Who we are
Set up and run by bikers in 2008, arc-on is a British motorcycle clothing company designing and importing top quality leather and Cordura bike gear. We've sourced skilled and experienced craftsmen, got cutting edge materials like Scholler stretch kevlar and Forcefield armour - probably the best motorcycle armour around - and British design and put it all together on our mail-order website.
Competitive pricing
We’re a small (but growing!) company and don’t have premises, big overheads, race-team sponsorship and all the associated costs of some of the big names, so we can bring top quality gear to the market, using all the best materials, at a reasonable price.
Materials
The qualities of leather are well known to all motorcyclists, especially anyone who’s benefited from being surrounded by it when having an accident - as all of us at arc-on have been at some point in our biking days. Despite this it is worth pointing out we use top quality 1.2-1.4mm drum-dyed, ‘grade A’ cow hide and quality kangaroo in our gloves, the industry standard for the right mix of performance and wearability. We use Scholler stretch Kevlar in crucial areas, with a high Kevlar content and all our seams are multiple stitched and the more vulnerable areas are glued and triple stitched. All our product are worn and tested by racers at the highest level (BSB and WSBK) and our customers get exactly the same product as our racers.
The specific qualities of Cordura are perhaps a little less appreciated. Waterproof and windproof it is also highly abrasion resistant. Compared to leather of the same thickness, Cordura nylon is a stronger material, but leather tends to be used in thicker and heavier sections, so overall leather is more abrasion resistant. Cordura is lighter and generally warmer than leather and is often preferred to leather for town riding. Our Cordura is 600D, slightly thicker than normally used and has a waterproof membrane bonded to the underside, ensuring waterproofing without the hassle of a separate waterproof layer.
Armour
The quality of Forcefield armour speaks for itself. Trusted by racers at all levels of racing they are high quality, well tested and beautifully designed protectors. As Forcefield continue to develop their products we’ll continue to work alongside them, to get the best armour we can. Most of our jackets come with a back protector but we are aware lots of bikers tend to want to buy stand-alone back protectors and, increasingly, chest protectors. If you’re doing that we’d recommend Forcefield’s range of award winning protectors. See www.forcefieldbodyarmour.com for more details on their construction, design and rigorous testing procedures.
Testing
Despite using these excellent materials, construction techniques we’re working alongside a UK independent CE accredited test laboratory to work to make better garments all the time. We’re proud of our gear but will continue to invest money in testing new ideas and new products all the time, to ensure we develop as the technology, materials and construction of the industry moves on. Most recently this has involved using titanium and magnesium in our external moulds and stingray hide in our gloves and race suits.
Events
We’ll be attending some of the year’s biggest bike and motorsport meets where you’ll be able to talk to us, have a look and feel of the gear and find out more. We’ll put the events we’re attending up on the web site, so bookmark us and keep an eye on the news section.
Returns
We are essentially a web sales business but, so you can buy with confidence, we are happy to have any garments sent back to us for a full refund, if you’re not happy with the fit. We’d encourage you to try to get the right sizes in advance though (size guides are on the site, or you can email us), so we can keep postal costs down. If you return any garments we will be happy to give a full refund for any undamaged, unsullied items, but we will only also refund the return postage if you buy another, similar garment from us. Any damage to the garment and we will not be able to offer a refund.
Payment
As you’ll see on the site we accept payment by paypal which, in our experience of web shopping, is the quickest, easiest and safest way of buying. Even if you do not have a paypal account you can pay using your credit card, through paypal. In this instance paypal acts as the secure server to process your credit or debit card payment. You don’t have to sign up for this service, just use paypal as you’d normally use a secure payment system on any other website. If you’re still unsure of paypal or want to pay by cheque or BACS transfer you can but the gear will only be sent out once the cheque/payment has cleared.
Info
For any more info on us, or any of the above please email