Topic: Opinions about Jackets on Ebay

[DiscoEd]

I'm just wondering if anyone on here can share their experiences with buying motorcycle jackets and pants on ebay.

I live in a fairly rural area here and there just is not much available locally. I've seen a few armored leather jackets and pants that I really like the looks of on ebay. The prices seem reasonable. I've tried to find some similar ones in catalogs like JCW, Dennis Kirk, Etc. but haven't had any luck there. I'm just not sure if it's worth taking the risk of buying this stuff on ebay or not. Several of the sellers seem to have very good feedback.

Please share your thoughts.

Thank you,
DiscoEd

[Bob Wessner]

Don't have any experience with leathers off eBay, but I know thickness matters. Do they specify the thickness or weight of the leather used?

http://www.chilhowee.net/leather_thickness.html

[DiscoEd]

Hi Bob,
Thank's for the info. Some of them seem to have specs and some do not. I suspect that many are on the thin side. Some just say "cowhide leather" and others actually give a specification like "1.2mm to 1.4mm".

Regards,
DiscoEd

[jaknight]

Hello Disco,

     I am afraid I can't give you any info about leathers from Ebay, though as far as other things go I have been very lucky and fortunate with Ebay.

     I had to do some very heavy thinking and weighing pros and cons about leather jackets.  I had to think about these:

     1.  I live from paycheck to paycheck - - - - money is virtually more than precious to me.

     2.  I toured all the shops in the Phoenix area - - - - Got to look at ALL the brand names I have seen advertised on the web (and that is a lot, I did considerable web searching).  I learned that the brands look radically different in real life than what they appear to be in pictures on the web.  There is DRASTIC differences.

     3.  It is not just the thickness of the leather that makes jacket quality cover such a wide spectrum.  The amount of the quality of worksmanship among brands was incredible to me.  Not just leather and quality worksmanship, but even the chromed/brass/buckle/snaps/buttons/zippers/ - - -  hardware varied immensely in quality.  Why some are $120 and some are over $600 becomes very obvious while holding them in your hands and looking at them.

    4.  This applies in my particular case (I am sure not yours).  I am a very old rider.  Did I want something cheaper that might meet my needs now and replace it next cold season if it wasn't good enough, or go ahead and spend my precious big bucks for something that I will literally have for the rest of my life and plus be able to pass it on to one of my sons?

     5.  In my case, I decided this would be a life long investment.  I opted for the big bucks and bought what I thought was the best jacket I saw and tried on for fit.  I did not buy from the dealer here in the Phoenix area, but went straight to the maker.  I decided I liked Vanson the best, and they custom made my jacket for me.  It was the first jacket they produced in the year of 2005.  They gave me weekly email updates on the progress of the jacket.  Without a doubt, it will last me the rest of my life and will be in fine shape for one of my sons to wear.

     6.  I would suggest that you take a Saturday and drive to a major city to try on different brands to find what satisfies your tastes and needs.  Find what you want and like, then search and watch Ebay for that brand or, if it is affordable for you, buy from the maker of that brand.

     Sorry this is so long, but in my case, I thought that a jacket was a very important and long term purchase/decision to make,........  I suggest take your time and really think it through.............

     ~ ~ ~ jaknight ~ ~ ~

[keiths]

I've been wondering the same thing. Bob, that site is quite informative. Have you tried them?

[seaweb11]

I was in Toronto over 12 years ago and paid $500.00 to have a "black motorcycle jacket" made for me. Quite heavy, but very soft leather.  Seemed a luxury at the time but I still use it daily. There is something to be said about quality It still gets positive comments from people to this day./

[DiscoEd]

Hello Disco,

     I am afraid I can't give you any info about leathers from Ebay, though as far as other things go I have been very lucky and fortunate with Ebay.

     I had to do some very heavy thinking and weighing pros and cons about leather jackets.  I had to think about these:

Thank you jaknight, I too have to keep the amount that I can spend in mind. If I spend too much on a jacket I won't have enough money for important things like a new front brake hose. 

I would like something that is going to offer some degree of protection and at the same time be "bearable" to wear during the three "humid as hell" riding months that we get in my neck of the woods.

I guess I could make a journey to the "Big City" but that's going to cost too. I do like the idea though.  I would first have to get the run down on where to go before I made the trip too. By the way, "Big City" = Options of NY, Buffalo, or Philly. So if anyone reading this has suggestions of where to visit, I'd be glad to know.

I've been wearing leather jackets for years and have had some good and some bad. The most comfortable jacket I've ever owned was a deerskin jacket. It was a beautiful jacket that was given to me by my Grandfather. The jacket was 42 years old when he gave it to me and you never would have known it. I wore the jacket for about 17 years.

I had a jacket that I got in Mexico 20 years ago. This thing was so thick it was nearly bullet proof... but it was also stiff as a board and not too comfortable. I don't think it would make a good riding jacket.

Right now, I've got kind of a retro jacket that I picked up at a local store and wear on a daily basis. It was cheap and I don't think I would want to wear it on the bike cause if I did need to count on it, it would probably peel off like wet tissue paper.

You are right quality, can mean different things to different manufacturers. I just know that I want to get the most value for my money in terms of quality, durability, safety and comfort. (Looks are important too for when I'm showing up the Harley crowd! )


Regards,
DiscoEd

[cbjunkie]

don't buy anything from pimentel and david. their zippers suck...however, you will look good when wearing their jackets.  i bought one and i ain't givin it back! ...in fact - i may buy another one... - when i had my wreck i pretty much landed flat on the top of my head like a friggin jackhammer - i'm sure my jacket kept me from getting my elbows scuffed but it didn't do #$%* to keep my spine from getting crushed!

hey, i'm still walking and i'll be riding in another month - and wearing my new jacket while doing it...now if i can just figure out a way to protect myself from the incredible idiots that populate this backwash of a #$%*hole town...

[csendker]

Bought three of e-bay; all used.  $$ is a major concern; read that I'm cheap.  Reviews (and I wear a size 42):

First: Fieldsheer leather, size 40US/50EU: $19.99.  Goofed on the size (late night bidding - looked at EU, not US) and WAY too small.  Oh well, good for the wife or kids.  Took a while to get the smoke stink out.

Second: First Gear textile/leather with armor, size XXL: $26.00.  Nice jacket, nice fit.  Only missing the liner.

Third: Nexgen textile/leather with armor, size XXL: $31.00.  Nice jacket, nice fit, includes liner.

Three may seem overkill, but now I have one for me, one for a small passanger & one for a larger passenger.  All have armor and/or are designed & built for biking, not show.  I've been getting more concerned with safety lately.  Besides, for the $80 bucks or so, I still couldn't have gotten a new good one.

Lessons learned:
-Don't go on e-bay late at night while drinking beer if you're at all concerned what may show up later in the mail.
-Look for "non-smoker' if you're worried about the smell.
-For some reason motorcycle jackets seem to run real small.  The Fieldsheer is a 40, small, but I should be able to jam myself even partly into it.  This one, no way.  The others are a comfortable fit, but I'm not usually XXL.
-I researched jackets and zeroed in on the major brands.  And I was patient.  Tried many bids, won few.
-I would suggest going somewhere, anywhere and trying some on to check the fit if nothing else.  I was surprised at how small they run.
-If you're looking for leather, some do indicate the thickness.  

I read a review that pointed out the best was thick leather.  Best by far.  Next was textile, slippery weaves outperformed the coarse weaves ('ballistic poly' is coarse and fried out quicker than the regular poly).  Thin leather just beat out denim; with both being nothing much more than extra material to scrape out of the wound.

Someday I'll get a real good leather jacket.  But that will have to wait until I'm rich & famous.  Until then I'll slip by with cheap used ones.  Anything has to be better than the regular Columbia jacket I used to use.

And for another $16.99 I scored a spiffy set of armored gloves, black with the Honda wing on them.  

Hey Disco:  if the big city choice is Buffalo, look me up!

[Bob Wessner]

I've been wondering the same thing. Bob, that site is quite informative. Have you tried them?

I don't wear a leather jacket. I had one years ago, but lined and the liner was permanent. A leather jacket would be nice, but I think during at least 3 months here it might be kind of warm. The jacket I wear now is lightly lined with some armor, but has many vents for the warm weather and I just close the vents and add layers under it for cooler/colder days. Maybe some day I'll add a leather jacket when my wife allows me more closet space. 

[hymodyne]

I've been watching jackets on ebay as well, and discovered on type, I forget the name, but they have armor at the elbows, shoulders, back, etc., and an waist zipper for joining leather pants and jacket together. they've been running around 90-100 dollars, and as son as I can, I'll buy it. I  bought a nive british leather cafe jacket that I use now, but I've gotten to the point in life where my stomach is broader than my chest...ahem...so I have to go to a larger size so I don't look like I was poured into  the jacket. the color schemes are simple too, which I like; black all over or black and blue, orange, red, yellow, or green for yamaha, harley, honda, suzuki, or kawasaki ...

hym

[csendker]

Both of the textile/leather jackets are similar in the liner (where I have one) can come out.  There's a bunch of vents and such to control the temperature (airflow through the jacket...).  The base jacket is textile with heavy leather patches on the primary skid zones.  The armor is in similar locations and there's a 1/2 zipper flap to attach pants.  Both appear to be virtually new, there's no wear anywhere.  I like the FirstGear better, but only becaust the Nextgen has more of a mesh outer layer; just personal preference.

Not so on the leather. It's an all-in-one with nothing removable.  Better protection but it will be hot as a $2 pistol during the summer.

They are all an economical and very significant upgrade from what I had been wearing - a street coat with no protection.  I'm not sure I would pursue an expensive jacket via e-bay unless I had tried it on locally and knew exactly what I wanted and found it for much less.  But I don't mind dropping $20-30 for a used one.

[csendker]

...and the gloves started out as an aside that I stumbled on, but now I'm thinking that my hands are probably one of the highest risk areas.  I feel much more comfortable with some armor there too.

[byidesign]

I found that the thickness, and fit matter a lot when distance riding, there is no
   substitute for actually getting to try it on, but if you can't.Go to...
    motorcycle.com  The site  has some good reviews of leather, and armored composite jackets,
   {for warmer climate riding} that are state of the art, and worth a look.
     they also list tests, with the manufacturers address, so you can send for info.

[dusterdude]

junkie,since you unfortunatly have real world experience,what kind of jacket do you have now?

[cbjunkie]

i haven't gotten anything new yet.  but i was just checking my old one out yesterday after reading this thread and noticed that the paramedics apparently cut the closer off to get the jacket off of me - so now i WILL be buying something new after all...

looking with interest to see what you guys come out with,
junkie...

[mick750F]

   Yo Disco...Take a look at this site. It's reviews of gear by the people who use it. http://www.motorcyclegearreview.com

   I recently bought a jacket from newenough.com. It's a TourMaster Coaster Air Jacket. It is leather, both perforated and armored, has a removable liner and the liner sleeves zip off. It has pretty minimal billboard effect which was one of my considerations. Still, I'll have to cover up the embossed labels on the sleeve with something. I bought from their web site but they also sell on ebay. They sell closeouts and sometimes have very low prices on items they want to clear out. Happy hunting...

Mike   

[dusterdude]

mike thats a cool site

[Stevearino]

I would highly reccommend New Enough.  They were nice to deal with, send your goods straight away, decent selections and great prices.  I bought a River Road basic leather jacket, mandarin style, pakistani made, but it was cheap, well made, very heavy, and fits very well.  Think I gave $100.  Very satisfied.  They also carry high end stuff at clearance prices.  You can catch some good deals.

Spring is coming.  Stepping up the urgency rating on the 550 rebuild.  See you out there.

[brockj]

New enough has good stuff at a good price, my father in law has purchased many things from them.  I recently purchased a brand new Joe Rocket Textile Jacket and a brand new HJC helmet.  If you know what you are looking for and follow common eBay sense, you should be fine. 

[cbjunkie]

i was just checking out the joe rocket stuff - pretty nice - although, what's with the huge forearm advertising? does your jacket have that patch, brock? - can they be removed without destroying the jacket?

[DiscoEd]

Guys,

Those are some very interesting sites. I'm going to check them out some more. Please keep all this good info flowing.

Regards,
DiscoEd

[Objectionableone]

I've purchased several Joe Rocket jackets on ebay and an Arai helmet.  Both top quality manufacturers and I don't think they have been hit with the knock off pirates.

[cbjunkie]

ob, do all the joe rocket jackets have that big-ass patch on the forearm?

[dusterdude]

why is it that these manufacturers make you pay good money for their stuff and want you to advertise for em too.it sucks.