Hi all, Ian from arc-on here. Not trying to sell anything I just know Paul Varnsverry from working with him on PPE (personal protective equipment) clothing standards a while back. He's now based in Asia full time, running his own independent clothing standards advice business. He advises factories on how to manufacture to a given standard and then does factory visits to check on the production as it's happening. He's a nice guy and has been helpful to arc-on during the time we've been in business. He has written an article in this month's (May) British Dealer News on the new CE standard coming into force next April, what it means for clothing manufacturers and how stringent the standard is. For us as a business we'll be CE approving items in our range to make sure we comply with the new standards from next April - though we are confident they would pass now it's expensive to certify and there is no point certifying to a current standard that will be replaced in 11 months anyway. The big change from April next year is that PPE will have to be certified to be for sale. Up until know the armour in a garment was certified and the actual garment wasn't; and there was no legal obligation to certify. This is what is changing from next April. All new gear, be it gloves, race suits, retro jackets, whatever, will need to be CE certified and to be able to back that up with documentation from an accredited testing lab (we use SATRA). Hope that helps give a bit more info. We collaborated with Marc at Superbike Freaks on his articles on there and it makes interesting reading. In reference to the comment above regarding TT racers - the front running riders get paid a fortune to wear the brands they wear. To work out what a racer is paid just look at their public profile. For example regarding the TT - Guy Martin will be getting more than, say James Hillier, despite their similar TT race records as Guy is all over TV, has book deals, used to have a magazine column and is a popular figure. It's fairly simple economics; the greater the exposure the more money they can command in kit deals. There is more money generally in MotoGP but the highest visibility TT riders will still be earning a lot of money from their kit deals.
Cool. Cool, can we get some persuasive forum discount on Arc-On products please? You seem a good egg and I know your products rock. If you sort out something mega (20% would be awesome) then you can have my order for a one-piece suit rather than me buying Dainese. Great input from an actual expert rather than opinions from us lot!
Hi - we can certainly look at a 10% discount but we'd need to set up a voucher code on the website, let me look into that… Any other queries in the meantime you can get me on [email protected]
I know this thread's from 2017, but does anyone know what happened to Superbike Freaks? The two articles on leathers were an excellent resource, and it would be a shame to lose them. Indeed, most (all?) motorcycle publications rely on advertising, and this reliance gives me no trust in their reviews. Once upon a time, Ride magazine used SATRA for independent gear tests. But proper product tests by Ride are long gone. I guess MotoCAP is now the best for good gear tests.
Their FB page is still live although their web site is not. Pretty sure I down loaded both articles, I'll check. Andy
The guy who runs superbike freaks is a friend of mine if that helps. I was going to be doing a regular column and reviews for them but I just don’t have the time right now
The guy who runs superbike freaks is a friend of mine. A friend or you just happen to recognise him in a crowded room? I was going to be doing a regular column and reviews for them but I just don’t have the time right now. Does this mean you’re not ever or a little more down the line once you’ve completed tinder……again?
I think we’d call each other mates ? You’d have to ask Marc I did a write up on the Suzuki for them a while back. no idea really. Never say never ?
Thanks @Android853sp, I have now checked SBF's Facebook page but couldn't see the two articles about leathers. They were well-researched and informative, so it's a shame that either these articles aren't on Facebook, or they're lost among a sea of less informative stuff.
@Freerange_egg, unfortunately I book marked the page instead of copying it and the link is dead. Andy
Good reason to go to Hideout and get the same quality of product with decades of experience and top notch service.
BKS (Exmouth) put Hideout into the shade, as did Crowtree but Alec Baumber sadly died in 2014. Hideout are a good company and their service is excellent but I found their finishing to be poor (particularly the lining), especially considering how much they charge. Just my personal experience..
@Android853sp Thankfully, Superbikefreaks’ comparison of the different leather manufacturers is back: https://www.superbikefreaks.com/leathers-part-2/
Had the main jacket zip fail & collar fall apart on my m2m BKS 2 piece. Good, but pricey service from Brian. Got a quote for a m2m jacket with TechAir5 bag in and neatly spat my appendix out!
@Biot Would Scott Leathers (do they do airbag-equipped jackets?) or Hideout have been less expensive? Hideout’s leather jackets start from around £500, plus 30% for made-to-measure and the airbag cost. Unless you specify otherwise, Hideout’s integrated airbag is the (circa £300) InMotion airbag. So, I guess it’s about a grand for a bespoke leather jacket, including the airbag, from Hideout. How does it compare to the equivalent from BKS?
