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Where to get leathers repaired?

RhythmRider

RhythmRider

Still Rhythm Rydin'
Joined
Nov 18, 2006
Location
Livermore, CA
Moto(s)
BMW S1000R,
Suzuki SV650N,
Yamaha YZF-R3
Name
Aaron
BARF perks
AMA #: 2821744
Hey all,

Where's a good place to get your leathers fixed after a crash? I have a great set of leathers that fit me well, and they're in decent shape, but there's a blown seam on the elbow and some rash that I'd like to clean up.

Helimot's gone... what's the go-to solution for Bay Area racers? Preferably East Bay, but I can drive to SJ or SF that's all that's available.

Here's a list I compiled from searching on BARF in general:

  • Richard Lee - The Leather Guy
    (415) 621-2738
    1518 Sonoma Blvd Vallejo, CA 94590
    https://www.yelp.com/biz/leather-guy-vallejo
    http://yurtasticyurts.com/
    Apparently he does yurts and other stuff. But mostly yurts? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  • Onder - Skin On Skins, San Francisco
    http://www.skinonskins.com
    (415) 608-2690
    Custom leather work. Tried to work with this guy but couldn't connect with him. Wasn't a good communication experience for me coming out from Livermore on a Saturday and arriving to find the dude's shop closed, despite having exchanged emails with him about visiting on Saturday, but YMMV I guess. I was on a tight schedule and couldn't be too flexible. He has some positive reviews on Yelp, other BARFer vouched for him.
  • Johnson Leather SF
    (415) 775-7393, 1833 Polk St San Francisco, CA 94109
    https://www.johnsonleather.com/
    Fashionable leather jacket shop, not moto... but leather is leather, apparently.
  • S. MASTER SHOE REPAIR / LUGGAGE REPAIR
    165 S. Murphy, Suite A
    Sunnyvale, CA 94086
    Call First (408) 992-0666
    Shoe / luggage repair shop? This guy, Souren, apparently can do some crash repair on motorcycle leathers, recommended by a BARFer.

What else you guys got?

Oh, and I'm planning to race my first season in the AFM this year on a 2019 YZF-R3 :) Taking my NRS this weekend at Sonoma. Looking forward to seeing you all at the races!
 
I'd imagine just about any of them would do the job.

I had Richard Lee take in my leather pants and he did a great job.
 
I had a zipper and stitching came undone where the stretch fabric met the leather repaired by Cris at Retana Leather. He also cleaned and conditioned them also.
Great customer service.
chris@fixmyleathers.com is his email.
 
Zooni is, according to their website, permanently closed. Another option out of the area but known to be prompt and reliable with quality workmanship is Anthony's @ https://anthonysleatherworks.com He is in SoCal. I shipped my suit to him to have minor alterations done, he did a nice job and returned my suit quickly.
 
Yeah I also heard that Zooni is no longer in business. I am not too interested in shipping my suit as I have plenty of riding to do and don't want to miss riding days while waiting for my suit to be shipped back and forth. Plus shipping is expensive, and the leather suit is pretty heavy even without knee sliders or pads installed. I'll call around with the local contacts listed above, thank you.
 
Johnson has done great work on my Tiger Angel and Dainese leathers. Reasonable pricing and quick turnaround too. :thumbup
 
Man, I was all fizzed up trying to find someplace that specializes in leather repair, especially in the Bay Area... and it seemed like these shops were so few and far between, I'd surely have to drive hours out of my way, or mail the suit somewhere and wait weeks to have it back.

Well, with first race weekend coming up, my suit having a little hole in it, and me running short on time and options, I decided it was worth a try to see if my local cobbler could take care of the job. So I went over there and showed him the suit, and he looked it over, made some comments about how lucky I was to avoid road rash, and accepted the job. Twenty five bucks.

I was looking far and wide, scouring the internet, clenching my butt cheeks... turns out all I had to do was walk down the street. Literally right around the corner from my house. Why, oh why, didn't I try that earlier?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
Take your leathers to Richard Lee. He's a great guy, is dog is an amazing frisbee catcher, and he owned Skyline Leathers for many years. He also charges absolutely reasonable prices. Most shops will ding you $100 for anything. Richard will ding you $25 for the same thing. I've taken literally two dozen suits or more to him for work.
 
afm199 said:
Take your leathers to Richard Lee. He's a great guy, is dog is an amazing frisbee catcher, and he owned Skyline Leathers for many years. He also charges absolutely reasonable prices. Most shops will ding you $100 for anything. Richard will ding you $25 for the same thing. I've taken literally two dozen suits or more to him for work.
Click to expand...
Do you know if he's still in business? I crashed in my Dainese suit and need some repair done
 
Ship to Anthony's Leatherworks
 
Greg's really good though (Anthony Leather Works)
 
I have used Taylors (Post #7) and she does good work.
 
I have repaired my own gloves and suit with waxed synthetic thread and needles from my sail repair kit. I am sure you could find higher abrasion thread for more vulnerable areas. Tools I use are a leather palm, assortment of thin, thick, or curved needles. Needle nose pliers work if you don't have a palm.

1740847657399.png


For jobs that need a sewing machine like repair, then I am gonna purchase an awl.
1740847737180.png

I am surprised at how easily seems burst on high end gloves and suits. It makes sense if they are only being skid tested. Once, I had a top name brand glove unravel at the thumb and finger after two track days. I now trust my own stitching more.
 
Years ago I visited Johnson leathers in SF with a zipper problem and they got it working fine it in minutes at no charge. 👍🏼👍🏼
 
For the south-bay folks, "Best Alterations" in Campbell has repaired seams and patched holes for me. I don't think they would be able to repair built-in armor bits, but anything that is just stitching I would take there.
 
Greg's the man for Leather repair. Not cheap, but also top drawer work. This is where lots of racers get their suits fixed. Greg's top notch. I can't recommend him strong enough. Ship-in/ ship-back.

anthonysleatherworks.com

Anthony's Leatherworks

anthonysleatherworks.com anthonysleatherworks.com

info@anthonysleatherworks.com

Anthony's Leatherworks​

3401 E Coast Hwy, Corona Del Mar, California 92625, United States
949.486.9000

Hours​

Open today09:00 am – 05:00 pm
 
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