Who do you go to when an of the rack doesnt fit?

Measurements are as follows

Height 5'8"
Weight 130
Chest 35-36 will be wearing back protector and most likely a chest one too
Waist 28
Hips 33-34
Inseam 28

 

After doing some more research and talking to a few more people it seems like I have come down to 2 options.
1. Get a RS-Taichi EVO series suit, since I have read about these a lot and it really seems like the Japanese 1.5/1.4 cowhide is just about the best stuff out there. Also going off of the Japanese sizing chart and talking to some dealers a Jap Medium would be perfect for me and should fit like a glove.

2. Take a trip down to see Barnacle Bill and get a custom suit done. Though it will not have the bling factor that the Taichi's have, I only hear great thing about Bill and the work that he does.

It would seem that the suits have come down to a very similar price point and I will be getting a perfect fit from both(hypothetically). I can not just make my mind up since it is either sit and home and order the taichi or have to drive down to Bill's and spend money on gas driving for 7 hours and the cost of the day itself.

So being a newb and not good at decision making what would you do in this case(assuming that they both fit equally). Which would you say would be safer and able to take more abuse from multiple crashes(since I know I will crash a few times at least) ? Also Taichi has the japanese cowhide that they silkscreen the graphics onto instead of using dyes. Is it really just in a class of its own compared to other race leather that is more traditional and drum dyed?

Thanks to all that have come into this thread and also thanks to Bill himself as he emailed me once he saw this thread. This is a great forum to be apart of and I look forward to racing in a novice race at least once this year.

-Ian Harvey

 

Check out www.trackskinz.com give Wayne a call! He has some pretty sick suits and at really good prices for a full custom deal! tell him Matt McCutcheon told you to check him out! I am not an off the shelf guy at all! Can't hurt looking!

 

Alexa. nuff said

 

Didnt know she did custom suits, thought just alterations and repairs.

 

Correct, we do alterations, repairs lettering logos and color service. No custom suits.

Feel free to give us a holler if you have any questions about suits in general.
We can certainly steer you in the right direction.

 

I will be giving you a call Alexa seems like everyone everywhere has only good things to say.
Looks like it might be best to get something that is a lil too big and have Alexa alter it to fit like a glove.

 

i kinda feel this way....support those who support racing. barnacle bill has done that for years with WERA so there is one choice.

matt and bill carr of ducati of indianapolis also race and support racing so there is another choice. you are a 46 or a 48 EURO off the rack guy. you'll probably be a 48 since you want to wear a chest protector too. they have suits (that you want) in stock. if you go up to see travis, bill, and matt....tell 'em tex mawby says howdy!

if you do buy an off the rack suit that needs altered or lettered, goto alexa at spyder....there is your third choice.

i don't know why japanese cows are better than brazilian, argentinan, italian, or american cows......grain, thickness, and stitching (use the search....this has been covered recently). screened or drum dyed.....call me old fashioned but i'll take the drum dying any day.

best of luck.

tex

 

I really appreciate all the feedback I have gotten from everyone. Yet to make a decision since it is a big one to me since it will be my first suit and I just want the absolute most bang for my buck.
Again thanks guys for helping a newb out, it really makes me comfortable in this new racing venture to have support like this.

-Ian Harvey

 

I have a couple different sized suits if you want to try them on......I'm 10 miles east of Indy...:up:

 

Just want to say thanks again for the suggestions and input. I have found a suit that fit me perfect at a great price. I picked up a closeout deal on a RS-Taichi EVO series suit in a 40us/Medium and it fit a lil loose, but once I got in my Knox shorts, back and chest protector it fit PERFECT, all that I need to do is some calf raises to fill out the lower portion and a few sets of bench press, along with a few more beers and this suit will fit like a second skin.

Also the quality of the suit is AMAZING, not a single stitch out of place, and tons of perf in all the right spots. Plus the Jap 1.5mm cowhide feels like it is already broken in for me.
All in all happy as a kid on christmas.

 

Also Audrey at Moto Liberty is an amazing person to deal with. I emailed her all my measurements and what gear I would be wearing and she matched me up with a great suit at a great price.