Ive been riding a MT-125 for quite a while - regularly commuting to canary wharf from Maidstone and have some ok'ish Richa gear - the jackets the Airstream 2, and matching trousers. They're plenty warm enough for the commute when its dry - especially with a Keis heated jacket when its really cold but most of the time the thermal jacket is more than enough. I also have cheap Oxford flouro rain jacket I wear over the top when I commute - not only to be seen but also to act as an additional waterproof/windproof layer but also to take the worst of the crap off the road when it rains - the over jackets easier to wash or I guess replace when I need to.
Ive now passed my full license and have bought a new CBR650R and plan on using it to occasionally commute and of course for fun.
Next on my list is to get some new decent gear to go with it. Was thinking of a vented 2-piece leather suit for when it gets warmer, but struggling to find anything that fits so looking for some help. Im a fairly big chap - 6'2 and 17st - more athletic than lardy and I have really long arms and I'm really struggling to find anything to fit properly. To be honest I only know of a couple of local shops - J & S and Laguna - both in Maidstone. To be fair they've been really helpful and have a lot of stock, but being on the bigger end of the spectrum there isnt much to try on in stock. They have offered to get more sizes in, but havent yet taken them up on their offer as I dont want to mess them about.
Can anyone recommend any other larger well stocked shops in or near Kent/London that might stock clothing for the larger gent.
Also, someone mentioned not to get a 2-piece suit if I wanted to do a track-day - ive looked at a few which seem to have a zip most of the way round - all bar 6 inches at the very front - but the info on the track day sites just say it needs a full zip - does that literally mean a it needs a zip all the way round without any gap ? ...if so are there any 2 piece suits like that ?
Failing that - are there any options for getting some custom made leathers as I can see me having a nightmare finding something to fit properly.
And one final thing, is it worth upgrading the Richa gear - its not Gortex and I notice if it does rain, although I stay dry I still get a little chilly - at least without the additional waterproof jacket. I think its because the water soaks into the fabric. The water doesnt go through but I guess the wind-chill cools the water down thats absorbed into the fabric. Would going the whole hog and buying Rukka Gortex gear really make a difference compared to the Richa stuff ? ....or would I get just as good a result by re-proofing the Richa gear with Nikwax or something similar - ive had the Richa gear for quite a while now - so it could be the water repellent needs renewing like you need to on any waterproof jacket.
