As with helmets, ‘protective safety’ clothing has been around for centuries in various guises and there is an abundance of different manufactures producing motorcycle protective clothing in various materials. There are different terms used in the sale of this apparel; safety, personal protective equipment, to name one or two.
Protective equipment has two basic functions: protection and comfort. In the event of a collision, the protective gear will help prevent or even reduce injuries. Whilst offering the former function, it should also keep the rider/pillion comfortable in hot, cold or wet weather and to some degree help to make them visible to other road users (conspicuity). Protective equipment covers, jacket, trousers/jeans, gloves and boots. Additional equipment covered, if it is not an integral part of the clothing itself, includes body armour, spine/back protectors and kidney belts.
The Law and Protective Gear
European (and hence UK) law requires that if a manufacturer of clothing, boots or gloves wishes to claim that they offer protection against injury, the items concerned must be approved to the Personal Protective Equipment Directive and marked accordingly, much as with crash helmets. If clothing, boots and gloves are not marked, this simply means that the manufacturer is not making any claims as to their protective qualities and it is up to you to assess the protection that they are likely to offer. The following EC directive explains where you as a customer stand when purchasing motorcycle clothing with additional added features.
"As a general rule, the clothes used by motorcyclists (which include gloves, boots, shoes, etc.) are for private use to protect against the weather: rain, heat and cold.
They should therefore be excluded from the scope of the PPE Directive (89/686/EEC)
(Annex 1, point3)
However, if the manufacturer specifically claims, or implies in sales literature or advertising, that because of particular additional features (e.g. elbow pads, knee pads and the like) this clothing offers special protection, these additional features alone shall be classed as PPE and must therefore comply with the provisions of the Directive.
If the manufacturer claims, or implies in sales literature or advertising, that the whole garment provides special protection in addition to that offered by individual protectors, the whole garment must comply with all the essential requirements of Directive 89/686/EEC."
The PPE Directive was brought into mandatory legislation for every country in the European Community in 1995. It was implemented into UK Law as a Statutory Instrument in 1992 - No3139. Therefore, all protective products have to be tested and approved to the European impact protector Standards EN1621-1/1997 and prEN1621-2, which have very specific testing criteria. To gain the ‘CE’ mark, all products have to be tested and approved by an independent, Government approved test house.
However, the EC requires that Clothing, Boots and Gloves used by professional riders for their job, are of a known protective performance. These garments will have been tested for a number of qualities such as, ergonomic fit, impact resistance, burst strength and impact cut resistance, among others. Approval markings for these items take the form of a pictogram of a motorcyclist in a rectangle, with the Directive number underneath.
European Standards for Protective Equipment for professional riders:
Footwear BS EN 13634:2002
Gloves BS EN 13594:2002
Jackets and Trousers BS EN 13595:2002
Types of material
Motorcyclists often wear leather because it is durable and abrasion resistant, giving good protections against injury. Many modern fabrics, such as Cordura® and ballistic nylon, are also abrasion and/or wind resistant, waterproof or have high-visibility properties. Making sure that which ever type of material you chose, it should fit properly and be comfortable. A flap of material over the zip of a jacket, will give additional protection against the wind. Jackets with sleeves tapering to fitted cuffs and waists are recommended to help keep wind from blowing into the garment.
Conspicuity - can you be seen?
Conspicuity of the motorcyclist is an important issue on today’s busy roads. Reflective materials only work at night; their properties are to reflect light, whereas fluorescent materials are designed to be seen during the hours of daylight. Black and camouflage type colours will not assist you being seen by other road users, particularly at junctions. It is much better to wear coloured motorcycle clothing that contrasts with the environment that you ride in. High visibility vests or jackets achieve this purpose, and can to some degree, also keep the dust and dirt off the expensive clothing underneath.
Rider Fatigue
The issue of rider fatigue is important in relation to the clothing. British summers and winters can produce significant differences in temperature and precipitation, which can be compounded by constant wind noise and blast and further augmented by riding into the evening or during the night.
Even in relatively warm weather, moving air is cooler and constant exposure to wind when riding may cause a chilling effect that leads to hypothermia. ‘Hypothermia’ is a condition of subnormal body temperature that can cause loss of concentration, slowed reactions, and loss of smooth, precise muscle movement. Such a condition could result in a rider losing his/her ability to concentrate and react to changing traffic conditions.
Therefore, the clothing has to work efficiently to keep you either warm or cool. If the clothing does not achieve either, rider fatigue can easily set in, whether you are riding over a long or short period of time. ‘Multi-layers’ worn beneath your outer protective clothing, tend to work far better than wearing big bulky layers. The sports type base layers [summer & winter type], tend to be less expensive than the ‘motorcycle’ produced layers and work just as well.
Keeping it clean
Having said all this, looking after the clothing is just as important. Waterproof clothing will not work efficiently if the textile material is clogged with dirt. Do not use detergent to wash waterproof textiles. Detergent works by attracting water, and so will work against the waterproofing materials such as Gore-tex and Hydro-dry. Use either ‘old fashioned’ soap flakes or the special products for cleaning waterproof clothing, camping shops tend to sell such products. ‘Leathers’ are somewhat easier to keep clean, but special care should be taken with the stitching. Dirt and grime can eventually cut through the stitching holding the seam together, if not regularly cleaned off.
