I am a newby at suits so how about telling me what makes these $200 suits so inferior to the $1200 custom suits besides exact fit?
Matt
I have a $1000 msrp (I bought it on clearance for 40% off!!!) Alpinestars suit, and the ~$800 Speed and Strength suit that I got from Kawasaki at the Zero to Hero Challenge I was just in. The A* suit is just over 4 years old, and even being a higher dollar suit, I think the S&S is slightly better, mostly due to suit and armor development. The price point on a decent suit has come down somewhat, but as has been said above the differences are noticeable. A cheap leather suit will most likely protect you in a trackday get-off, a better suit (sourced on clearance when you can find something in your size) will protect you, and will most likely be usable again afterward. A couple of points:
Leather: This is where the $200 suit and the $1k suit are probably most alike. While the higher dollar suit may be a bit more supple, the basic leather thickness and protection level are not vastly different. Caveat: some of the really cheap suits are noticeably thinner leather. Avoid these like the plague.
Textile: Huge differences here. Cheap suits generally use basic stretch textile for the crotch, inner thigh, bicep area, etc. Better suits will generally use advanced materials like Schoeller Keprotec, which is specifically designed to be abrasion, tear, and heat resistant.
Stitching / Seam design: Double and triple stitching, coupled with better seam design and things like kevlar thread are where better suits will excel. Additionally, the patterns for higher grade leathers will include solid pieces of leather across the most abrasion-prone areas, in order to eliminate the possibility of blowing a seam open in a get-off.
Armor: This is one of the biggest areas the cheap suits will skimp. Knox CE Level-2 armor is the standard, in a GP-style (hard exterior with softer foam toward the rider). The better suits also incorporate padding between the armor and the leather exterior, so that the leather doesn't sit directly on the hard armor surface, giving it some flex so it's less likely to wear through while sliding down the road.
All that said, I completely understand paying less $$$ for a suit so you have more $$$ to spend on trackdays. You're definitely right that the best way to stay safe is to become a better rider, and I can understand wanting to get the least expensive safety equipment that clears you with the track to go out and ride. Frank Thomas went out of business, so CG isn't carrying them anymore. However, their Sedici line of stuff (built by the same manufacturer as BILT, the former MotoBoss) is in line with what FT used to put out. Better quality than you'd expect for the $$, and still pretty reasonably priced. However, if the Jackets4Bikes stuff is anything like the BILT stuff at CycleGear, I'd avoid it.
It's one of those things where I'd rather spend an extra $100 on a clearance set of hot pink leathers of higher quality than have to replace the pretty ones that were cheaper the first time I crash in them. Like I said above, I didn't care what color or pattern was on the A* suit when I bought it, I just cared that it was on stupid clearance and was the right size. If you're comfortable with your current leathers for light track duty, wear them! Most any full leather suit (or 360-degree zip 2-piece) is going to be WAY better than a textile jacket and jeans, so you're better off than you would be otherwise. If you're not completely comfortable with those, Sportbiketrackgear.com is a good place to keep an eye on for clearance stuff, I've gotten a couple of really good deals there.
