BKS leathers hail from across the pond in jolly old England, and are brand new to the US market. I agreed to try out a set in the Aprilia Cup Challenge but I didn't want to be racing in leathers that I couldn't trust. When I got the leathers, my worries evaporated.

The build quality of the BKS GP100 suit is exceptional. The leather itself is a consistent and heavy weight throughout the suit. The high impact areas of the shoulders, upper arms, elbows, forearms, knees, shins, butt, and hip areas all feature double-layered leather.

The GP100 suit has Suproflex body armor throughout, which is BKS's own armor. The suit features a Suproflex back protector, which comes with the leathers. I'm not keen on foam back-protectors, so I wore my own Dainese back protector just to be safe, and it fit just fine. There is an optional back protector that costs an additional $179.00; it is thicker, but I haven't seen it.

BKS leathers are the only leathers imported into the United States that are completely CE approved. The CE approval is a European standard similar to the DOT and Snell approvals on helmets, but for apparel.

One area of the leathers that is extra protective is the hips. There is more padding and armor around the butt and hips than any other leathers I've ever worn and they look like they would protect those areas very well. But on the negative side, they made my butt look fat, which would have been less noticeable on any bike other than the tiny Aprilia.

Leathers are not meant to be comfortable when you are standing around; if they are, they don't fit properly. They're meant to be comfortable only while sitting on a bike. The cut of the BKS GP100's is perfect, the knees and arms are pre-shaped for a racing position, and all of the internals are finished so that nothing is poking you when you are trying to concentrate on a racetrack.

I wore an off-the-rack 44, and it fit me perfectly. Leathers should be tight so that they don't allow their arms or legs to rotate in a crash, moving the armor to where it's not supposed to be. I think the GP100's feel a little different at first because of all the padding in the hips, but once you get used to it, it's no bother.

By the end of the weekend, when the temperature got hot, I was wishing that the BKS suit was vented. From what I understand, BKS will start building ventilated leathers for the US market. There really isn't that much of a need for them over on the frozen island where they're made but most racing in the States takes place in warm months in warm places.

I was really impressed with this suit. It's really too bad that I didn't crash to allow me to give you more information, but I really hate crashing. I think the GP100 suit ranks right up there with other high-end, top-quality leathers on the market. The retail price is $1999.00, which is a lot cheaper than a skin graft, but definitely places them in the top end of the market. If protection is your top priority, it is doubtful you can find a suit that offers more of it than the BKS GP100 suit.

The BKS GP100 suit is available in Black/Gunmetal, Black/Metallic Silver, Black/Royal Blue, Black/Red, Black/Yellow, and Black/ Orange. And, the suit pictured is Black/Carbon, which is a brand new color combination.

Available sizes are 38, 40, 42, 44, 46; these are US sizes. They are available from Headhunter Racing at www.headhunterracing.com or call them at: 651-645-9433.