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Product/Service: XES Custom Racing Leathers
Manufacturer/Provider: Moto-Heaven
Reviewed by: Jeff

In early 2004, I began shopping for a custom set of leathers. Most of them were priced extremely high, but when I contacted longtime sponsor and friend Phil Caudill of Moto-Heaven, he explained that they had just started producing their own line of leathers. Having worked with Phil for a number of years and running the Wintex line of gear which he imports, I knew that Phil would be quality oriented as well as competitive in pricing.

I talked to Phil about quality, and gave him my requirements (1.4m cowhide, CE armor, Double stitching, removable liner, aero hump, etc etc etc). He answered yes to all of my questions and went well beyond my expectations in most areas.

Phil sent me his custom sizing sheet and order form and we went to work.

I measured myself and had a lot of questions which I got back to Phil on. The sizing sheet he uses today is due in part to the initial work which we did together on sizing. I am pleased to see the pictures for measurement, but would still STRONGLY advise you to head to a PROFESSIONAL tailor (preferably one who has done leather work) and have them measure you. Most will do it for free. If they do charge, it will be small and well worth it.

Within about a week, Phil had draft samples for me on what would look like. I approved and he went to work. I ordered them in the busiest time of his season, and knew turnaround time would be an issue due to other race teams having orders in first, initial production bugs, etc. My turn around time was about 12 weeks if I recall correctly. This time has been cut down DRAMATICALLY now that he has the kinks ironed out. He's down to 4-8 weeks now depending on time of season, complexity, etc.

When I received the leathers I was quite pleased at what I saw.

The ventilation to the suit is VERY nice, and proved quite good while on the track. This also shows a shot of the double-zipper front which makes getting IN and OUT a SIMPLE task. This is quite good for someone with a broken collar bone (not me at least yet, but I know several people who need this because of such).

The lettering and graphics to the suit are EXCELLENT. I am extremely pleased at the graphics layout and quality. Additionally, the custom aero-hump was done quite well with full lettering on it.

These are pics of the stretch panels as well as the extra layers of leather on the butt. The butt felt weird since there were extra layers of leather there, but in ALL my other suits, I have patches on the ass since I've gone through there from crashes.

Per Moto-Heaven:

Some key features of construction are:
-1.3-1.4 premium cowhide
-Double and Triple safety stitching
-CE armor throughout
-Removable hard armor back protector
-Aero hump standard
-Fully perforated with additional shoulder and -Leg vents (or choose no perforation)
-Removable liner
-Hip padding
-Double leather seat
-Choice of Single or Double zip front
-YKK zippers used
-Kevlar and leather stretch panels at every joint form head to toe for a custom-like fit.
-Pre-curved arms, legs, and torso for race fit.

When I got my suit, it was EARLY on in development. I had 2 main comments for Phil. The first was around the liner. It did not have a zipper to it, and the openings were too small. I had mine fixed locally, and Phil had construction changed for all further suits. The second comment was in sizing. I had a problem with the legs and arms being too tight. Phil had several other customers with the same problem. He stood behind his products and had the suits fixed, sometimes replacing the suit all together. He also made immediate production changes which resolved these issues for good. Again, I will reiterate that a professional measurement will dramatically reduce the chance of sizing problems.

It's nice to have a suit that actually fits. This is the first suit I've ever had that fits me from the collar to the crotch. Every other suit has been too short, or if I get it long enough, there's an extra 8" on the waist which I don't need.

Phil's pricing has increased in 2005, but they are still some of the most competitive on the market and are a great value in my opinion for a custom sized and lettered set of leathers.

You can reach Phil and Moto-Heaven at www.moto-heaven.com Tell him you came over from cbr600rr.com!

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