Next months instalment into the black hole that is my hobby fund needs to go to a back protector to fit under my leathers. You know, the sort that will allow me to slide gracefully across tarmac unhurt but, at the same time, not make me look like a mutant ninja turtle.
Any recommendations?
knox
I wear Knox back protectors. They do various ones of differing sizes. Suggest you try a few on to find the one that best suits you. I have seriously crash tested a couple, and I have suffered no damage.
Other companies do nback protectors as well, such as Dainase. Not really sure of quality. Racers tend to use Knox, if its good enough for them, its good enough for me.
I use Dainese personally, but Knox sponsor MotoGP Brit guy, James Ellison, so maybe support him, plus there’s good things said about them, here and elsewhere 
i have an alpinestars tech race back protector, but it does make you look like a ninja turtle but i clearly dont worry about what i look like with legs like mine…
Armoured spider springs to mind.
Knox gets my vote too.
Andrew i dint think you needed a back protector, after all i heard you was spineless???
Meeeooowww
I can assemble what would pass as a spine should the need arise. Just need the opportunity. and some spare Lego kits.
mmmm Every single back protector I have tried doesnt fit under my jacket and just makes it very uncomfortable 
Well terry if you loose some of that round the front mid section, you may free up some room in your jacket
on a lighter note i read in superbike magazine that on average 13 motorcyclists a week swap there bikes for a wheelchair through accidents and irriversable damage to the spine so out went that ****ty piece of foam from me jacket cruised ebay got a brand new alpinestars tech series £55 with postage £100 new which i would of spent if i didnt win the half price one but way up the costs £100 to stay walking and being able to wipe your own arse… no contest
May 2005 I highsided at over a 100mph , the guy behind said I was 10 feet up-back wheel on the R1 acquired a right angle. I landed on my coccyx ( I can remember it well) then rolled. I was wearing a Dainese back protector. I haven’t ridden a sports bike til last Saturday, I threw the Dianese back protector on and realised that it didn’t cover my coccyx, if I was in the fetal position, unless I really pushed it down the back of my 1 piece.
I still can’t sit down comfortably for long unless i’ve knocked back a bottle of red, so my advice is to make sure whatever you buy is easy to slip on and that it covers the bits you want to protect whilst your prone, otherwise
1-its doing nothing
2-you ride around thinking you’re protected.
In retrospect I have no idea if my coccyx was protected or not.
Sorry to have to burst your safety bubble but a back protector won’t prevent you from breaking your back.
Not my misinformed opinion that, but that of Dr Rod Woods, for those who don’t know of him, he’s the bloke who’s done more to advance biker protective gear than anyone else on the planet, see link for more info:
http://www.ixion.org.uk/Leather2.html
Still worth having a good one though, to protect against deep bruising & other tissue damage, also potential organ damage - kidneys in particular (so long as it covers that area)
Oh & according to the MCIA it’s ‘only’ 4 broken backs a week, so you’re already 3 times safer than before you started reading this. 
I use the Knox full race back protector, full race meaning it goes lower and protects your coxyx …as well as yer ballz
It also wraps round and covers kidneys but as it is made of foam, foam and just a little er, foam, you end up “sweating like a rapist” [© Ray Winstone] and eyeing up Dainese & Alpine Stars alternatives
Pat, a very interesting article you linked to, thanks. Strongly urge others to read it.
‘Feet up’ is something I’d never come across before - even more reason not to wear trainers when biking.
Be carefull which one you choose especially if its on the road, best one is the Odell Forcefield or the Knox rollup one. You need one where it does not come up to high around the kneck, what can happen in a T bone accident is the protector can snap the vertebreas if your head whiplashes
i never said it would prevent but it will assist AGAINST injury, id rather slide along on my back on half inch of plastic than a 600d jacket, any way some dude on here a while came off his supermoto went backwards into a lampost at 30 mph with a back protector and walked away tell him there a load of ****… im sure he would agree
Thats Ell that did that and he seriously walloped the lamp post. He would have surely broken something vital had he not been wearing one.
