, Exmouth*
Crowtree, Louth*
Crusader, Chesterfield*
Hideout, Saffron Walden*
MJK (GLF Accessories), Flitwick*
Scott Leathers, Barnard Castle

I'd would normally also suggest MW Leathers in London*, but their
production is currently fully utilised by the Metropolitan Police
contract.

You will find contact details for most, if not all of these, in the
ukrm FAQ pages.

You don't say where you live, but unless it is on the west coast of
Wales you shouldn't be too far from one of these manufacturers.

All manufacturers with an asterix after their details can supply you
with fully CE marked garments - not just the impact protectors, but the
entire manufacturing process that goes into their garments has been
independently tested and approved. There are plenty of threads on this
subject.

HTH

 

In

Can I also add JTS in Coalville to this list - they managed to supply my
Brother-in-law with off-the-peg leathers that, in his words, probably took
the hides of several elephants!

 

It has been a while since I last took a look at any of their products,
so "caveat emptor" generally applies. I know one factory who used to
supply them, and their quality was generally OK (the same factory also
used to supply Dannisport with their CE marked garments), but I don't
know if JTS still buy from them.

 

Champ says...

<risking being told to stfu>

Seconded

 

<Not facing the same risk>

And as echoed by me elsewhere in this thread.

 

Seconded... I have JTS and they have a huge range for the more "rotund"
rider and off the shelf[1]

[1] Mine have been crash tested and they seem to hold out very well, I'm
still wearing the trousers.

 

I had some JTS leathers off the peg. Seams started going in weeks.
--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l (Really) Sprint 1.7 75 TS 156 TS S2
Triumph Speed Triple: Black with extra black bits
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

I am becoming increasingly convinced that bike kit is seldom as good *in
general* as the manufacturers would like to claim. For each story of such
and such that's never let in a drop of rain, there are (seeimingly) an
equal number that claim they were made of damp toilet tissue, IYSWIM.

My 'new' Arlen Ness waterproof trousers leaked in the first rain, copiously
and almost immediately. I thought it was because I left the pockets open.
I discuvered (in the second rain) that it wasn't.

Credit to Cissbury Leathers though, they were on the phone within 24 hrs of
getting them back and promising to send me some more. OTOH that was ten
days ago, and they've not arrived yet.....
--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l (Really) Sprint 1.7 75 TS 156 TS S2
Triumph Speed Triple: Black with extra black bits
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

As I said somewhere up above: "I know one factory who used to
supply them..."; the emphasis being on the "one".

It is a case of "eggs and baskets", with no clothing distributor
wanting to tie themselves exclusively to one subcontract manufacturer.
Some, but not all, distributors retain quality inspectors who travel
their factories, either within a country, regionally or
internationally, and on my travels I have met quite a few people who
occupy such positions. However, they seem more preoccupied with the
quality of badging and "are the correct swing labels attached", and
their technical knowledge is fairly cursory.

They know how neat they want the lines of stitching to look, but ask
them for details of thread specification and seam construction and a
glazed look enters their eyes. When production of a particular model is
shifted to another factory - generally for a better price, with the new
factory's owner offering this to gain a bigger slice of the
distributor's business - the recipe is ripe for variations in an
already unstable mix.

I have to say unrealistic consumer expectations for fixed prices over a
prolonged period (viz. wanting to pay the same price for a suit in 2005
as they did in 2000) don't help the situation, and the manufacturers
who are still able to offer /reasonable/ quality under these pressures
have my respect.

Bear's friend was lucky not to sustain injury. There were near
identical circumstances surrounding one case in which I appeared as an
expert witness - Maxwell v Custom Lids. Maxwell won the case, received
a full refund and costs. AFAIAA, on my advice he took his money to one
of the manufacturers on the list I have recently posted elsewhere.

 

Examples of causes of seam failure: thin, weak thread; chainstitch
instead of lockstitch; poor stitch tension; inappropriate seam
construction. All simple to rectify by: changing thread spec; switching
stitch type; setting-up and maintenance of machine; incorporating
inseams (rows of thread concealed by the turn of the seam and thus
protected from abrasion). Hardly rocket science, so why do motorcycling
garments - which are exposed to the elements and which the wearer's
expect to prove robust - still feature these faults?

 

Would that be Custom Lids of Westgate Road, Newcastle?

Can you give any further details?

 

From: http://www.bmf.co.uk/briefing/bmfBriefingppeformotorcyclists.html

"If this discovery is made after what the consumer thought was a
protective garment has disintegrated around them during an accident,
then previous litigation indicates the courts will be on their side.
For example, in Maxwell v Custom Lids (Milton Keynes County Court, case
number MK708466), a suit suffered catastrophic seam failure when the
wearer fell from his motorcycle at 40 mph. The judge stated that the
motorcycle suit Mr Maxwell was wearing was not fit for purpose as
motorcycle clothing. It is understood the brand distributor at the time
removed all stocks of the model concerned from retailer's shelves."

In fairness to Custom Lids (who I think have a good reputation
generally), as the suppling retailer it was with them that Mr Maxwell
had made his contract, and that is why they found themselves in Court.
They were not responsible for the shoddy manufacturing which caused the
suit to fail. Although representatives of the brand's distributors at
the time arrived at the Court, they allegedly declined to enter the
courtroom and support their retailer or explain why the suit had been
manufactured in that way.

 

Cost?
--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l (Really) Sprint 1.7 75 TS 156 TS S2
Triumph Speed Triple: Black with extra black bits
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

Well, it comes with long gauruntee and was on special at Ally Pally. Plus I
wanted / needed some waterproofs. Full intention was to *not* fall off.
--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l (Really) Sprint 1.7 75 TS 156 TS S2
Triumph Speed Triple: Black with extra black bits
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

Paul Varnsverry wrote:

AFAIK, yes - although IMPO their staff aren't as good as they used to be
when it comes to dealing with customers.

I understand why that is the case, although it does seem rather harsh in
this instance.

Does the retailer have any recourse against the distributor or
manufactuer in cases like this?

 

How far should cost-cutting be taken (practitioners of cost/benefit
analyses, feel free to join in )?

IME a cone of thread will last for several days' production. Thread is
specified by "ticket" number. For ticket 65 thread, 65km of thread
weighs 1 kg. Ticket 20 requires just 20 km for the same weight (the
thread is thicker, hence stronger, and also heavier). Running T20
thread means they will be conducting the change of thread operation two
extra times compared to the situation using the T65 thread which is
wholly inappropriate for robust motorcycle clothing. An experienced
stitcher can change a cone of thread in 20 seconds...

Putting in the extra rows of inseams on a typical suit will add perhaps
20 -30 minutes at the outside to the manufacturing process on a suit
which will take around half a working day to complete. The factories I
have visited all work 6 or 7 days a week, and for anywhere between 10
and 16 hours a day.

Machine maintenance cannot be avoided - if the machine breaks down,
then production will be nil.

Yes, one could argue that there will be cost implications involved in
improving quality, but my point is that at worst they will represent
pennies per garment, and this will surely be offset by reduced warranty
claims even before we get into the more litigious realm. However, what
I have learned in a number of the countries I visit is that they want
to ensure full employment, so taking on an extra stitcher or two to
make up the odd 20 - 30 minutes or 20 seconds lost here or there by
improvements in manufacturing practices suits everybody's agenda.

I think In reality there need be no increase in costs, although the
factory owners are certain to use the situation to press for just that!

That's my view. Any industry personnel lurking who have a different
perspective and care to share it?