Leatt has pulled the covers off its all-new 2027 5.5 Racewear and, before we even get into the tech, just look at the bloody stuff. The new colourways are some of the best we’ve seen from Leatt and give its premium motocross kit the factory-racer look to match all the work that’s gone on underneath.
The new 5.5 range consists of the Moto 5.5 UltraWeld Jersey and Moto 5.5 I.K.S Pant, with Leatt claiming countless hours of development, athlete feedback and real-world testing have gone into making the combination lighter, cooler and less restrictive. Rather than simply changing the graphics for 2027, Leatt has concentrated heavily on mobility, ventilation, durability and giving the rider more connection with the bike.
The big talking point is the introduction of Leatt’s new HeatGrip technology in the 5.5 I.K.S pants. It replaces the traditional leather inner-knee panels with a new material designed to provide even more grip against the bike while eliminating some of leather’s traditional drawbacks.
HeatGrip combines Leatt’s abrasion- and cut-resistant Deflextion fabric with a heatproof coating and 100 percent aramid reinforcement. Leatt reckons it provides more grip than leather in both wet and dry conditions while also standing up better to the punishment dished out by knee braces.
Better still, you can throw it in the washing machine. Unlike leather, there’s no special maintenance required and Leatt says HeatGrip won’t suffer from the same drying, cracking and deterioration over time. It’s also lighter and uses Bluesign-certified materials.
The rest of the 5.5 gear has been put on a diet as well. Both the jersey and pants use a streamlined multi-panel construction with fewer unnecessary seams and strategically positioned stretch materials. The idea is to have the gear follow your natural riding position rather than fighting against you when you’re moving around the bike.
Leatt has also gone hard on keeping things cool. Lightweight performance fabrics, mesh construction and laser-cut ventilation have been positioned throughout the gear to increase airflow without turning the kit into something that’ll be destroyed the first time you hit the deck.
The Moto 5.5 UltraWeld Jersey will retail for $84.99 USD, while the Moto 5.5 I.K.S Pant is listed at $224 USD. Australian pricing is yet to be confirmed.
There’s obviously plenty of marketing speak surrounding any new racewear launch, but the HeatGrip system is genuinely interesting. Leather knee panels have been part of premium motocross pants forever, so replacing them with something Leatt claims is lighter, grippier, machine washable and more durable could be a decent step forward.
And if none of that matters to you, the new colours look sick.
