Women's Motorcycle Race Suits: A Buyer's Guide

Finding a race suit that fits is harder for women than it should be. Many shops carry only a handful of women's models, sizes vary a lot between brands, and plenty of riders end up in a men's suit that's loose in one place and tight in another.

We make women's leather race suits to order in our own factories. This guide covers what to look for, and what to ask any maker, before you spend your money.

1. Why a women's cut matters

A race suit only protects you properly if it fits close to the body. In a slide, loose leather lets the armour shift off your shoulders, elbows and knees just when you need it there.

Men's patterns are cut for broader shoulders, a straighter waist and narrower hips. On most women that means one of two problems:

• Sized to the hips, the suit is baggy across the shoulders, chest and waist.
• Sized to the shoulders, it's too tight across the hips and seat, and pulls when you tuck in.

A women's pattern is shaped for the chest, waist and hips, and the torso and leg lengths are proportioned differently. If you sit between sizes, or your proportions don't match a standard chart, made to measure fixes both problems at once.

2. How it should fit

Try a race suit on in a riding position, not standing up in front of a mirror. Leather suits are cut for a tuck, so they can feel short in the body and arms when you stand. That's normal. Check these points on the bike, or kneeling in a tuck:

• Shoulders and elbows: the armour should sit over the joint with your arms stretched to the bars.
• Chest: snug but not compressing. You should be able to breathe deeply with the suit zipped.
• Hips and seat: no pulling across the seat when you tuck, and no gap at the lower back.
• Knees: the knee armour stays on the kneecap when your legs are bent.
• Sleeves and legs: cuffs reach your wrists and ankles in the riding position, with no skin showing between suit, gloves and boots.

Our guide to how a race suit should fit covers each check in more detail.

3. Stretch panels and comfort

Stretch panels let the suit move with you, and they matter more on a close, women's fit. Look for them where your body bends most: behind the knees, at the crotch, inside the arms and across the lower back and shoulders. The impact zones should stay leather.

Perforated leather helps on hot days. It should sit on the chest, back and thighs, away from the areas that touch the ground first in a slide.

4. One-piece or two-piece?

Many women riders find a one-piece suit fits better on track, because there's no waist join to line up between jacket and trousers.

A two-piece suit makes more sense if you ride on the road as much as on track. You get a race-cut jacket you can wear on its own. If your upper and lower body fall into different sizes on a chart, a made-to-measure two-piece solves that. For track use, the two halves must zip together all the way round. Our two-piece buyer's guide explains what to check.

5. Armour: look for the level, not just "CE"

"CE approved" on its own tells you very little. For shoulders, elbows, hips and knees the standard is EN 1621-1, and Level 2 is the higher of its two levels. Back protectors are tested separately under EN 1621-2.

Some well-known women's suits still ship with Level 1 armour at the joints, so check the spec sheet. Every Leathers First women's suit comes with CE Level 2 armour as standard. We publish the model and certificate numbers of the protectors we use on our armour certifications page, so you can check them yourself.

One more point for women riders: a back protector that's too long can push up into the back of your helmet when you tuck. Check it in a riding position, and if you're shorter in the back, tell your maker so the protector suits your back length.

6. Airbags

If you ride with an airbag vest, plan for it before the suit is made. The suit needs extra room in the chest and back so the airbag can inflate, and on some brands that means going up a size. Tell us the brand and model of your airbag and we'll cut the suit around it. Our airbag guide has the details.

7. Leather

• Cowhide, 1.2 to 1.3 mm, is the usual standard for race suits. It's tough and breaks in after a few rides. It's what we use as standard.
• Kangaroo is lighter and stronger for its weight, which many riders appreciate on a long day. It costs more, and we offer it as an upgrade.

8. Price

Race leathers typically cost between about $600 and $2,000, and women's one-piece suits from the big brands usually sit well above $1,000. Our women's race suits start from $599, with jackets from $320 and trousers from $230. Every suit is made to your size or measurements, with free DDP shipping on orders over $500. We keep prices down by making the suits ourselves and selling direct, not by using cheaper materials.

Common questions

Find your suit

Browse women's leather race suits, women's racer jackets and women's leather motorcycle pants, or design your own suit. Not sure about sizing? Message us on WhatsApp and we'll help you measure.