BODY ARMOUR. DO THEY WORK??

I’m looking out for one of those body armour suits that everyone seems to be getting and they look like an ideal option, (as i have to admit to being a naughty boy a couple of times on the way home from work), instead of wearing just a t-shirt.

although in practice they should cover all the main areas of impact, does anyone have any first hand experience of how well they’ve worked when put to use?? Also if there’s a large difference between the £200 items or the cheaper options!

Cheers

SORRY TO ANYONE WHO’S ALREADY SEEN THIS I LISTED IT UNDER WRONG SUBJECT FIRST!!

Not sure if they do the job mate becouse I have never fallen with one, lol. But Dainese wouldn’t put their name on one if it wasn’t any good! Jay got one and somethimes I see him wearing it, looks cool though.

The mesh suits are not meant to be used alone as far as I know, they are to be worn under leathers/MX kit and would not help much over 20-30 mph if you are sliding.

When under leathers, the advantages are massive - I bought a pair of M&W trousers with T Pro armour 14 years ago and since then never ride without full leather/armour, several bounces later, nothing broken ever, no road rash to flaunt.

If heat is an issue, Kevlar suits are cooler and lighter

They do look cool and maybe for town riding they would provide some kind of protection. But I cant see an elasticated mesh over shirt with armour stitched in is going to do much for you if you slide along the ground.

Personally any kinda of protective clothing that doesnt connect together I dont see as much use if your sliding.

This not directly related to your question but I’d be surprised if people had thought of it.

I’m no doctor or accident guru but I remember reading a report about the stick on ears and such for helmets that considered them dangerous in the event of a accident as they prevented the helmet sliding and caused it to roll therefore causing neck injury.

In my option if you thinking of wearing armour instread of a t-shirt it’s probably a step in the right direction though if this is only why your looking to get it there maybe a cheaper solution. I’ve seen jackets in sondel sports that are made from mesh marterial, I think they came with a removable wind proof linning, from memory they were about £120. I desided to get a BMW Streetguard 2 jacket which is fantastic, it’s reported to keep you 12 degrees cooler as it’s got a heat reflective coating in the material and vents under the arms. It’s gortex, water proof and has a lining for winter, though it might not looks as good as armour, which on me would look crap anyway, now where did I put the hobnobs

Is Sondell Sports the one near Highbury Corner?

The armoured-vests are all the rage at the moment, as they offer a nice compromise between the full protection of a leather suit, and sod-all protection with a t-shirt. We don’t get much hot weather here admitedly, but when it does come, it’s torture sitting in traffic waiting for the lights to change when you’re sweating cobwebs in a leather jacket, or suit.

I’ve personally been using an armoured-vest and love it, it has a full-length back protector in, which is my main concern, as well as protection on the major joints which seem to be the vulnerable areas when it comes to sliding down the road.

These jackets are never going to be as good as a full leather suit, but will no doubt save you from many injuries that you could sustain from a spill in town. Hopefully you’re not going to be riding at warp-speed 10 in town, so their effectiveness shouldn’t be a problem. They’re unlikely to protect you from broken bones if you take a serious impact, but I would wage some money that they’ll protect you from nasty rash and offer substantial back protection, over just a t-shirt.

As for the differences, there is some. The jacket I have is a relatively cheaper one at £120, made by an MX outfit called Six Six One. Whilst it has a full back protector, it doesn’t have as much covering protection as the full on professional Dainese suits. If I was buying again, I wouldn’t blink twice at the Dainese ones, they are excellent quality. Our Ghostie has been using one for a couple of years for his stunting, and it’s done him proud.

If you’re in the market for one Crazy Eyes, you get an LB discount with Adrenalin X, to the tune of 15% off, so it could well be worth looking at the Dainese ones first. As stated, they have more overall protection, thicker construction and work with the leg pieces they make as well.

In the heat, you can’t beat these jackets, they keep you really cool and you feel suitably protected, I love it.

Thing is i cant see one of those vest staying in place while sliding down the road… I reckon it’ll bunch up around ya shoulders/chest and leave ya to get road rash… could be wrong but not keen to find out.

They secure to your body using velcro grip bands, I would trust them to stay in place.

Hi crazy 00 eyes… I have some Dianese ones at my place… Probably see you tomorrow evening…

As someone that used to work for Dainese and have seen the R&D lab they have on many occasions, I can vouch for the effort and research they put into their products you can bet anything they produce will be as well thought out and as protective as possible.

The key issue then is suitability - a mesh jacket with armour is great for slower speeds under another garment, it will be a compromise when compared to a race suit but human nature as it is do we always put on a race suit for a quick trip? The armour is the same as in lower level Dainese suits but hasnt got the Moulded in Techno armour found at the highest level.

As far as the safety jacket having a thumb strap, that model is still available, has the same protective capabilities but is aimed at the ski market - though can be useful in stopping it riding back over outstretched arms in the prone riding position

As a matter of interest I no longer work for Dainese but am working with a new company that has developed a brand new impact protection system called d3o a “Smart” Material that is very soft and flexibile but on Impact the molecules lock together to form a protective barrier, when the impact has passed the material returns to its previous state, all in less than 1000th sec. - We are currently trialing this with several companies including Dainese so watch this space.

The new materials that motorcycle clothing will be made with shortly are fascinating - I am working with another company that specialises in Leather combined with different coatings that amongst other things give black leather the same photochromic signature as white leather making it much much cooler to wear, Kevlar incorporated into the fibres of the leather making it tremendously tear-resistant and another coating that makes concentrated sulphuric acid pool off the leather without affecting it at all

Personally I don’t like them, if your wearing them alone. Under leather then fine and here’s why :-
Me and the ex girlfriend both have Joe Rocket Summer jackets, and a few years back we both had quite serious accidents but the results of the injuries were very different.
In brief, I got clipped by a car on the wrong side of the road ( poxy nova ) , laid the bike down and while sliding I got hit by the car behind me and then kindly run over by him ( actually it’s a very funny story there a lot more to it, considering the guy that ran me over was a friend following me ).

Anyway finished up under the car and got to say the stuff done it’s job, if it wasn’t for the boots I would have had my foot crushes and my back protector snapped but saved my spine. A new helmet and boots and I was up and walking and back on a bike in 6 weeks ( the gixxer wasn’t so lucky - see pic ).

Now the ex and her horrible yellow 748 which we constantly argued that she shouldn’t get, didn’t make a corner. We were doing about 60 and the bike just didn’t turn ( another long story ), however Jo got busted up pretty bad. While the Joe Rockets jacket stayed in place , the mesh allowed for for too much body movement. She smashed her shoulder to fcuk, and it seems the armour did not thing ( compared to mine ) apart from keep the body together. Three surgeries and 3 years later she has limited movement in the shoulder never going to ride again, and I totally believe it was down the the fact she wasn’t leathered up.
That said, I still have my Joe Rocket jacket and I do wear it, but that’s more to get Dawn ( current Mrs Caller ) off my case, when I’d like not to wear leather, but there really isn’t any other option. So in brief, from personal experience there is no replacement for a decent set of leathers with some great back protection… The odd scuff mark looks ok too :slight_smile:

Wow, that’s quite a set of stories Lee. It sounds like you were bloody lucky to come out of it okay! There’s nothing like full body protection, though sometimes we just can’t do it, i.e. a quick trip to the shops, a REALLY hot day, etc. It’s all about risk management, and how much risk you’re prepared to take. I try to cover up as much as possible, i.e. at the very minimum a leather jacket, boots and gloves, on odd days when it’s too hot, the mesh jacket comes on, but it’s a rare exception in this country!

I have a fieldsheer mesh jacket but only wear it for my short trip to work through traffic on hot days. I wouldn’t want to have a high speed off in it as you will end up looking like burger meat. A lot of it comes down to how much of a risk you want to take. I know I should wear my full leather kit and boots, but on the few days it is in the high 20’s I sweat so much I think I don’t concentrate as much as I should so I ride in jeans, mesh jacket and trainers.

I totally agree with wearing proper kit. I never go anywhere without my knox back thingy and full leather kit. Even on hot days! (though they are rare in the UK).

I have read a fair bit about this new D3O material and it really is facsinating. Believe the hype!

Lee, where they the Joe Rocket Pheonix Jackets? If so I have one, and the first thing that I did was replace all the armour (well foam & plastic inserts) with Forcefield Inserts. Have to say that I only use mine in and around town, wouldn’t trust it to take anything serious.

Have you seen the date of this thread FFS?:doze:

(dee-three-oh) is a specially engineered material made with intelligent molecules. They flow with you as you move but on shock lock together to absorb the impact energy.

Sounds pretty cool, if you can move about more freely, and it still gives you the protection on impact, it must be the way forward :cool:

I’ll stick with me Knox armour (saved my life) till/if this stuff hits the street and gets a better report :slight_smile:

Knew it sounded familiar but couldn’t think why …http://gadgetynews.com/tech21-iphone-case-uses-d3o-as-seen-on-dragons-den/:slight_smile: