Chest protection for road racing

[scott411]

did not even know this sort of armour existed, or there was a big call for it,

from MNZ new rules, looks like they are mandatory from 2018,

Chapter 8 – Safety Gear (Road)
8.1b
Road Racing, Road Hill Climbs & Record Attempts:
Safety Helmets - as per rule 8.2a
Boots - as per rule 8.3a
Clothing - Complete suits of leather or Kevlar.
Back Protectors - A certified back protector of composite material must be worn at all
times. The standard for chest, shoulder & back protectors is EN1621
Gloves - Leather only is approved.
Eye Protection - as per rule 8.2j
Chest Protectors – From January 1st 2018, a certified chest protector of composite material
must be worn at all times

[neil_cb125t]

Didnt see that coming........

[mr bucketracer]

did not even know this sort of armour existed, or there was a big call for it,

from MNZ new rules, looks like they are mandatory from 2018,

Chapter 8 – Safety Gear (Road)
8.1b
Road Racing, Road Hill Climbs & Record Attempts:
Safety Helmets - as per rule 8.2a
Boots - as per rule 8.3a
Clothing - Complete suits of leather or Kevlar.
Back Protectors - A certified back protector of composite material must be worn at all
times. The standard for chest, shoulder & back protectors is EN1621
Gloves - Leather only is approved.
Eye Protection - as per rule 8.2j
Chest Protectors – From January 1st 2018, a certified chest protector of composite material
must be worn at all timesbugger just having leather gloves ! I want kevlar in mine

[sidecar bob]

Which rule maker has stocks of them that they need to shift?
A difficult piece of kit for a competent sidecar passenger to wear without major upset.
A visor must now also remained closed when racing. Does that mean we can now protest someone for opening their visor because it has fogged up & have them excluded from the results? Slippery slope.

[Grumph]

bugger just having leather gloves ! I want kevlar in mine

No you don't - Kevlar grabs where leather slides. Which is why Kevlar ain't a good idea for "leathers"

Who's certifying the chest protectors ?

[Gremlin]

Don't know about you racing folk, but I've been wearing a chest protector along with the back protector (both Knox) since circa 2009ish ?

It will add bulk under the leathers, so depending on thickness and style if yours are tight fitting you could have issues. It also has an insulating factor, well, mine of solid construction does.

http://images.mcn.bauercdn.com/upload/206367/images/KNOX%20CHEST.jpg

[rambaldi]

No you don't - Kevlar grabs where leather slides. Which is why Kevlar ain't a good idea for "leathers"

Who's certifying the chest protectors ?

So no titanium knuckle guards? Or what ever the material du jour is?

[scott411]

surprised to see it myself too, is there a big chest injury issue?

I know back protectors where to stop spinal injuries, was their alot of them before thee were made mandatory?

[sidecar bob]

surprised to see it myself too, is there a big chest injury issue?



I can't recall one in the last 25 years in road racing, but am happy to be proved wrong.

[Grumph]

I can't recall one in the last 25 years in road racing, but am happy to be proved wrong.

Last one i saw was before that timeframe - skinny guy went under an Armco barrier feet first. Broke his sternum.
If he'd had a chest protector. would it have ridden up and cut his throat ?

Maybe they're giving in to what's happening on the circuits - more concrete barriers....

More concrete, more protection needed ?

[Calvert86]

Standard in UK racing for a few years now...common types seem to be the slip in ones from alpinestars etc!?


Calvert86

[Grumph]

So no titanium knuckle guards? Or what ever the material du jour is?

I think that as long as the palms are leather, the add on knuckle guards are acceptable.

[jellywrestler]

Which rule maker has stocks of them that they need to shift?
A difficult piece of kit for a competent sidecar passenger to wear without major upset.
A visor must now also remained closed when racing. Does that mean we can now protest someone for opening their visor because it has fogged up & have them excluded from the results? Slippery slope.

solos are not allowed to wear the likes of basketball boots, yet swingers are allowed to, it's a simple case for the right people to put their case forward particularly on safety grounds and we can all be happy.

[jellywrestler]

I can't recall one in the last 25 years in road racing, but am happy to be proved wrong.

I seem to remember someone getting the old nipple cripple at one of the prizegivings one year, does that count?

[Kickaha]

A difficult piece of kit for a competent sidecar passenger to wear without major upset.
Only because you're too fat to be able to fit one under your leathers


Don't know about you racing folk, but I've been wearing a chest protector along with the back protector (both Knox) since circa 2009ish ?
I've been wearing the chest protector pictured for about a season now, easy for me to use because as a sidecar rider I don't move about in the sidecar much, used it on my trailbike as well with no problems


I can't recall one in the last 25 years in road racing, but am happy to be proved wrong.
Colin Hooper suffered major chest injuries in the accident that he died in, the ambo officer I spoke to at the scene said he hadn't ever seen anyone survive that type of injury

[mr bucketracer]

No you don't - Kevlar grabs where leather slides. Which is why Kevlar ain't a good idea for "leathers"

Who's certifying the chest protectors ?when your nuckles are blowen up affter a crash you want kevlar there , ok 200mm rocks for the run off at manfeild did not help lol

[malcy25]

I have used a slip AlpineStar chest protector for the last 18 months. I initially thought it would be restrictive and or a pain in the arse, but don't notice it when riding.

I see there's an 18 month lead in period.

Not sure on the whole visor thing yet, I rode at the HMCC winter series and the only way I could see was with it open!

[MOTOXXX]

I think its a good idea. Motorcycle racing is an amazing sport. It's also a dangerous sport.
Any advances in safety protection to mitigate the risk of a potentially life changing injury is fine by me.

[RGVforme]

So no titanium knuckle guards? Or what ever the material du jour is?

Leather with Kevlar Knuckle guards and Knob sliders(Plastic?) on the palms is what I use..... for when you react on instinct and put your hands out during a fall/get off....Was told to try not to do this unless you want a couple of broken wrists added into the mix.
If your sliding down the track or road on the backs of your hands you have bigger problems than Kevlar catching.:laugh:

Heard about some race gloves that had metal palm sliders that were on the market for a bit then got pulled....Burnt palms anybody.:weird:

[scrivy]

You guys are fags....

I don't see a problem at all..... :rolleyes::whistle:

Safety is a priority......
322913322914:rolleyes:

[sidecar bob]

You guys are fags....

I don't see a problem at all.....

Safety is a priority......


Its safer on the sofa.

[pritch]

Moto GP riders can sometimes be seen slipping a chest protector down the front of their leathers prior to a race. The item they use doesn't look at all cumbersome.

[F5 Dave]

First time I wore a chest protector back in the early 90s, an old MX one, someone used me as a braking marker when i was having a bit of a lie down, and I was jolly happy to have it on. I later upgraded to forcefield armour front and back. Its bulky and needed leathers altered to suit, but you don't notice it after a while.

[Doppleganger]

I can't recall one in the last 25 years in road racing, but am happy to be proved wrong.

Paeroa a couple of years ago, one of you guys.

[Autech]

surprised to see it myself too, is there a big chest injury issue?

I know back protectors where to stop spinal injuries, was their alot of them before thee were made mandatory?


I can't recall one in the last 25 years in road racing, but am happy to be proved wrong.

Last years Battle of the buckets, guy from the North Islands 2stroke seized and biffed him into the ground very hard. Knocked him out, broke a few ribs and sent them into his lung for good measure (from what I heard anyways). There's a video of it floating around somewhere, he was also lucky to not get run over by myself a few others who went scrambling to avoid him and his bike. Had he been wearing a chest protector...

Anyone able to recommend a good quality chest and back protector for me to purchase that won't empty my bank account?

[Erelyes]

Anyone able to recommend a good quality chest and back protector for me to purchase that won't empty my bank account?

Mmm, depends on the size of your bank account.

But Forcefield kit is farkin good.

I use a Pro L2K back protector daily (is sitting next to my desk as I type), but if I was buying again, I'd get their 'EX-K Harness Flite' - http://www.forcefieldbodyarmour.com/product/ex-k-harness-flite/2441

They do standalones too but they look a bit cumbersome - http://www.forcefieldbodyarmour.com/product/elite-chest-protector/2428

They also do a vest but reviews indicate the coverage isn't quite the same apparently - http://www.forcefieldbodyarmour.com/product/airo-vest/2427

Good thing about the Forcefield stuff is it will absorb multiple hits. A 10-year old unit, a veteran of several crashes, was subjected to a CE level 2 test and passed (http://www.motorcyclenews.com/product-reviews/clothing-/2015/november/product-review-forcefield-pro-l2-back-protector-now-l2k/). Hard to argue with that.

[CHOPPA]

Noticed that one.... The fact that it needs to be a composite material excludes many on the market. Well my understanding of composite material is like carbon fibre or plastic.

My Alpinestars suit has built in chest protection so will be annoying fitting extra. Has there been an incident to warrant the rule or is it just evolution?

[Kickaha]

Well my understanding of composite material is like carbon fibre or plastic.
Composite just means it's made up of a few different types of stuff, not necessarily CF or plastic

Not sure what my Knox one is made of but it meets the standard mentioned

[Mental Trousers]

I think composite in this context is multiple pieces, eg hard outer with soft backing. So just a piece of plastic/carbon with nothing else wouldn't be legal.