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Leather Suit Lifespan

dkcwenge

dkcwenge

Mission Peak
Joined
Dec 21, 2005
Location
Fremont, CA
Moto(s)
.
there's a lot of talk about helmets and tires having a safe usable lifespan and even shelf-life. how about leather suits (aside from excessive crash damage)?

i know there are variables like the moisture in the leather... do threads significantly weaken and are more prone to bursting in a crash in 15 year old suits vs 4-yo ones?

has anyone hung up a suit for good simply just because of the age of the product?
 
I currently have a 14 year old Helston leather jacket that I absolutely love. Its very worn in and has taken several crashes. Been rain soaked on several rides too. But I still feel thats structural integrity is still there.

I also have a 15 year old Kushitani that gets use only when the weather is warm. I completely trust that jacket too.

I am sure that the seams have stretched and the leather may be slightly thinner at some of the impact points. But because these two jackets were of extreme high quality leads me to believe that they withstand use better then jackets of lesser quality.

I have gotten rid of a Spyke racesuit that I felt was starting to look a bit worn. And that was a pretty decent set of leathers.

In my opinion, I would rather have an older set of high quality leathers then a newer set of moderate leathers for the street. For track duty... probably the same?
 
Leather is low tech...but, if it is a leather suit without any armor or one with significant armor suit you might want to think about the advances in armor vs 15 years ago and buy a newer one because of that

--if armor is replaceable on the one you own I don't see much point in replacing the whole thing
 
Maybe you should talk to the people that make suits. There's a great shop right down the street from you. Helmont is right across the street from the GM/Numi/ Tesla Plant on Fremont Blvd. The owner is a pretty nice guy.
 
I've actually visited the Helimot shop recently to buy a pair a gloves. One of the things they warned against was leather conditioner on the palms. Tough, dried out leather is another thing they said isnt as robust. But I didn't ask them about seams / stitching. I did read somewhere that cotton isnt used with leather materials because it breaks down..
 
It's more likely a leather suit will deteriorate if it is sweated in a lot. I have one suit that lasted 5 years and just began to fall apart, due to sweat. I have another I bought at the same time that seldom gets used and is in super good shape. There's no real lifespan, conditions of usage are what determine life.

The first suit was probably ridden at 200 trackdays, the second at 20.
 
I have a Dainese leather suit that was given to me by a fellow barfer and he originally bought it in the early 90's for racing. 20+ years later and it's the more durable high quality thing I've ever ridden in. I wouldn't be surprised it quality is actually higher than most things made today.
 
russ69 said:
I have 25 year old jackets that still look and feel like new.
Click to expand...

Yup. I had a Hein Gericke Pilot I got when I was a 32 waist, and sold it twenty years later when I was no longer a 32 waist. It was in beautiful condition and I hated to sell it. Had never been really sweated in either.
 
I have a Vanson one-piece suit that was given to me and it must be at least 10+ years old. Nice thick cowhide, probably sweated in tons. Still solid. :thumbup
 
dkcwenge said:
there's a lot of talk about helmets and tires having a safe usable lifespan and even shelf-life. how about leather suits (aside from excessive crash damage)?

i know there are variables like the moisture in the leather... do threads significantly weaken and are more prone to bursting in a crash in 15 year old suits vs 4-yo ones?

has anyone hung up a suit for good simply just because of the age of the product?
Click to expand...


There are variables, in products...Not every manufacturer uses the same grade of materials.

And how an owner takes care of the leather, is another variable.

There is no fixed life span.
 
Leather can last for an awful long time. I condition my leathers a few times a year, depending on use and exposure.
 
I've used the same Vanson Leather since about '98, still no need to replace it. Still use the same Kusitani full suit that I got around '99, still great shape, probably 50 trackdays and 20 supermoto races in it....it's been on the ground plenty of times, still as safe as the day I got them.

For the record, I haven't conditioned either one of them in over 10 years, still good to go.

One of the reasons I am a big proponent of "quality" gear, the good stuff will last.
 
I think this one has been pretty well answered. It does beg the question about how long a leisure suit can last?

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