Ladies race suits

Just wanted to ask the pros, their opinion on the best place to start looking for female leathers for the 2010 TD season.

The problem is that we have looked on the net quite a bit for something, but for the most part, they are too "ladylike" (ie pink), my girl doesnt want to stand out as a female on the track.

She doesnt want just all black either, nothing against the riders that like Pink, its just not her color.

Any and all suggestions would be appreciated :up:


Whoa, once again Nelso messed up, this is CLEARLY the wrong section, thought I was posting in the general section muh bad

 

No, it's not easy to find non-frilly-girly-n-pink-stuff and when you do it's usually quite substandard (in quality) to mens gear.

You have a few options. If you want to buy off the rack, Dainese has some nice womens leathers. http://www.dainese.com/us_en/motorbike?gender=1&cat=9 as does Alpinestars http://www.alpinestars.com/Stella_Julie_Suit/pd/c/131/np/131/p/318007.html

I found overall, A*'s cateres to women the best with the overall package of good quality gloves, boots, leathers, etc. I also know several women who simply wear mens gear as well.

Another option is to have a custom suit made. This was the route I had to go since nothing would come close to fitting me off the rack, even with all the alterations in the world, since I'm 4'11 on a good day, 4'10 on a not so good day and I'm a little too top heavy (as the kind folks Dainese told me). Here's a couple of places;

Helimot has nice suits: www.helimot.com

If you're on a tight budget, you can also try www.tiltcustoms.com. They are inexpensive but will get you started. I have crash tested these leathers and they held up perfectly.

Tell her not to worry about standing out as a female on the track. She will and there's no way around it. The population of women on the track is growing. She should be proud to be a woman out there mixing it up with the boys, not hiding it.

 

KOMODO custom suit :up:
www.komodogear.com

 

Nelson, there is no way she would not be recognized as a girl. It just won't happen. We are built differently and its obvious. Especially around a bunch a guys. We stick out.

edit: I will second the A* gear. I have a friend on mine in Florida who got one that was white with black detailing. It looked very nice and wasn't overly girly. The main difference was the way it was cut.

 

I know a couple of gals that wear and are happy with the Femmoto suit from STG. Check the sttforum for reviews on this gear. Price is reasonable and it even comes with a back protector.

 

Agree with the above, A* has some good women's stuff that's not all pink and pastel. I wouldn't wear those colors, either. The Femmoto suit fits women well, but from what you've said, it may be a bit "girly". I couldn't find anything off the rack I was happy with, so I went the custom route with Vanson. Vanson also has some off-the-rack women's stuff. I hate the three part zipper arrangement on it, but they can alter it with a full zipper (if she wants a 2 piece).

As far as "sticking out"...folks will know she's a woman even if she's in all black, but she won't feel out of place at all. There's quite a few women at most trackdays, and I always feel welcomed by both guys and gals.

What tracks will you be riding?

 

sorry, ladies, I think my phrase "sticking out" was taken out of context.

I wasn't trying to imply none of us would be welcomed, on the contrary, I've never experienced anything except welcoming.

However, whether we are clad in neon pink or complete black, we are still recognizable as female. That was my point.

sorry, wasn't trying to offend anyone.

Nelson, when Maryanne is ready, let me know, I'll help both of you out.

 

I heard the off the rack KOMODO XP suit fits women really well :up:

 

Nope, no offense here! I was agreeing with you. What you said above is what I think I was also trying to say!

 

chest/back protector consideration

If I were to do it over, and had a larger budget; I'd determine what additional safety gear I would be riding with-FIRST. Then, determine the fit according to the function of the safety gear.

Another consideration, identify her femur length in comparison to where her knee would naturally bend [in] the suit. This is often overlooked, [even in custom sizing], you do not want that leather to be short, and start forcing your knee into the suits plastic knee protection. Miserable.

I've seen women get customs suits, and learn this a little too late.

Good luck to her!

 

Syed their really made in America

 

None taken. It was a true statement. I've ridden at several tracks with several track day organizations and have never felt unwelcomed for any reason, if anything I think they tend to welcome you more just because you are a girl.

 

I have the Spidi Lady Lizard, black and white. PM me if you want more details on these leathers.

 

My girlfriend wears the Alpinestars Stella suit and loves it. Hers is all black, but im sure you can get them in different colors. If not, hit up Alexa at Spyder leatherworks, im sure she could change the colors to suit you.

 

Another vote for the Alpinestars Stella as a decent option off the rack - I went with white with black accents on mine. They also crashed well. Quite a few of the manufacturers are making suits now that aren't as "girly" colored, but are cut to accomodate the difference in shape. Custom is also an option. Make sure whatever you get is good thick leather, not the cheap/soft/thin stuff you find from some manufacturers.

 

Give me a call we can hook you up with some nice prices on A stars...Indy specials take effect in FEB some deep discounts to Racers..

 

I am also in this boat. I'm looking to replace my Tecknic 2 piece that has one arm wrapped in black duct tape. I want a one piece, but have weird proportions in that I have big thighs and a "larger than normal" butt. Is my only option a custom suit? I don't have a place nearby that I can try on anything and don't want to blindly order a suit that may not fit. For reference, my tecknic pants are a size 12 and fit well, but not perfect. The jacket is a size 8 and fits almost perfect. I could possibly go to a size 10 in the jacket but not sure about pants.

 

That's up to you and how well overall the off the rack stuff fits. If you find stuff that fits pretty good overall but needs a few minor changes, go that route and have it altered to fit you. If not, go custom.

For me, I can't come close to anything off the rack just because of my height alone, nevermind my proportions so my only option was custom. When looking for a custom suit, find a company that does truely customs suits from scratch for you and only you. Dainese, for example, their "custom suit" is an off the rack that they alter- nothing more. They were not able to get me into a suit because of my proportions so it's really not a "custom suit" in my mind. If you're on the track, you want a suit that fits like a glove.

 

For what's it's worth, I wasted a lot of money buying a zip together 2 piece suit then an off the rack suit before buying a custom suit. I'd have been a lot better off just getting the custom suit to start with. I got mine from Z Custom Leathers. You can get custom suits from abtou $895 on up, I think, but realistically probably $1000 to get what you want. They last a LONG time (assuming you don't scrape them on the ground often) so if you can swing it, go custom, it's well worth it. You can mail them measurements.

The black and white Spidi suit seems to look pretty good, at least on the taller-than-me girls I've seen wearing it.

And let me just add my voice to the "please don't make all the girl stuff pink" contingent. For one thing, there aren't many pink bikes out there, don't most people try to get a color that works with the bike they ride?

 

Some do, some don't care. As much as I hate to say it, most womens gear is designed for a passenger, not a rider or for the track etc.