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jeff006 12/01/2012
Yes, there IS a limit!
In my last blog (Safety, Part 3: Clothes) I have outlined what I believe to be the minimum armour for jackets and pants, and I did the same for boots in part 2. I won’t repeat myself. Here I’m going to take it to a new level & talk about dedicated armour products that can be used in conjunction with your existing gear for a variety of purposes. But just how far should you go? (photo 1!)
The ONLY piece of dedicated armour that I believe should be in EVERYONE’S wardrobe is a spine protector (a back pouch insertable unit being the simplest). But wait until you see some of the stuff I’ve experimented with both on and off the track!
A great example of a simple, insertable back protector is the Dainese G2/3. Most jackets will receive this spine saving item, and it is made from honeycombed aluminium, cased in homologated plastic, designed to crumple, and thus absorb, impact. The plastic case allows flexion and extension only within anatomical limits. Just it’s presence can be the difference between a bit of a sore back and a potentially severe spinal injury. You can see my G3 bottom left, photo 2. Also in photo 2, hanging up, is the more serious (mad!) full Jacket Wave V 1-2-3 (previous model) which, although I actually found it to be cumbersome and difficult for a variety of reasons, is excellent because panels are removable (so you can adapt it) and the longer spine protector can be used alone and has a great kidney belt to support the lower back and abdomen, which makes it perfect for the race position and track work (ie. your thighs and heels grip the bike and your core muscles maintain your posture, leaving your arms relaxed to control the bike). I often use this longer spine protector instead of the short G3 insert. The full suit is like full plate armour … it even has a cervical spine insert which hooks up in to your helmet. On the track it is genius. What I REALLY found was that in day to day use this was all useless because the big shoulder plates prevented me from turning my helmeted head to look behind me, the neck piece actually jammed my head downwards (was a barrier to looking up and forward in the racing position) and the rest of it was just so hot to wear under leathers that it was unusable. Photo 3 shows me wearing it (yes, I know, I look ridiculous, but I was looking for ways to stay alive ... and I've lost 15 kgs since then, which actually makes it nicer to wear!). Back in photo 2 there is also a similar armoured jacket by FOX, just as an example of a different style of articulated spine protection (Dainese is certainly not the only player in this game either).
Well, it was a lesson: comfort and full range/freedom of movement are JUST (I know the JUST team are reading!) as important as being cocooned in solid plates!
In photo 4 I am in the pits at Lakeside International Raceway wearing my spine protector (from the front you can just see the broad kidney belt). Over this I wore my armoured leather jacket. Anything more was just too cumbersome. And now that my jackets have integrated aluminium shoulder plates (photo 5; as opposed to floating, inserted armour plates within internal pouches) such extreme armour suits are even more redundant.
I do sometimes wear the armoured shorts (photo 6) under my slighlty oversized leathers in winter. Good leather have padding over the hips but this is an area of vulnerability with even the best gear!
One final thing … these suits are of far more relevance in Motocross due to the more frequent contact with Ground Zero! I do have a bunch of great looking Motocross jerseys that, worn over the full armoured suit, look quite smart and the whole thing breaths/ventilates much better (photo 6). {note the helmet in that shot, my other Shark RSR , I LOVE those helmets!).
Last photos are the promotional photos of the full armour kit as bought by me before I got control of myself and started spending some money on my lovely wife instead of every cool looking thing I laid my eyes on!!!
Take home message … less can be more, as long as you protect the spine. I spent a fortune and it was overkill. But then, I do like to tinker
