When wearing full leathers on the bike I just can not move feet up onto the footpegs without massive movement from the bike cos I end up pulling myself up on the bars to get them there Imagine the scene… (any at the fureral would’ve seen the struggle) 5ft2, on 95 blade (tank is HUUUGH), seat mostly cut away so now sitting lower and streched right over the tank.
All I’m wearing at the moment is the leather trousers with full knox armour and fleece How about HOOD or Draggin Jeans with extra armour? would you ride with just these and feel safe and get the invincible feeling that leathers gives you?
After owning the blade for 1.5 years I’m only just starting to think I was beyond myself when I got it and just chased a dream… a bit too far. There you go, I’ve finally admitted to myself ITS TOO BLOODY BIG FOR YOU GIRL!!!
I DON’T want to get rid of it but not sure that I’d feel safe enough in the Hood jeans and I think these are my only 2 choices.
been thinking bout pair of draggin etc jeans meself, cos in summer it is just too hot some times for laethers although i will nearly all the time have leather jacket on.
They seem ok to me or maybe them waterproof textile pairs with armour.
how much the blde worth lil miss? cant you do a swap for maybe a CBR 600 or summat?
alpinestars and berik offer a good range of dragging jeans, I think they would be just as good as leathers imo as they are quite thick and would protect you from road rash. Comes down to personal preferance really.
I bought it in 04 for £2200! Its mint for its age (10yrs). Been told by Honda that the tiger is a classic and will only go up in price as time goes on and we all know there isn’t many left on the road.
I still wouldn’t sell it to get another bike, i’d still keep it hoping one day I’ll grow I have to admit, I been looking at maybe another CBR400 rr gullarm for trackdays and maybe use that on the road too. Its just they are £3k for a decent one. Gary Rothwells got a nice R reg one in his shop on his website (never seen one that new:unsure
If I had the money I’d get a new bike as most of them now have a narrow seat so I can touch the floor on them Sat on a Black K6 GSXR thou in the shop the other day and almost got talked into it (although I wasn’t wearing restrictive leathers then)
I just have this thing in my mind about going down in engine size, seems wrong but its not like I’d even use all the power of a 900, don’t know anyone that would unless on a track.
ive got hein gericke jeans with armour in,think they work out about 85 quid, mate has the same and high sided blade in them, worked well, jeans got all scuffed up but his legs were fine, shame he had trainers on though, bruising to achilles was nasty
imho, the most important thing is to have some armour on knees and hips even if not super heavy duty, and sow a zip into them to stop jacket from rising up
think its all about how you ride, i wear them for general running about but wear full leathers for proper riding
I ride with Hood Jeans. I like them and feel safe in them. I tried the Knox armour but didn’t like it and bought the Hein Gereike hiprotec armour which I gave to Chris at Hood Jeans to attach backing and velcro to fit into the Hood Jeans. Hood Jeans have advantages over Draggin:
They cover all of your skin with kevlar from the waist to below the knee at the front and above the knee at the rear (rather than in patches as Draggin use).
They have been tested and found to give about 80% of the abrasion resistance of the best leathers.
They are made in Norfolk.
In my experience the best way to get Hood Jeans is to go to them to be measured and take a set of Hiprotec armour to be given a backing and velcro to attach to the jeans. If you can’t do this I would phone them (01953 861166) explain what you want and arrange to send them a pair of jeans that fit you well and a set of hiprotec armour (one pair for the knees and one for the hips). They will send you a pair of jeans that fit you (in a ladies’ cut) and armour to fit it.
If several people are interested I could organise a run to Hood Jeans, probably in late May or June.
I have ridden proper chaps’ bikes like blades and GSXRs but find I prefer to ride girls’ bikes like my Hornet, my Super Sherpa or a Morini three and a half, which are much more fun. There’s no shame in that. Ride what makes you happy.
you could take your leathers to a leather shop and ask them to supple them up…i think they use saddle soap or somthing…
my father used to ride an old gs550 custom,and he bought some leather chaps(yea…i know…but it was the 80’s)anyway…they were so stiff when he first got em…so he bought some of this saddle soap and hey presto…they were as supple as a dancer from hooters!!!
give it a shot…saves you wasting all that money for nothing…also…try wearing your leathers around the house…sit in them,walk around …try and bend the knees as much as you can(thats wot i did when i first got my leathers)
as i said…its just an option…so enquire at a leather shop and see what they say…ohh by the way…they may ask you what hide the leather is so take your jacket in with you to show them…
plz dont get rid of ur bike…you can never chase a dream too far…
a bloke at my company commutes in on draggin jeans and says he feels fine in them. I’ve got a hein gericke waterproof/windproof gettup for winter but it’s also great in the summer if it’s raining as the quilted lining comes out; you still retain all the protection but they’re cooler than leathers. Despite looking like an extra from Star Trek, I feel confident riding in them but must admit, you can’t beat leathers.
When my alpinestars troos were new, I could hardly move in them and had to lay on the bed just to get the zip up. However, three weeks of hoovering and doing sit ups in them soon made the leather supple. I just hope passers by didn’t notice me hoovering wearing leather!
Get Draggin Jeans, what you have to bear in mind is that Kevlar is actually offering around 4 times the abrasion protection that a set of leathers will offer. Leather is still superior against breaking bones, but for abrasion it gets spanked…thats why most 1 pce leathers have Kevlar panels under the leather on the seat, knees, elbows etc
As Charly said, Rukka make a fabric suit that is CE approved, because they have covered the whole thing in Kevlar. Look at all the various race gloves on the market and they ALL have Kevlar on the palms and top of the hands. If leather was so good they would not need to reinforce them with fabrics.
If you visit the shop we have a pair of Draggin jeans that someone kindly threw down the road at 80mph…he walked away without a scratch, not bad for £90! The demin is shagged, but the Kevlar looks brand new
“All I’m wearing at the moment is the leather trousers with full knox armour and fleece”
Personally, ignoring the obvious hygene issues, I always follow me old mum’s advice and always wear some nice clean undies, you never know what might happen . . . . . .
Joking aside, I used to have an old pair of Neil Morriseys Lewis leather jeans from his Boon days, back then I carried a little more personal body armour than I do now and had a real nightmare squeeze to get into the jeans. Needless to say I walked like John Wayne after a particularly drunken night at the Blue Oyster Bar. However, leather being leather, within a month or two it had stretched and eventually the laughter died down. Once you have spent some time in leathers it fits you like the proverbial glove and as you say, it gives you that feeling of impregnability that is a vital part of your confidence for riding on the road. After inspecting ashphalt closely a couple of times myslef over the years I only ever go out fully leathered up.
Kevlar may stop abrasion as well as leather, but there is also a bit of shock absorbing cushion given by leather that gives it an advantage imho, however if you are getting uncomfortable in your current leathers you may well be safer in something you feel more comfortable in.
I always wear a matching set on a bike, its the rules, makes me ride with confidence too… should the worst happen, at least when they are cutting the stuff off my in hospital I still have my pride
Theres some excellent advice there folks, well chuffed.
Duncan I think i’ll be going with that option, getting some made to measure. I didn’t want to get rid of the bike and it seems a stupid reason to I just didn’t want to lose the protection.
Its not like these leathers are even new!!! I had them on the Hornet too but that was more “sit up and beg” riding style.
Storm in a D cup - LOL that was funny, hoovering in ya leathers??? Think theres some blokes out there that would pay to watch that
got some hood jeans ! never had to test (yet) but like the fact that they are totally lined inside with kevlar not just at expected impact points like others.
I cant really comment as I have not seen Hood jeans, but they are probably similar to Draggin so they are both good. I like Draggin 'cos they look normal, even with the armour fitted. Plus they do test them in an extreme fashion by using a human guinea pig
The Kevlar used by all these companies is usually the same…it looks like a yellow woven fabric, and should be in the knee, crotch/seat and sides area. However I know that Draggin are developing a new form to be more comfortable and even stronger.
Have had a look at both, draggin have patchs on the knees, arse and hips. Hood are completly lined, and as already mentioned you can get hiprotec sitched in if you prefer.
Will be getting myself a pair for town riding when ive finished my diet (about 2020 then :blush
Made to measure jeans ?? Hmm being a lard arse with short legs, that’s handy to know. My comment about all of these jeans is that the armour doesn’t sit in a pocket, therefore it can scuff your knees while wearing them.
If somebody actually made jeas with pockets for the armour I’d seriously be interested (only in a short leg though)
Imagine the scene… (any at the fureral would’ve seen the struggle) 5ft2, on 95 blade (tank is HUUUGH), seat mostly cut away so now sitting lower and streched right over the tank.
How about HOOD or Draggin Jeans with extra armour? would you ride with just these and feel safe and get the invincible feeling that leathers gives you?
I have to admit, I been looking at maybe another CBR400 rr gullarm for trackdays and maybe use that on the road too. Its just they are £3k for a decent one. Gary Rothwells got a nice R reg one in his shop on his website (never seen one that new:unsure
Sat on a Black K6 GSXR thou in the shop the other day and almost got talked into it
