Topic: zipper replacement worth it?

[bucky katt]

i know already so dont tell me you get what you pay for. i ended up buying an inexpensive/cheap leather jacket last fall for cool weather riding and after only wearing the thing for about 6 weeks all the zippers but one (there are 11 zippers) have come apart. what i need to know is, is it worth fixing all these zippers on a jacket that cost me 119 dollars? i just cannot afford to buy a good one but if the cheap ones are going to keep coming apart...........
 damnit i need to get some stuff sold so i can have some decent riding gear.

[mick750F]

Unless you're going to be doing the sewing yourself it could cost you almost what you paid for the jacket to replace the zippers. 10 zippers at $10 each?...maybe more?

Mike

Damn! I just hit 1,000 posts. 

[bucky katt]

wow, i guess i need to get all the stuf sold that i'm selling and just get me a better jacket.  hard to find for a guy my size, i wear a 66-68 right now

[demon78]

Bucky whats come apart on the zippers?
Bill the demon.

[bucky katt]

the pull part comes apart. theyre not solid like a good zipper, theyre stuck together with an interference fit it seems

[kpier883]

I understand what you are saying about tough to get your size, especially on the used market.  However, you never know.  I would  periodically go to crazedlist and search Craigslist and see if I could find a known good brand in good shape.  I picked up a lightly used Fox Creek jacket for 150 bucks last year.  It would cost 350ish new I think.  Another good brand would be Hein Gericke which I have from 1984 or so, (but it is a little small on me now).  The zipper messed up on it about 2 years ago, but I do plan to get it fixed.  After 20 years I can live with a zipper going bad. 

If your zippers went bad after a few wears, I wouldn't trust the stitching or the quality of the leather either.  Most likely, it is not going to protect you from the weather or the asphalt very well.

Others might be like to comment but my short list would include:
Fox Creek
Hein Gericke (not sure if these are as good quality as the one like I got before the war  )
Bates
Joe Rocket

Best of luck!

[bucky katt]

try going bad after wearing it for 6 WEEKS

[bucky katt]

with money as tight as it is, i dont see how i'm going to afford another jacket of any kind. and the main zipper came apart just about an hour ago when i went out to pick up batteries for remotes and the camera. i'm going to see if i can cut a piece of leather big enough to fit in one piece over the seat pan on my airtech cr750 style seat. thats all it's good for now. i'll be riding in a thin denim jacket now. the damn anti-christ dachsund chewed up my joe rocket mesh jacket at some point over the winter.

[kpier883]

Dogs!  One of my favorite dogs of all time chewed all the wires in two on my KZ1000 when I left a side cover off.  I feel your pain. 

I like your idea to cut up the leather jacket to make something useful from it.  I hope you will post a picture so we can see how it turns out.

BK, one other thing that I do is peruse the thrift stores about once a week.  Sometimes something useful will turn up there and they are usually 15 bucks or less.  A good session cleaning and you might be in business.  You have to watch for the junk though, as a lot of that turns up. 

Not for motorcycling, but I found a wool/cashmere Italian made long coat recently and it was 10 dollars I think.  Magnificent quality and a classic look. 

Around here, I don't see leather turn up that often, but the more modern type jackets show up from time to time. 

[bucky katt]

i got so damned big after getting hurt, i put on nearly 160 pounds in a year. i still need a size 66/big jacket.

[Duke McDukiedook]

Make sure whatever you buy down the line that it has YKK on the zippers.

[74cb750]

Same thing here; the wife bought me a winter jacket, and the main zipper lasted less than a day.

What is going on here?

[bucky katt]

my Joe Rocket Jacket has YKK on the zippers and the main one that goes down the center still screws up sometimes

[demon78]

Bucky if the pull tab came off see if you cant use a safety pin to stick under the little lever that controls the zippers ability to lock. If that works great, anything to defeat the forces of chaos in the universe.
Bill the demon.

[Terry in Australia]

i'm going to see if i can cut a piece of leather big enough to fit in one piece over the seat pan on my airtech cr750 style seat.

Geezus Fuzzy, with a size 66 jacket you should be able to find a piece large enough to re-cover your lounge suite! Ha ha, not hanging sh1t on you mate, I bought a new 5XL "Marlon Brando" (aptly named, when I think about it.....) style jacket in December, and on the same day I bought a new Triumph mesh jacket for summer riding (I love my Triumph mesh jacket) and I haven't worn the leather one yet, will a 5XL fit you? Cheers, Terry.

[tramp]

get a used jacket if you can
or buy a new one with a warrenty
i have an old brooks jacket thats at least 50yr old
still good
talk about attitude when you put it on

[Caaveman82]

Unless the jacket has sentimental value or you are just really in love with it, I wouldn't do it.

[naguethey]

  K gotta do this now myself. I've had my jacket since I was 18 I'm 38 now......Just the other night my zipper failed on me. Well this is the second zipper. The original was metal that went bad back in the early 90's. I bought a heavy duty plactic one at wally world and sewed it in myself way back when. And it's lasted for years.  Now it finally gave up. So I'm gonna just go to joannes fabrics or wally world and but a new one of the propper length. It's not hard man get yourself some really heavy nylon thread and good stout needles and a small awl. Good pair of needle nose pliers come in handy too. Just carefully cut the stitching on the old one and sew in the new one. Set on the couch in front of the tv and you'll finish before a movie is over. And for a few bucks.

[bucky katt]

Make sure whatever you buy down the line that it has YKK on the zippers.

i just found one in my size on a seller from Amazon.com that has the ykk zippers, however i'm still kind of leery about buying a 119 dollar jacket though i suppose it's better than riding with NO protection this summer and they ARE the ykk zippers so that puts me ahead of the jacket/seat cover i have now.

http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Cowhide-Leather-Motorcycle-Jacket/dp/images/B001UI8TPE/ref=dp_image_x_0?ie=UTF8&s=apparel&img=0&color_name=x

[Terry in Australia]

That looks like the one I bought Jeff, I paid 199 Aussie bucks, (around 180 US $) but being shafted in Oz is so usual we get disappointed if we don't get raped!

[mick750F]

Hey Jeff...Check the closeout section at New Enough. Anything there work for you?

http://www.newenough.com/

Mike