One piece leathers - talk to me!!

[five50]

Hoping to get back on track this year.

What are people using / recommending? Any strong suggestions out there?

Initial budget thoughts £800-1k - can spend less, but also happy to not cut corners on safety equipment. Thinking that if I take the plunge now, might still get a sale deal.

My current leathers are a 10+ yr old set of Dainese in a size 54. In some ways they fit ok (body width / arms etc - Im 5'10, 90kg) - however, it feels like they are very slightly too short in the body - ok initially and good on the bike, but after a while, I find they put some pressure on my shoulders / neck walking around the pitlane etc. When I bought them, the guy in the shop (cant remember where) seemed to think it was good to have very snug fitting leathers - but in my experience, they dont "give" very much...

Thoughts welcomed...

[SteveKTMer]

Mine won't let me stand up straight, they are supposed to be sized and fitted so you are snug when you're on the bike in the riding position. That's ideal because it can help keep your limbs from twisting in the wrong direction too much and also keeps the armour in the right places. I don't know if it will really help that much, but that's what I was led to believe.

If the suit is old I'd check the stitching and use a leather feed on it or if money isn't an issue you can probably get much better protection now than older suits offer, especially with modern armour and maybe an airbag vest.

[NITO]

Held are excellent!

[roboxm3]

Whatever you get, bear in mind that back protectors will be mandatory on No Limits track days from now on...

[Rene Souffle]

For that budget you could get a RST Airbag suit comfortably.

Now I’ve got a Triumph, I keep thinking I need to replace my BMW gi-moto leathers. Although they’re leathers, in good condition and they serve a purpose nicely

[pitlane]

SteveKTMer said:

Mine won't let me stand up straight, they are supposed to be sized and fitted so you are snug when you're on the bike in the riding position. That's ideal because it can help keep your limbs from twisting in the wrong direction too much and also keeps the armour in the right places. I don't know if it will really help that much, but that's what I was led to believe.

Yes this is absolutely the case - a good fit is important for the leathers do their job properly. Particularly all the plastic / meal parts on shoulders etc that are designed to slide and not 'dig in' to the ground - if leathers are too baggy then these parts can't do their job as they will rotate away instead of sliding.

Airbag suits do change things a little - there has to be room for the airbag to deploy inside. If you change body shape (training or pie eating) and the leathers get tighter (too tight), this can cause internal injuries with airbag deployment as it has nowhere else to go effectively.

Airbag suits have some great safety benefits obviously, but they aren't quite the be all and end all.

[five50]

Iinteresting - thank you.

Picking one online retailer (others are available), RST suits feature heavily in their customer top rated:

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/...

and the 4.1 airbag suit also receives high marks:

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/...

A few years back I wouldnt have gone for RST. Any experience, particularly of crashing in these??

[Gee68]

roboxm3 said:

Whatever you get, bear in mind that back protectors will be mandatory on No Limits track days from now on...

I know this is going to sound very stupid but this obviously doesn't apply to airbag suits?

Just asking for peace of mind as I drunkenly booked a track day for Donnington the other night.

[Tribal Chestnut]

five50 said:

Iinteresting - thank you.

Picking one online retailer (others are available), RST suits feature heavily in their customer top rated:

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/...

and the 4.1 airbag suit also receives high marks:

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/...

A few years back I wouldnt have gone for RST. Any experience, particularly of crashing in these??

I had a fairly slow tumble in an RST suit last year and you can barely see a mark on it.

[Zarco]

Gee68 said:

roboxm3 said:

Whatever you get, bear in mind that back protectors will be mandatory on No Limits track days from now on...

I know this is going to sound very stupid but this obviously doesn't apply to airbag suits?

Just asking for peace of mind as I drunkenly booked a track day for Donnington the other night.

No it doesn't as the the airbag functions as back protector basically.

[gareth h]

I picked up a set of Crowtree leathers 2nd hand for £250, (after chatting to a few people in the industry who said they are a different level to the commercial suits) spent a few hundred on having them altered to fit, they are like wearing a suit of armour.

[pitlane]

Zarco said:

Gee68 said:

roboxm3 said:

Whatever you get, bear in mind that back protectors will be mandatory on No Limits track days from now on...

I know this is going to sound very stupid but this obviously doesn't apply to airbag suits?

Just asking for peace of mind as I drunkenly booked a track day for Donnington the other night.

No it doesn't as the the airbag functions as back protector basically.

That's not the case

Airbag and Back Protector are separate items, and certainly in racing (I don't know about the new UK track day rules) a CE/EN marked Back Protector has to be worn regardless of Airbag (both items are mandatory for GP classes).

Some Airbag suits have the Back Protector sewn in to an undersuit as part of a combined system, but it is not the case that Airbag replaces it, they are distinctly different things and if the circuits follow racing lead, you will need both items.

[Gee68]

pitlane said:

That's not the case

Airbag and Back Protector are separate items, and certainly in racing (I don't know about the new UK track day rules) a CE/EN marked Back Protector has to be worn regardless of Airbag (both items are mandatory for GP classes).

Some Airbag suits have the Back Protector sewn in to an undersuit as part of a combined system, but it is not the case that Airbag replaces it, they are distinctly different things and if the circuits follow racing lead, you will need both items.

Oooookkk,now I’m confused.
Anyone else want to chip in with a definitive answer?

Edited by Gee68 on Tuesday 11th January 23:08

[TimmyMallett]

five50 said:

When I bought them, the guy in the shop (cant remember where) seemed to think it was good to have very snug fitting leathers - but in my experience, they dont "give" very much...

..

It wasn't the Pro shop in Bristol was it?


My understanding is they're not supposed to let you stand upright really, and your arm movement should also be limited because (apparently) one of the most common soft tissue injuries in high siding is muscle tears when your arms get flung up and behind. You should look like a gibbon walking about. You can remedy this by taking the top part off and looking like an octopus in the pit lane. I tuck my sleeves into one another round my waist #firstworlproblems


If you're looking or a back protector I can highly recommend the Forcefield Pro2. it fits under a one piece with a hump, its snug but comfy.

Edited by TimmyMallett on Wednesday 12th January 09:24

[black-k1]

That's the other thing to consider - the hump. If the suit is for serious racing then possibly the 100ths of a second per lap it may give you might be worth considering but paramedics really dislike suit humps as they make giving CPR difficult. If the suit is for track days or the odd bit of club racing then going "humpless" is a good idea (although you may end up being the pit lane fashion pariah! )

[Gee68]

black-k1 said:

That's the other thing to consider - the hump. If the suit is for serious racing then possibly the 100ths of a second per lap it may give you might be worth considering but paramedics really dislike suit humps as they make giving CPR difficult. If the suit is for track days or the odd bit of club racing then going "humpless" is a good idea (although you may end up being the pit lane fashion pariah! )

I didn't want a hump in my new leathers but due to fit and cost I didn't have a choice,we're not all fashion followers through choice.

[five50]

Have also read that the hump is designed to stop you rolling once on the ground!
Others may know better whether this works...

[graeme4130]

Gee68 said:

pitlane said:

That's not the case

Airbag and Back Protector are separate items, and certainly in racing (I don't know about the new UK track day rules) a CE/EN marked Back Protector has to be worn regardless of Airbag (both items are mandatory for GP classes).

Some Airbag suits have the Back Protector sewn in to an undersuit as part of a combined system, but it is not the case that Airbag replaces it, they are distinctly different things and if the circuits follow racing lead, you will need both items.

Oooookkk,now I’m confused.
Anyone else want to chip in with a definitive answer?

Edited by Gee68 on Tuesday 11th January 23:08

Both RST and Alpinestars Airbag suits have a CE Approved back protector built into them, so you don't need to wear a separate Back protector in those suits
I've crashed in my RST Airbag leathers, and they've worked well
Bear in mind that RST currently have a recall (they're calling it a free upgrade) on their airbag suits, so ensure wherever you buy it from has this either done, or they supply a suit with the new style 'upgraded' airbag

[Zarco]

Gee68 said:

black-k1 said:

That's the other thing to consider - the hump. If the suit is for serious racing then possibly the 100ths of a second per lap it may give you might be worth considering but paramedics really dislike suit humps as they make giving CPR difficult. If the suit is for track days or the odd bit of club racing then going "humpless" is a good idea (although you may end up being the pit lane fashion pariah! )

I didn't want a hump in my new leathers but due to fit and cost I didn't have a choice,we're not all fashion followers through choice.

Snap.

[TimmyMallett]

You know that the ones on track days wearing the really old tatty Crowtree hump less leathers are the ones that will go round the outside of everyone.