Australia’s internationally awarded MotoCAP safety and thermal comfort ratings system for motorcycle clothing has added 15 jackets to its list of more than 200 tested items.
The safety intitiative, launched in September 2018, is the first of its type in the world.
It has now rated 202 items of clothing, including 105 jackets, 50 pairs of pants and 47 pairs of gloves.
Latest MotoCAP testing
In the latest round of testing, MotoCAP has added 15 textile and leather jackets.
The RST Adventure III textile jacket shares the equal highest safety rating awarded to a textile jacket yet, having received three out of five stars.
The Ixon Frantic leather jacket adds to the range of high performing leather jackets, having received four out of five stars for safety.
International award
Last year, MotoCAP won a Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) road safety award.
MotoCAP gives clothing two separate star ratings – one for protection and one for heat management or comfort.
Clothing manufacturers’ advertising is not an extremely useful resource for protection in a crash or from the extremes of an Australian summer.
Australian Motorcycle Council Protective Clothing sub-committee chair Brian Wood points out that MotoCAP tests the whole garment, unlike European Protective Clothing Standards which only tests samples of fabrics, fastenings and stitching.
“(It) gives the motorcycle community more information when they are making choices about the clothing they wear when riding,” he says.
MotoCAP is a partnership between Transport for NSW, State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), VicRoads, Transport Accident Commission (TAC), Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC), Lifetime Support Authority (LSA), Western Australian Police: Road Safety Commission, Department of State Growth, Insurance Australia Group (IAG), Australian Motorcycle Council and Accident Compensation Corporation in New Zealand.
Testing is carried out by the Deakin University Institute for Frontier Materials on behalf of the MotoCAP partners.
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com