Motorcycle armor vs hockey gear. | GTAMotorcycle.com

Motorcycle armor vs hockey gear.

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asennad

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I am a new rider. Just passed the Humber College safety course.


So I am browsing for motorcycle gear at Toronto retailer today and I am really struck by how flimsy much of the so called “armour” felt to me.


The elbow and shoulder pads sown into many jackets seemed awfully thin to me. For example my old hockey equipment has much more substantial plates than many of the items I saw today.

Mesh jackets seemed like they would provide almost no protection against road rash.

Many of the gloves had some protection over knuckles but left wrist bones exposed and some had very thin leather overall.


I was left with the impression that only the thicker leather jackets would provide any sort of real protection. And some of them were pretty short – I can imagine them getting lifted up if you were going feet first.

In high school I fell off the trunk of a car once at high speed – needless to say it was a very unpleasant experience. What saved me any real injuries were the fact I was skinny at the time and my hip bones rode along the ground on the rivets in my jeans. Today my beer belly would have taken the brunt of the trauma.

So what I am asking is can you point me to some good articles, videos, studies, etc. discussing the safety of various clothing and gear?
 
So I am browsing for motorcycle gear at Toronto retailer today and I am really struck by how flimsy much of the so called “armour” felt to me.

The elbow and shoulder pads sown into many jackets seemed awfully thin to me. For example my old hockey equipment has much more substantial plates than many of the items I saw today.

- Then get the jackets that the pads aren't 'sewn' in so you can replace them.

Mesh jackets seemed like they would provide almost no protection against road rash.

- Get a leather jacket.

Many of the gloves had some protection over knuckles but left wrist bones exposed and some had very thin leather overall.

- Get gauntlet style gloves.
 
Not sure what sort of reviews you're after, but a quick 'Net search should answer your questions i.e. sure you can find some type of comparison graph if that's what you're after.

One of the more authoritative (oldest?) review sites on all things motorcycle is Web Bike World, and here's a link to all sorts of reviews on gear: http://www.webbikeworld.com/Reviewed-motorcycle-products/Products.htm (scroll down to see reviews on jackets, pants, etc.).
 
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I have some experience with teknic gear, and their armour is plastic lined with foam as compared to many of the jackets that use foam only.My joe rocket mesh jacket did prevent road rash, as did my leather harley style jacket, and my teknic jacket. I think the key issue here is that you purchase gear that works in the weather you'll be riding in so you're protected and not tempted to "squid" it because of heat. Many jacket and pant combo's can be zipped together to prevent ride up.The suggestion for armoured gauntlet style gloves is a good one.
 
A couple of things to consider. Impact protection as well as sliding road rash. There is lot of cheap junk products out there so, take your time, research quality products and purchase what fits your needs. Helmet, jacket, gloves, footwear and even pants. There is some gear that does a lot of things well but, it typically comes with a compromise with something else.
 
-Not all gear is created equal
-Better gear will have removable armour which you can always upgrade
-3/4 or full gaunlet gloves cover the wrists rather well
-Street/Track armour is not meant to protect from abrasion but from blunt force impact
-There is alot of hard amour out there, look at duel sport or motorcross stuff
-Good mesh jackets will have leather or ballistic nylon in the impact/sliding areas.

Street gear is always a trade off price/fashion/comfort/protection. You have to decide what type of riding you are doing, what protection you feel is appropriate, and what price point you are comfortable with. Example, on the street I wear a textile jacket, DS boots, full gauntlet gloves, kevlar reenforced jeans with soft armour, back protector. This is the level of protection/comfort compromise I am personally good with. For the track, road race boots and gloves, one piece suit and back protector.
 
I am under the impression that nothing will really save you from an impact in a motorcycle crash, whereas hockey armor is built for impact resistance, not abrasion. Even if durable enough there's nothing out there that would be able to to absorb that kind of energy, the force would just transfer to your body.

As a note though, I think those jackets with the airbags in the necks are pretty awesome.
 
I tend to disagree here. Armor won't save you past a certain velocity but in many accidents the speed is generally quite low and good armor can bring the total force transmitted to the body down to a level that your body can tolerate....in my opinion armor is more important on the street than on the track as there are way too many stationary objects to collide with on the street.
That's not to say that it will always save you but why would you not give yourself every chance for survival? It's not so cut and dry where you are either alive and well or dead.
A simple fall off your bike at 2 kph can cause damage that even cheap armor would prevent. In the end though it's personal preference, I prefer to mitigate my risk as much as possible. Good armor isn't cheap and i'm happy to have wasted the money..:)

bboySushi said:
I am under the impression that nothing will really save you from an impact in a motorcycle crash, whereas hockey armor is built for impact resistance, not abrasion. Even if durable enough there's nothing out there that would be able to to absorb that kind of energy, the force would just transfer to your body.

As a note though, I think those jackets with the airbags in the necks are pretty awesome.
Click to expand...
 
The design criteria is very different for motorcycle armour and hockey equipment. But they could intersect.

Hockey equipment is designed for impact protection and zero abrasion protection. Hockey equipment is usually worn in a cold temperature and very controlled environment. There is no possibility of trying to look like a civilian with hockey equipment: The bulk is impossible to miss.

Motorcycle equipment is designed for both impact protection as well as abrasion protection. Varying environmental conditions are also taken into account: hot and humid, cold and wet, hot and dry, rain, snow, etc. There is also the fashion aspect. Most motorcycle gear is designed to be unobtrusive. Thin armour looks better than thicker and bulkier armour. While the MX riders opt for more protection, their gear is uncommon on the street. Gloves are designed for fine motor control of the hand (throttle, clutch, brake) as well as impact and abrasion protection. These constraints contradict each other. Motorcycle equipment have many more design constraints.

You could wear hockey gear while riding but it would be way too hot and bulky for most of the year. You might even get more protection with hockey gear. Motorcycle equipment that had the bulk and protection of hockey gear would be expensive, bulky, look ugly and would probably not sell very well. There are some motorcycle knee/shin armour that look very close to hockey gear. In the winter I did try riding with hockey knee/shin pads under some loose pants. I found them to be very warm and feel protective.

As stated, armour comes with foam only or foam with plastic. The foam with plastic is more protective but bulkier, It also does not feel as comfortable as foam only, say when you are walking around in a mall. Riders compromise on protectiveness for comfort, weather protection and for looks.

Mesh jackets and pants are designed differently. The armour provides impact and abrasion protection. The mesh holds the armour in place on your body, allowing the armour to protect you. The mesh is not intended to withstand the crash. They are single crash products, similar to your helmet. Mesh jackets allow air to flow through, keeping the rider cool. Some riders, like myself, cannot wear leather in +25C because we would pass out with heat exhaustion. Mesh provides good protection in the heat. Of course mesh does not have the abrasion resistance of leather, but it beats leather for air flow. Everything is a compromise.
 
I'd be more worried about how hockey gear would behave during the slide that is higher speed and over more abrasive surfaces.
 
Hockey gear likely won't fit inside or underneath any riding jacket that's appropriately sized for you (as a corolary, gear fit is pretty important, so you wouldn't really want to upsize a jacket lets say to fit large hockey padding inside). It's simply too bulky and if you could make it fit under there, you range of motion would be affected (a safety hazard in itself).

As mentioned, if you're super serious about safety, there is aftermarket armour available that is superior to MOST of the cheap foam stuff found as stock in your jacket armour pockets. While the foam stuff may get the job done, it leaves a lot to be desired in energy dissipation! Gear and equipment is about harm reduction, but there are limits to what the stuff can do. Obviously, don't expect to hit a tree or guardrail head-on above 50km/h and expect to live to tell about it.
 
Just wear your hockey gear for a ride
 
Stick with brand name motorcycle gear that has CE rated armor. NO matter how "flimsy" it looks, if its CE rated, and the gear is from a reputable brand, than this is your best bet for proper protection.


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