TESTED: KOMODO SPORT R/T SUIT
Author: TrackdayMag.com Staff
Komodo builds the most durable and protective racing leathers we’ve yet tested, so we were excited when they announced their intention to offer a suit aimed at the trackday/street rider. It got more interesting when Komodo asked TrackdayMag.com to consult on the project during the design phase. While this magazine’s opinions are not always taken seriously by some suit manufacturers, Komodo was one company which we felt sure would give consideration to our suggestions.
With many brands, the terms “Race,” “Trackday” and “Street” often seem to denote descending rungs on the ladder of protection. We heartily disagree with this philosophy. Does a track crash offer less potential for bodily harm if trophies aren’t at stake? Wouldn’t it seem that there is a much greater chance for a falling rider to be smashed, sliced or abraded on public roads than in the sanitized environment of a racetrack? Our design statement to the company was simple: Regardless of its mission, your new suit needs to crash like a Komodo.
The Sport R/T is aimed at track riders who also use their bikes on the street and want a no-compromise suit that works well in both environments. If you’ve used a one-piece on a road trip, you know the embarrassment caused by bashing everything in sight with your sleeves when your leathers are pulled down to your waist. Worse is when the suit slides to your knees, exposing your Sponge Bob undies for all to see!
The Komodo Sport R/T is, for this reason, a two-piece design. Obviously, a jacket and pants joined by a torso-encircling zipper will never be as strong as a one-piece suit, which is why Komodo advises that this gear is not intended for racing use. In reality, we’ve seen plenty of one-piece race suits that were less robust than the Sport R/T and after looking it over, we’re pretty confident that it would pass tech inspection with most racing organizations.
As with Komodo’s other offerings, the Sport R/T is built for the worst case scenario from 1.4 to 1.6mm full grain leather, which is far more protective than the thinner top grain leather used in most competitor’s race suits or the totally uncrashworthy goat hide used in many street-oriented items. This is old school leather that reminds us of the days before armor, when thick cowhide and some token foam padding was all the protection you got. Modern armor has made it possible to build a protective suit with thinner leather, but Komodo refuses to compromise and instead builds gear that can be considered multi-crash survivable. The tradeoff for this is that the Sport R/T is one heavy set of leathers. Two hundred feet down the asphalt, you’ll consider that to be a good thing.
A suit with Road/Track in its name should be tested in both environments. We sent Editor Paul Onley on a mission to evaluate this gear’s split personality. He said, “I found the suit to be quite comfortable. During an 8 hour street ride, it performed perfectly both on and off the bike. There is a nice complement of zippered pockets, including one on the front of the pants, two in the usual “hand warmer” position on the jacket and one large zippered breast pocket perfect for a wallet. At the track I was happy to find that even while wearing my full-sized back protector,
I never found the suit to be tight in any position.
I was able to get down into a full aerodynamic tuck and drag the pucks with no issues. The knees and elbows of the suit stayed in position nicely, not dropping down or twisting out of place. The zipper between the pants and jacket circles the entire torso, which should satisfy the safety requirements of most track organizations. I would describe the fit as roomy compared to the skin-tight cut of full race leathers, which is a good thing if you’re looking for street comfort as well as track-worthy protection. Anyone who’s walked around the paddock hunched over like a gorilla due to the confining fit of a race suit knows that a competition cut is not ideal for real world riding.”
Many trackday riders own a race suit for their racecourse adventures but resort to a jacket and jeans for road trips. Do you feel unprotected going down the street like that, yet don’t want to look like a hooligan while idling around town in an “arrest me now” 1-piece? Would you like to avoid having to invest in multiple outfits to suit various missions? The Komodo Sport R/T was designed for you. Featuring the thick, tough, full-grain leather and stout armor that has become a Komodo trademark, the Sport R/T surpasses most street-oriented gear in protection and is quite comfortable, yet has the moves to take it to the track as well. If you’re the type of rider who schedules week-long tours between track events and wants one suit that will do it all, the Komodo Sport R/T is the gear you’ve been waiting for. Best of all, should the worst happen, you can rest assured that this suit will “Crash like a Komodo.”
The Komodo Sport R/T retails for an extremely reasonable $599.95 when purchased separately or can be combined with Komodo’s Ceno Race Gloves and FX Boots for a package price of just $831.15. Visit www.komodogear.com to see their full line of race and street gear.
You will need a glove that offers higher levels of protection than an everyday street riding glove. Racing safety guidelines mandate that all race gloves have Kevlar components.
