My first ever track day required my first ever leather set. The first hurdle was the sizing. I have heard the leathers need breaking in and they are very tight when first worn and then they stretch. But I didn’t know whether that means you should buy a size smaller, like with the stretchy jeans, for example. Luckily the RST people were super helpful. I gave them the sizes of the RST jeans and the jacket I already have and they’ve sent me the trousers and the jacket in the correct size.
I also needed a pair of gloves because all of the ones I have are short ones and not allowed on a track.
I have opted for a two piece set that zips together for practical reasons. I didn’t fancy having the sleeves flapping around my knees when the top half is down on a hot day. And for us ladies, having the sleeves dragging on the floor of the toilets is not very appealing.
Getting the leathers on was an experience! I thought I was never going to fit into them. I had to take the hip protectors out to zip them up on the first try. But once they were on I was able to breathe and move around. Well, move around like a robot especially once I zipped up the jacket, too.
Due to some delays I didn’t get the chance to walk around the house and get used to the new outfit, I had an hour before I set off to Cadwell Park. Getting on the bike was funny! I usually swing my leg over the 30 litre tail pack but that wasn’t going to happen with the new leather trousers on. In fact, I could barely lift my leg high enough to get the heel over the seat and slide on it. It wasn’t the most elegant of bike mounts or dismounts.
The first day at Cadwell Park was hot! The dials were pushing over 30 degrees celsius and I was glad I opted for a two piece set as it was really handy to be able to take the jacket off completely when I wasn’t on the bike. As the day progressed I started to feel the leathers give more and more and by the end of the day I was pretty comfortable in them.
Day two meant I was able to put the hip protectors back in and I didn’t have to lie down to zip the trousers up again. In fact, by the second day the leathers felt like mine, they’d stretched and moulded around my body enough that I was no longer uncomfortable in them.
On day three whilst riding home the leathers have softened enough that I no longer thought about them.
For the ‘off the shelf’ set of leathers, RST have done a fantastic job. They look great, they are shaped well for the female body and the leather is of good quality that doesn’t take ages to break in. It comes with the knee sliders and all the usual protection you’d expect – hip, knee, shoulders, elbow and back protector. The gloves only took a couple of hours of riding to soften and were easy to ride with.
I wore the RST Ladies GT leather jacket and the RST GT leather jean with RST TracTech EVO gloves. The jacket is AAA rated with Level 2 back protector, elbow and shoulder armour and the leather jeans are CE Certified A with Level 2 hip and knee armour.
Review done and published in Motorcycle Sport and Leisure magazine, September 2021
