Well I normally get the Mrs to help me get out of my one piece at the end of a long hot and sticky ride!! Normally takes her a couple of minutes and a dislocated shoulder to get me out of them!! I wouldn't let a Paramedic cut me out of my new Spidi's though
My views have not changed because medical services have not even considered what kit motorcyclists may or may not be wearing, and in fact from what my sources tell me they only cover the removal of a crash helmet and nothing more. Airbags have certainly made a difference to spinal injuries and are probably one of the best investments that a rider can make, but to say that you are more comfortable in 1 piece leathers therefore less likely to crash is totally unfounded as most people (in road riding terms) are frustrated that they are impractical and are not that comfortable. In fact there is evidence that you tend to cook more so in hot weather in a 1 piece than you do in a 2 piece and I can only say that back in the day when I used to race, I always cooked in 1 piece whereas I was relatively speaking more comfortable on the road in my 2 piece, but that is just my own personal experience and everyone f course is different. Look at it another way. Why do so many riders think that is they wear their leather jacket and jeans they are pretty well protected when the majority of serious injuries are to the lower body which a pair of Levi's is not going to protect in any shape or form. I still do case studies and there has been no significant improvement in casualty rates, not so much because of the kit, but because wrong fitting, poorly sized kit can an does so much damage all because of bad advice from dealers and friends who have no idea of how good kit should behave in a crash.
Interesting points there T.C and thanks for the information I've always worn a one piece as i personally prefer the look of a one piece over a two but the points you raise certainly makes me think when I'm in the market for a new set of leathers i will most certainly consider a two piece. I agree that image is important to a lot of riders but a one piece with a baggy arse is certainly not a good look (not that I'm looking you understand) image over safety is maybe more important to some .
They are interesting perspectives. I’m still committed to the BKS MTM 1 piece. At least it will fit properly with armour in the right place and a properly specified airbag. I must admit I am tempted by their textile gear for road use on the CBF. Their standards of testing are pretty exceptional compared to many of the major brands. Much of the Rukka stuff seems to be junk in comparison.
Whilst bowing to greater knowledge regards one and two piece suits I happened o be watching an MCN vid this afternoon with their road test riders and they all wore one piece kit even though the point of the article was about safe riding, although not specifically about kit. It get's a bit confusing for people like me who are not experts, and see those who are, with seemingly opposing views.
I think you've hit the nail on the head there @bladey ......there is a reason why one piece leathers are worn by the majority, including mcn test riders, track day riders, road racing, bsb, wsbk and Moto gp riders .......that reason is that it is the safest option for your skin. A two piece is held together with a zip!! Zips break very easily, especially when sliding down the road. A two piece was designed for convenience, not safety!! (Toilet breaks are the only advantage of a two piece ) At the end of the day its all down to personal preference, wear what you want and feel good and comfortable in!! I for one have only ever owned one piece leathers and I've never been suggestively sold one by a sales person trying to hit his sales targets!! its always been what I wanted! Ride safe
What about them recent ones that you only had 2 minutes cos the salesman said you looked lush in them but were too tight
No thanks. I didn't watch it first time round, no plans to change that. In the many hundreds of crashes I have dealt with, I have never know the zip around the waist to burst, in fact it is often one of the strongest points. The biggest issue is often in separate jacket/trouser combinations with no connection where the jacket rides up exposing the midriff. Your are of course entitled to your opinion, but do not compare racing with road riding, they are 2 very different disciplines as I mentioned in the article. They are not the safest option for road use (Just my opinion based on all the crashes and research I have been involved in) and the MCN test riders are the last people to take advice from as they will only promote items that they are given and paid to wear (which I again know from experience), and when you question them about how kit is supposed to perform, they do not have a clue. Other UK importers have had similar issues with the press, so anything promoted by bike journalists is no recommendation. But as I said you are entitled to your opinion, I am just giving out a different perspective so that it avoids people being brainwashed.
Appreciate your reply. As far as the MCN guys were concerned they weren’t giving any advice re kit, it’s simply what they were wearing in the video so no promo from them.
They wear it because its free or they get paid to wear it, the fact they wear it is seen as promoting the brand. But they have got previous for giving advice and they have been taken to task by several manufacturers and experts in the past for some of the rubbish they are inclined to come out with.
To be honest, it didn’t look like the tv programme made a hash of it given that they need to keep things readily digestible by your average person. In a similar vein, it would be good if you could indicate which brands tend to produce reasonable kit. We can then focus on those brands along with the other indications such as the certification to make an informed choice. I’ve indicated brands I’d trust like BKS MTM, Hideout and Scott. What would you trust generally?
I'll jump in here to add that my old Hideout 2 piece, which was eye wateringly expensive for me at the time, and my present Scott 1 piece have been the leathers I've been most comfortable in although, funnily enough, it was the waist zip on the Hideout that failed before anything else. I still have an MJK 1 piece from Netherlands which also feels great and survived a scrape along the tarmac.
The reasons n I thought I’d go down the furiously expensive BKS route was because I’ve never found my Scott 1 piece to be comfy. It is bloody well made and I have no doubt it would do its job if I ever fell off. But then the BKS is 4 times the price…. I did stress to Brian I wanted comfort!
