Chest protection for road racing

[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.

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

[scrivy]

You guys are fags....

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

Safety is a priority......

[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/...ess-flite/2441

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

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