Dainese T. Age Professional Leathers
Dainese T. Age Professional Leathers
CW EVALUATION
Titanium, twin zippers and more
WHEN IT COMES TO PROTECTING MOtorcyclists in a high-speed tumble, nothing beats a set of one-piece roadracing leathers. If there’s a downside, it’s that said leathers are dang near impossible to shrug off, particularly after they’ve become soaked with sweat. Until now, wearers have had two choices: Master the arms-behind-your-back shimmy-and-shake, or get a friend to lend a hand.
Fortunately, there’s now a third option: twin zippers, as seen on the new T. Age Professional leathers from Italian safety leader Dainese. Where leathers traditionally have had a single, central zipper that runs from neck to crotch, this new design features a pair of zippers that run from the wearer’s collarbones to his hips. Good idea: It is indeed much easier to pull these leathers off. Getting them on, though, is another story-at least until you learn to bend forward at the waist. Fail to do that and you’ll never get the zippers zipped up.
DETAILS
Dainese USA, inc.
270 Lafayette St.
New York, NY 10012
212/274-9848
www.dainese.com
Price..........$1995
Ups
A Easy on, easier off A Comfortable yet protective A Back protector included
Downs
▼ Ti accents easily marred * White leather easily soiled Inner liner hard to shrug off when wet
To be fair, Dainese is not the only leather-maker to arrive at this solution, Massachusetts-based Vanson having patented the idea for use on its Velocity suit. But the Italians have one-upped the Americans by adding a third “fly” zipper that facilitates porta-potty visits. Another good idea.
At first glance, the T. Age leathers don’t look that unusual, thanks to a silver stripe that runs down the center of the chest, recalling an ordinary zipper; the actual zippers are concealed next to pleated expansion panels. What you do notice is the suit’s snazzy styling, the multiple impact-absorbing foam pads on the chest, back, collarbones and biceps, and the unique carbonand-kevlar-backed titanium plates at the shoulders and knees, which are said to prevent tumbling in a fall.
Pull the suit on, and the next thing you notice is that the legs are loose-fitting. That’s because they’re designed to go over the tops of the matching Age In boots ($369), which have velcro patches on their shins and outer cuffs that mate with corresponding patches inside the legs, in order to prevent foot rotation in a fall. This setup looks and feels a little weird at first, but if it’s cool enough for Valentino Rossi, it’s probably cool enough for you.
Old-school sorts can opt for the Age Out boots ($379), which go over the leathers in traditional style.
Both boot styles complement the leathers by having titanium toe skids, which produce attention-grabbing sparks when they drag across the pavement.
The T. Age suit is available in white, black, red or blue, each with silver stripes, dark gray expansion panels at the stomach, waist, legs and back, and breathable black kevlar panels at the underarms, crotch and the backs of the legs. Available sizes are European 46 to 60.
While we have no beefs with the leathers themselves, the separate Coolmax lycra inner liner is a mixed blessing. We don’t doubt that it eases ingress and egress from the leathers, but removing the liner when it’s wet with sweat is no less difficult than removing a traditional set of leathers. Hey guys, ever thought of using two zippers?
