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Executive Summary:
Estimated Cost: $1000+ (about the same price as mid-priced off the rack leathers)
Good: Top notch protection, Durable suit that crashes well, Bill answering the phone and helping you out. Made in America, this is rare these days.
Bad: Measure and measure again, because bill makes the suit to your measurements so if you are wrong the suit will not be correct.
Ugly: Low on style points because durability and quality come first.
Buy again??? Yes I will be buying another suit after I wear this one out. That may be a long time from now.

The long story…..

Many times I am quick to review a product after a first fitting or second usage. I like to run with my first impression and in general it rarely fails me. But sometimes my first impression is not always the way I feel about something in the long term. In the case of my Barnacle Bill leathers my opinion has improved during the past year I have owned them.

Back up a bit to the summer of ’06, and my decision to have a custom made leather racing suit. After a long search I decided on Barnacle Bill racing leathers. Now I know the name sounds silly, but the fact is that Bill has a loyal following though the WERA road racing message board. Bill has been repairing leathers for years and though his knowledge gained repairing suits, Bill now makes customs suits. Bill’s leathers are basic in color and design, but high on top quality materials, construction and are very crashable.

The first step in getting a Barnacle Bill suit is to get measured. This is the most critical and challenging point of the whole process. Bill’s measurements are very detailed and I think are best handled by having a Tailor take the measurements. I would also call Bill and verify how he would like the measurements taken. Since this is a one off suit, any error creates troubles down the line. In my case I did not have a Tailor take the measurements and my wife and I did the best job we could. In the end we had one measurement that was off and created a less that ideal situation.

Once you have your order form, you send off your deposit and the form to Bill via the US Mail. For all of today’s high technology, Bill is into working and creating something that is not digital. Because of that, Bill works in the world of checks, shipping and phone calls. Don’t forget to send any extra info like lettering for the suit. In my case I had some special letters made up in the “Blade runner” style of font. In addition I also wanted the uber cool speed hump with the lettering going across the hump.

After a reasonable period of time, Bill created a suit and shipped it out to me. When I got it home I was so very excited and could not wait to put it on. Like a kid at Christmas I got into the suit and immediately got on my bike. At this point I had lost a ton of objectivity and was eager to have my new suit. The bad part is the suit just did not fit right and it cut into my neck when I tried to get into a tuck. I took some pictures and made a phone call the next day to Bill. In my eagerness to get to use the suit, I did not listen to Bill’s questions, and requested the front edge of the neck to be trimmed so it would fit. Bill asked something about the rise in the back, but I was not listing. Still I sent off the suit and Bill made the adjustments.

The suit returned and I was off to the races. I wore the suit a few times and it fit, but a few people commented that the speed hump looked low. I ignored this and continued to wear my lovely suit and even crashed once in it. But between September ‘06 and May ’07, I started to realize that things just were not right. I gave bill a call and told him how I felt the hump was to far down my back and that the top of my back board was exposed. Bill said to send it back and we would figure out what was wrong and get it adjusted.

A month or so passed from the time of that call till one day, out of the blue, Bill gave me a call. He said he has been waiting for the suit and wondering if I was sending it. That was something I did not expect, a call to get my suit back and work on it. At bill’s request we took a few measurements and found that the measurement for the length along the back was not correct. The measurement sheet calls out from the “Seam” of my underwear (I wear underarmor) to the back of the shirt collar. With me being a big guy the start and end point was not where bill expected them to be. Bill was nice enough to tell me where on my BODY to measure and we got a difference of 5”. This is not so much Bill’s fault, but the fact that as you become “non-standard” in size; some measuring points need to be considered carefully.

Shipping the suit back to Bill, he rebuilt the suit. Bill did not “adjust” the suit; he basically added a large additional panel and rebuilt the whole back of the suit. At the same time I had Bill do a full suit cleaning for $75. This is a barging where bill washes, dries and conditions the suit. This process takes a week or more, and required the armor and inner liner to be removed. Bill also added some more ventilation to help with the phoenix heat. Bill was very reasonable for the fee to correct the measurement issue. Considering this was a suit that was almost a year old.

I got the suit back in time for an Endurance race in August. The difference in the suit was amazing, the fit was now much better, I don’t feel so bound up and I move around better in the suit. After several go around the suit fits and works as Bill had intended it to.

So this is all good, I got a custom suit and it fits. So what you say, all customs suits should do this. The bigger deal is how good the suit works when you go down, as all other things are secondary to how well the suit crashes. Twice now from personal experience the barnacle bill suit crashes very well. I have had two crashes in the suit, both have been low sides.

The first crash in November ’06, was a slow low side around 30mph. I had a cold tire crash and fell on my right shoulder. The suit handled this with just some light scrapes and some color worn off the top of the suit. No seams were damaged or blown out; I did not have a bruise on my arm or shoulder and not a friction burn to be found. The wife touched up the suit with Kraft paint at Bill’s suggestion and I continued on with the suit.

The Second crash was in September ’07, and was another low side crash. This time I was caring a bit more speed and fell around 70mph at the apex of a corner. This hit was hard again on the same right side shoulder and forearm. After I separated from the bike and slid off the track I got tumbled around and slid on my ass and finally my right arm and ended up face down in some rough paved asphalt. Getting up I walked away and the first thing I said was, man these Bill leathers are great. The fall was at a good speed and still the leathers are in good shape. The seat of the leathers is a bit roughed up and the fore arms show some wear. For all of this, I did not come off with one bruise. I did have a dime sized minor friction burn on my elbow, and that was it. Don’t get me wrong this was a hard hit onto my shoulder and fore arm. I was good to go and racing the same day in the same suit.

So what is the verdict on my Barnacle Bill Suit?
First take good measurements, and measure twice and call Bill with any questions. If I was to do it again I would have a pro take the measurements. I am thinking of flying out to see bill and have him measure me up.

Second the leathers work, they work well and are durable. If you want fancy graphics, I am sure bill can do that. But the reality is this is a durable suit where style takes a back seat to function. I am not saying this is a superman suit, but I have a lot of confidence that this suit will do the best job possible in protecting me.

So in conclusion, if you want a suit that is durable, crashes well and is made by someone who cares about you as a customer, a Barnacle Bill suit is a good choice. Remember when you get that Barnacle Bill suit, Bill has personally made your pattern, cut the leather and sewn it together for you. If something ever happens to the suit, Bill can repair it back to the way it was. It’s hard not to love something that does its job and is made by someone who cares about you and how happy you are with the suit. BTW, it’s made in America; few off the rack suits can say that.