Comprised of 1.3mm leather with CE approved armor, the full spec Weise Tornado race leathers are affordable without sacrificing reliability.
The Weise Tornado race leathers represent a quirky way of selling a premium grade motorcycle product - and one which just might become more common as the world economy contracts.
Weise clothing is designed in Britain and made in the same Chinese factory which makes much of the road and race leathers for high profile brands. Weise has its own team at the factory constantly monitoring quality and materials - always essential when dealing with Chinese manufacturers.
The Tornado race suit is constructed from 1.3mm leather and has CE- approved armor in the knee, elbow, shoulder and hip areas. Zips are top quality YKK items. Keprotec stretch panels in key areas provide a high degree of comfort.
A CE-approved back protector is supplied with the suit and, while satisfactory, it is not comparable to a top specification, race focused, back protector such as the Knox Aegis which I wear.
The highly-perforated inner lining is detachable, and washable, and the general finish is impeccable. In fact, the Weise suit compares favorably with the very expensive, high-profile brands which carry well-known labels. The majority of these suits are also made in China which currently possesses the best combination of low-cost labor and high-tech machinery in the world.
The inner lining of the suit is detachable and washable, and also includes Keprotec stretch panels for added comfort.
At this point, Weise is striking off on their own because they do not sponsor any high-profile riders - and for a very good reason. A single small logo - half the size of a pack of cigarettes - on the leathers of a second string
MotoGP rider will cost something in the region of $100,000 for the season. I know for sure that the figure is accurate because I happened to see the contract for the rider concerned, last year.
A large logo on a winner’s, or even potential winner’s, leathers will cost the clothing supplier millions of dollars and this all has to be paid for. Quite simply, the math has to add up. If you see rider “x” standing on a MotoGP or
WSBK podium you can be sure that you have paid a lot of money for his happy face every time you purchase that brand from your retailer.
By contrast, Weise only gives away a very few suits, and these go to riders who crash a lot in the support series of British Superbike and the occasional item which finds its way to a journalist. All these are more R&D testing than sponsorship, and therefore the costs which have to be passed on to the retail purchaser are minimal. The end result is that a full spec Weise race suit costs $640 rather than triple this price.
The product is absolutely first class, too. Last month, I slid down the track at 75 mph after getting oil on the rear tire of my bike in a classic race. The leather and stitching of the Weise suit held up perfectly and the body armor prevented any injury in what was becoming a big accident.
But there is an obvious downside. If you want a high credibility race replica suit then Weise is not the answer. No one at your local race meet is going to be impressed by the Weise name - although they might well be with the actual suit.
The Weise Tornado Race leathers is intended strictly for racing/sports riding, and as a result the suit tends to be stiff and not recommended for cruising.
Does any of this matter? I don’t know. Maybe if I were 25-years-old and wanted, or needed, to impress my friends I would consider the extra $1000 for a sexy brand name as good investment. But I’m not - so I don’t!
The other potential problem is that the suit’s cut is very much intended for racing/sports riding and the body armor is seriously stiff, so this is not a suit for the custom cruiser rider to wear on a trip across Death Valley. Rather, it is a serious piece of protective clothing designed for likely impact with the track or road.
The Tornado suit comes in a huge range of colors consisting of black, black, black, black or black. There is also black available. This caused lots of problems with track images for the Motorcycle USA articles I write because the camera really struggled to focus on the matte black surface which proved to be an excellent stealth finish. I paid a local race leather repairer to sew in three small colored strips rather in the fashion of the early colored leathers of the 1970s. This cost $90 - British labor does not charge Chinese prices - but it solved the problem.
Weise clothing is available in the U.S. now and the Tornado suit might just be the answer for any racer who is not fashion conscious - but does not want to risk his body in cheap leathers. For details of your nearest dealer go to:
http://weise-clothing.co.uk.
