Lightweight alternative to racing leathers

https://www.sportbiketrackgear.com/alpinestars-fusion-leather-race-suit-tech-air-5-compatible/

 

Back in the 80's there was a company called TrimTex that made Kevlar DragRacing Suits...cool concept, light weight, abrasion resistant..

 

And single use. Back when they were new I saw 2 in actual use. One was completely smoked after a simple slide. The shoulder tore open.

 

If it hasn't been said the Roo suits are so ridiculously light I doubt anything synthetic will compare. They are stupid light, like "this can't possibly be right" light.

 

An earlier post in this thread lists weights that suggest differently.

 

Agree... I'm not seeing any data that suggests roo is more than 30% (at most) lighter than cowhide.

 

Now we're getting somewhere... although he did say he didnt feel any reduction in weight. Probably because of the limited use of the Rideknit material.

 

Regardless of the weight of the leathers, I’d be happy if someone could invent leathers that don’t magically shrink from one season to another….

 

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Why anyone would wear anything but Vanson, Z or Bates in drag bikes (with some nomex underwear) is beyond me. Weight doesn’t matter and you have that ultra violent crash. Not just no but double fuck no!
Well, unless it’s to pick of chicks of course.

 

Some of these weights seem really high. Just weighed my AGV leathers, right at 11lbs. That with the armor in there, including the back protector. They're old (2003) and been crashed in a few times, but mostly at lower speeds. Only high speed crash was on grass, so it's not like I wore a bunch of the leather off.

 

I ran that suit all of last year. It definitely seems lighter, although I haven't weighed it. The freedom of movement is the main thing for me. It's so much better than your typical leather suit.

 

Ed Key and Gary Gibson wore Trim suits back in the day. Ed stayed with fabric suits all of his career. I don't remember who made his last ones. I had a fabric suit made in the mid 80's by Lancer Leathers. It crashed pretty good.

 

Heat transfer also plays a part at some point. ill stick with leather

 

Reminds me of a little incident I saw when we were at Road America watching the AMA races back in the day: We were at the kink when we saw this dude fall off in a kinda weird way and he winds up sliding waaaaay down the track. He gets up and looks ok then all of the sudden he realizes that the friction got his leathers mighty hot, and he's doing this dance while trying to unzip and unass his leathers ASAP. We laughed pretty good watching that one!

 

Always wondered why kevlar suits didn't look more like Gila Monster skin - beaded, so they would slide and wear a lot more gracefully. Just not hot fix rhinestones - I'm guessing the figure skater look shouldn't, uh, cross over into roadracing....

 

Looks more like mechanic's coveralls to me.

 

I'm shocked that Motoport is still in business, anyone else?