Hi :)
I live in Europe and will be in New York during next week.
Because I'm a big guy it's usually easier (and cheaper!) to find
clothes in my size in the US. I am at the moment specifically looking
for motorcycle gear.

My question: 

1) Where in the New York City area (up to 30 minutes driving) can I
find a store that carries a large (!) selection of motorcycle
clothing?

I'm really looking for the "Transition Jacket" from Tourmaster in its
largest size in silver but guess that would be pressing my luck ...

chriggy...

I've found just the store. They come up at the top of my
search, and are listed as "the City's #1 Volume dealer!":

New York Motorcycle, Ltd.
222-02 Jamaica Avenue
Queens Village, NY  11428
Phone: (718) 479-7777 Fax: (718) 740-4887
Toll Free Phone: (800) 527-2727
http://www.newyorkmc.com/


I looked through their online catalog and found the
Tourmaster Transition Jacket, available in Silver
and XL size, for $149:
http://www.newyorkmc.com/eshopprod_cat_2644-21597-21610_product_321253_keyword_transition.TOUR_MASTER_TRANSITION_JACKET.htm


I called their toll-free number to ascertain that the
jacket would be available in the store, as well as the
online catalog. I was assured that it was in stock.


Here's their page with store hours, directions, and map:
http://www.newyorkmc.com/map_hours.asp


You can browse through or search their extensive catalog
from this page:
http://www.newyorkmc.com/catalog.asp


Once you've located the items you wish to purchase, it
might be wise to call them at their toll-free number and
see if you can arrange to have the items reserved or placed
on layaway (the latter may require a deposit) so they will
be available on the day you intend to visit.


This store seems to be the perfect answer to your query, so
I'm not attempting to find an alternative, but if you need
any further information, please post a Request for Clarification
before rating this answer...

sublime1-ga


Additional information may be found from an exploration of
the links resulting from the Google searches outlined below.

Searches done, via Google Directory:

"new york" motorcycle
://www.google.com/search?&cx=destination_guides&cat=gwd%2FTop&q=%22new+york%22+motorcycle

---

Request for Answer Clarification by chriggy-ga on 08 Nov 2006 09:30 PST

Hey :)

I called the same store today because I found it during my own search
and when I asked if they have the jacket (I did not specify a size -
the size btw. would be XXXXL and not XL (no kidding, that's my size) -
they told me that they didn't have it in stock and would only order it
if I was sure to buy it. Since I can't make that promise without
trying it, that was that.

I also asked if they had most of the stuff listed in the online
catalogues in the store. They said 'no'.

I am obviously not saying that you made this up but am wondering which
information is correct.

I beleive the #1 volume dealer applies more to spare parts and
accessories for bikes than for clothing.

It would be great if you were able to find an alternative for my peace of mind.

Thank you !!!

---

Clarification of Answer by sublime1-ga on 08 Nov 2006 14:06 PST

chriggy...

I spent over 3 hours and about 50 searches this morning trying
to locate shops in New York that carry motorcycle gear, much
less the Tourmaster Transition jacket. Such shops were few and
far between, and can be represented by shops such as J and D
Biker Leather:

Telephone:
(585) 235-3377

Address:
788 Howard Road
Rochester, NY 14624
http://www.janddbikerleather.com/contact_jd.html

They don't seem to carry Tourmaster.


Another that I remember is Nordstrom, which has two locations
in New York:

Nordstrom Roosevelt Field (#524)
Half Yearly Sale for Women & Kids - Starts November 8th
630 Old Country Road
Garden City, NY 11530
(516) 746-0011

Nordstrom at The Westchester (#523)
Half Yearly Sale for Women & Kids - Starts November 8th
135 Westchester Avenue
White Plains, NY 10601
(914) 946-1122
http://about.nordstrom.com/MapPoint/PrxResults.aspx?&GSTATE=NY&statesearch=1&FC=Nordstrom

They carry stylish Andrew Marc motorcycle jackets:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/SR?keyword=andrew+marc&catname=in+All+Categories&guidednavon=Y&q=andrew+and+marc+and+suppresssearch%3a0+&origquery=+catid&bd=N&catid=6000011&catname1=Men%27s+Apparel+%26amp%3b+Accessories&gn=1%2ccatid&initsearch=False&sort=4&viewall=0&searchorigin=KeywordSearch


Another memorable site was Classic Motorcycle Jackets, which
makes high quality custom fit jackets, and made one for James Dean:
http://www.classicjackets.com/

Unfortunately, they're located in Oregon.


The reason I'm citing these from memory is that one of the 
sites I visited used Macromedia Flash, and following a failed
upgrade, the only option was to close the browser, causing me
to lose over 20 tabs of searches and sites.

The reason I'm mentioning sites that aren't in New York is
because it occurs to me that it is extremely unlikely that
any retailer will have any XXXXL jackets in stock unless
they happen to be a Big and Tall Motorcycle Clothing Retailer,
which I've never heard of.

Since that specific jacket can be ordered directly from the
Tourmaster website, it seems likely that stores would not
carry the inventory, but would wait until a customer chose
to special order it.

You can order it directly from Tourmaster on this page:
http://www.tourmaster.com/xcart/product.php?productid=38&cat=3


While I understand your interest in trying it on before
purchasing it, it may be unrealistic to expect to find
the jacket in that size during a 1 week trip to New York,
and it is not unrealistic, in the current economy, for a
retailer to decline to order or stock an item they are
unlikely to sell until it is specifically ordered.

Nevertheless, here is a list of NY retailers which are 
dealers acknowledged by Tourmaster on their website:

NEW YORK MOTORCYCLES
222-02 JAMAICA AVE.
QUEENS VILLAGE, NY 11428
718-479-7777 Gloves

BELT INC.
76-39 169TH ST.
FRESH MEADOWS, NY 11366
631-243-1234 Apparel Gloves Bags

TWO WHEEL CORP.-N.Y.
336 JERICHO TURNPIKE
MINEOLA, NY 11501
516-248-5775 Apparel Gloves

CRAZY FREDDY'S M/S INC
137 E. SUNRISE HWY.
FREEPORT, NY 11520
516-378-1900 Gloves

CYCLE THERAPY - NY
230 E 127TH STREET
NEW YORK, NY 10035
212-828-2575 Gloves Bags

VESPA SOHO
13 CROSBY ST
NEW YORK, NY 10013
212-226-4410 Gloves

OUTRIDER ACCESS - NY
627 11TH AVE.
NEW YORK, NY 10036
212-582-3500 Bags

You may find some other alternatives by entering a zipcode
closer to the location you'll be visiting:
http://www.tourmaster.com/xcart/locator.php?action=locate&zipcode=11428&productid=38

Note that only two of them list 'apparel', so they might
be your best shot. But also note that New York Motorcycles
only lists gloves, yet a representative assured me that 
they did have the Transition Jacket in stock, though I'm
not surprised that they don't stock the XXXXL. So it's
possible that other stores on the list also carry jackets
even though they're not listed as doing so. However, it
seems likely that you may run into the same scenario as
you did with New York Motorcycles. They may not be willing
to order an XXXXL jacket to have in stock during your 
visit unless you're willing to purchase it or put money 
down on layaway.

If you're very lucky, you'll be able to verify that one
of the stores above has the XXXXL Transition in stock
before your trip, and may be able to persuade them to
hold it for you.


I'm sorry that my research may only suggest the absence
of the solution you'd prefer, but please don't punish the
messenger. Keep in mind that researchers earn 75% of the
question value for their expertise and/or ability to
research a subject whatever the outcome might be.

sublime1-ga


One of the more productive searches done, via Google:

allintext:ny or "new york" motorcycle tourmaster
://www.google.com/search?q=allintext%3Any+or+%22new+york%22+motorcycle+tourmaster

Sublime,

I'm not sure why you write in such a defensive tone in your last
answer. If I was supposed to rate the answer before I asked for
clarification, I appologize. This was the first question I ever asked
here, so I'm not sure of the do's and dont's ...

Because I've been buying clothes in my size for years as you can
imagine, I have a rather good idea about what stores usually have in
stock. Large motorcycle stores usually keep even the largest sizes in
stock (I'm sure you are aware of the fact that not all bikers have
Brad Pitt bodies and it's not too difficult to sell a large size
jacket or pant over time).

Because I have this experience from Europe and statistically people in
the US wear larger sizes, it surprised me to see that the Big Apple
only seems to have one store that resembles anything like a large
reseller and that that reseller doesnt' even show enough customer care
to order a jacket without the knowledge of selling it right away.

In any case, I thank you very much for your efforts and had no
intention of 'dissing' you in any way.

Chriggy

Chriggy...

Please don't take the acknowledged defensive responses personally.
The sad fact is that an astonishing number of customers feel 
entitled to take out their dissatisfaction, with an answer that
doesn't fit their expectations, on the researcher. I was simply
hoping to preclude this potentially unfair, but common, event.

As for, "If I was supposed to rate the answer before I asked for
clarification, I apologize" - no. As I stated in the original answer:
"if you need any further information, please post a Request for
Clarification before rating this answer". This allows us to give
you additional information before you decide on a final rating
for the answer. You handled it perfectly.

I very much appreciate the 4 stars despite the lack of a fully
definitive and positive answer. Many researchers are like myself,
and are as much concerned with maintaining a good average of 
ratings as we are with making a profit for the time we invest.

Welcome to Google Answers, and I hope we can serve you in the 
future...

sublime1-ga