Cassons have sent Zane some new one-piece leathers for his track testing and racing. Check out his first impressions of the IXON Vortex 2 Leathers... Standby for a full review on them!
Cassons Australia have sent me some new IXON racing leathers. Not only do they look spectacular, they fit perfectly and have plenty of features to keep me safe and cool on the track. Check out what my first impressions are on the IXON Vortex 2 one-piece leathers…
The IXON Vortex2 race suit is CE-certified. It has shoulder, elbow, hip and knee protectors. RRP is $1449.95
It’s been a good five years since I had a new set of leathers. For an average joe, that’s fine, they’ll usually make a suit last a lifetime, for a journalist, it’s bloody ages. Truth be told, I just haven’t been racing enough to justify asking for another suit, a busy year ahead hopefully means more track days, and lots more track time with Jeff winding that back himsef, so it’s time to hang up the old suit.
I’ve always trusted IXON to keep me safe. When I finally managed to score some leathers that weren’t an ill fitting hand-me-down from my dad, I scored an IXON Starburst suit. When I tell you I have put this suit through its paces over the past five years, I mean it….
So so so so many crashes have been had in the Starburst leathers, I have walked away from every single one without a scratch. I will admit that I crash really well as it was something I learnt riding from a young age, but the suit is still more than usable. Only the knees are worn out from wearing knee sliders all the way down to the base.
The IXON Vortex 2 is actually a size smaller than my outgoing suit. I was certain it wouldn’t fit given the fact I weigh a lot more and I’m a lot taller than I was five years ago. However, it fit next to perfect out of the box, the only thing really needing some wear-in are the arm creases. Plenty of perforated holes throughout the suit so I’m looking forward to not sweating to death while out on the track.
Everything feels top quality as per IXON’s usual high-standard, even included are elbow sliders and shoulders protectors for an extra level of impact protection.
Everything feels top quality as per IXON’s usual high-standard, even included are elbow sliders and shoulders protectors for an extra level of impact protection. Retail price is $1449.95.
I have large calf and thigh muscles, which usually lead to an awkward fit with boots on, this is something that would irritate me after wearing my old Starburst suit, the zippers at the ankles would press hard into my skin with my boots on. The Vortex 2 seems to sort those issues out, the actual zipper head seems to be a lower profile and I can zip them all the way down, same with the wrist zippers too.
The knees sit higher than my old Starburst, most likely due to being a size smaller. This is a huge positive for me as my riding style is somewhat weird, I use the sliders way more than most of my fellow riders and I ended up rubbing through the Velcro and top of the knee on my old suit. I believe it’s due to riding a lot of narrow tyre motorcycles in my early career, now it’s become a habit to use my knees to as a lean indicator to ensure I’m not going to run out of lean angle.
There’s not a whole lot more I can write about the suit until I get back out on track, which will hopefully be soon. Please send your blessing that when I write my full review, I don’t have a section about how good they are to crash in…
Luca Gardner has also been testing out an IXON Vortex 2 suit and his review is on the way…
Check out the IXON Australian catalogue here…
Tech Talk
This race suit is designed for maximum thrills and track performance with total safety. The Vortex 2 is the IXON Racing collection’s best seller and has been tested and approved by thousands of motorcyclists worldwide. The Vortex 2 race suit is CE-certified. It has shoulder, elbow, hip and knee protectors. So you can race around the track with total peace of mind…
IXON Vortex 2 Leathers Key Features
- CE model
- Elbow-shoulder CE protectors Level 1
- Knee-hip CE protectors. Level 1
- Resistant cow leather
- Stretch reinforced with aramid fibers
- Secured stitching
- Racing collar with neoprene back and high neckroll
- Very sportive preformed and fitted cut
- Micro-perforated leather
- Stretch reinforced with aramid fibers
- Secured stitching
- Flex leather on back of armholes, bottom back and over the knee
- External integrated sleek shells on shoulders sliders on elbows
- Aerodynamic hump, empty and perforated with space and passage for a water bag
- Zipped cuffs with strap
- Zipped calves
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The Author
