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Johnson leather experience?

Aluisious

Aluisious

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 7, 2007
Location
San Jose
Moto(s)
2016 Multistrada 1200S
Name
Frank
I always told myself that one day I'd get two piece leathers for street use made locally. Then I bought an alpinestars jacket on sale, and went through 4 pairs of pants chasing their insane sizing chart before realizing the pants were just of dubious quality for the cost. 400 bucks for something with a weird cut from Vietnam, with way too much not actually leather parts.

So now I'm back to thinking of getting the good stuff. I like the look of the n-200-afr, but I wonder if anyone can comment on their experience with the vent zippers. Also any opinions on the pants would be helpful.
 
Johnson leather replaced my zipper on my old leather pants. It was very well done and I highly recommend them.
 
They do good work on leather generally. Am not as familiar with their track-purpose gear.

You could also try Helimot.
 
They have also repaired a zipper for me as well, and it has lasted a long time.

They do good work, but I hear they are kinda slow.
 
^I think it depends. I've found them to be pretty quick by my own expectations. I had them tailor and T-pro up my track suit (A* Youth suit that fit well in lots of places and needed a lot of taking-in in others, particularly the arms and legs), and it's held up to some little SM crashes and one pretty good big-track crash.

And I've had them do the random broken zipper and other fastener sort of repairs - not while-you-wait, but within a few days, and their repairs have always held up.
 
JL does quality work. For a valuable lesson, visit Helmet during an off hour to gain valuable insight into leather pro.
 
Aluisious said:
I like the look of the n-200-afr, but I wonder if anyone can comment on their experience with the vent zippers. Also any opinions on the pants would be helpful.
Click to expand...

Not sure exactly what you are asking, but I wear an N-200-afr, purchased in 2007, worn a lot. The vents vent well, the zipper zip. No complaints, no failures. I think Johnson's makes an excellent product.

WWWobble
 
I've had the N-200-AFR jacket for more than 17 years, still works great. The air vents work well if you don't have a tall fairing, and/or if the jacket isn't TOO tight fitting.

For the pants they grabbed some off-the-shelf pair and then added hip and knee padding and a zipper that goes across the back, but not completely around. Some of the trackday providers weren't Thrilled that the zipper didn't go all the way around but they let me go anyway. Luckily I have not "road tested" my leathers yet :D
 
"way too much not actually leather parts", man had to read that 3 times to make sure I was reading it correctly........LOL....Yeah, heard good things about JL but kinda pricey.
 
Three great shops in the San Jose area will be able to make you a custom 2-piece suit:

-Helimot
-Just Leather (not just cruiser stuff-2nd generation leathercrafter, and he can fit good CE armor)
-Zooni

I've bought many items from Johnson and really like the customer service and quick turnaround time. It's also very affordable considering the quality of material and craftsmanship.

I also like that Johnson can work with a huge variety of material, including textile and horsehide! Yes, I have a custom horsehide jacket fitted with excellent Forcefield Armour--just try finding that anywhere else.
 
Johnson leather love you long time.:p
 
Thanks for the info...sounds like the vents vent...:thumbup Basically that's what I wanted to know.

I am tempted by Vanson's too. Their sport pant looks a touch sportier than the JL pants I've seen that look like leather jeans with armor sewn on top. JL is a lot more convenient for this area tho.

Can't say that the Helimot or Zooni styles appeal as much to me, but I'll check out Just Leather.
 
Johnson's customized sleeves for me for +$30, which included removing material from the upper arm. Tpro armor. Great deal if the rack doesn't work for you.

Tried Vansons but they are just way too thick and take too long to break in. I was told to expect a month with every day riding, which meant months of uncomfortable gear. But everyone claims to love them after that period. I love my Johnsons now.
 
Aluisious said:
I always told myself that one day I'd get two piece leathers for street use made locally. ...
Click to expand...

Johnson made a 2 piece for me back in 1999; still wearing it! I had the armor upgraded a few years back, and they did a great job, I couldn't see any damage from pulling the seams out to change the armor.

Thumbs Up.
 
Funny my recp't from Johnson's is right here in my desk from when I got my track pants made by them back in 2011. $550 plus tax for a pair of pants with 360' zipper custom tailored for me, with t-pro everywhere, knee pucks, and reflective piping added. Considering what you pay for some Asian made Italian stuff off the shelf, it's a great deal. I also have their newer perf jacket, check that out if you're concerned about the venting on the other jackets. It's not shown on their ancient website. (I have both a used AN-whatever and the newer perf model).

If you get fitted, make sure to come in on your bike as your riding position will affect the cut. It took two tries to get mine fit right since I didn't come in with my bike the first time.

After you buy from them they give you way better service and pricing for repairs and alterations. The Vietnamese tailor (owner?) knows his shit, it's pretty amazing.

Also, their turnaround time gets slow the months before Folsom Street Fair :party
 
have a buddy that wears a two piece johnson leathers.

he is 6'6" so difficult to find off the rack. looks to be excellent quality.
 
One thing to note: they no longer do zipper repair/replacement on moto boots.
 
Good Guys

I've had a couple of casual leather jackets repaired by Johnson over the years. The recent one was a zipper problem he teased into working again at no charge. I bought one of their state -of-the-art back protectors! :ride
 
I have a Jl jacket that I bought when I was a head banger in high school (1989). I'd still be wearing it if it would fit me. It just sits in the closet.
 
Good people over there at Johnson's. Always my first stop for outfitting armor. if you're in SJ and want t closer option, you could try giving Juan at Zooni a call. He doesn't have the sunnvale shop anymore, but does still does local consultation meetings. Helimot will probably be the most expensive, but so worth it.
 
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