What to spend a credit on

[jed]

So I ordered a Gimoto Tour 2 piece suit in roo this past June.  Motostrano still hasn't gotten the suit from Gimoto and they still don't have an expected ship date.  The guys at Motostrano have been cool and have offered to give me a deal on A-Star or Shift suits they have.  My credit is about $1500.00 (they ran the card at the time of the order).

So, between AStar and Shift what are your thoughts?  I ride a Multistrada so I'm not going to be joe racer any time soon.  I'm looking for a sublte high quality two piece leather suit.  But with the credit I have and with the deals Motostrano is running I could get a 1 piece and a 2 piece and still get some other goodies.

What say you the gurus of leather power ranger outfits?  Does one need a one piece for touring and running around the mountains?  Are 2 piece suits a pain in the arse to connect together?  Do track days and race schools allow 2 piece suits????  So many questions and so little time!!!!! (well not really the time thing, but I sure have a lot of questions.)

[Iceburg98]

I have an A* 2-piece that I like... and to zip it together takes all of... well, as long as it takes you to zip a zipper... it's not that big of a pain really, and I'm glad I had it zipped when I went down and everything stayed where it was supposed to... both jacket and pants held up great too, BTW.

As far as I know, and I'm no expert, track days/schools will allow a 2-piece suit as long as the zipper is full-circumfrence (basically zips together all the way around, rather than just a short zipper in the back). I haven't taken mine to a track yet, but I purchased a full-zip so I would have it if and when I decide to go to one.

[jed]

What model did you get?  I'm thinking either Octane or Stage at this point.  I haven't herd anyone reference Shift leathers yet.  I'm curious is anyone here has tried them.

[MDHCO]

Have you considered Gold Bond Powder?

[DogBoy]

I've got an Alpinestars jacket and the Alpinestars Track Pants. They zip together (full circumference) and are all day comfortable. I don't see any difference in quality between the A-Stars kit and custom Syed race one-piece suit I used to have. The Alpinestars suff has held up well for almost three years and about 40,000 miles. Zipping it together is no problem and I find it many times more convenient for touring and weekend riding than a one-piece leather suit could ever be for those purposes.

Shift is the street gear entry from FOX. I've read one good review on BARF but I don't know much more.


Most, if not all, track days and many race organizations will allow a two-piece suit as long as it has a full-circumference zipper.

Unless you are doing a lot of track days, two leather suits could be redundant. For that budget, you could get a custom suit but that would mean getting your money back from Motostrano.

[Iceburg98]

I have the Stage perferated jacket and the Track Pants - they came out with the actual 2-piece suit not a month after I bought the jacket - the bastards! I would imagine the actual 2-piece is just as nice, the pants are just more perfed if i remember correctly. I have it in all black - so it's not too racer-boy-ish, but even the colors aren't too bad on that particular jacket/suit.

I'm not sure about Shift being from Fox, since I thought they had their own dirt gear??? I do know that they are one of the dirt-riding companies starting to make street gear. I don't think they have been around too long on the street-side, but it's supposedly pretty good stuff...

Zipping it together is no problem and I find it many times more convenient for touring and weekend riding than a one-piece leather suit could ever be for those purposes.

Exactly. It's nice to be able to take the jacket off when you stop for lunch. It also allows you the option of wearing it with textile overpants and such for daily commuting. A 1-piece is great for the track, but too single-tasked for much else. That's why I stuck with the 2-piece. Plus the A* pants will mate with any A* jacket - so you can always mix and match styles if you decide/need to get a new jacket for whatever reason.

[jed]

Well Gimoto never came through.  But Motostrano did.  Here's what Santa is bringing on Monday:


A* Stage 2 piece suit
A* ST-5 Pants
A* Effex GT boots
Tpro forcefield back protector
Gaerne GRS boots.