Motorcycle personal protective equipment

As protective equipment is referred to in motorcycling and public road transport, protective clothing for drivers and passengers on powered two-wheelers ( mopeds, motorcycles and light motor, hereinafter referred to as " riders "). It has the primary duty to protect the motorcycle rider from injury by falling or to reduce them.

Modern protective clothing can also improve comfort by protecting from the elements, such as the hypothermia due to wind (wind chill ), especially on exposed areas such as the knees. In addition to the safety aspects, which are important, for example, offers a motorcycle pants with knee protectors considerably more comfort than a simple leather jeans.

The protective equipment is usually composed of an abrasion resistant material such as leather or special textile fibers (such as Cordura ). This allows the driver to be protected when sliding across the roadway. The clothing also includes protectors to help keep impact and shock.

The requirements for protective clothing is also held in various standards such as ECE 22-05 for helmets or EN 1621 for protectors.

The most important components of protective gear for motorcycle riders are:

  • Gloves
  • Boot
  • Combined Protector (a kind of overalls) or jacket along with pants with protectors, ideally connected by a zipper
  • Motorcycle helmet
  • Kidney.

Gloves

Gloves are essential, as it is a normal reflex of man to catch in a fall with the arms and hands. Therefore, severe hand injuries can be the result if no gloves are worn even when falling to the lowest speeds. Gloves with special protectors made of carbon fiber or steel are a useful protection if the bike falls on a Lowsider ( slipping sideways ) on the inside of the curve hand. Fingerless gloves or so-called "Chopper gloves ", which consist only of thin leather and do not cover the knuckles, offer little or no protection in the event of a fall.

Boot

Boots can be provided with a robust steel or plastic reinforcement to protect the foot during a fall. In particular, serious injuries can occur when - is sandwiched between the foot and motorcycle road and pressed in this way the weight of the sliding machine with the asphalt is rubbed - for example, when lateral slipping of the motorcycle in a curve. Also can be separated by the driver slides under the guardrail by the carrier feet or lower legs, which can be avoided by wearing high boots. Knee High Boots also have the advantage that they connect to the knee protector and completely cover the shin. Such boots can have sufficient adjustment, for example near a zipper lacing or buckles have. Wearing protective boots should extend at least above the ankle, is an integral part of the protective clothing by motorcyclists.

See also: switching amplification

Combined protector

The protector combination or the jacket plus pants have in addition to their protective function in case of a fall, the important task to keep cyclists warm. A supercooled driver is distracted and make mistakes. However, the clothes must not be too hot in the summer, because an overheated driver is also limited in its ability to make decisions. Have proved this leather or textile apparel (eg Cordura (registered trademark of DuPont ) or other textile fabric with at least 500 GB ) which are provided with a climate membrane. These climate membranes (eg Gore- Tex, Sympatex, etc.) can be the driver sweat in the form of steam to the outside ( also referred to as breathability ) to make the clothing waterproof and are windproof.

In the event of a fall, the upper material of the dress must be extremely resistant to abrasion, to protect the driver even after prolonged slipping on the asphalt at high speed can. This leather is more resistant than most textile fabric. In particular, kangaroo leather is compared with the cheaper cowhide extremely abrasion resistant, although it is untreated sensitive to moisture. Leather is also offered hydrophobic. It is then treated so that it can no longer absorb water, but this forms beads on the surface. A so treated or impregnated leather is wet not cold by the wind and it has a longer life.

The seams of the clothes are a weak point in the fall, because the strings can be easily frayed. Hidden seams, so-called safety seams, here are therefore preferable.

Clothing should necessarily have to be on shoulders, elbows / forearm and knee / shin and on the hips protectors EN 1621-1 and back with protectors EN 1621-2. Easier protectors made of visco-elastic foam do not meet the higher requirements and do not provide optimal protection. Protectors are the body shape adapted from moving segments existing plastic plates which the impact on the most vulnerable parts of the body absorb in the event of a fall by absorbing kinetic energy and implement, for example, in heat or deformation. They are also provided with an abrasion resistant surface and can firmly integrated in clothing, be fixed in special pockets or subsequently in clothing. Besides inserted into the jacket back protectors, there are also these separately, usually in conjunction with a kidney belt. The protective effect of this variant is greater because the protector from the neck can reach to the coccyx. Wearing a separate back protector is therefore recommended.

In addition to the standard 1621 for the protectors and the standard EN 13595 in the combination (or jacket or bag) exists is examined as a whole. This standard contains, among other requirements for the construction, Abriefestigkeit and the strength of the seams. According to EN 13595 certified clothing is, however, only offered by a few manufacturers.

After an accident protectors should not be used any more fundamentally because they have deforms and at another accident only have a reduced damping effect.

Unless a one-piece suit is worn, pants and jacket should be connected to each other by a zipper. One hand this reduces the draft, on the other hand prevents this, that in the event of a fall, slip the jacket and its protective function can not optimally meet. Protector combos there are in addition to the classic black today in striking colors or with corresponding color applications (such as neon yellow or orange), which one should give preference. Additional reflective piping to increase the visibility of motorcyclists especially in bad weather or at night.

Normal street clothes, army clothing, work wear or for example "Bomber jackets " are driving the motorcycle due to significant disadvantages ( much poorer abrasion resistance, no protectors, poorer air conditioning) barely or not suitable.

Motorcycle helmet

The motorcycle helmet protects the driver's head and is prescribed as the only part of the protective clothing law.

Upon impact, the foam parts contained in the helmet deform, take some of the impact energy and protect so ideally the head from serious injuries. By the deformation of the helmet becomes unusable in most cases, and then must be replaced.

Motorcycle helmets are available in different designs, both with and without protective function in the chin area.

In Germany, every driver is required to wear a " suitable " helmet. Here also helmets may be accepted, which is not the European standard ECE 22 (current version: ECE 22-05 ) correspond, for example, a by other standards certified helmet. However, the helmet should be designed as protection in motorcycle accidents what is at sogannanten Brain caps, steel helmets, or the like is not the case.

In Austria and other European countries ( eg Italy), no helmets may be used that do not comply with the ECE standard or are explicitly allowed.

Motorcycle jacket with airbags

The jacket has an anchoring cables and a CO2 cartridge. If you climb the bike, anchored to the cable to the bike frame. In the event of an accident, the leash is pulled and the jacket inflates by 300 to 500 milliseconds. The air chambers are designed so that as much power can be intercepted as soon as it comes into contact with a solid surface. The jacket protects the front chest, ribs, back, and especially the neck. The motorcycle jacket with airbag is a Hungarian invention, whose development began in 1976.

Kidney

A kidney belt (eg PU foam, neoprene ) is used to protect the lumbar muscles against cold and thus prevent tension or aching muscle contractions. Erroneously, it is widely believed that a kidney has the task to protect the kidneys from hypothermia. But this is a common mistake, because before the kidneys were cooled, the motorcyclist would no longer have due to the strong supercooling conscious. Kidney belt made ​​of leather are now no longer in use. Most motorcyclists find it also convenient that a kidney relieves the back muscles and dampens vibration. Today's Kidney Belts usually have stretch panels. Thus, when creating a slight pressure on the internal organs can be exercised. This is desirable and reduces the risk of injury in an accident.

Separate back protectors and Safety Jackets

Back protector

A back protector protects in a crash and long slides on the back. He is soft-tissue injuries, especially and prevent fractures in the shoulder and rib area. The protector protects the spinal column during a collision. However, vertebral fractures, which are usually caused by sprains, it is hard to prevent.

A back protector can be inserted into a matching jacket or worn separately either. A separate protector usually covers a larger area and is often combined with a kidney belt.

The requirements of a back protector are defined in the European standard EN 1621-2. Foam parts in the back area, as contained in many motorcycle jackets are not usually tested according to the standard and are therefore not regarded as protectors.

Safety Jacket " protector jacket / vest "

For Safety jackets are a midlayer, usually made ​​of airy mesh material, which is equipped with protectors, such as elbow, shoulder and back protector. The main advantage is that the protectors can be fixed to the body, regardless of the outer garments with Velcro ties. Especially when wearing further cut textile clothing can mean a significant increase in safety, since there can move often too strong, the " built-in" protectors.

Some jackets can be transformed by zippers in the West or the back protector easy to wear this alone, for example, in the leather suit. Safety jackets are among the most flexible parts of the personal protective equipment today. With Safety jackets older motorcycle clothing can be upgraded for safety clothing without protectors. Finally, it is possible with them to drive in " classic " outfit motorcycle ( vintage, classic highway or chopper jackets ) and almost the safety of protector combos to achieve. Safety jackets are also available with additional chest and rib protection.

Much like safety jackets, there are also covert shorts and pants with protectors (hips, tailbone, thighs, in the long-running and knee and shin protectors). But they are far less widespread than the upper body protection.

Back hump ( hump ) and neck protection

In racing back hump also serve to improve the aerodynamics. Its main task is, as with road riders to protect the neck in an accident before overstretching and injury. The hump may be relatively small range ( in the neck ) or almost the entire back.

A relatively recent development is the neck protection. It is either neck braces that are worn beneath the helmet in the height of Jack collar or protective plates that can be attached, for example, by the collar of Safety Jackets. Some models are fitted over the head and have chest and back plates for fixing. Such a neck protection can significantly reduce the risk of injury to the delicate neck vertebrae together with a hump, but the development is still in progress.

Reflectors

The motorcycle clothing can be equipped with reflectors in the form of a sit harness, arm and leg bands, etc.. This is particularly useful if the clothing has no reflective inserts or is dark in color. Especially in bad weather and at night motorcyclists are thus more visible. Wearing a safety vest EN- will for this purpose, however, ( as long as no accident occurs) is not recommended because in the long run actually signal effect - special risk situation - would not be given.

Others

In off-road racing are special protective equipment, such as chest protectors, strongly recommended to avoid paraplegia due to spinal injuries in motorcycle accidents. Special Safety jackets for the sports use are more padded or have hard shell inserts towards flexible protectors for road drivers. Indispensable are special cross or enduro boots on the ground.

Other equipment

In addition, there are numerous additions that make motorcycling more comfortable:

  • Functional Underwear ( for climate function of outerwear ). It protects especially at high speeds even against the " stropping " the skin, the lining of the suit can not afford alone. One piece are now usually worn with a sub- cluster.
  • Scarf / neck warmer
  • Balaclava
  • Rain -gloves
  • Rain overshoes
  • Regenabzieher (to be plugged on the index finger to clean the visor in the rain )
  • Anti -fogging agent (if the visor has no anti-fog coating / pin lock equipment)
  • Cycling Underpants, recommended for longer trips much because of the soft use may be the formation of pressure sores on buttocks

The use of clothes with climate membranes ( Gore- Tex, Sympatex, etc.) can be dispensed with additional rain protection. The rain suitability but bought with a lower air exchange ( Schwitzrisiko ) because the air exchange works only with a significant temperature gradient of outdoor temperature to indoor temperature.

Protector combos and the discussion about a support obligation

At the development of protectors, their standardization and CE certification, which began about 10 years ago, there were experts, politicians and the EU Commission also repeatedly considerations, a Europe-wide compulsory wearing of motorcycle clothing ( on the helmet also ) introduce and certain establish minimum requirements.

Contrast, was mainly opposed from the Rocker milieu. This numerically very small group of motorcyclists threw the specter of a " combi unit " on the wall. On the other hand, can not fail to recognize that a support obligation at the time for around three million drivers would have meant the new purchase full protective clothing, so that was a majority against such endeavors you.

Today, at least the drivers of sports, touring and off-road motorcycles in addition to a helmet and gloves also wear suits regularly or one piece with protectors. The Enlightenment through the media (not least the Internet), by certifications proven high level of protection and a wide selection of fits, styles and prices that allow drivers to individually select appropriate equipment. This has probably led to a higher level of driving safety, as it would have been possible under state coercion and the associated reluctance.

Workers who drive the motorcycle service (eg courier ), are required to wear appropriate personal protective equipment.

Currently the EU guidelines are revised. In addition to a more practical measurement of attenuation values ​​of protectors also make provision for attachment of guards and their position should be included.

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