Motorcycling body armor...how good is it?

Question

I am new to road motorcycling (just got a Kawasaki Ninja 250) and am trying to decide what kind of body armor to buy (both for a jacket and pants) before I take up non-back-road motorcycling (IE cycling in areas with a fair deal of actual traffic).

It seems to me $300-$500 is the range for buying both jacket and pants body armor wear.

I wonder, what are the best brands (IE cheapest that will do the job well) and how much injury protection will they offer over the usual standard leather pants + gloves + leather jacket + full-face helmet?

Also, what is about the worst injury I can get while using these properly (minus getting run over by a car or having my motorcycle explode in my face)? :-D

Answer 1

at the worst with all the safety gear you could end up with a broken ankle or a fractured ankle same with your hands and arms and legs depending on if you strike a solid object  like a telephone pole or a car at moderate speeds if you don't hit a solid object most of the time you'll walk away with some bumps and bruises ,I had a high side at moderate speed and ended up with a fractured ankle and a few cuts on my knee wearing all the safety gear except I had blue jeans on instead of leather pants I still ride in blue jeans and save the leather for when it's cold and the temps are down in the 30's

Joe Rocket makes a good jacket in textile that has all the armor and pads as well as a liner for cold weather and Frank Thomas makes a good set of gloves as does Icon plan on spending at least $50.00 to $60.00 dollars for a good pair of gloves I get most of my riding gear at Cycle Gear check there website there might be a store in your area and they usually have jackets on sell for around $150.00  

Answer 2

i have Alpinestar Boinic armor. i wear it only when i stunt.

i have Alpinestar SMX Plus boots and knee pads, i wear them only in canyons.

i have Alpinestar leather jacket, i wear it only when its cold.

all other time i roll "dirty" in Vans, jeans, sweatshirt, or what ever...

i live in So-Cal.

call me stupid, but thats the way i ride.

Answer 3

I dont know about body armor, but you are still going to need a full face helmet, leather gloves and boots, and you will want abrasion resistant jackets and pants. The armor should protect you from the impact of a fall, but might not save you from the road rash that you can get. Many motorcycle jackets include armor in the shoulders, elbows, and back, and you can get textile ones between $100-400. As far as pants go armor along with kevlar reinforced jeans (Shift Torque Jeans, Dragging Jeans,etc.) should work well. But you might want to consider getting a pair of textile overpants instead (firstgear HT 2.0). You can find all this stuff at motorcycle-superstore.com, but you should probably try it all on in person before you buy it. Still, nothing is better than leather. However, the most important thing is to ride defensively and assume that cars can't see you.

Answer 4

It isn't like the best and the fullest of protective gear is going to do much in a head on collision with a truck, but it will decrease your chances of head injuries and skin damage(road rash) when you happen to fall and slide on the road if you fall.

Common sense, the more protective gear on your body, the less injuries to your body.

While some riders won't even think of wearing a full face helmet, think about this...If you don't have a face shield, what will protect your eyes and face if an object flies through the air right towards your face? Hint....Not your Oakleys.  Reality is that you don't even have to fall of your bike to receive a head injury.  Just be at the wrong spot on the road and the wrong time.  Kind of like when a rock hits your car's windshield and cracks it. Only this time the "windshield" can either be your helmet visor or your bare face....You choose.

While most of us wear or regular jeans while we ride, they aren't of much protection in an accident.  Motorcycle pants made of leather or thicker denim with padding or made of Kevlar will offer more protection against skin damage.

Gloves are as important as anything else.  Your hands are the most fragile and the most exposed when riding.   You use your hands every day so you really want to protect them.  Do you want your hands all skinned up if you fall down and can't use them to do everyday chores?

Any decent pair of work boots or cycle boots are better than gym shoes or flip-flips on your feet.

There isn't much you can do against broken bones except that the more padding and armor, the better of a "cushion" your bones will have from getting broken.

You don't have to buy the best of the best of gear if you cannot afford it, but the more gear you can comfortably ride in accordingly to the weather, then the better you are off.  You may want a thick leather or tectile jacket for the cooler weather, but you may prefer a lightweight mesh cycle jacket for the hotter weather.

Answer 5

leather is much more comfortable and isn't in all the flashy g*y colours

Answer 6

Do not make the mistake of thinking that body armor (regardless of how much you pay for it) will have any real effect should you get into a wreck on your motorcycle.

It might help a bit if you drop the bike at low speed (and beats not having anything - you see a lot of people riding around in a pair of jeans, tennis shoes and a t-shirt) - I almost always wear a leather jacket, even when it is warmer out, and a pair of gloves.

But the fact is - if you are moving along at a good clip and you hit a car, get hit by a car, or if you hit any other immovable object, 'body armor' ain't gonna help much.

The best bet is to be careful - like most of the manuals tell you, just pretend you are invisible to other traffic (although I take it a step further and pretend like everyone is actively trying to kill me - it's not far from the truth).

It keeps you from being surprised when someone comes across three lanes of traffic and stands up on the their brakes directly in front of you.

Keep in mind that you can stop much faster than any car - so even though you might be able to stop in time, the car behind you is going to eat your lunch.

It's dangerous - but it's also a blast!!  Be careful!!

Answer 7

The best thing you can do is to pay attention to your surroundings at ALL times, don't hot-dog, don't zip in and out of traffic and make yourself believe that NOBODY sees you and they are not looking out for you!  You have to figure out what the cars are doing before they do it, or no amount of protection will help.