Thank you to Serena Lancaster for providing fantastic information on the Held Ayana II one-piece ladies motorcycle leathers. Let’s hear what Serena, 45, has to say!
“I recently returned to motorcycling after a lengthy absence due to children and work commitments. My husband rides and during one of his (many) trips to motorcycle dealers I fell in love with a motorcycle. I have a full licence but at only 5ft 2” (nearly!) I wanted a bike that I felt would help my confidence return – and I could reach the floor on! I chose the awesome WK Colt 125cc mini-bike, from TT racer Gary Johnson at North Lincolnshire Motorcycles. A bit like the child of a marriage between a Ducati Monster and a Honda Grom!” Serena told MoreBikes.
“Next – my gear. Again, my height had to be taken into consideration. I needed something that worked with my size 12 (and a bit!) figure and also my height. I wanted an outfit that was straight forward to get on and off and simple to store and maintain.
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I liked the idea of a set of one-piece motorcycle leathers – one bit of kit, slip on, zip up, go. No pulling the trousers on, doing them up over the boots, slipping the jacket on, doing up the waist connector, etc. The leathers would be easy to sponge down and treat too. I could also carry waterproofs and a thermal gilet with me for changes in the weather.”
Serena added: “Another appeal of the leathers was of course the safety – leather in my opinion is still the safest material for motorcyclists and as one-piece leather suits are developed for the track they HAVE to be safe.”
Choosing
I went along to Lincoln Bikes Motorcycle Gear in Lincoln and spoke to Donna who was very happy to let me try on all sorts of different outfits. I was right – the leathers (after a bit of wriggling) were so nice once on. The Held Ayana II leathers fitted me straight off the shelf, the armour was in the right place and the shape of the leathers were cut perfectly. I’ve had a lot of ladies who ride motorcycles comment to me that these particular leathers fit very nicely, off the shelf.”
Fit
“I was very surprised how supple these were – they’ve taken virtually no breaking in at all. The leather panels are perforated which was incredibly nice during the hotter summer days. They’ve got a nice soft mesh lining too which is breathable so again adding to comfort on the warmer days.
There are stretch leather panels at the knees, back and shoulders and Aramide (abrasion resistant) stretch panels at the arm, crotch and back of the knee. So which ever way you bend or move, although the leathers fit like a glove, they allow for plenty of movement. Very comfortable! The cuff is also in a stretch material, too.”
Protection
“As I expected the leathers were bristling with armour as standard – SAS-TEC protection at the shoulders, elbow and knees (soft armour that moulds to your shape when warmed by your body) and, the bit that really impressed me, titanium protection on the shoulders, elbows and knees!
There’s also a back protector and coccyx protector too as standard and I bought optional hip, rib and chest protectors too. All this, with double stitched leather, I feel very well protected! I do feel a bit of a fraud with the knee sliders that came as standard though- can’t see them getting worn!!”
Summary
‘I’m very happy with these, they fit beautifully, leave me feeling well protected, confident and look good (I think!) They do not restrict me at all on or off the bike. Expect to pay around £900 for these, they’re not cheap, but you do get what you pay for and when you think what their job actually is they’re worth every penny. I’d highly recommend them!”
Thank you Serena for your review!
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