Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126833
Sure , you'd look great in leathers. But if pants are left unhemmed so you can you actually plan to ride in them, you'd ' tailor them to your leg length. Esprit better make s ure they are designed for keeps you covered. riding, not just for looking good. Most dealers won't let you take leathers out for a test drive , so the next best thing is to try them on and do these tests right at the shop. 1. SIT ON A BIKE. Do the leathers feel stiff or resist the way you want to move? Esprit jackets have deep-cut "action" backs for more freedom of movement. Many Esprit styles have expansion sides for even more flexibility. And Esprit's supple leather bends where you bend. Esprit moves with you. 3. CHECK OUT THE ZIPPERS. Do the leathers keep you covered in the riding position, or are there gaps at your back, wrists and ankles? Esp rit jackets have longe r arms and backs to protect you in the riding pos ition, .and Esp rit Brian Slark, 47, who operates a Norton shop in Laguna Niguel, said some o f the brak e, wh eel , fork, transmission a nd eng ine p arts on hi s 1956 Norton Dominator ar e co m m o n to Nortons through' 1975. So a few parts go a long way in keeping Brit ish iron on the road. The sponsor of th e run , J RClTriumph Engineering, is itself a parts outfit that hopes to lead a minicomeback of Britannia bik es. The Fountain Valley concern is th e U.S. importer for the latest incarnation of Triumph. Wh en th e old Triumph workers' coo pe ra tive in Mer iden was liquidated in 1983 because of mounting debt, L.F. H arris bought much of th e remnant a nd is now manufacturin g new Triumphs a t a factory in Devon. This ha s been a n o n-a nd -off aga in proposition for some time, but if it goes , J RC sa id 600 U.S. dea lers want th e new bik es, J ohn Ca licchio, JRC pr esident, said on ly a tri ckl e will co me a t first " b u t at least it 's a sta rt ," Int erest in gl y, th e first bat ch ca n be so ld a nywhe re but Ca liforn ia, wh ere it will have to clear stat e em issio n cert ifica tio n hurdl es. Th e all -British run brought some odd- looking ma chi nery to Calicchio's parking lot at J RC. Rebecca Prado, 23, pu lled u p on a hybrid of sorts. She rode a chopper powered by a 650cc Triumph twin , Prado 's extended-fork frame and Harley parts are blasphemy to purists who insist a mo torcycle should never stray from th e stock factory setup. Bu t in other ways, P ra do is a staunch traditionalist. "You'd never . .calCh me o n a Jitpa bike," she, ins ists. . At another pa rt of the parking lo t, th ere was an od d creature going by the name of Clymer's Indian Velo 500. T his 500cc si ngle was the late Floyd Clymer's dream of resurrecting Indian, the American make that folded in the mid 1950s. Cl ymer, publish er of th e famed Clymer shop manuals, acquired th e Indian n ameplate and had Veloceue, th e British m otorcvcle m anufa cturer th at s u bseq ue~ l1y clos ed , p rovide a m ot or for wh at was 10 be a new crea tion in 1968. The bike's owne r, Dick Brown, 53, who o pera tes GRB En gin eering, a Costa Mesa mo tor cycle sho p, said 200 of th e sing les were m ad e, but th e venture soon co lla psed. In th e inter vening yea rs, hi s mot orcycle wa s bat tered inan accide nt , forcing him to repair it with a Suzuki fram e, wh eels made in Spain a nd shock a bsor bers from Germ an y. Th is cu rio us a ma lgamation o f exo tic names a n d p arts -en able the Indian Vel o 500 to be named " m ost unusu al " b ike on the run. " Yo u might say it's kind of a world bike," joked Brown, • 2. MOVE AROUND. You don't want zippers tha t s lip down and let in drafts while you're riding, Esprit uses on ly th e highest q ua lity YKK zippers that lock into place , with thick leather wind flaps beh ind them. Esp rit \ I zips out the wind . ~ "' ;,;r-- 4. TEST HIGH STRESS AREAS. ~><:1 - "" tS yo' " . S lf'l~ zippers1octnJU11tn1 wind. .. .. ' Do the seams pull apart? How strong is the thread? Esprit leathers are doublest itched with heavy-duty nylon thread, and high stress areas, like the seat of you r pants , a re bar-tacked for extra strength. Esprit stands up to stress. 5. EXAMINE THE LEATHER. Is it tough enough to protect )'l?u in a fall? Esprit leather is 1.3mm thick. Thinner 65$ leather offers 1 protection, while thicker leather is les s flexible and doe sn't breathe as well. And Esprit leathe rs are made of top grade American cowhide. The careful preparation includes full penetration drum dying, which produces a soft, su pple leather with a long-wearing, scu ff-res istant finish . Esprit leather Is tough. 6. IS THERE A WARRANTY? Most manufacturers won't guarantee the quality of their apparel. But Esprit leathers, like all Esp rit products, come With a s ix-mo nth limite d wa rra nty against defects in materials and workmans hip. Esp rit quality is guaranteed. While serious riders will agree that good riding leathers should pass all of these tests, you will never agree on what the leathers shou ld look like. That's why Esprit leathers come in a varietyof greatlooking styles, colors and s izes for men and women to choose from. Findthem at your local dealership and put them to the test. Your Espritleathers will ride with you for years . Broc Glover uses P J 1 Lubricants to win the Binghamton National .Motocross and clinch the 1985 National MX Title. Special Thanks to Broc's mechanic Jon Rosenstiel Askfor P the exact hi-per rmance blendofoilsand lubricants thatfactory J1, fo raceteams use on their u/inning race bikes. 23