Hours:
Tuesday through Friday: 9 am till 5 pm eastern time 
Saturday: 9 am till 2 pm eastern time 
Closed Sunday and Monday                                                                                                                                 

You can email me anytime jay@motorcycleleatherexchange.com

Store:

For nine years Motorcyle Leather Exchange was run out a basement, not anymore. We have gone mainstream, way mainstream, we bought a Honda Dealership. We are Proudly part of Boone Action Cycles located just outside of Boone North Carolina. Our new address is 8483 US Hwy 421 North, Vilas, North Carolina 28692. Most of the gear is still in the back, but soon we will revamp the showroom. We hope to have the largest motorcycle apparel department in the state.. And maybe the South.

Back to top
back to main page

Shipping fees.

Our stand shipping method of orders in the lower 48 states is UPS ground, but you can upgrade to three day, two day or overnight for an additional charge, give us a call or send us a email for more information. The shipping time for UPS ground varies depending on how far away from Maryland you are. It usually takes one day for packages to reach you if you are within 300 miles of Washington DC and five or six working days to reach the west coast. Minimum shipping charge is $7. Shipping is determined per item. If you order more than one item, the shipping rate will be less than the amount shown on the shopping cart and I will send you an email to confirm the exact shipping amount. General shipping charges are as follows: small items $7 - including gloves, knee-sliders, and lap timers; $9 for pants, boots, back protectors; $12 for jackets and helmets; $18 for suits.  That includes packaging, handling and insurance.

We do not ship USPS or Fed-Ex, they are located too far away from us, it's a real pain to drive up there, and wait in line.

Shipping to Alaska or Hawaii is calculated by weight, we will contact you with the total shipping cost.

International shipping (including Canada) is hard to calculate due to costs you may be charged for duties, fees, tariffs, etc., imposed by your country upon delivery. Contact us and we will do our best to help you.

Back to top

Payment methods

Credit cards:
You can pay by Visa or Master card with our secure shopping cart or you can call us and place the order over the phone.

When you pay by credit card, your order will go out in the next UPS shipment. Pick up is at about 3 pm eastern time Monday through Friday. You will be notified of the UPS tracking number after your order is sent.

Prepayment with check or money order:
If you prefer, you may mail your payment. Mail sent from most US locations takes two or three days to reach me. Don't forget to include your name, your shipping address, phone number, and the number of the item that you wish to purchase. You will be notified by e-mail when your payment arrives. Please mail to:

Jay Goddard
Motorcycle Leather Exchange
8483 US Hwy 421 N
Vilas, North Carolina 28692

Sorry, we don't acccept Paypal, due to the high fees.

back to top

Overseas orders

Right now we are not shipping Overseas.

Please note that new Vanson items can't be sold to residents of Europe or Japan. If you live in those places and would like a new Vanson item, please contact the importer directly. 

UK: Simon Green, Vanson UK, phone 011-44-1579-362367
Continental Europe: Uli Zerdick, Vanson Europe, phone 011-49-5073-1436
Japan: Ted Sumida, Washington House, 011-42-675-9748

back to top

Sizing help

Sizes can vary from one maker to another, and frequently your size in leather will be one size bigger than the size you wear in business suits. I can make a good guess at your jacket or suit size if I know your height, weight and waist size.

In general, jackets have an eight inch difference between the chest and waist sizes. For example, a size 44 jacket will fit a person whose waist size is 36" or less. European items may have a ten inch difference. To find the US size on a European jacket, subtract ten. For example, a size 52 jacket is about the same as US size 42.

Some garments are sold in sizes small, medium, large etc. Small is around size 36, medium is around size 40, large is around size 44, and XL can be size 46 or 48.

The best way I have found to fit gloves is for you to mail a tracing of your hand along with your payment. If I can see that the gloves are the wrong size, I'll simply return your check. This method works for boots too, just trace around your foot while wearing normal socks.

I also can measure any garment that interests you. You can then take the same measurements on a piece of clothes that you already own, and we can compare the results. To see a picture that shows exactly how I measure, click here.

Back to top

What does it mean when something is on hold?

When an item is on hold, it is somewhere in the process of a sale. Perhaps payment is pending, or maybe I have already sent it out and I am waiting to hear if the purchaser is satisfied and wants to keep it. If something that is on hold catches your eye, let me know. I keep a back up list, and if an item you want gets returned, I can notify you.

Back to top

Can I make payments on an item?

I'm sorry, but I am not able to handle payments on account. I will hold an item for a maximum of ten days if you see something you want but need a little time to get funds together.

Back to top

Can I return it?

You can return any item for a refund if it doesn't fit, you don't like it, or for any other reason. It must be in the same condition it was in when you received it. Simply send me an e-mail within one week of receiving an item stating that you want to return it. When I get the item back, I'll mail a refund check. Unfortunately, I cannot refund the cost of shipping. Returns sent COD will be refused.

Back to top

Selling or trading your old leathers

Get in touch to let me know what you have. I can either buy your leathers outright, or we can do a consignment arrangement. When I buy outright, I pay approximately 60% of my estimated selling price. I mail checks promptly upon receipt of items. When I sell your item on consignment, I pay 75% of the selling price if that price is $200 or more. If it is less than $200, I pay the selling price minus $50. Anything that arrives smelling of cigarettes or mildew or is covered with dead bugs is subject to a cleaning fee. Don't send us anything without contacting us first. Shipping costs are your responsiblity unless an agreement has been made before hand.

Selling or trading other things

We are always looking for other motorcycle related gear. If you have hard or soft luggage, motorcycle specific tools, HRC goodies, or even whole late model motorcycle we might be interested.  We  once had a guy trade a motorcycle for a jacket.  Just send us an email describing what you have and how much you would like for it. 

What kinds of leathers are you looking for?

RACING SUITS! RACING SUITS! RACING SUITS!

The following guidelines are not meant to be inclusive. The best items are recent styles from Vanson, Syed, Bates, Alpinestars, HJC, Spyke, Spidi, Hein Gericke, First Gear, Fieldsheer, Aerostich, Dainese etc. One piece suits should have modern armor, Velcro for knee sliders and be able to pass tech inspection on US race tracks. Two piece suits can be more old fashioned. Jackets with venting, some type of padding or armor, and removable liners are the most desirable. Pants with hip and knee padding are in demand, as are good quality jeans style pants.  We are also looking for boots, gloves or any other quality apparel.

Vintage items from the 50s 60s and 70s have a small but dedicated following.

Good colors include solid black, black/white/red combinations, black/gray, and black/white/blue. Leathers with too much pink, purple or bright green are less popular. Brown leathers do not sell well.

Textile items not made by Aerostich will be considered for consignment sale only.

I am unlikely to make an offer on the following: bomber jackets with knitted cuffs and waistband; things with fringe and conches; chaps and Marlon Brando style jackets that were not made by Vanson, Langlitz, or Hein Gericke; fashion brands such as Wilson's, Berman's, Open Road, Unik International etc; items with size alterations not done by the maker or other motorcycle leather specialist; and items which are extensively damaged or have had the lining removed.

Does size matter?

Er, yes.

The best sizes are men's jackets and suits size 42 to and up, and men's pants size 32 and up, women's sizes 10 and up.

Sizes smaller than men's 40 and women's 10 are less desirable and the prices paid will generally be less than the prices paid for equivalent items in more popular sizes.

Men's sizes 36 or women's sizes 6 and under will only be considered for extremely popular styles, such as high quality modern track suits, or current Hein Gericke or Vanson jackets and pants.

Back to top

Why aren't there more women's leathers?

We wish we had more.  When Lisa and I got into riding it was just about impossible to find good gear designed for women.  It is still hard to find decent gear (but it has gotten better), we do offer some good used gear made for women and Vanson is constantly expanding the women's gear they offer. If you can't find what you need in our listings, please contact us, we may still be able help you.

Back to top

Can I redesign your website in exchange for a jacket?

Quite a few people have asked this.  I know this site is basic but I like to keep it simple for my low band-width customers. I do all the web work myself, and I would like to keep it that way. Sometimes I make several changes a day (adding new items, changing a description, etc) and I can't imagine turning that chore over to another person. So sorry, but the answer is "no, you can't redesign my website."

Can I put an ad on your website? Will you buy an ad on my website?

Please contact me only if it is motorcycle related.

Back to top

Who are you, and how the heck did you decide to do this? Do you have a bike?

My name is Jay Goddard, my wife Lisa and I bought the business from a our long time friend Colleen hoping to spend more time around motorcycles.  Our lives have become much fuller thanks to the motorcycle community and we are hoping to give something back to it and spend more of our time surrounded in it.  Lisa got me in to motorcycles 10 years ago by dragging me to a MSF course and it has snowballed from there.  I currently have a few different bikes that I use for just about every type of riding that can be done, here is a picture of Lisa and I on the track.  I ride about 10,000 miles a year on my street and track bikes; I did a lot of commuting before the job change.  I received my second Iron Butt certificate in 2004 after riding around the Great Lakes in less than 100 hours.  I participate in around 25 track days a year.  I also spend some time trail riding and playing on the MX track.  Right now my newest vice is Supermoto.  That just about sums it up.  

Back to top