Product review: Ixon Vortex race suit
Not a lot of Indian riders will ever need leathers. More importantly, of the few of us who find them useful, not many can afford to purchase them very often. Leathers are an expensive acquisition and it makes the need to be sure of what you're buying, pretty important. My previous Joe Rocket Speedmaster 5.0 leathers went well - no crashes to report - for years and years. I finally retired them when the external shoulder protectors fell apart. And by that time, some of the black rubber-style armour had already crumbled and been replaced. Eight to ten years? Oh yes.
Over the last year or so of use, the Ixon Vortex has been a superb replacement. The leather is supple, the fit is excellent and unlike the Rockets, no seams have split.
I wear both a chest and a back protector under the suit and it works very well. I've found no restrictions to on-bike mobility, no tight spots or creases that bug me.
The only hassle is that the glue between the rubber logo bit and the velcro closure under it on the top zipper tab has failed. I haven't bothered to stick it back and it doesn't get in my way.
Another thing I liked was the included set of knee sliders. These are extremely thick and wear vastly more slowly than the Rocket sliders or the cheap AliExpress-sourced "MotoGP" branded ones that I've used. I also like the fact that the zipper at the calf sits so that when I use my legs to hold on to the bike, there are no hard parts that dig in.
All in all, these are proving to be an extremely nice, supple pair of leathers to own. The seat hump includes the ability to take a hydration bladder which you can add. I intend to, but I've been lazy about this.
Of course, bigger brands like Dainese do have suits in this price range. But I think the Ixon is more feature-loaded and better looking than similarly priced suits from other brands. What would I change? Maybe I'd get a less white suit the next time, heh heh. And that giant rubberised plastic logo on the thigh, erm, needs to go.
Price: Rs 65,000
Available at: PerformanceRacing.in
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