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The motorcycle race suit moved from adapted coats and leather layers to a close-fitting one-piece leather suit, and then to leather combined with textiles, armour and airbag systems. Each step answered a practical problem: cold and drag in the early decades, abrasion and impact as speeds rose, and weight and flexibility once riders pushed harder on the track. The materials list reads like a timeline, from horsehide to cowhide and kangaroo leather.
Key Takeaways
- Early riders wore adapted cold-weather coats and, from around 1905, close-fitting leather jackets and jerkins.
- The first form-fitting one-piece leather suit was made for streamlining, not safety, and was cut from horsehide.
- Cowhide became the common material for race suits, while kangaroo leather is valued for suppleness and light weight.
- Modern suits add armour, textile panels and, in MotoGP, airbag systems, which have been compulsory for permanent riders in the MotoGP classes since the 2018 season.
From Coats to Close-Fitting Leather
The first riding clothes were borrowed. According to Wikipedia's overview of motorcycle protective clothing, riders in the 1890s wore thigh-length, often double-breasted coats adapted from cold-weather garments. As racing became its own discipline around 1905 and 1906, riders switched to close-fitting leather jackets and jerkins cut to waist length, frequently paired with leather jodhpurs.
Those outfits were about warmth and wind. Nothing in them was designed to absorb an impact. The same source notes that heavyweight waxed cotton and denim were also common in older riding wear, which helps explain why leather, tougher and more flexible than either, kept its place.
The One-Piece Suit and Horsehide
Racing leathers in the sense riders know today began with the one-piece suit. It evolved from the pilots' boilersuits and Sidcot suits of the years after 1916. The first form-fitting one-piece leather racing suit was apparently commissioned around 1948 by Velocette managing director Bertie Goodman, and world champion Geoff Duke wore one by 1950, according to the same overview.
Duke's suit was built to cut drag, not to protect. Duke had previously used a one-piece lining under a two-piece leather suit, and his tailor, Frank Barker, made the first of his one-piece race suits. Like most leathers of the time, they were made from horsehide. At the 1950 Isle of Man TT, Duke finished second in the Junior race and broke both the lap and race records in the Senior event.
Women riders followed the same path. The overview credits Anke-Eve Goldmann as the first woman in one-piece racing leathers, with a form-fitting suit from the German maker Harro by 1955. Today the same fit logic applies across the range, from a to a .
Cowhide, Kangaroo and Why the Hide Matters
Cowhide is now a familiar material for race suits; the product page of the lists cowhide as the standard leather, with Monaco and kangaroo leather as upgrade options. Cowhide is the comparison point for other leathers used in race suits.
Kangaroo leather is the main alternative. The Wikipedia entry on kangaroo leather describes it as popular for motorbike leathers because it can be cut thin and still retain strength, and the overview of protective clothing describes it as supple and light compared to cowhide. Thinner leather is not automatically safer or weaker, though: what matters is the hide, the thickness chosen, the stitching and how the suit is built.
| Period | Typical material | Main purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 1890s | Leather and cloth coats adapted from cold-weather wear | Warmth, weather protection |
| From about 1905 | Close-fitting leather jackets, jerkins and jodhpurs | Less flapping cloth for racing |
| About 1950 | One-piece horsehide suit | Streamlining |
| Later decades | Cowhide, kangaroo leather, textile panels | Abrasion resistance, weight, flexibility |
Textiles, Armour and Airbags
Modern suits are no longer leather alone. Ballistic nylon such as Cordura and Kevlar-based fabrics appear in stretch and reinforcement panels, and armour uses high-density foam, foam-backed hard polymers and, increasingly, viscoelastic materials, according to the protective clothing overview. The same source dates the first leathers that met the European standard EN 13595 to 1994.
The newest layer is the airbag. Crash.net reports that, since the 2018 season, airbag-equipped suits have been compulsory for permanent riders in all classes of the MotoGP World Championship (MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3), with wild-card riders and replacement riders in their first two events excepted. Systems like these sit inside or under the suit and work alongside the leather, not instead of it.
What the History Means When Choosing a Suit Today
The history shows a pattern: each material was adopted to fix a specific weakness of the one before. For a rider choosing now, the useful questions are practical. Which hide suits the riding, how is the suit panelled, and which armour does the product page list? A one-piece layout is the classic shape; a separates into jacket and trousers; check the category page for the options. The full range sits in the . Check the armour listed on the product page, and ask for the documentation for any protective claim.
Frequently Asked Questions
What were the first motorcycle race suits made of?
Early riders wore adapted cold-weather coats, and from about 1905 close-fitting leather jackets and jerkins with jodhpurs. The first form-fitting one-piece racing suit, worn by Geoff Duke by 1950, was made from horsehide and designed to reduce drag rather than to protect.
Why did racers move from horsehide to cowhide?
Reference sources describe horsehide as the usual material of the one-piece suits of around 1950, and cowhide and kangaroo leather as the leathers now common in motorbike suits. The sources checked for this article do not give a reason or a date for the change, so it is described here only as a change in what makers use.
Is kangaroo leather used in motorcycle race suits?
Yes. Reference sources describe kangaroo leather as popular for motorbike leathers because it can be cut thin and still keep its strength, and as supple and light compared with cowhide. Suit makers choose the hide and its thickness for the intended use, so riders should ask about the leather and construction of any suit they consider.
Are airbags compulsory in motorcycle racing?
Since the 2018 season, airbag-equipped suits have been compulsory for permanent riders in all classes of the MotoGP World Championship, with wild-card riders and replacement riders in their first two events excepted. The rule applies to the race suit worn on track, not to everyday riding gear. Other series and track day organisers set their own rules, so riders should check the event regulations before riding.
Written by the Leather Collection Editorial Team.
