Flip back to the First Ride review of the Buell 1125CR ("Retro Cool", Jan. '09) and turn to page 31. There you'll notice our man Siahaan cranked over, knee on the deck, wearing the Replica one piece suit by Rev'it. Take a good look at that suit because that's the last time it looked so nice. Literally seconds after that photo was taken Troy was a little too liberal with the throttle hand exiting the corner, separating himself from machine and seeing ground followed by sky in rapid succession. Miraculously, he was able to walk away from the little tumble with nothing more than a slight skin abrasion on his elbow (the bike only suffered minor damages). Obviously crashing is never fun, but if it's going to happen we're happy it did while wearing the Replica.So what makes the Replica so special? For starters, it's constructed from high-grade cowhide with a new and improved stitching method compared to Rev'it suits of yore. CE protection in the elbow and knee is accompanied by exterior TPU-alloy honeycomb shoulder protection, giving greater range of motion with the same protection benefits. You'll find Schoeller-Keprotec stretch panels in the usual non-critical areas, like the armpit and inner thigh areas, as well as numerous leather stretch panels at the back, shoulder, elbow and knee areas. Temperfoam padding also lies in the hip and back. YKK zippers make sure that things stay shut.
Tested Revit Replica Suit
On its own the Replica's fit is rather loose in the upper portion of the body. Whether that's intentional or not depends on the model Rev'it uses for its sizing, but we didn't mind the extra space as it allowed the use of a back and chest protector which filled the gap perfectly. Fit and finish of the suit is top notch and it feels like a premier-level suit should (Rev'it has since released a new suit, the TT, as its high-end one-piece suit, with the Replica just below it). There are some complaints though. While riding, mobility in the lower portion of the suit left some to be desired. We would have preferred more stretch paneling in the inner thigh area, as the legs felt restricted in its range of motion. This required an adjustment in riding style in order to get our knees anywhere near the ground. Also, ventilation holes are dispersed throughout the upper half of the suit, and yet there's little airflow to the rider. This isn't necessarily a problem to some, as a chest protector would block a substantial portion of the incoming air, but it's worth noting. As for crash worthiness, just take a look at these pictures. Considering Troy was able to walk away it's fair to say that the Replica can take a beating.There was, however, one significant problem we faced with the Replica suit. Although it did its job perfectly during the tumble, the zipper on one of the arms came apart-which could have potentially left bare skin exposed. While it's virtually impossible to predict every type of incident, and the actual probability of bare skin exposure is slim, zipper failures just shouldn't happen. Especially in a $1249.99 suit. Otherwise, the Replica suit displays all the craftsmanship we've continually been impressed with in all of Rev'it's products.
Rev'it! Sport USA
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www.revitusa.com