Leather jackets from China: Knock-off or Knock-out?
 

http://www.aliexpress.com/fm-store/5...er-jacket.html

$84.20 shipped for a Joe (Duhan) Rocket Honda jacket?! I thought it was real until I saw the collar tag. Has anyone ever bought one of these? It looks like a nice jacket: removable liner, removable pads... only problem is I like Michelin tires, not dunlop. I guess a pair of sissors would take care of that though.

There are some other similar ones on ebay. Here is a Pakistani Repsol jacket for $150 shipped:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Honda...Q5fMerchandise

I have found the leather on Chinese jackets to be very thin.
(they don't say it's cowhide - yes, maybe leather but off what animal :eek:)
The Pakistani ones are much better - at least the one I had sent to me. Worth the money.
FWIW

+1 to Shadow. The first jacket I had was a knockoff a* that I picked up on ebay for 40 or 50 bucks. It looked just the the real thing, but the leather on it was so thin I didn't think it would hold up if I ever needed it to.

Yikes, so perhaps they're just casual jackets instead of road-worthy jackets? Shame, I got really excited about the Chinese ones, they look fantastic in the pictures.

I've got a Wilsons leather jacket I normally wear. Very similar to this one, only with cream-colored stripes:

http://images1.americanlisted.com/nl...n_18295793.jpg

No pads or liner... just a casual jacket really, but the leather is genuine, really tough and it's saved my skin twice when I've slapped a hand down on asphalt at around 20mph. Didn't even scuff it up really. However, it does look like a casual jacket and the absense of padding is an obvious hinderance.

I've also got a (genuine) joe rocket textile, but I'd like to get a "racing" leather one, similar to those I posted. It doesn't have to be covered in patches or brand logos, but that shape is what I'm after. I find the textile one to be a bit puffy, but it's good for rainy weather, at least.

So what are some good places to find leather jackets cheap? There are so many places, I don't even know where too start.

FleaBay tends to be good, you just need to look closely to make sure you're getting the real thing.

MotorcycleGear.com (Formerly NewEnough.com) tends to have good prices, but you're subject to what they have in stock. If you're looking for something specific it may pay to check back ever day or two until they have something that matches what you need.

Another option, if there's one close to you, is to check out your local motorcycle shops. Normally stuff is a bit more expensive than you find online, but if you make friends with the staff they'll tell you when things are about to be taken out of stock and you can get a good deal on the last one available. It may be "last years" model, but it's all the same in the end. They'll also know if the product gets returned alot, and can steer you away from the junk.

There was a guy who used to advertise on www.e-Bay.UK who sold jackets from Spain - I bought one - good quality for around $80 with padding, logo's etc.
I'll see what I can find...........

Save your money & buy a quality real riding jacket for riding.

http://www.motorcyclegear.com/street...race_suit.html


This two-piece suit is outstanding! It doesn't show the price unless you request it by email, but it's a great deal for sure. The black suit is just what I want. Sadly, the size I need is on extended backorder, but I may shoot them an email to see how long that wait will actually be... I love my joe rocket textile two-piece suit, so I'd love to continue the tradition. The jacket looks great on it's own and getting a matching pair of pants with it is even better. I think my local shop has joe rocket stuff, so I may go try one on if they have it. Sadly, the locsal shop is usually over priced on things and the staff is less than friendly (used to work for a bike shop and yeah, it feels good to buy local/be part of the community, etc., but these guys are typically jerks), so I'm sorry, but I'll probably be buying online.

I may be blowing a couple pay checks on this, although I know I shouldn't...

Shadow, I think I found that british seller on ebay. Is he essexbikerscentre? If so, he has a ton of stuff that still ends up being pretty cheap even after the $100+ for shipping.

I just happen to have alot of experience with some of the jackets you guys are talking about. I had an ebay account where I sold them from home a few years back. (airx-sports if you want to look up my old feedback) I stopped selling them when I moved to Orlando to start my training.


I cant really comment on the china made jackets, I never bothered to even waste money on them. Through out my ebay carrer I imported cheap electonics. In china you can find 10 differnt factories making the same or very similar item. From experience its usually poor quality. I have found good stuff, but that took me searching and buying from various suppliers to find it.


The same goes for the Pakistan made jackets. I ordered from over 4 different suppliers and got 4 different but similar items. Just like china some are poor quality and some are pretty damn decent for $150 out the door. I found one good supplier that seemed to have a decent quality control and every now and then there would be one or two out of 50 that had a stitch here or there missed or a patch slightly off center. I remember selling a two piece suit to a guy, and two weeks later selling him the same suit after he wrecked at a track day.

Overall I would buy one, especially if your on a budget.