The author poses in his new duds along with Kevin Schwantz (left) and Kenny Roberts, Jr. (right).
I don?t always ride on the track. But when I do, I prefer leather.
In fact, most closed-circuit road racetracks won?t allow you to ride without a full leather suit, and your boots and gloves need to be up to the task as well. If the track is the place to test the limits of your bike or your skills, then you need to be prepared for the possibility of sliding down the pavement at triple-digit speeds. No one wants that outcome, but accidents happen and riders wearing proper protective gear often walk away.
Since my decade-old leathers had mysteriously shrunk?must be the dry weather here in Southern California?testing the 2018 Suzuki GSX-R1000 at Circuit of the Americas gave me an opportunity to test Joe Rocket?s top-of-the-line road race gear: Speedmaster 6.0 one-piece suit ($699.99), Speedmaster 2.0 back protector ($74.99), Speedmaster 3.0 boots ($279.99) and GPX gloves ($144.99). Joe Rocket Speedmaster suit.
Developed over many seasons of AMA racing, the Speedmaster 6.0 suit is made from 1.4-1.7mm top grain cowhide with perforations in the chest, groin and lower waist for ventilation, articulated expansion panels for flexibility and an aerodynamic speed hump on the upper back. Crash protection includes CE-approved shoulder, knee and elbow armor, titanium shoulder reinforcements, a removable spine pad and removable foam inserts in impact areas. The fully lined mesh interior provi...