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New leathers?

Discussion in 'General' started by Gino230, Oct 13, 2015.

  1. Gino230

    Gino230 Well-Known Member

    I know syed makes a nice suit, I had one of those when I first started. They are a little heavy and a little old school with their designs, though.

    Now that I am nursing a busted collarbone, I'm thinking I should invest in the Dianese D-air setup. It's an extra $1000 basically, but it might have saved me at least that much had I been wearing it last weekend......
     
  2. MELK-MAN

    MELK-MAN The Dude abides...

    potentially save ? maybe.. for sure? nope. Ask Lorenzo . Didn't he break his collar bone twice in a couple events ? (wicked high sides i grant you). And can you invest in too much gear? not likely. i'm just not too keen on the idea you have to send the suit to Italy if it goes off. F- that. I hear from Eaton and Hanig there may be a place in the states to send em, but don't think that is the case YET is it?

    And is syed stuff a little old school ? maybe. Is it a 2-3 lb heavier than kangaroo or some fancy pakistani stuff? maybe.. (does that REALLY matter though??) But in the end, i think a syed suit is close to the best protection you can buy short of the d-air suit. So that is a-ok with me ;)
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2015
  3. shakazulu12

    shakazulu12 Well-Known Member

    Dainese now services those suits stateside. That was the holdup in bringing them to market here.
     
  4. MELK-MAN

    MELK-MAN The Dude abides...

    i heard that was coming.. good to know.
     
  5. No they don't. That is why I got 2 of them. If one needed to be serviced, I would have a backup.

    But don't underestimate their usefulness. I went shoulder first into a fence post last year and I have no doubt if it weren't been for that airbag, the results would have been different.

    When did that happen and who does it?

    I specifically asked that question to all of the major Dainese shops/distributors recently and as of then nobody could service them yet.
     
  6. Blue Junk

    Blue Junk Well-Known Member

    This happening is why the D-air stuff was able to make it here. I don't recall the ladies name, but she is here from Italy and has been part of the program for many years. She will be based out of the main office in Costa Mesa providing complete service and repairs for D-air product. :up:
     
  7. Thanks, that is good to know. :up:
     
  8. crashman

    crashman Grumpy old man

    I took part in the last Barnacle Bill sale on here and have to say that while the suit is a bit heavier than some you can see how well it is made and I am pretty sure it is bulletproof up to at least a 45ACP...:D I have seen fancier suits but I have not seen better built suits.
     
  9. ZiaThunder

    ZiaThunder Girly Racer

    I didn't have good luck with Pilot this year, took them 4 months to get me the suit, only to have it fit like shyt. They agreed, but wanted another $600 and the suit back to make it right. I sent it to Nate in CO to modify just so I could use it. I'm starting to look at getting another suit that fits for the 2016 season. Just not sure who I'd trust at this point.
     
  10. awalk9905

    awalk9905 Well-Known Member

    I'm a little disappointed in the way my Dainese Laguna Seca has held up. 2-3 crashes and there's a few holes in it - one in the elbow seam and one where the leather meets the stretch fabric (behind the knee).

    However, I've had four shoulder injuries over the years (mix of road/mx) and my next suit is going to be the D-air. I guess it has their premium leather so maybe it'll hold up a little better. Collar bones suck and they cost a minimum of a few thousand with my insurance...
     
  11. Blue Junk

    Blue Junk Well-Known Member

    Kim, maybe we could get you Salt Lake for a Dainese fitting Tuesday.
     
  12. fastfreddie

    fastfreddie Midnight Oil Garage

    I went through Dainese, Fieldsheer, Z(custom) and Vanson(custom) before I found out AlpineStars fit me like a glove.
    Unless the leathers maker has my body on a bike to use as a template while piecing it together, I will never pay for another custom fit suit.
     
  13. knedragon29

    knedragon29 Well-Known Member

    Gino
    RS Taichi - they also make a pop shoulder suit .... John Timinsky has one and was riding around in the track day stuff down here and races as well(kinda been out of the loop so im not sure if hes still around) .... I remember its got a C02 cartridge setup and it has a tether that attaches to the bike,u fall off it pops open ... fairly easy to put back in and put a new cartridge in and ur ready to go again
     
  14. jlogalbo

    jlogalbo Well-Known Member

    Ziathunder -

    Nate will make custom suits (at least he used to) as long as you give him enough time
     
  15. I gotta say, I am a little baffled by that statement. If you have had 2-3 crashes I the suit, and it only has a few holes in it (in the areas that are the most prone to tearing anyway), I would say your suit has held up just fine.

    But yes, the D-Air is amazing. It is more than just the airbag system (which I have unfortunately tested), the suit itself is the best quality of anything I have seen or worn (and I have had some top-of-the-line suits from a few manufacturers in the past).
     
  16. As far as the airbag, I tested it at the season opener. I got a shitty launch as usual and was battling my way back. By the 4th lap I had worked my way up to 2nd and was chasing down Flinders. In that transition as you exit The Bowl and are at WOT while countersteering hard to change directions, I went into a good wheelie and it had me pointed in the wrong direction. The wheel came down crooked and put me into a mini tank-slapper. By the time I got shit sorted I was way past my braking marker.

    I ran straight off and would have been fine, but it had been raining for several days and the grass was soaking wet. I couldn't get slowed down and ran into that fence out there.

    The suit "learns" your tendencies and riding style. It immediately knew the difference between me braking hard and hitting something. So before my ass had even fully left the seat, the airbag was fully inflated. I hit the fence post shoulder/collarbone first. Stood up (looking like the Michelin Man :D) and walked away, I didn't even have a single bruise. I fully believe had I been in a conventional suit, the outcome would have been different.

    I had been getting them directly from Italy because they haven't been available in the US. The first one I ordered back in 2012 was really expensive. Now that they are more readily available and even available in the US, the price has been cut to half of what my first one cost. And as previously mentioned, they are MUCH cheaper than a broken collarbone/shoulder.

    And they aren't hard to use. Just charge them the night before a weekend and you will be good. I normally put it back on the charger Saturday night just to be safe. But I have worn it 2 consecutive weekends without charging it and it was fine. The light on the shoulder will let you know how much charge is in the battery (based on the number of blinks when you plug it in).

    When you snap the top button it will go to a state of readiness/standby. That light will be blue until you reach 30mph, then it will activate and the light goes green. That prevents the airbag from going off if you trip and fall or something like that. It won't activate till you reach 30mph, and then it deactivates if you get under 30mph and stay under 30mph for something like 10 seconds I think. But then if you speed back up to over 30mph, it will activate again. Or you can unsnap the top button and that will turn it off.

    Dainese D-Air from SportbikeTrackGear

    The white one is the previous version. The black one is the new version which has added padding on the inside, plus elbow sliders.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2015
  17. awalk9905

    awalk9905 Well-Known Member

    I guess I should've phrased my statement a bit differently... It's a good suit, I'm just surprised it has the wear that it does based on the 2 (now that I think about it) crashes. It could be that I'm comparing to my previous suit that I had extremely good luck with and seemed invincible.

    I'm glad you like the D-Air. I'm hoping to get my hands one one soon.
     
  18. ryoung57

    ryoung57 Off his meds

    +1 for both RS Taichi and Amanda. She's been control riding and fixing leathers at Hallett forever. I'm glad to see her getting a national following.
     
  19. :beer:
     
  20. onepusher

    onepusher Socially Inappropriate

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