Anyone wear riding armor?

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Moon Man

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I was looking at this and thought hey, that offers a TON more protection that my armored jacket, and i could just throw a hoodie over it. Anyone tried one?

https://www.newenough.com/armor/elbow_shoul...cle_jacket.html

factory.jpg


I know that BOHN makes a few models too. I work in a T-Shirt casual office, so i could throw it over a t shirt too. Or would I look too much like a stunter?

 
It's what I wear. Same armor as a matter of fact. Athough my girlfriend made me get a new jacket after this one left some VERY funky sunburn marks on my arms when I wore it in the summer sun with a short sleeve shirt.

So I wear a lightweight motorcycle jacket in the summer to protect my arms from sunburn, and I wear that exact armor under a jacket/sweatshirt in the winter.

If I had my way, I'd wear that armor all the time. But I gotta make SOME compromises for a woman who is willing to try out a motorcycle vacation with me.

Alexi

 
Cool! Thanks for the reply Alexi. I am always worried about chest injuries in a go down, i really want some spine and spleen protection you know? Have you found any riding pants that look decent with it?

 
Cool! Thanks for the reply Alexi. I am always worried about chest injuries in a go down, i really want some spine and spleen protection you know? Have you found any riding pants that look decent with it?
Nah. But to be fair, I haven't looked. I go for function, and I could really care less about fashion. But the lower tailbone protection hangs lower. It's not that comfortable to wear as a jacket, until you are leaned slightly over as you would be on an FJR. Then it becomes more comfortable.

And I had a HUGE problem with the back armor coming unzipped as I rode due to the tension and stretchy material and the fact that it is just zipped on. So I just sewed a few strands around the zipper JUST where it ended causing a little roadblock to keep it from unzipping. Worked like a charm.

I like the idea of CE protection in so many areas and the lightweight armor allowing air to go all over the place. I love it. I don't know how well it'd hold up in a crash on pavement as apparantly it's made for dirt, but I'm sure it'd be a LOT better than nothing, and probably pretty darned good compared to jackets that have a backpad, and elbow pads only, and might not even be CE rated.

Alexi

 
I wear the BOHN stuff under jeans and upper body I wear an ICON vest chest and back under a light jacket. i think you are correct , the #1 injury is blunt trauma. Busted ribs hurt like hell, too. The vest does look like a stunter, IMO. I am still looking for a light mesh jacket with armor that has good spine and chest protection.

 
I had to laugh yesterday. I passed a guy wearing this exact same body armour with a pair of shorts and tennis shoes :lol:

 
Had a friend and employee die in a crash a couple of months ago. He had a blowout on his rear tire while riding double on an older Vulcan. He was old school, having ridden for 40+ years, and wore an open face helmet and no real jacket. The death certificate cited head and chest trauma.

I've always believed in ATGATT, but it spurred me on to upgrade my own gear and that of my son's. Having had to speak at the funeral and witness the family's utter grief led me to decide I'd rather not scrimp on riding gear and die while I had the money just sitting in the bank.

Long story short, in doing so, I found this RS Taichi mesh jacket at MotoLiberty in San Antonio. It's the first mesh jacket I've found with built-in chest protection and it's well-made. The sizing is small, but that's to be expected from Japan. I'd recommend giving them consideration if you're looking for hot weather protection. The video here gives a good overview of the jacket.

https://stores.sportbiketrackgear.com/Detail.bok?no=5915

 
All my jackets (mostly FirstGear) have nice CE rated armour in the elbows and shoulders but have much to be desired in the back. I wear Alpinestars Bionic Back Protector under all my jackest now - nice fit, well made, light weight, and well ventilated and CE Level 2 rated. It's basically the same back piece that is on the suit/armoured under-jacket you're looking at.

 
That armor will be great for blunt trauma, but give you very little for abrasion resistance. It is not intended to be a total protection solution. A layered approach is what you want. I wear an Icon armored vest under my textiles. I wear a Teknic back armor under my track leathers.

 
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