One-Piece Leathers

Looking for advice from track-day riders and racers. I've been bitten hard by the track day bug and am shopping for my first 1-piece suit. Currently have an 8-year-old Dainese 2-piece ensemble (Trax jacket, Dragonfly trousers) in size 52 euro that are still in perfect shape and fit well, so I'm predisposed to Dainese, but open to other quality manufacturers. Would appreciate any/all advice on the real-world capabilities of your suit, e.g., crashworthiness, fit, ventilation, durability, etc. I've earmarked ~ $1-1.5K for this. Thoughts, opinions?

I've been riding with Dainese two piec leathers with no ventilation to speak of for ten years or so.

I started doing track days this year and after roasting in the two piece I bought the 1piece dainese laguna seca (got at cycle gear on sale!). This is a great suit, far better ventilated and much more comfortable to wear on the track. So I'm a dainese fan. I got white which is great as it gets hot here too!

NOTE: the one piece laguna suit is cut SIGNIFICANTLY smaller than my two piece dainese (it's a 52), the 1 piece is sz 56. So you really want to try one on before buying.

Chris

capnjack52 said:

Looking for advice from track-day riders and racers. I've been bitten hard by the track day bug and am shopping for my first 1-piece suit. Currently have an 8-year-old Dainese 2-piece ensemble (Trax jacket, Dragonfly trousers) in size 52 euro that are still in perfect shape and fit well, so I'm predisposed to Dainese, but open to other quality manufacturers. Would appreciate any/all advice on the real-world capabilities of your suit, e.g., crashworthiness, fit, ventilation, durability, etc. I've earmarked ~ $1-1.5K for this. Thoughts, opinions?

Click to expand...

I wear the Dainese AVRO Pro. The most comfortable one piece I have ever owned. Off the bike you can stand straight up without cutting off the circulation of your balls and your arms drop straight down versus being in the " L" position. On the bike you can't tell you're wearing one because it has the most freedom of movement and the ventilation is the best of the Dainese line IMHO. The suit is just plane outright outstanding. I agree with everything revzilla is saying about the AVRO race one piece suit.

Dainese Avro Race Suit - RevZilla

.
.
.
.
.
<-- Arlen Ness Kangaroo.

very smooth and durable. perforated all over. love it.
it's a 52, but i would need to drop at least 15 lbs to fit perfectly in again. it won't strech that much ;-(

Dainese or Alpinestar - perforated. I have the Ducati Dainese suit and love it - though I probably wouldn't buy it again because I feel like a walking billboard. Regardless of choice just make sure you buy the undersuit.

I'm in the market for a suit too. I have been told "Balistik" (sp?) suits a great. Just saw them in person not to long ago and they seem to be top notch.

i wear the held slade one piece. it comes with a good back protector and adjustable knee pads. fits me better then the european cut suits. its half kangaroo and cowhide. has good features. its a 1300 suit. on sale for 850 right now on sportbiketrackgear.com they have a video review. worth looking at

With that budget you should be able to go custom - Helimot, Heroic, Zooni, RS Taichi. If you can fit off-the-rack perfectly (and get fit by someone that knows how to do it properly) I'd go RS Taichi, Arlen Ness, and Dainese higher-end i.e. Trickster, Aspide, Avro, or, if you need a more athletic fit up top, Redline.

There's certain advantages of the Taichi japanese cowhide and their silk-screening process on their high-end line vs the brazilian cowhide and dyeing process of other makers. Every manufacturer's high-end line should do their job so I'd focus on fit, first and foremost IMO.

Thanks to all for your replies. As with most major purchases, I've been doing exhaustive (my wife might say excessive!) research and have looked at many of the suits you guys are recommending - Dainese, RS Taichi and Held, in particular. I'm all about proper fit: from all I've read, this appears key to how easily you'll be able to move on the bike and, in the event of a crash, how well the suit will resist tearing. Obviously, quality materials, design, and assembly contribute to this.

I'm a pretty average size/shape (5' 10", 185 lb) and feel I can probably go with an off-the-peg suit. Unfortunately, there aren't many places in NE Florida to try on multiple brands, so 'video fitting' is it. (Kudos to sportbiketrackgear and revzilla for posting useful vids.) For the most part, though, they don't tell you how well the suit performs on the bike or in a crash. For that, you have to rely on feedback from someone who's actually worn the suit, ridden in it, and maybe had an off that tested its integrity.

So, who's crashed their suit and how well did it/you survive? Could you/did you repair it or was it a 'one crash' suit? Lastly, would you buy it again or look elsewhere?

Apologies in advance if I'm asking too much, but I think this is information we all can use. Wouldn't you feel better knowing that this pricey piece of safety gear will do it's job effectively and not just look good until ...

The only input I have is concerning the AStars line of suits.

I have crashed in a couple of different suits and the AStars suits continuously impress me with durability and protection. I have had a few suits tailored and every time I get an Astars suit tailored they comment on the quality of the construction.

My current race suit has been down the road a few times and repaired. Most people don't even notice the repairs or that the sui has been rashed.

Hope that helps!

I used to wear Bates during my racing days. Heavy and stiff, the thick grade of leather sure was appreciated when I was sliding along the asphalt at warp 10. Supple leather is nice when posing for pictures, or walking around the pits, thick and stiff leather has it advantages elsewhere.

Low sided on track @145 mph last i saw on the speedo (it probably slowed down quite a bit by the time i layed it onto its side) on my R1 to prevent running into two other bikes that crashed just in front of me. I was wearing the Dainese Laguna. It held up pretty good. I went immediately into the slide position from my left side onto my back. Slid quite a ways but it had only a few scuffed marks on the left forearms, left hip and back. No bodily bruise or road rash except my blood pressure and heart rate was through the roof! Even though the suit held up good, I replaced it because I won't take any chances with safety on the track never know when the stitching will give. The siders on on the shoes really done its job during the initial low slide it prevented me from flipping head over heals which enabled me to get on my back quickly and lift my legs in the air. Kept the suit for canyon riding cause I don't see those types of speed as you do on the track

ScrapperX said:

I wear the Dainese AVRO Pro. The most comfortable one piece I have ever owned. Off the bike you can stand straight up without cutting off the circulation of your balls and your arms drop straight down versus being in the " L" position. On the bike you can't tell you're wearing one because it has the most freedom of movement and the ventilation is the best of the Dainese line IMHO. The suit is just plane outright outstanding. I agree with everything revzilla is saying about the AVRO race one piece suit.

Dainese Avro Race Suit - RevZilla

Click to expand...

I second this opinion of the AVRO Pro. I've done a couple track days in mine, and love it. I could live in the thing.

I've got a Held Slade and 2 Alpinestars suits. The Held fits me better and is lighter than the Alipinestars suits.

I picked up my second Alpinestars suit on sale at STG and it just does not fit like the Held does.

yep, I 'm getting one of these undersuits for next year, make it much easier getting in and out of the suit in hot weather

Moto-D Motorcycle Racing Undersuit Review - webBikeWorld

geeteethree said:

Dainese or Alpinestar - perforated. I have the Ducati Dainese suit and love it - though I probably wouldn't buy it again because I feel like a walking billboard. Regardless of choice just make sure you buy the undersuit.

Click to expand...

So, who's crashed their suit and how well did it/you survive? Could you/did you repair it or was it a 'one crash' suit? Lastly, would you buy it again or look elsewhere?

I have an Alpinestars suit that I had a big off at Cartagena in spain, Suit scuffed down side, and plastic on shoulders scuffed but no damage to my body, except hand trapped under bike sliding down road and ground through glove and finger. The suit is still fine and I use still. I would definatley have another Alpinestars suit. AC

Im using Ricondi suits here in Australia but they are in the US as well http://www.ricondiusa.com/.
Awesome suits the best fit suit I have ever had off the rack or custom with your own design if you like .
He makes Kangaroo and Cow as well . I have both and crashed in both never had a stitch come apart these suits are designed and built for track day and race guys .

I've had a lot of different suits over the years at all price points, both off-the-rack and custom (Teknic, Alpinestars, Spidi, Dainese, Speed & Strength, Fieldsheer) and now I wear a semi-custom RS Taichi and it's by far the best suit I've ever had, although not the most expensive. You will not find a better suit for the money than the $1999-$2399 RS Taichi suits made from Japanese Cowhide. It's better leather than you get on a top-of-the-line Italian suit, the stitching is done by hand in Japan, and it's a true multi-crash-worthy suit. Danny Eslick slid down the banking at Daytona in one at 170 mph and wanted to go back out on the track in the suit he had just crashed in. Other than the Ducati-branded Dainese suits, RS Taichi is what we carry in our store despite the obvious "What the F?" we get from people walking into an exclusive Ducati dealership and seeing Japanese suits on the rack! Ha ha! They're that good, honestly.

jarelj said:

I've had a lot of different suits over the years at all price points, both off-the-rack and custom (Teknic, Alpinestars, Spidi, Dainese, Speed & Strength, Fieldsheer) and now I wear a semi-custom RS Taichi and it's by far the best suit I've ever had, although not the most expensive. You will not find a better suit for the money than the $1999-$2399 RS Taichi suits made from Japanese Cowhide. It's better leather than you get on a top-of-the-line Italian suit, the stitching is done by hand in Japan, and it's a true multi-crash-worthy suit. Danny Eslick slid down the banking at Daytona in one at 170 mph and wanted to go back out on the track in the suit he had just crashed in. Other than the Ducati-branded Dainese suits, RS Taichi is what we carry in our store despite the obvious "What the F?" we get from people walking into an exclusive Ducati dealership and seeing Japanese suits on the rack! Ha ha! They're that good, honestly.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info Jarel.

Anyone out there bought the new Alpinestars Motegi one piece or Alpinestars GP Pro one piece. Any feedback would be great. Thanks.