BKS (made to measure) Ltd

BKS (made to measure) Ltd Formed 1986 by Brian Keith Sansom. 'Rolls Royce quality - Savile Row’ service. Worn by Robbie William We look forward to being of service.
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Once a fashion design hopeful, fresh from Exeter Technical College, BKS (Brian Keith Sansom) was started in a back bedroom in 1986 as a one man operation. The first motorcycle suit customers were police riders from the Devon and Cornwall and Dorset Constabularies. In ’88 a small workshop saw the first of 15 staff assemble and by ’93 the business outgrew its first premises and moved again. The busin

ess continued to flourish gaining contracts with nearly 20 Police forces and set up in New North Road, Exmouth. An old printing works that had been vacant for a few years has become the home of BKS to this day and has grown into a fully equipped factory unit and sales studio. For the next 10 years or so, a visit to WHSmiths would often reveal a BKS suit on the front cover of many a bike magazine with editors and road test staff from MCN, Ride, Performance Bikes, Bike, Superbike, Fast Bikes and many more. Celebrity names such as Robbie Williams, HRH Prince William, Daniel Day Lewis, Mark Knopfler, Hugh Laurie and high profile racers, have all had our bespoke leathers made for them. The big budget “Impossible Dream” Honda advert used BKS suits for the road race rider in 2005 and top British racers have worn BKS suits since the early nineties including - Carl Fogarty, James Toseland, Neil Hodgson, Tommy Hill, Michael Rutter, Steve Hislop, Phil McCallen as well as BBC’s MotoGP correspondents, Suzy Perry and Steve Parrish
New protective clothing laws were introduced in 1994 (CE Approval) and BKS were the very first company on the Planet to meet these requirements! BKS now supply 85% of the UK’s police, including the Metropolitan Police, Northern Ireland and the Ministry of Defence, along with all sorts of Emergency Service riders ranging from paramedics to Fire Service riders with this uniform. Since the mid-nineties more and more civilian motorcyclists have turned to BKS, and custom designed multi-coloured racing suits are one of the most popular products. BKS maintain that first and foremost, their clothing is protective equipment with a very important job to do. To this day, BKS have received countless reviews from the press and due to our commitment to quality, we have never had anything less than high praise. Magazines often run features on motorcycle clothing and in test reports BKS suits and gloves always come top. In 2004, BKS became involved with Frank Thomas, the UK’s leading retail clothing and accessory brand. This provided BKS Exmouth with an opportunity to complete a joint project that saw an all new BKS being formed especially for retail products only, leaving the Exmouth branch to continue specialising in its made to measure service as normal. BKS felt ready to join in with a wider market and felt it had lots to offer. BKS could not do this on its own but had always had aspirations to become an industry leading brand and so by joining forces with the Frank Thomas Group, the dream could be realised. That year BKS Leather Ltd changed it’s company name to BKS (Made to Measure) Ltd, to help identify the difference between Exmouth and the new retail brand BKS Ltd. The retail arm developed product s with the likes of two times World Superbike Champion, James Toseland as well as BBC personality, Suzy Perry and Steve Parrish. A number of other high profile racers wore BKS during the years 2008 – 2011, namely Tommy Hill, Stuart Easton, Gary Johnson, Danny Webb, Danny Kent, Steve Brogan and the new brand was flying high. Sadly in 2011, Frank Thomas went into administration with financial troubles….and so went with it the retail arm of BKS Ltd. Brian Sansom was left with the made to measure business to concentrate on once more and so our mission statement still stands as true as it always has -
“To provide the ultimate riding suits never compromising quality, safety, protection, styling or comfort. Our suits offer an unrivalled combination of master craftsmanship and tailoring, via computer design and a desire to build the best suits on Earth.”
If you become a customer for a BKS suit, you will be delighted with the amount of design choices you can have at your disposal. With 12 new styles of suit, over 35 leather colours, specification options for body armour as well as various internal features, your design consultation will take about 90 minutes. This also includes full measurements (33 altogether!) which guarantees customers a perfect fit. With up to four-month waiting lists for made-to-measure suits at the busiest time of year, buying BKS is something you really should plan for.

Great work Team! My amazing staff at BKS have turned out some fantastic made to measure suits this month. …Proud Boss 😄
27/08/2024

Great work Team! My amazing staff at BKS have turned out some fantastic made to measure suits this month. …Proud Boss 😄

Another new contract…and a long day …there and back to measure officers at Derbyshire Police HQ. The same day they annou...
08/08/2024

Another new contract…and a long day …there and back to measure officers at Derbyshire Police HQ. The same day they announce their Deputy Chief Constable as the new National Strategic Lead for Bikesafe … nice coincidence and a nice comment back 👍😊

What a year we are having, there's another birthday in the house! BKS celebrates 31 years today. August 1st 1993, we mov...
01/08/2024

What a year we are having, there's another birthday in the house! BKS celebrates 31 years today. August 1st 1993, we moved into the New North Road address from our original workshop in Sheppards Row. Where next you might ask?

30 years today, the Worlds 1st CE certified motorcycle clothing
29/07/2024

30 years today, the Worlds 1st CE certified motorcycle clothing

Tomorrow sees the 30th Anniversary of the World's very 1st CE Certificate for motorcycle clothing, which goes to and rem...
28/07/2024

Tomorrow sees the 30th Anniversary of the World's very 1st CE Certificate for motorcycle clothing, which goes to and remain the honour of ...BKS (made to measure) Ltd. Brian Sansom's lifetime work of producing the finest bike kit in terms of rider safety and highest performance for crash resistance in both leather suits and now textile versions....worn by most UK Police forces and members of the public with pride. All started with the man at Cambridge Professor Roderick Woods where you can see the original video responsible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrEt96KWSdw&t=541s

With user-replaceable canisters,  20 hours of ride time, and dual deployments in both Race and Street modes; the Tech-Ai...
27/07/2024

With user-replaceable canisters, 20 hours of ride time, and dual deployments in both Race and Street modes; the Tech-Air 7x is the most versatile air vest in the Alpinestars line-up.
Compatible with any “Tech-Air Ready” garment or any jacket with 4cm space around the circumference of the chest.
The canisters are swappable in a couple of minutes and the bladder can handle 4 deployments before requiring replacement.
See more information here - bit.ly/BKS7x

We offer the complete servicing package for your Alpinestars Tech-Air vest undertaken by our experienced service team. W...
17/07/2024

We offer the complete servicing package for your Alpinestars Tech-Air vest undertaken by our experienced service team. We can also repair stitching and analyse technical faults with the vests meaning that it is far less likely to have to go back to Italy.
Trusted by many UK police forces and racers from all over the world, we aim to turn your vest around as quickly as possible and keep you informed every step of the way.
Find out more here bit.ly/Techair

POLICE ANNOUNCEMENTBig Contract Celebrations!!! 🥳Last week saw BKS (made to measure) Ltd visit Police Service Northern I...
12/07/2024

POLICE ANNOUNCEMENT
Big Contract Celebrations!!! 🥳

Last week saw BKS (made to measure) Ltd visit Police Service Northern Ireland in Belfast to complete the design of its 'all new' BKS textile motorcycle police suit. After being awarded a new 5 year contract for its CE Approved High Performance garments, BKS is ready to supply a large number of these outfits to PSNI who have placed their trust in BKS since 1996. Being awarded this new contract in 2024 has been the most rewarding and important of them all. Adapted to take the additional PPE rig that some forces need to carry today these suits are designed to cope with the most rigorous of Roads Policing officer requirements. We are extremely proud today and very honoured to be part of another chapter together that goes back to the original supply 28 years ago! 🥂

05/07/2024

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING TECH AIR 3s.

Alpinestars will start shipping TA3s with the battery disconnected. Although they will put instructions in with the vest about how to connect it they also have a video for you.

Techair 7x is without doubt the finest system to date. This has been our quickest selling product, new stock is now here...
25/06/2024

Techair 7x is without doubt the finest system to date. This has been our quickest selling product, new stock is now here!

With user replaceable canisters, 20 hours of ride time, and dual deployments in both Race and Street modes; the Tech-Air 7x is the most versatile air vest in the Alpinestars line-up.
Compatible with any “Tech-Air Ready” garment or any jacket with 4cm space around the circumference of the chest.
The canisters are swappable in a couple of minutes and the bladder can handle 4 deployments before requiring replacement.
See more information here - bit.ly/BKS7x

21/06/2024

This has been our quickest selling product, we only have 2 left in stock! A restock is coming!
With user replaceable canisters, 20 hours of ride time, and dual deployments in both Race and Street modes; the Tech-Air 7x is the most versatile air vest in the Alpinestars line-up.
Compatible with any “Tech-Air Ready” garment or any jacket with 4cm space around the circumference of the chest.
The canisters are swappable in a couple of minutes and the bladder can handle 4 deployments before requiring replacement.
See more information here - bit.ly/BKS7x

Wishing Larry a very happy 75th Birthday today and congratulations on his well earned retirement from BKS after 31 years...
20/06/2024

Wishing Larry a very happy 75th Birthday today and congratulations on his well earned retirement from BKS after 31 years and 9 months. He has stitched over 20,000m of stretch panels, inserted nearly 100,000 press studs, cleaned and prepared around 15,000 suits ready for BKS customers and been our longest serving staff member since joining us in 1992. Happy Birthday Larry and Happy Retirement from me and all my remaining BKS team. 🥂🥳

Another stylish and beautifully assembled BKS 100SX textile jacket and trouser suit embellished with personal touches in...
14/06/2024

Another stylish and beautifully assembled BKS 100SX textile jacket and trouser suit embellished with personal touches in Hi-Viz heat pressed film… it certainly pops in the light !!

Becoming ever popular with our BKS 100SX textile suit, high viz film and the light grey trim, such an appealing combinat...
29/05/2024

Becoming ever popular with our BKS 100SX textile suit, high viz film and the light grey trim, such an appealing combination

Suits in all shapes and sizes, this ladies order demonstrates how accommodating our full bespoke service can be for when...
29/05/2024

Suits in all shapes and sizes, this ladies order demonstrates how accommodating our full bespoke service can be for when off the peg just doesn’t cut it.

Based on customer and dealer feedback we have re-written some of the Alpinestars documentation around the revised start-...
22/05/2024

Based on customer and dealer feedback we have re-written some of the Alpinestars documentation around the revised start-up method for the Tech Air 10. This is available on our website, we also have videos showing the new method currently in production https://www.bksleather.co.uk/tech-air/faqs/ta10-revised-startup

FA

Irish Crystal… very befitting of a long awaited award and call for celebration.🥂🥳
02/05/2024

Irish Crystal… very befitting of a long awaited award and call for celebration.🥂🥳

Alison Keen joined my team at BKS (made to measure) Ltd …on 11th August 2003. 20 years, 8 months and 20 days later after...
30/04/2024

Alison Keen joined my team at BKS (made to measure) Ltd …on 11th August 2003.

20 years, 8 months and 20 days later after helping me transform this business into a well organised and well respected company, I know only too well how those outside the business …and inside it …will be very sad to see her leave.

On this, her Retirement Day, she finally leaves in true Monty Python fashion to pursue a Life after Brian.

I will mark this day as a true and thankful farewell to a wonderful and loyal member of staff. Alison, thank you for everything. 🥂

A reminder to get your new Tech-Air 10 LED unit. Back in February Alpinestars changed the way the TA10 switches on and o...
29/04/2024

A reminder to get your new Tech-Air 10 LED unit.

Back in February Alpinestars changed the way the TA10 switches on and off, a part of this process is a hardware update in the form of a replacement WLED fob.
Shown in the image below, the updated fob has text on the underside of the "lip", the old style has no writing. Your text may be different, but if there is any text then your WLED unit is good.
These have been sent to every TA10 stockist and we urge you to get yours replaced if its the old style. These are free, just exchange your old one with a new one, and follow the included instructions to charge and pair the fob.

If we get any TA10 vests in for servicing we automatically check and update the fobs, this information will always be shared with you on your service sheet.

As always we're here to help should you need it.

This suit will be enjoying track time in Spain with its owner next week. 🏍️💨Safely protected with Alpinestars Techair Ra...
28/04/2024

This suit will be enjoying track time in Spain with its owner next week. 🏍️💨Safely protected with Alpinestars Techair Race vest inside and made from Matt Black Kangaroo with white/blue trim… utilising our new Roland printer for personalised graphics ❤️

With the track season coming in clients are having their Racewear completed on schedule. A beautiful gloss black kangaro...
28/04/2024

With the track season coming in clients are having their Racewear completed on schedule. A beautiful gloss black kangaroo hide with laser tattoo effect sleeves 😱 and the Techair Race vest fitted… we love this suit ❤️

A quick note on shipping airvests: at the moment our only recommendation is UPS.Please do not use Royal Mail as it will ...
26/04/2024

A quick note on shipping airvests: at the moment our only recommendation is UPS.
Please do not use Royal Mail as it will likely be destroyed. It may also be turned around with other couriers.
More information is available on our shipping guide

Shipping The best way to ship the vests is wrapped in bubble wrap in a sturdy cardboard box with your name and any details inside. Please do not wrap the box in bin liners as shipping companies are charging an additional fee. All Tech-Air vests are classed as a pyrotechnic airbag, as such they come....

NOW AVAILABLE AT £999.99 INCLUDING A £99.99 SERVICE VOUCHERThe Alpinestars Race Vest continues to be a popular choice fo...
26/04/2024

NOW AVAILABLE AT £999.99 INCLUDING A £99.99 SERVICE VOUCHER

The Alpinestars Race Vest continues to be a popular choice for our clients; police and racers alike.
With the equivalent of 18 level 1 back protectors and coverage of the back, shoulders, kidneys, and chest, the Race vest offers amazing levels of protection.

Although it requires a compatible jacket or one-piece suit, the ability to switch between race and street modes and 2 deployments (Race mode, XS-XL Only) before needing to be serviced keeps it as one of our best-selling products.

The race vest requires zip attachment directly to a compatible Techair-ready garment and an LED indication cable in the sleeve. We advise only purchasing if you already have one or know your product is set up for a race vest. If you have any queries we're always available to help.
Multiple deployments are designed to keep the rider active across a weekend, a deployed vest should be serviced as soon as possible in case there is underlying damage to the bladder.
Available to buy directly through our website and over the phone.
bit.ly/RaceVest

The Tech Air 5 is a fully self-contained vest that can fit under any compatible garment.Allowing the user to easily swit...
25/04/2024

The Tech Air 5 is a fully self-contained vest that can fit under any compatible garment.
Allowing the user to easily switch between Street and Race modes makes this vest a fantastic choice for anyone wanting to add airbag protection to their ride.
Find out more and purchase https://bit.ly/TA5Vest

Our first batch of brown gloves are arriving soon!Order now for a £10 discount - UK customer arrival expected late MAY -...
25/04/2024

Our first batch of brown gloves are arriving soon!
Order now for a £10 discount - UK customer arrival expected late MAY - early JUNE.
Order them here: bit.ly/BrownGlove

In 1994 and 30 years ago, BKS (made to measure) were the 1st company ever to be awarded CE Approval having tested to the...
21/04/2024

In 1994 and 30 years ago, BKS (made to measure) were the 1st company ever to be awarded CE Approval having tested to the High Performance Classification of Dr. Wood’s Cambridge Standard. 24 years later the playing field started to catch up.

Here we are in 2024 and today marks six years since the full implementation of the PPE regulation, which was put in place to help riders compare the protective performance of the kit they buy. This article by Bennett’s explains why EN17092 – the new standard for jackets, trousers and one- and two-piece leathers – was introduced:

Everything you need to know about bike gear and PPE

We teased it a while ago and are happy to announce that we are expecting our BROWN SUMMER GLOVE to arrive in late MAY.Th...
19/04/2024

We teased it a while ago and are happy to announce that we are expecting our BROWN SUMMER GLOVE to arrive in late MAY.
The quality you've come to expect from BKS, in brown leather with black accents.
- Perforations to aid airflow
- Visor wipe on the left thumb
- Touchscreen-friendly panel on the left index finger

Receive a £10 discount for ordering them early - UK customer arrival expected late MAY - early JUNE.

Order them here: bit.ly/BrownGlove

Some more recent client examples of the BKS 100SX textile suit… 2024 remains a busy year ahead.
18/04/2024

Some more recent client examples of the BKS 100SX textile suit… 2024 remains a busy year ahead.

Address

27-29 New North Road
Exmouth
EX81RU

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+441395278861

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Our Story

Once a fashion design hopeful, fresh from Exeter Technical College, BKS (Brian Keith Sansom) was started in a back bedroom in 1986 as a one man operation. The first motorcycle suit customers were police riders from the Devon and Cornwall and Dorset Constabularies. In ’88 a small workshop saw the first of 15 staff assemble and by ’93 the business outgrew its first premises and moved again. The business continued to flourish gaining contracts with nearly 20 Police forces and set up in New North Road, Exmouth. An old printing works that had been vacant for a few years has become the home of BKS to this day and has grown into a fully equipped factory unit and sales studio. For the next 10 years or so, a visit to WHSmiths would often reveal a BKS suit on the front cover of many a bike magazine with editors and road test staff from MCN, Ride, Performance Bikes, Bike, Superbike, Fast Bikes and many more. Celebrity names such as Robbie Williams, HRH Prince William, Daniel Day Lewis, Mark Knopfler, Hugh Laurie and high profile racers, have all had our bespoke leathers made for them. The big budget “Impossible Dream” Honda advert used BKS suits for the road race rider in 2005 and top British racers have worn BKS suits since the early nineties including - Carl Fogarty, James Toseland, Neil Hodgson, Tommy Hill, Michael Rutter, Steve Hislop, Phil McCallen as well as BBC’s MotoGP correspondents, Suzy Perry and Steve Parrish New protective clothing laws were introduced in 1994 (CE Approval) and BKS were the very first company on the Planet to meet these requirements! BKS now supply 85% of the UK’s police, including the Metropolitan Police, Northern Ireland and the Ministry of Defence, along with all sorts of Emergency Service riders ranging from paramedics to Fire Service riders with this uniform. Since the mid-nineties more and more civilian motorcyclists have turned to BKS, and custom designed multi-coloured racing suits are one of the most popular products. BKS maintain that first and foremost, their clothing is protective equipment with a very important job to do. To this day, BKS have received countless reviews from the press and due to our commitment to quality, we have never had anything less than high praise. Magazines often run features on motorcycle clothing and in test reports BKS suits and gloves always come top. In 2004, BKS became involved with Frank Thomas, the UK’s leading retail clothing and accessory brand. This provided BKS Exmouth with an opportunity to complete a joint project that saw an all new BKS being formed especially for retail products only, leaving the Exmouth branch to continue specialising in its made to measure service as normal. BKS felt ready to join in with a wider market and felt it had lots to offer. BKS could not do this on its own but had always had aspirations to become an industry leading brand and so by joining forces with the Frank Thomas Group, the dream could be realised. That year BKS Leather Ltd changed it’s company name to BKS (Made to Measure) Ltd, to help identify the difference between Exmouth and the new retail brand BKS Ltd. The retail arm developed product s with the likes of two times World Superbike Champion, James Toseland as well as BBC personality, Suzy Perry and Steve Parrish. A number of other high profile racers wore BKS during the years 2008 – 2011, namely Tommy Hill, Stuart Easton, Gary Johnson, Danny Webb, Danny Kent, Steve Brogan and the new brand was flying high. Sadly in 2011, Frank Thomas went into administration with financial troubles….and so went with it the retail arm of BKS Ltd. Brian Sansom was left with the made to measure business to concentrate on once more and so our mission statement still stands as true as it always has - “To provide the ultimate riding suits never compromising quality, safety, protection, styling or comfort. Our suits offer an unrivalled combination of master craftsmanship and tailoring, via computer design and a desire to build the best suits on Earth.” If you become a customer for a BKS suit, you will be delighted with the amount of design choices you can have at your disposal. With 12 new styles of suit, over 35 leather colours, specification options for body armour as well as various internal features, your design consultation will take about 90 minutes. This also includes full measurements (33 altogether!) which guarantees customers a perfect fit. With up to four-month waiting lists for made-to-measure suits at the busiest time of year, buying BKS is something you really should plan for. We look forward to being of service.