Body Armour for Motorcycling - The Why and What?
Jackets and pants provide excellent abrasion protection, but for your joints and other body parts to survive an impact, body armour is a must.
Body armour for motorcyclists is an important piece of protective equipment as it helps in absorbing impact forces during a crash. These are highly recommended for street riding or off-road riding as impact absorption plays an essential role in the rider walking away from a collision in these scenarios. Body armour is built for multiple body parts. Let's take a look at them below.
Back protector: These are generally designed to fit into a pocket built into the backside of your riding jacket. From the factory, this pocket usually comes with a foam protector that provides little to no protection. It can be swapped out for something like the Rev'it! Seesoft Back Protector. It offers Level 2 protection and is easy on the pocket as well. Some back protectors are built to be worn underneath your riding jacket. These are fastened by straps around your torso. The Forcefield Freelite Back Protector is a great example of such protection.
Chest protector: Many riding jackets come with pockets for chest protectors built into them. If not so, chest protectors can be worn around your body with the help of velcro straps. The purpose of both is to help absorb any impact to your chest region. Forcefield Ex-K Harness Flite Protector is a chest protector that can be worn as a harness and also feature protection for your shoulders and arms. The Forcefield Pro Shirt X-V2 goes one step further and even protects your back.
Shoulder protector: These can only be worn inside a riding jacket as attaching them to one's body with straps will be counterproductive. Forcefield Isolator 2 PU Armour is a great, level 2 protector for your shoulders that can be inserted inside the shoulder pockets of riding jackets. Motorcycle jackets will often come with level 1 protection which can be replaced with better level 2 protection.
Elbow protector: Just like shoulder protectors, elbow protectors also slot into specifically designed pockets inside riding jackets. However, elbow protectors such as Forcefield Ex-K-Arm Protector are worn separately and are ideally used when riding off-road. If you want better elbow protection that fits inside your riding jacket, the Forcefield Isolator 2 PU Armour offers great, level 2 protection.
Knee protector: These can be worn inside your riding pants or separately as well. When riding on the streets, wearing knee protectors inside your pants is a better option as the pants cover your legs fully and provide great abrasion resistance as well and the knee protectors inside save your knees from the impact of a crash. Forcefield Isolator 2 PU Armor not only works for elbows, but knees as well and easily be inserted in your riding pants. If you are riding off-road and choose not to wear heavy-duty pants in favour of agility, the Forma Tri-Flex Knee Guards will protect your knees from an impact. They are also flexible and will not hamper movement on the motorcycle. If you want armour that can be worn separately under your riding pants, the Forcefield Pro Tube is an excellent choice. It works for both knees and elbows.
