id go for the suit gloves combo in a heartbeat but i wear 4xl gloves in most brands :/ they only do 2xl
holy cow gorilla hands!:fear: lol. I'd like a new suit. If a deal i simply cant pass up comes a long, i'd take it. But new is what i''d prefer.
Seriously, wassup Bananahands? LOL Now I recall you saying you're about 6'5" tall. You'll never own Taichi gear my friend.
6'4"-5" depending on the time of day but i got monkey limbs .. im all legs and arms .. i have a 6-7in longer reach than my height when i really stretch and utilize my banana fingers haha damnit !!!!! im screwed
My first suit was the Alpinestars "MX-1". It cost about the same as what that GP-1 costs, but this was about 5-6 years ago so it didnt have all of the same cool features. There were no elbow sliders or extra knee sliders, etc. I crashed in that suit 3 times, one of which was high speed...and it held up excellent. Not a single scratch on me (aside from a broken collarbone, concussion and broken ribs, which had nothing to do with the suit). I still have that suit and wouldnt hesitate to wear it today, even after those crashes...and it hasnt needed a single repair. To be honest, you are making this a tougher decision than what it needs to be. But i can't fault you, i am doing the exact same thing. I went back and forth about a suit for the past month till i finally decided on what im getting. Sure, some might be marginally better than others. Some might have cooler graphics than others or better venilation, etc. But at the end of the day, what matters is how well they will protect you. And any of the suits mentioned in this thread will do a sufficient job of doing that. Just avoid the $200 knock off eBay suits and you will be fine.
Don't forget to check out the Vanson Hybrid off the rack suit. Vanson leathers are built like a tank. I crashed mine 5 times and if they weren't cut off me the last time I would still be wearing them.
To add in another good affordable custom suit maker: http://www.spartanleathers.com/ I had a two piece from them and was absolutely happy with them. I was actually planning on getting a custom one piece made until I sprung for my Held Race Evo suit. They're GREAT quality for the price, you can usually find a $100 off coupon on their Facebook (and they usually have Black Friday sales as well), and the guy that runs the company is great to work with.
I'd like to see a set in person, but i have to say....cost to benefit ratio is hard to beat with those Spartan Suits..... A custom 1pc with Schoeller Kepertech for 899? That's a pretty good deal. The plot thickens!
I have been looking at suites as well. And I had come to the conclusion of Spartan leathers. not saying other suites were not as nice, I just felt Spartan leathers offered the best features/price for a novice track day rider. maybe if I was racing I would invest more, but for track days (and I am 6_5 225lbs) the Spartan advantage seems to tip the scales in their direction. Also do not forget Barnacle Bill. I never hear a bad word about Barnacle Bill Leathers.
I picked up a closeout Spartan suit for $400 in the offseason. I went down about 50 mph at Road America and slide for a while and the suit held up very well. I tend not to fit in off the rack stuff very well, but sizing up a bit and my fits just fine.
Any suit manufacturers offer over the boot? I know Dianese does but I believe you have to use their boot. My Scorpion suit is over the boot and I love it. I want my next suit to be over the boot also.
You dont HAVE to use their boots. The Dainese suits have 2 zippers on the calves so you can expand them as much as you want...and put them over any boots. I wear the Daytona Security EVO boots and i could easily put my suit over them (but i dont). I know you can/could put them over the Alpinestars SuperTech boots. The ones you might have a problem with would be the Alpinestars SMX boots, as they have a large opening at the top and are designed for the suit to go inside them.