Dainese Yoyo Ladies Leathers

Dainese YOYO Ladies Leathers

Glam couture with a hump

MOTORCYCLE APPAREL-MAKERS ARE only just beginning to recognize female riders, despite the fact that almost 10 percent of bike owners are women. A recent influx of two-piece riding outfits has kept female sportbike riders out of ill-fitting men’s gear, but roadracing-specific one-piece suits remain a rarity. Offthe-rack models are virtually non-existent, forcing most women to spend extra cash on custom leathers.

Bucking this trend is Dainese’s new knee-slider-equipped YOYO ladies suit, currently the only production one-piece choice for women.

Lined with a removable, washable nylon inner suit that makes ingress and egress a snap, the 1,4mm-thick, full-grainleather YOYO has stretchy “D-stone” fabric along the chest, inside the arms and thighs, and behind the knees. Composite armor covers the shoulders, elbows and knees, though the hip pads are so thin they’re difficult to locate. And aside from the aerodynamic, shock-absorbing hump, there is no back protection; Dainese sells articulated protectors separately.

As for sizing, we asked three women ranging in height from 5-foot-3 to 5-foot-9 and weighing between 120 and 140 pounds to try our size-44 sample.

The taller women found the arms too tight and the torso too short. That, combined with the lack of stretch material under the arms, significantly restricted movement. Ditto a second suit, size 46.

The shorter tester, who had previously only raced in baggy men’s suits, called the YOYO the best-fitting one-piece suit she had ever worn, even if it was a bit too long in the legs. Conclusion? A good suit, kept from being great by sizing issues. Hopefully, demand will inspire improvements in future models. □

DETAU LS

Dainese

www.dainese.com

$1169