Everyone who works in a particular field has opinions on their
work and the materials they use. This page comprises OUR opinions. They
derive from years of wearing, using and working with leather and bike
clothes generally. They are not gospel and if you disagree you are welcome
to let us know. You can never tell, if we think you have a valid point
we may well change the page.
We may even give you credit : -)
Leather is one of the oldest raw materials known to man. The world
as we know is built on a foundation of wood and leather. You want a
sustainable material? There is no need for dinosaur juice in
leather manufacture.
Leather is defined as the tanned skins or hides of animals. Almost
any kind of skin can be used as leather, from cattle, through birds
(ostrich for example) to fish. Some of these have very specialized uses,
many now obsolete (shagreen, a tanned shark skin, was used for sword
hilts due to it's high grip whilst traditionally carriage driving gloves
were made from dog skin, though deer skin is used now). For the most
part our interest is in cattle leather for use in clothing.
Leather for motorcycle clothing.
You are buying protective clothing so don't sacrifice safety and function
to form and fashion. It could be a blood sacrifice.
Leather is used for motorcycle clothing because of it's abrasion resistance,
comfort and appearance. "Moto" grade leather for bike use wants to be
at least 1.5 - 2mm thick to give a reasonable degree of protection.
Thinner than this and it will not protect your valuable hide if you
slide down the road (the exception here is kangaroo hide which because
of its structure can provide equivalent levels of protection at 1½ mm
thickness). Leather up to 3mm thick is flexible enough to use for leathers
but over and about this thickness you start noticing the sheer weight
of the stuff. A compromise is often used where especially vulnerable
areas - hips, arse, shoulders elbows and knees - are "double leathered"
to provide extra protection without incurring the weight penalty of
a thicker suit / jacket. Additional protection in these areas is also
provided by body armor and Kevlar backing. Thinned down leather is
also used for lettering and artwork but this is not thick enough to
provide significant protection. Full grain leather is the best quality,
but is not colour fast and is expensive. The best "moto" grade
leather is "top grain" and "corrected grain" which
are refinished leathers. These are lower quality than full grain leather
but more practical.
Just a quick aside here. Leather does not stretch. At least, leather
suitable for motorcycle clothing does not stretch appreciably in any
sensible time frame. So if a sales person sells you a suit / jacket
/ jeans which are a bit on the tight side, they are going to stay on
the tight side and they will not be comfortable. Ever.
Back to top of document
Kangaroo leather
Is it worth using Kangaroo leather ?
A good question. Kangaroo is an interesting material. It will stretch
in both directions (and cow leather only stretches in one) and is reckoned
to be twice as strong as cow, thickness for thickness. But this comes
at a cost.
And the first cost is financial. Demand for kangaroo is high & China
vacuums up huge amounts to make football boots. Personally I doubt whether
the slight advantage offered makes a blind bit of difference to the
performance of any player outside the elite rankings but if they like
the fancy labels then who am I to say them nay. So Kangaroo costs in
excess of £13 a square foot at the time of writing. As a very
approximate estimate, say a suit needs about 35 sq ft of leather. That
will need something like 7 x 6 sq ft skins. So something like £550
before the maker cuts a hide. Compare this to about £150 for cow,
and then factor in the extra cutting & stitching, the fact that
the design will be more complicated to keep seams away from impact points.....
The second cost is seams. A kangaroo hide is quite small and has a large
hole where the tail used to be. This means that where one can cut large
panels out of a single cow hide, the same panel in a kangaroo suit will
have been made up from two or more hides. This means seams and SEAMS
ARE WEAK POINTS. They can also be uncomfortable.
The third cost is related to the two above. Not only are kangaroo hides
small and expensive, they are also triangular. Vaguely. There is a lot
of unusable edge bits on a hide which will have to be trimmed away but
which YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR.
There is a fourth, minor point. Ideally you want to use the biggest,
heaviest hides you can find. This means hides from older animals. But
kangaroos are argumentative creatures with the social skills of fast
bowlers. This means that big skins are usually quite heavily scarred.
I don't believe this has a material effect on the strength of the suit,
but some people find it unsightly.
So it is very much your call. The resulting kit is VERY much lighter
and nicer to walk about in in summer. But pretty expensive. There is
no problem altering or repairing kangaroo kit but it is hard to match
most colour other than black so patches or inserts may have to be black
or cow.
Back to top of document
Stitching and construction
We believe that leathers should be at least double stitched before
top stitching. If a seam is simply top stitched it will fail long before
the leather is compromised and you will make personal and painful contact
with the tarmac. It is often quite hard (OK, impossible) to tell if
the seam is made in this way from the outside (just because you can
see two rows of stitching down the outside of a seam does not PROVE
that the seam is in fact double stitched) so access to the inside of
the suit is important. Whilst we are checking things, we would also
recommend that you check that double leathering really IS double, and
that the leather of the suit has not been cut away under the overlays.
Honest, we have seen it done.
We have only ever seen one example of apparent double leathering being
in fact single, but one is enough if it happens to be yours.
We recommend that suits should have detachable linings for this reason.
In addition a detachable lining is washable and from our point of view
they make repairs and alterations much easier, quicker and therefore
cheaper. Where ever possible we will re-stitch a garment using double
stitching when it comes in for repair regardless of how it was originally
made. It helps to protect YOUR skin and OUR reputation.
We also come across failed seams that have torn because the stitches
are too close together. This is another factor to watch out for when
buying. Take a look at the seams and make an estimate-you are looking
for about 8 to 10 stitches to the inch. What do you mean, you don't
carry a tape measure with you ? OK, the end joint of your thumb is going
to be about an inch and a half long. If there are much more than 12
stitches along this length we would start to be concerned. Seams are
an inherent weak point in leathers. Look for kit with the fewest. Make
sure that there are as few seams as possible at critical points. Here
are some examples of the kind of seams to look (and look out) for. No
doubt there are others that we have missed out - or simply not seen
yet. Top stitching (the bit that shows on the outside) shown in "aqua"
Open seam. This is NOT the way to do it.
On leathers an open seam should be backed like this.
A properly sewn open seam may be double (left) or single (right) top
stitched.
Single stitched, top stitched folded back seam. Not on MY leathers thank
you.
Double stitched top stitched folded back seam. Much better.
French seam. Slightly bulky but fine for thinner leather.
French seam can also be laid over and single or double top stitched.
Lapped seam simply top stitched. Another no-no.
I don't know if this seam has a proper name, but there is a special
place reserved for people who use it on leathers.
Notice how close the stitching is to the edge of the leather. As soon
as the top stitch fails the seam will tear away.
Like this.....
Many race suits use fabric inserts to save weight and bulk. Inside
arms, elbows and especially behind the knees are often made in this
way. Top class suits will use an aramid textile for this purpose such
as Keprotec It is low bulk, elastic and stops the loss of blood flow
to the feet that can occur with very high foot pegs and a bulky material
behind the knees. Look carefully at the kind of material used on a suit
that you are thinking of buying. In this application ordinary stretch
materials are neither a right nor a privilege but a potential liability.
Whatever the stitching, repairs should if possible use the existing
stitch holes to avoid weakening the leather. We, and other reputable
outfits, do this as a matter of course. On the evidence of our own eyes
this practice is not, however, universal.
Back to top of document
Body armor
As mentioned above, body armor is commonly used to increase protection.
It comes in two basic flavours, hard and soft. Which you choose is entirely
up to you. We hold a stock of CE marked soft armor which we personally
like, but it is heavy and quite expensive, however it can be trimmed
to fit armor pockets without compromising its integrity. Soft armor
made from polynorborane (Norsorex and Noene) both absorbs energy under
impact & probably more significantly, spreads the energy transfer
over time, whereas hard armor tends to spread the force over a larger
area. There is a lot of research out there and this is probably not
the place for a technical thesis. Hard armor usually fits into made
to measure pockets and has to be replaced like-for like and would require
holding a large stock.
We can hold hard armor for regular race / track day customers but as
a general rule we will have to buy in hard armor on a case by case basis
if a suit comes in with broken elements. We will not refit broken or
damaged armor, though of course we will return it to the customer. Your
call.
Some suits are fitted with sewn or bonded in armor. Bear in mind that
this can make repair or alteration very expensive or in some cases effectively
impossible. Again, your call.
Hint. If you do a lot of track days and your friends call you,
for instance, "Flymo", "Thud", "Crasher" or "Kamikaze" think hard before
buying anything that is going to be hard or plain expensive to repair
Back to top of document
.
Should I buy second hand?
WELL, as Byson will sell you a used suit it would be hypocritical to
say no. But take care of the things mentioned above - there are some
really good deals to be had but bear in mind that getting the suit up
to scratch may cost a little if it is not perfect. If you buy second
hand, it is cheaper and easier to make a large suit smaller to fit than
to make a small suit bigger, so err on the side of generosity. Having
said that, don't go for a suit or jacket that you could get two of you
in because BIG alterations start to look like re-manufacture from a
price point of view. If you buy second hand from a reputable source
there should be NO visible faults in the garment because it will have
been checked over very thoroughly. Altering a second hand jacket, jeans
or suit to fit can be quite expensive, but the result, to all intents
and purposes, should be pretty much a made to measure bit of kit for
a very reasonable price. Especially if we have done the work. :-)
When buying second hand, always check that existing repairs (replacement
zips especially) have been done to a high standard. Check that re-stitching
has used the existing stitch holes (see above under Stitching and Construction)
and that the zip does not "ripple". Check the condition of
the zips closely.
Also, take the time to find a really good make. As above, go for something
just a bit on the big side. You could, with a bit of luck and patience
(and with the help of, for instance, E-Bay plus ourselves, or someone
like us), find yourself the owner of what is in effect a tailored Hideout
or Crowtree garment.
Back to top of document
Gloves
The skin on your hands is very thin and very sensitive and the human
hand is a complicated bit of kit. For this reason your hands deserve
the best protection you can afford. Leather will give you protection
from abrasion and hard armor can help protect joints.
Leather gloves can be repaired but hard armor makes this more difficult
and sometimes impossible. The fit of gloves is also very important.
If the fingers are too short this can cause cramping in the hand, too
long and precise control becomes hard. Gloves that are too loose can
come off in a crash and gloves that are too tight can stop blood circulating.
Shop around and find what suits you.
A radical solution is to have gloves made to measure. These will usually
be a leather and Kevlar construction without hard armor (because handmade
gloves are made inside out and then turned, which becomes hard or impossible
when armor is incorporated - this is why it is often impossible to repair
armored gloves) and will cost a fair amount to buy.
Custom made gloves are probably only going to be necessary if you are
an unusual size or if you have an existing injury. We can also alter
un-armored gloves to accommodate missing fingers for instance. In the
right circumstances armored gloves could also be similarly changed.
Back to top of document
Boots
Like hands, feet are mechanically complex and also like arms are prone
to flailing about on the end of limbs during a crash. Boots should fit
well and protect the ankle which is a very vulnerable area. Comfort
is essential in a boot, so if you are buying footwear to both ride and
walk in, make absolutely certain you will be able to do both. It is
no good riding comfortably through France and then finding you can't
walk round Mont Saint-Michel. That kind of thing can ruin your day.
Back to top of document
Waterproof leather?
Sorry. There really is no such animal. Leather is a breathable material
and will tend to let in the rain. Even well treated leather will only
be shower proof and even then the seams will leak.
Back to top of document
Wet leather
If you get really wet, be careful how you dry your leathers. Take
out the lining (You DID buy a suit with a take-out lining, didn't you
?), take out the body armor and hang your kit up on hangers (not on
a hook using the hanging loop) and put somewhere cool, dry and well
ventilated to dry. Ah. You got THAT wet. Well, put an old newspaper
under it to catch the drips. Meanwhile you can put the lining in a net
bag and put it in the washing machine.
Now leave it for 24 hours. If it dries out much quicker than that the
leather could be damaged. Turn it round now and then to let the leather
dry evenly. When dry, you can treat using a cream-type leather dressing
VERY SPARINGLY - try to find a cream that is formulated with bike kit
in mind. Again, leave overnight to dry.
Leather is very resilient stuff and if your kit has dried out slowly
enough it will be none the worse for the experience. We have had holidays
on the bike where we have had to dry the leathers out every night for
a week and a half. (At which point we cracked and brought expensive
French oversuits. Which are damned good)
Back to top of document
Textile suits
We (I) like textile over suits. Textile kit is fine and it is usually
waterproof. Until it gets damaged. Textile kit is not as easy to repair
as leather and it is hard (by which I mean it is going to cost a bit
more) to repair and keep waterproof. We can and do repair and alter
textile clothing but getting an exact or even a good colour match is
difficult with some colours. We have no personal experience of body
surfing tarmac in textile kit so we can't offer any advice as to it's
suitability for this activity. Some of our mates swear by it.
Back to top of document
Zips
Nylon helical. No ifs & buts, go for nylon helical. For a fashion jacket
or if you are into the retro look (or for a classic jacket like a flying
jacket, but genuine - original manufacturer and model - zips are rather
expensive and hard to find) then by all means go for a metal zip, but
for bike gear the helical is stronger, tolerates curves and bends better
and won't give track day scrutineers a headache. Any of the big fastener
manufacturers is fine, we have our preferences, but we wouldn't NOT
buy a jacket just because we don't like the zip manufacturer. As a rule,
bigger is better. Zips are sized by the span across the teeth when done
up. We tend to use 8 and 10 mm on bike clothing, finer (3mm) on zip-in
linings.
Bear in mind if you plan to do track days that a two piece suit is often
acceptable (but check before you go) IF the joining zip is:
Full length round the body
Sewn to the leather of the jacket in at least four places, not on an
elastic piece and not sewn to the jacket lining
NOT metal. Scrutineers do not like metal zips. At all. Anywhere.
Obviously nylon helical zips are not ideal for all uses. Vintage clothing
requires vintage zips. We can source zips for some US flight jackets
back to the late 30's. Irvin (RAF) jackets however are very hard to
re-zip as original. The Lightning & DOT zippers used in these are
like hen's teeth and when they come up on e-bay they are expensive.
If you can find one we will fit it for you but if we devoted the time
& effort needed to track them down for you the zip would cost it's
weight in gold. This doesn't mean we don't try to pick them up when
we can and you MAY be lucky, but it's not a good bet. German kit is
in the same situation here. Hardware is not easy to come by. We CAN
(and do) find modern sliders to fit vintage zips in some cases. And
we have managed to refit vintage pullers on modern sliders. If you wear
the jacket this could be a possible solution for you if you still have
the puller on a broken slider.
And we can in the final analysis fit a modern zip. Ironically we would
use the same manufacturer at the Luftwaffe used. Simply because they
are very well made, are a reasonable colour match for the tape and a
good size match. And not because they are cheap. Sadly :-)
Waterproof zips are sometimes requested. There are two ways of waterproofing
a zip. The first is to put polymer "flaps" over a more or
less conventional zip. This tends to wear after a while, and the engineering
compromises needed to use a conventional zip in this way tend to make
these zips prone to failure in time.
Then one can engineer a zip to be inherently waterproof. And then coat
it with a water-repellent finish. The first option is (relatively) cheap.
The second is (relatively) more expensive. But by the time we have ordered
them in on a minimum order and paid the postage (as we don't carry vast
stocks of more specialist zips) the difference is so small that the
cheaper option is not worth the compromises in design. So unless specifically
required we tend to go for the (slightly) more expensive option. In
black, so we can keep a limited stock.
Obviously we can do any colour the manufacturer's will make but there
will be a price impact with the above mentioned minimum order problem.
Back to top of document
Badges
If you are buying, especially second hand, or having club or other
badges sewn on to your leathers, PLEASE don't have them sewn on through
the lining. It makes any subsequent repair or other work much more expensive.
Oh. And it's dead naff.
Back to top of document
Leather for fashion garments
Just about anything that can be called leather can and has been used
for fashion garments. In this field the look is all important, and if
it floats your boat, go for it. One thing to bear in mind here is that
for some garments the leather will be thinned down lots to get the look
the designer wants, and this will leave the leather VERY weak. The leather
finish is usually "printed" on to the surface and the polymer material
used is not designed for strength. As the leather is thinned you end
up with a material more like the finish than like leather and it will
tear and mark VERY easily. The garments will also stretch and distort
easily so CAVEAT EMPTOR.
GwenTheBoss formerly worked as the Sample Maker for John Richmond, who's
use of leather has always been both adventurous and practical. The rule
of thumb here was that under 1mm nappa leather was impractical. Based
on this advice and our own experience (and sadly that of our customers)
we would be very wary of buying clothing under 1mm thick . Again there
are exceptions - kangaroo is different- and in the final analysis it
is a fashion garment, not something to keep your skin off the road.
If you like it and you have to have it, there you go. Byson can probably
fix it if you break it.
Second hand fashion garments can be a great buy. We have seen big name
garments in nice condition in charity shops for very attractive prices.
Just remember that if you buy something like this which does not quite
fit (i.e., is a bit big - see above under Should I buy second hand?)
just because you only paid £30 for it, if it needs a hundred pounds
worth of work to make it fit, we will charge a hundred pounds. But
you will have a made to measure garment at a fraction of the price that
the designer would have charged. And quite possibly better finished.
Back to top of document
Leather care
Keep it clean. Mud and the odd dead fly can be sponged off with a little
warm water. If your kit is dirtier than that, a proprietary leather
cleaner used according to the instructions will remove light surface
dirt. Try to get one of the foaming type, do small areas at a time and
leave to dry in a cool well ventilated spot overnight.
As far as leather conditioners go, we have had some quite interesting
discussions with various other professionals about this, so as above,
this is just our opinion and applies to bike leathers rather than (for
instance) leather furniture. Use a cream type conditioner rather than
an oil or "greasy" type. Use it VERY sparingly and apply with
your finger tips, rubbing in so that the leather surface just feels
warm. As with cleaning, just do a bit at a time - say half a panel.
Leave the garment to dry overnight and buff with a clean dry (lint free)
cloth next morning to remove any excess. For some reason vintage and
some repro leather flying jackets (Irvin, B3 etc.) tend to be treated
with a "conditioner" which resembles Marmite. This may well
have served well in wartime use but PLEASE try to avoid it. One of the
components can soften the surface finish on the sheepskin which then
sets again. Eventually the over-bands become amalgamated with the body
panels and repair becomes...difficult. The stuff also coats everything
it comes into contact with. Sewing machines, people, cats, you name
it.
A special word about neat's foot oil. Be ever so careful with this
stuff. If you are using it, do so VERY sparingly. Use a cloth applicator
of some kind and be careful not to saturate the applicator, let alone
the leather. If the finish looks uneven or blotchy, don't lather more
on, just leave it overnight. The finish will almost certainly even up
with time. It is so easy to saturate leather with oil, which will migrate
through to the lining of a garment, or the contents of a case. If you
are going to use neat's foot, try to get pure neat's foot as it is generally
more stable & predictable. On light leathers or nappa, I would avoid
it like liver.(1)
ALWAYS use a well padded coat hanger when hanging leathers as they are
heavy enough to distort themselves. If you habitually use a hanging
loop...don't. A proper hanging loop on a leather jacket is attached
to a strong tape stitched into the shoulders and spreads the weight
but only a small number of makers bother with this. Motorcycle leathers
are heavy enough to break many commercial hangers, and we can supply
a specialist hanger if you need one.
If leathers are very dirty - after a season racing or as the result
of a bit of an off, get them cleaned professionally. You are not just
paying for labour, you are also paying someone to know what kind of
intensive cleaner to use and what treatment will get the kit clean and
not damage it. A serious clean and "tart up" can take between
three and five days and includes cleaning, refinishing and colouring
as well as conditioning.
Saddle soap. People keep asking us about saddle soap. Honest, we are
just standing at the bar with a pint and a Merlot minding our own bizz
and people ask about saddle soap. Well. Not quite, but you know what
we mean. Many people think it is the bee's knees for cleaning leather.
They have not tried it, but they think that anyway. It's called SADDLE
soap. It IS OK for cleaning saddles and tack, but the "soap"
constituents are mainly in there to emulsify the conditioning ingredients
and not for cleaning. Additionally it was developed in an era when people
either had, or were, grooms, so saddle soap is really a professional
product and as such we would advise caution. To the point of abstinence.
Cleaning and conditioning fashion leathers is very much as the above
but with added emphasis on the "use water / cleaner / conditioner
VERY sparingly". Grubby fashion leathers are also a candidate for
professional dry cleaning, but try to find a leather specialist cleaner
rather than a general dry cleaner.
(1) About the only thing the author won't eat.
Back to top of document
What is nappa leather ?
I am trying to avoid getting technical in here, but most fashion garments
(until you start getting to the VERY expensive or heavy items) are made
from nappa leather which is a finished sheep hide. It is soft and comfortable.
But like other soft and comfortable products it is not as strong as
cow leather. There is a lot of information on the Internet about leather
and leather processing if you are interested. Our favourite site appears
to have gone pear-shaped at the moment. I will include links when I
find a site or sites as good.
Glue and temporary repairs
No. Please don't. If you can possibly avoid it. Whatever the lady on
The Shopping Channel said, it is NOT a good idea. It is quite possible
to glue leather and make a good job but the chances of your having the
right adhesive in the kitchen cupboard are vanishingly small.
Torn fashion garments need attention as soon as possible to avoid distorting
or stretching the leather any more than has occurred at the time of
damage. The more the leather is distorted the less likely we are to
be able to effect a low-visibility (invisible is very hard ) repair.
DO NOT put super glue anywhere near leather garments. I've probably said
this before somewhere on this web site but I will say it again. It is
the work of Stan. It is very hard, if not impossible to remove and breaks
machine needles. We end up having to cut the contaminated leather away
and this makes for more expensive repairs.
Racers & track day folks often carry out "temporary repairs"
with gaffa or carpet tape. If you have done this, get it off as soon
as you can & have a permanent repair made. There is something in
the adhesive of some tapes that has a catastrophic effect on some types
of leather. Don't risk having this combination. I'd love to be more
specific but knowing exactly what tape has done the damage is pretty
hard especially after it has been on there for 12 months. I suspect
it is a type of carpet tape but won't swear to it..
Buying vintage jackets
You are on your own here as any such purchase is very much an individual thing. I can however give a few tips on buying when you can only see pictures based on the experience (sometimes bitter) of some of our customers. And the first and most important is if it looks too good to be true then 85% of the time it probably isn't true. Look very carefully at any pictures on on-line web auction sites. There are several ways we have seen used to make jackets look "at their best" and these include over-application of leather dressing, the application of hair lacquer, the use of automotive colour restorative polish, boot polish and plain old poor (or rather selective) photography. Or a combination of more than one of the above. So take care out there and if it all goes slightly pear shaped we may well be able to help, either by repairing, cleaning or restoring the garment or by giving an expert opinion.
Back to top of document
There is an interesting article by Martin Fitzpatrick here...
which we broadly agree with.
There is also a very good article here at Superbike Freaks that we
agree with pretty much 100%
(with thanks to Marc)
Last revised March 2019
|