4/7/2014 Custom Leather Suit Alterations - RevZilla

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Sean MacDonaldMoto Wordsmith

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PUBLISHED: APR 7, 2014

Nip, then tuck: Race suit alterationsimprove safety and comfort for not muchmoney

If you’re like me, you have a hard timefinding gear that fits off the rack. Withtrack gear, it’s especially important tohave a proper fit, but there’s no way therace-suit manufacturers can make a rangeof sizes to fit all of us. Turns out, theanswer is far easier and less expensivethan I imagined.

I’d heard stories of people having their suits tailored, but I’d assumed that sort of customization wasleft for guys with last names like Marquez, Lorenzo and Rossi. I was riding with my friend, Cody,one day and he was telling me how he’d lost a bunch of weight, which while a fantasticaccomplishment, had left his favorite race suit far too large to wear on the track anymore. Even thearms of the suit were too big and didn’t provide the snug fit you want that keeps the armor in the

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right place when you need it most.

I mentioned that I’d always wanted to explore the idea of getting a suit tailored, as I have my own fitissues, so we started researching who had expertise in our local area.

I called around for recommendations and was given the number of Anthony’s Leatherworks inCorona Del Mar, Calif. We stopped by one afternoon, suit in hand, to see if it was feasible and as itturns out, the process is fairly easy and not outrageously expensive.

Cody put on the suit and discussed with the tailor which areas he felt were problematic. The tailorhad a ton of experience with leather race suits and was able to point out many areas where eithermore or less room was needed, based on certain riding positions. He took a few basicmeasurements and made a few marks with chalk in various places on the suit and told us we weredone. Overall, the process only took about 15 minutes and then we just had two wait two to threeweeks to see if the guys at Anthony’s could really cut away the right amounts in the right places tomake the suit fit again.

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Three weeks later, we received a callthat the suit was done. They askedCody to try the suit to make surethey’d gotten everything right and, thistime, I wasn’t surprised when it fit likea glove. The arms fit perfectly, thewaist fit trim, yet still allowed formovement, and the seat and shoulderswere all cut down to do the same. Avisual inspection of the suit revealedno signs of their work. It looked as ifit had been cut this way stock. Codywas in shock that the same suit thatpreviously fit him with an additional 60pounds on his body could fit so well.

“Dude, thanks so much, this thing fitsbetter than anything else I’ve everworn!” was the text I received a weeklater, after Cody had taken the suitout for a spin on one of the localroutes.

We met again a few weeks later to hit Angeles Crest Highway and get some photos of the suit. Hegushed about what a big difference the tailoring made when riding in the suit. Unfortunately for ourphotography mission, he hit a gravel patch and low-sided a few turns up the hill that cold morningbefore we could get any glamour shots on the bike.

Most importantly, the suit did its job. The first thing he said to me was, “I’m so sorry for wastingyour day.” The second was, “I’m so glad I crashed after I got this suit tailored because everythingstayed right where it needed to.”

The elbow panel was badly damaged from where he’d slid on it, but the armor had stayed in placeto protect him and the stitching held in all of the panels that had been altered.

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If that isn’t a testament to making sure your gear fits correctly, even if that involves some extracharge to get it cut to your size, I don’t know what is. The tailoring job cost $180 at this particularshop. It’s better to get a slightly less expensive suit and get it altered to fit right than to wear a fancysuit that compromises your safety or ability to control your motorcycle because it doesn’t fit you.

We’d recommend Anthony’s Leatherworks to any of you Southern California readers, but we’dlove to see your local leather tailor recommendations in the comments below.