Tested: GP Leathers

VISORDOWN'S ad man Kane Dalton doesn't just race bikes around the Isle of Man, for some reason he also likes to roll downhill on an over-sized skate board.

Kane bought a cheap set of GP Leathers for the purpose but after a low-speed spill burst the seams in his suit, he's glad he wasn't wearing the leathers on a bike.

Kane said: 'I didn't want to shell out on an expensive suit for skating... it's not a case of IF you crash but WHEN. I didn't want to trash my best biking leathers.

'I saw the GP Leathers for £150 and I thought would be a good investment and offer more protection than just wearing shorts but the first time I wore the suit it burst at the seam on the leg.

'I was going downhill and entered a corner at no more than 20 mph. I low-sided off the board trying to avoid another skater. I must have slid for two or three meters at the most and then on to the grass so was surprised to see the seam had split.

'I called the number listed on the website and was told to call back in a couple of weeks because the owner was abroad. I was given an e-mail address to forward pictures of the damage to the suit. Eventually I was told that it was impossible for the suit to have suffered this level of damage in a low-speed slide.

'I was also told that any premium suit would burst open in the same manner if a rider lands on a seam. GP Leathers told me: ‘Leathers are designed to work once’. I asked what they thought would happen in a high speed motorcycle crash but never received an answer. I was thankful I wasn't wearing the leathers on a bike.

'I have had a number of high speed crashes both on track and on the road, of course my leathers were damaged but they never split along a seam - even when I slid along the tarmac for much greater distances and at higher speeds.

'It can be a false economy buying a cheaper suit. I mentioned my experience at the GP Leathers stand at Motorcycle Live - the owner said if I returned with the damaged leathers at the next trade show he was attending (months down the line) then he would exchange them but by then I had had enough.'

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