Gear for a big guy

[tonka128]

Hey...

So a mate of mine has been wanting to get into 2 wheels for years and has finally decided to take the leap.

Hes a big boy! Im 6"6" and 135kg and hard enough to get gear for, hes about 6' and 135kg and an odd shape (srsly - think keg with a bowling ball on top of it).. and nothing fits. (he is overweight, but the odd shape is the real killer)

So I took him to Total Motorcycle Acc. this afternoon, and hes harder to buy gear for then me.

1) XXL Shoei and XXXL Arai - neither will get past about top of ear height.

2) Jacket - I have a 6XL Dri-rider - it doesnt quite fit, they can get him a 8XL, but even with my 6XL, the elbow pads are about at his wrists!!!

3) Gloves.. (big palms - short fingers) by the time he gets someting to fit his palms, he has about 1cm of floppy extra material hanging over his fingertips.

So.. obviosuly we are going to have to go shop to shop and see whats out there, but am open for suggestions.

TMA gave us the name of a place kewdale way that does custom jackets.. so will chase them on monday and see $$ etc... prob the solution there..

any ideas on helmets mainly.. brands for big heads???? and any other suggestions welcome.

ps. hes prob going to sign up for PSB tonight... so "go to the gym you FF" comments are prob not a good intro!

[PBF]

ps. hes prob going to sign up for PSB tonight... so "go to the gym you FF" comments are prob not a good intro!

Lets hope this isnt the first thread he reads then.

[filbert]

Check put www.traxion.com.au they specialise in big custom textile gear or www.tigerangel.com.au if he wants leather.

For the helmet it may be his head shape not measurement causing you trouble eg shoei are a long oval shape and his head may be round so measure the largest part of his head, usually around the eyebrows and just above the halfway line at the back to choose a size eg 59-60 for large from memory then find a shape that suits in that size I think nolans are a bit rounder.

A bootmaker should be able to trim back and stitch up the fingers to make his oversized gloves fit.

[filbert]

Another option for helmets is open face with a clip on face shield or a skull mask and goggles you can get a bit of flex/wriggle room on some to get them past ears or odd shaped heads, yes I know they don't protect your face if you slide down the road but chin bars aren't tested as part of Australian standards so there can be varying results anyway.

[tonka128]

cheers for the links - hes coming around later tonight so will check them out...

Open face is an option... hes a cruiser fanatic, so it fits the "look".... but he did say to me the other night "aint got the prettiest face to start with, dont really need to modify it with bitumen"

tested or not a chin bars gotta help some, but hes just going to have to go with whatever fits his mug... like I said to him today.. "if the only one that fits is pink....... " haha

[NanoBear]

KazzMazz in Kelmscott do custom made leather jackets. Very high quality, thick leather, and suits the cruiser style. They do charge though. I had mine made when I was ~140kg, and I'm 6 foot 2, cost me around $700. For the quality of the leather and the workmanship, I don't consider it to be overpriced, but it's not cheap either.

They also make fantastic leather panniers and other leather accessories for cruisers.

[filbert]

There have been claims/theories of chin bars tipping the head on impact and breaking the neck or flexing and breaking the jaw, if its a choice between open face and not riding or suffering crippling discomfort for a poor fitting full face lid I'd go open face cosmetic surgery is pretty good these days spinal repair not so many advances, calculated risks versus personal choice and all that.
There are a few options of flip up tourer helmets that might allow the wriggle room I was talking about then flip over the chin bar once it's on

[BIGFELLA]

Bro wicked gear whitfords made my jacket...custom made...big boy size..


BIGFELLA

[Bigmandazz]

I am 5'11" and 135kgs

I got my jacket from Wicked Gear in Whitfords. They can do custom jackets also which would be approx 450 in leather is what Mike the owner told me. Which I will be getting done in a month or twos time ready for winter.

I bought a Summer Jacket 5XL and it fit me and the Length of the arms was not too long.

they do gloves and also Boots so you can get fully fitted out there.

Helmets I found last week do not fit at all, tired Arai, Shoei, AGV, otehr notable brands. Te only one that fit like a glove and properly was the Rjays Striker II get him to try one of these if he wants a full face.

Also there is a shop online in Phillip Island where I got my first jacket from as no one in Perth I could get something for 2 months at least I was told. I got an 8XL which did me well for a year or so.

PM me if you want to know further info.

DaZ

[Bigmandazz]

Hes a big boy! Im 6"6" and 135kg and hard enough to get gear for, hes about 6' and 135kg and an odd shape (srsly - think keg with a bowling ball on top of it).. and nothing fits. (he is overweight, but the odd shape is the real killer)

Sounds like me a Keg On Legs !!

[Stoneville]

There are a couple of threads dealing with people needing big helmets, some had to resort to buying them from the USA, at least their heads were protected even if they don't have that magical sticker.

Bikers Gear is the one from Philip Island

[Choona]

Lets hope this isnt the first thread he reads then.

Sounds like me a Keg On Legs !!

Hey guys, I'm Choona, and my smart mouthed mate Tonka128 pointed me to this forum (specifically this thread so *'fortunately' this is the first thread I read)... Thanks for all the great pointers. Planning to go next week and check out most of these shops.

Worst case scenario, I'll ask someone in Japan for sumo size gear...

[PBF]

Mate, as has been suggested, there a replenty of big guys on here.

I'm sure there have been others with more difficult builds than yours that have got the gear they were after. Good luck with it all.

[Stoneville]

What PBF says is true, I find it very difficult getting gear, had to have a jacket custom made, have found some textile ones that sort of fit, I haven't found any kevlar jeans to fit though, lucky my head is fairly normal so that's covered

A few ladies find it hard to get boots and some of the guys with big feet have trouble as well, so you are not alone, you just have to keep looking and buy a couple of everything that fits when you do fit it

[orangeflash]

ive got a moto dry jacket in a 6 xl sixe that i only wore once or twice so still in brand new cond too big for me now
but used to fit before i lost a bit of weight should fit him easy has built in back ssholder and elbow protectors
zip out summer/winter liner etc etc 15047257.jpg
$100 and its yours

[Thirsty]

Yeah my leather jacket is from bikers gear, 6xl, have a motodry stealth textile jacket 6 xl that fits nice too, but busted a zip in a pocket so hardly use now, but i have a dri rider climate pro 2, 6xl thats too short at the waist.
Legs are covered by custom size draggin camo's - gotta order a new pair.... shoulda done what stoney suggested, and bought 2 while they had them... now they want $290 a pair (reg $230).

Im lucky... i tried all sorts of helmets, biggest sizes, couldnt get em past my wingnuts... then Shoei xr1100 just slipped on no pressure at all. bought a xxl, find it a bit loose at higher speed so now have an xl thats perfect. Tried a tz-x model xl and didnt fit as good. Im 6ft 5 (when my back doesnt have me hunched).

As a cruiser guy you wont want race boots, but for reference for other large guys with 'kankles' I have size 49 Sidi Vertigo boots.... has an adjustable calf you pull out so you can do up side zip, then wind in the calf with the wheel on the back.

Yeah wicked gear up at whitfords shopping center do custom fitted leather at reasonable price, but like everything, they take your measurements and takes a few weeks cos its done in a chinese factory. Pretty sure the bikers gear stuff is made there too... think my 6xl leather jacket was like only $250... Dont think it would be that cheap for local made custom stuff. And yeah jacket is year old and holding up well. Rubbed a bit of colour off the collar, thats about it.

[Speed Dealer.]

Only came into this thread cause I thought it was about steroids... anyone remember that guy lol?

[Bigmandazz]

Yeah my leather jacket is from bikers gear, 6xl, have a motodry stealth textile jacket 6 xl that fits nice too, but busted a zip in a pocket so hardly use now, but i have a dri rider climate pro 2, 6xl thats too short at the waist.
Legs are covered by custom size draggin camo's - gotta order a new pair.... shoulda done what stoney suggested, and bought 2 while they had them... now they want $290 a pair (reg $230).

Im lucky... i tried all sorts of helmets, biggest sizes, couldnt get em past my wingnuts... then Shoei xr1100 just slipped on no pressure at all. bought a xxl, find it a bit loose at higher speed so now have an xl thats perfect. Tried a tz-x model xl and didnt fit as good. Im 6ft 5 (when my back doesnt have me hunched).

As a cruiser guy you wont want race boots, but for reference for other large guys with 'kankles' I have size 49 Sidi Vertigo boots.... has an adjustable calf you pull out so you can do up side zip, then wind in the calf with the wheel on the back.

Yeah wicked gear up at whitfords shopping center do custom fitted leather at reasonable price, but like everything, they take your measurements and takes a few weeks cos its done in a chinese factory. Pretty sure the bikers gear stuff is made there too... think my 6xl leather jacket was like only $250... Dont think it would be that cheap for local made custom stuff. And yeah jacket is year old and holding up well. Rubbed a bit of colour off the collar, thats about it.

The gear is made in Pakistan is what he told me when I got mine just before Christmas

[Oz Motorcycle Leathers]

If you want to buy gear with the purpose of getting it altered, reducing is always easier than lengthening/widening. So, if the jacket mentioned fits in the body but the arms are too long, then that's not a big issue at all. I would also add that you should only get riding gear altered by a specialist in motorcycle clothing.

If there's no-one in perth, you can always post to me in Sydney

[Choona]

Thanks for all the great pointers... planning to go either Monday or Tuesday (most likely with my mate) and check out a few places... got a few ideas... and mainly thinking about getting a nice jacket that will fit around the body and having the arms altered/shortened to suit.

The Nolan helmet suggestion was quite handy, and I've done a bit of a research online about them, but can only tell once I get to a few stores and try them out. Personally I prefer full face helmet, but after seeing some of the comparable prices of flip face helmets, that could be worthwhile taking into consideration as well. Chatting with Tonka128, seems most cruiser riders usually goes for open face helmets, but my comment to him was that my face is ugly enough... don't need to mess it up even more...

Love the suggestion for the gloves to be altered by a bootmaker, that's something that had not even crossed my mind. Will definitely check that out.

I actually tried on my mate's jacket to see how his 6XL would fit me, and it zips up fine and snug until near the top of the chest... my shoulders are wider than his, so I think I will try find one a little bigger, but thanks for your offer Orangeflash, will keep that in mind.