Motocap Safety Ratings - jackets, gloves, armour, helmet

[zoltan]

Interesting results on textiles. Video explains how testing is done. Question is: do they sell a different spec in Aus & NZ?

https://www.motocap.com.au/

MotoCAP is supported by government and private road safety organisations across Australia and New Zealand. This allows MotoCAP to randomly select gear and purchase it for testing and rating, independent of industry. Industry can commission a rating of a specific garment, but MotoCAP remains impartial. MotoCAP gives industry no control over the ratings process and publishes the commissioned rating without input from the manufacturer, regardless of the result.

 

[wessie]

From the FAQ https://www.motocap.com.au/frequently-asked-questions - will answer many of your questions about their parameters compared to EU regs that UK has adopted

Is there a minimum standard of protection that all motorcycle gear complies with?​

No. Motorcycle clothing sold in Australia is not required to comply with a minimum standard of protection.

 

[zoltan]

No. Motorcycle clothing sold in Australia is not required to comply with a minimum standard of protection.

Not one textile is in the top for abrasion test. Apart from a DAINESE jacket. Trousers did better.
My Klim BAJA 4 was right at the bottom apart from impact, I upgraded all the armour to L2.
Shame we don't have a company similar to the Australian company.

 

[wessie]

Shame we don't have a company similar to the Australian company.

we have tests by Ride magazine and Paul Varnsverry undertakes work for various Bauer publications so is presumably an advisor to Ride.

 

[jefformston]

Not one textile is in the top for abrasion test. Apart from a DAINESE jacket. Trousers did better.
My Klim BAJA 4 was right at the bottom apart from impact, I upgraded all the armour to L2.
Shame we don't have a company similar to the Australian company.

Baja 4 is an off road jacket so I’d assume less need for abrasion protection. I’d be more interested to know how the Klim road focused gear performs e.g. Marrakesh or Kodiak, in the abrasion tests.

 

[zoltan]

Marrakesh, in the abrasion tests

Worse than Baja. However the gear tested in Aus may be of a different speck to the one sold in UK/EU.

 

[wessie]

Worse than Baja. However the gear tested in Aus may be of a different speck to the one sold in UK/EU.

if you look at the Badlands jacket sold in Oz at a random shop, it has the same CE rating as Sportsbikeshop

https://www.adventuremoto.com.au/brand/klim/#/filter:brand_category:Klim$253EKlim$2520Adventure$2520Jackets

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/2576037?glCountry=GB

 

[jefformston]

Worse than Baja. However the gear tested in Aus may be of a different speck to the one sold in UK/EU.

You just have to hope you land on the armoured bit, which I think will be the same for any textile jacket or trousers.

Can’t beat leather for protection, it’s just not as practical, especially in the heat.

 

[zoltan]

Can’t beat leather for protection, it’s just not as practical, especially in the heat.

"Textile motorcycle gear fortified with materials like Dyneema, Kevlar, or Armacor can match or exceed the abrasion resistance of traditional leather" yet the Aus test results say a different thing.
My go to is leather, but touring is textile or when very hot.

 

[Morety]

I don't care what textiles and lightweight ghost armour claims are made, I don't feel anywhere near as protected riding in my AAA rated textile trousers as I do in my leathers. There's still no better substitute for a pair of decent armoured leathers, especially combined with an air vest. I'm pretty sure an "off" wearing my textile trousers would result in worse impact and abrasion injuries than in my old thick cowhide leathers. I wear textiles for comfort and convenience, for practicality and because in summer months they're cooler but don't kid myself about what protection they likely realistically offer.

 

[zoltan]

I don't care what textiles and lightweight ghost armour claims are made, I don't feel anywhere near as protected riding in my AAA rated textile trousers as I do in my leathers. There's still no better substitute for a pair of decent armoured leathers, especially combined with an air vest. I'm pretty sure an "off" wearing my textile trousers would result in worse impact and abrasion injuries than in my old thick cowhide leathers. I wear textiles for comfort and convenience, for practicality and because in summer months they're cooler but don't kid myself about what protection they likely realistically offer.

If you look at the chart, leathers are in the top.

 

[Morety]

Yeah, I saw that, but the rating on textiles, even if AA or AAA rated just doesn't ring true to me as a reliable "safety" rating, more a comparator index for abrasion resistance. The impact resistance of ghost armour for example takes some convincing as it's incredibly thin (at least my Klim stuff is). The best armour I have is in my Rukka Pathfinder jacket, like all Rukka products, they don't skimp on coverage. Interesting looking at the MCap site and also the Shark ratings. I'd trust these more than just a dumbed down new CE level ratings. The old level 1/level 2 ratings were imho far more reliable but hard to decipher what was included as it was left up to manufacturers. For example, my Marakesh trousers at AA rating wouldn't have met the level 1 of the old standard, or would barely make it even using ghost level 2 armour. AAA ratings are now anything up to 70% less than the old level 2 standard. The whole CE ratings I now find as wholly unreliable indicators, their only advantage being far more specific indicators of abrasion. MCap/Shark are what I look at for new kit if doing comparisons.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist though to simply pick decent armoured leathers if you want the best levels of protection. I think we all tend to get a bit complacent when it comes to textiles.

 

[Neil W]

In the last 15 years or so I have upgraded the armour in my older Rukka gear to D3O level 2 from the old Air armour and any of the newer trousers or jackets I have bought ( Richa/Modeka/Lindstrands ) that came with certified level 1 armour on purchase I upgraded the armour to level 2 .
Similarly the level 1 armour in my wife's Held and the Buse kit was replaced with level 2 (the Buse jacket was bought at a German bike show and when I asked about replacing the level 1 back protector with a level 2 equivalent they swapped them out for cost price)