COVER STORY
BKS James Toseland Replica Leather Suit
Author: Article by Jon Hatcher / Photos by Kris Lieber
Trackdaymag.com Tests Britain’s Best
 There’s nothing like the smell of a brand new set of leathers, especially when they also come autographed by two-time World Champion James Toseland. The MotoGP star’s British sponsor, BKS Leathers, had sent us a replica of Toseland’s suit to test on the racetrack and we were very eager to try it out. Although BKS is a new brand to the American market, the company has been around since 1986 when its founder, Brian K. Sansom, first started producing made-to-measure leather suits for some of Britain’s police forces. In 2005, BKS was acquired by the Frank Thomas Group with the intention of building it into a premium and elite off-the-rack line. This year marks another leap forward for the marque, as BKS has begun importing their suits and gloves across the pond to the United States and selling them exclusively through Cycle Gear stores around the nation.
The two main models that BKS offers to US customers are the Silverstone and Benicia, which are currently available through Cycle Gear. Our BKS James Toseland Replica suit is a bit different than BKS’s base model, the Silverstone, which retails for $999 here in the States. While the Silverstone is comprised of a full cowhide exterior, the Toseland Replica suit utilizes several  different animal skins to provide the best all-around protection. Stingray (yes, stingray) moldings are placed on the shoulders, elbows and knees along with titanium plates in order to reduce friction in those areas in the event of a slide. Premium cowhide makes up the arms and legs of the suit, while competition grade kangaroo skin is used throughout the torso to reduce the weight of the one-piece leathers. Kangaroo is thinner than cowhide but it has better abrasion resistance, allowing suits made from kangaroo to be just as safe as cowhide but without the additional weight. BKS’s Benicia suit, retailing for $1499 in the US, has the same basic construction as the James Toseland replica, although with colors that are just a bit tamer. BKS manufactures their suits to the highest standards of safety. CE approved armor is positioned at the shoulders, elbows, hips and knees and these extreme impact areas are also protected by additional layers of leather and multiple stitching for the ultimate in burst protection. The suit features quad and triple stitching on the seams of the outside leg, thigh, torso and arms. BKS also designed the leathers with an extensive, industry-leading use of double layer leather over the shoulder and upper arm and a total wraparound of the elbows, forearms, hips, seat, thighs and shins all the way down to the ankles.
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