As I sit here literally sweating over this article in 34C heat and humidity, it’s comforting to know that Australian motorcycle gear ratings authority MotoCAP also rates breathability.
The internationally awarded MotoCAP online safety ratings service not only provides riders with information about the safety of jackets, pants and gloves, but also tests jackets and pants for breathability and comfort in hot conditions.
This is an important primary safety factor. You can’t be a safe rider if you are uncomfortable, dehydrated and distracted by the discomfort of heat.
In the latest round of testing, MotoCAP rates six leather and six textile jackets, with four leather jackets scoring a safety rating of four out of five stars.
While most riders associate textile jackets with keeping cool while looking daggy and leather jackets with looking cool but feeling hot and sweaty, that is not always the case.
The new ratings reveal the RST TracTech EVO 4 Mesh CE jacket ($A299) scored four stars for safety, but was also awarded a four-star breathability rating and a score of 10 out of 10 for water resistance.
RST TracTech EVO 4 Mesh CE jacket
That shows that you don’t have to sacrifice comfort for safety.
MotoCAP has now tested a total of 415 jackets, gloves and pants, with a recent adjustment to their testing regime that makes it tougher for manufacturers to score well.
Deakin Uni Institute for Frontier Materials Senior Research Fellow and Honda GB400 rider Chris Hurren says the changes are the result of “ongoing tweaking of the system based on new research conducted by Deakin University”.
Chris says these changes mean that accurate ratings are assigned to gear based on the latest research and testing, allowing consumers to make informed decisions on their purchases and increasing their protection on our roads.
The original MotoCAP ratings were developed with the limited information at the time of the risks involved for the hand.
MotoCAP testing
Dr Chris Hurren with one of the uni’s testing machines
All gear tested and rated by MotoCAP is bought covertly.
In 2019, MotoCAP, has won a Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) road safety award.
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), the Department for Infrastructure and Transport, 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.
All gear rated so far has been obtained through a secretive buying system to guarantee integrity.
Company spokesman Elijah Weir says that since launching their motorcycle helmets they have had “tons of requests from our community asking ‘what jacket is that’ every time we put a post out on social media”.
“We’ve made some serious waves in the helmet industry and the aim is to do the same in the motorcycle gear market,” he says.
“The aim is to revolutionise the motorcycle industry and redefine safety-approved gear.
“Our mission is to help save lives and re-invent what motorcycle gear can be and we believe with the help of people like yourself we can most definitely make this happen.”
The company has launched their Enginehawk Instagram pagewith photos of the Predator jacket which is the first of their range of 10 leather and textile jackets and a thermal vest that will be unveiled over coming days:
The brand will be officially launched on 27 April 2021 with full details and pricing.
The company make the following promises about their jackets:
We strive for perfect fit. Gear that doesn’t restrict you. Gear that looks great on all body shapes and sizes. Gear that makes you look like a f*king bad ass.
We only use the highest grade materials that will hold up in a slide. We will only use premium impact armours.
We make gear that looks great on and off the bike. The goal is to make garments riders to want to wear even when they aren’t riding, because that’s the only way to make sure they are when they do.
We keep our prices accessible despite using the most premium materials and manufacturing processes available. We will do this by selling direct to the rider through our website. Our customer is the rider, not the store.
Have you ever found out the hard way that waterproof gear has a use-by date after which it is totally useless?
Two pairs of boots, two pairs of gloves, a jacket and several pair of pants have failed me after as little as five years of periodic use.
This is despite the fact that I look after my gear and store it in a cool, dry cupboard.
Waterproof warranty
I’ve checked all my waterproof gear and none offers a lifetime guarantee.
Also, note that “weatherproof”, “water-resistant” and “water-repellent” are not the same as “waterproof”. These terms mean the garment is rarely watertight even in light showers when you are riding.
This rating consists of two numbers. The first from 0-6 measures protection from foreign bodies such as dust, while the second from 0-9K measures resistance to water. Click here for more details.
Also note that your supposedly waterproof gear may only be guaranteed to be impervious to water in some areas or just have watertight pockets.
Waterproof warranties are typically the same as the garment which is usually from one year to about three years.
Manufacturers could fit jackets and pants with more robust and heavier waterproof membranes and offer longer warranties.
However, that would impact on comfort, weight and price.
So it’s important to look after your waterproof gear.
Failures
Caught in the rain
One of the main problems with waterproof failures is that you may not notice a fault in your gear when you put it on.
And even the most minor fault, crack or split can suck in moisture when you are riding at highway speeds!
There can be a number of reasons for waterproofing failures:
Waterproof leather gear is usually the first to give in because it can age and crack;
Boots can develop minuscule cracks in the soles from simply walking around in them;
Racing boots with bolt-in toe sliders can become loose as they repeatedly hit the ground, allowing in water;
Waterproof pants can develop small tears in the lining or you can dislodge the glued-on taped seams if you pull them on while wearing your boots; Waterproof pants lose their taped seams and lining from years of use
Folding waterproof garments can cause them to wear and split at the creases;
Carrying waterproof gear on your bike scrunched up on a rack and secured by Occy straps can cause rips and wear;
Gore-Tex pants and jackets should last a long time, but the outside layer can get worn from rubbing in areas such as the armpits, crutch and backside;
Zippers can become rusted from rain and road grime and even waterproof zippers can become gummed up by dust and bugs; and
Machine washing your gear can remove or destroy the watertight capabilities of some materials.
Waterproof care
King Canute found he could not hold back the tide and maintaining waterproof riding gear can be similar.
However there are some things you can do:
Boots will last longer if you only wear them on the bike and do limited walking.
Regular treatment of leather with shoe polish, special softeners and waxes such as Dubbin may help prolong their waterproof life;
Take your boots off before pulling on waterproof overpants;
Re-spray your textile gear with waterproof sprays;
Store your gear in a cool, dry cupboard;
Hang your jackets and pants and never fold them;
Always allow wet gear to dry in a well-ventilated area out of direct sunlight before storing;
Carry waterproof gear in a safe place in your backpack or bike luggage, preferably rolled up, not folded;
Give zippers an occasional spray with silicon or rub them with an appropriate wax to help the zipper slide smoothly and last longer; and
So you should periodically wash your gear before storing it away.
When washing your gear, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. They usually stipulate a hand wash or gentle, warm-wash machine cycle.
Long, hot machine washing cycles can limit the waterproofed life of a garment.
Never use fabric softener when washing and most manufacturers warn against tumble drying or ironing.
However, note that some materials, such as Gore-Tex, actually require tumble drying or ironing after washing to restore their waterproof qualities. Watch this instructional video.
“The majority of wet claims I believe are mainly due to incorrect usage or fitment,” he says.
“You can have the best jacket in the world, but if you don’t get all the closures correctly positioned, ensure your shirt collar or cuffs aren’t exposed (which creates a wicking point for water entry) you will still get wet.
“If you wear gloves over your cuff, water penetrates through the jacket stitching in the chest and arms, runs down between the outer shell and the outside of the waterproof liner (so the rider is still dry) and drains straight into the gloves. This is not a glove issue but a rider fitment issue.
“Likewise with waterproof boots. I see riders buy ‘shorty’ waterproof boots and then complain they get wet feet.
“If you have a look at their rain pants when their feet are on the pegs, the rain pants may ride up just enough to allow water into the boots.”
Ron Grant tests waterproof gear
Ron warns that water will finds its way into that 1% vulnerable area in your whole riding ensemble and spoil your ride.
He says he left for work recently in the pouring rain on his Triumph Tiger 800 fitted with a new, large touring screen to protect him from the elements.
“This new screen creates a bit of a vacuum between the screen and I could see water droplets swirling around in front of me around my throat area,” he says.
“I didn’t really think about this too well, but I had pulled my neck-sock on before fitting my jacket as it’s more comfortable that way.
“The droplets eventually soaked my neck-sock which wicked the water downwards wetting my jumper and shirt. My waterproof jacket didn’t fail, it was the dummy wearing it that failed!”
As Australia’s internationally awardedMotoCAP safety and thermal comfort testing and ratings system for motorcycle clothing has surpassed 200 tested items, there seems to be a paucity of women’s gear.
However, in women’s gear only eight leather jackets, eight textile jackets, seven textile pants and three gloves have been tested.
The lack of women’s gear is a common criticism we receive here about the MotoCAP testing.
However, it should be pointed out that the testing is actually quite representative of the proportion of female riders in the community which is estimated to be about 10-12%.
In fact, the women’s gear tested represents 12.9% which does not account for the fact that gloves are often sold as unisex, rather than for men or women exclusively.
Testing methodology
Dr Chris Hurren*, a research scientist at Deakin University in Geelong where he and his laboratory work on protective motorcycle clothing, explains the MotoCAP methodology for selecting gear for testing.
“We have all of the instore women’s gear in the purchasing database alongside the instore men’s gear,” he says.
“The algorithm determines what will be purchased and it does not discriminate between men’s and women’s apparel.
“Appropriate proportions of both are being purchased.
“We have tested women’s gear in each of the categories of MotoCAP.
“If you compare the percentages tested with what is hanging in store the ratio of men’s to women’s is quite similar.”
In the past 24 months, all garments reported on the MotoCAP website have been purchased covertly by MotoCAP purchasing staff.
None has been supplied by distributors or manufacturers.
* Dr Hurren worked with Dr Liz de Rome and others to produce the protocol that is used by MotoCAP for their testing regime. He has also written a series of four articles for Motorbike Writer on the new European clothing standard which you can start reading by clicking here.
However, there may be differences in Australian/India sizing, so we suggest waiting until they arrive and you can try them on and get the sizing right.
The range includes jackets and pants, leather gloves and leisurewear such as shorts and t-shirts.
The all-season Nubra jackets and pants and summer Breeze range include rain and thermal liners, CE-certified elbow and shoulder armour, YKK zips and Cordura reinforcement.
Female riders have been complaining about being neglected by motorcycle gear manufacturers for years although it is getting better and more available.
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.
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 CouncilProtective Clothing sub-committee chair Brian Woodpoints 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.
But first, click here to see the difference between a product failure and rider error.
Consumer protection
If it’s a genuine product failure, then it is deemed “not fit for purpose” and the Act will offer consumer protection.
The problem is that “fit for purpose” can be difficult to quantify and prove.
However, if the garment makes a specific claim that is not met, then that is a pretty clear case of product failure.
Otherwise, if it fails to meet basic acceptable standards such as the zipper failing, you should be due a repair, refund or replacement.
YKK zips
Most protective motorcycle clothing brands vie for consumer dollars by also offering manufacturer warranties that go above and beyond the basic statutory requirements.
They can vary from one year to as many as seven years.
A one-year warranty may be sufficient to reveal any issues if you are a regular rider.
However, weekend warriors or monthly riders may require a longer warranty period to identify any problems.
Warranty conditions
Riders should also note that a warranty is only as good as the fine print exclusions and conditions.
For example, some warranties may exclude track use and even crashes which is strange since surely the main reason to buy protective motorcycle clothing is to protect you in a crash.
Interestingly, one company also offers a crash guarantee on some of their gear, promising a replacement if the damage cannot be repaired for half the cost of a new item.
However, they do not cover gear that has been cut off by a first responder.
“It should cover defects from manufacture and use of faulty components during assembly,” he says.
“A warranty will also allow a manufacturer to see what is giving problems with their garments and allow them to find an alternative as they will see trends in components or seam failures.
“Most warranties will not cover general wear and tear or ageing from extended use but these are sensible as they are out of the control of the manufacturer.”
CE approved
Link Internationalproduct manager Ron Grant points out that a major benefit of buying European CE-approved riding gear is that once approved, manufacturers are not allowed to change material, stitch lines, manufacturing plant, etc.
If they do, the garment has to be re-submitted for testing at an average cost of about $10,000 per garment.
“This guarantees product consistency,” Ron says.
“Non-CE brands usually place an order for jackets, don’t actually go to the factories for quality control checks, cannot guarantee the material used is the same quality as last production, nor even guarantee who is making the gear as there is potential the factory the product was ordered from may sub-contract production to someone else,” he warns.
Ron says one of the biggest issues facing the industry is not just trying to teach riders what garment is better than the other, but also the necessity to actually wear safety gear.
“Recently I saw a guy on a new sports bike with brand new boots, leather jacket, gloves, top-of-the-range helmet and board shorts,” he says.
“Every day I see guys geared up on their way to work wearing runners or lace up work shoes. Or no jacket. Or shorts. Or normal jeans. The other day I saw a guy fanging over Mt G with a pretty young lady on the back with a string top and skimpy shorts.”
He says the onus is on experienced salesperson to expertly advise customers so they buy the right gear for their use.
“Of course, that is all negated when buying online,” he says.
Your motorcycle jackets, pants, gloves and boots that are supposed to protect you in a crash, can sometimes experience failures of the most basic test of simple wear and tear.
However, it is important to differentiate a product failure from a rider error.
Product failures
We recently bought a pair of motorcycle gloves (pictured above) that split the stitching at the cuff after a few weeks of normal riding.
The gloves had a one-year warranty and the shop contacted the distributor who replaced them.
Same failure
Only a few weeks later the second pair failed in exactly the same way.
Obviously there appears to be an inherent design fault in the gloves.
This is not the only example of motorcycle protective gear failing the basic wear and tear test.
While trying on a pair of protective denim pants in a store, the top button above the zip pulled apart and fell off.
“This was obviously a problem that the manufacturer knew about as the garment came with a spare metal button however in reality should the product have been in the market place in the first place,” he says.
“This failure before even leaving the store should be a quick indicator of the build product of a garment.”
It’s not Dr Hurren’s only personal encounter with a wear failure.
After spending $700 on a leather jacket, he found the zip failed after two years.
“I have since observed new jackets hanging in store from the same manufacturer with a zip that was corroded and already causing trouble during use,” he says.
“The addition of a low-cost zip to a high-cost jacket significantly reduces its working life.
“Closures like zips, buttons and clips often have higher loading due to body size and may be strained to failure during impact grip with the road in a crash.”
Dr Chris Hurren
Rider error
However, some complaints about protective clothing failures can be due to rider error, not product failure.
Waterproof claims are a classic example, says Link International product manager Ron Grant.
“You can have the best jacket in the world, but if you don’t get all the closures correctly positioned, ensure your shirt collar or cuffs aren’t exposed (which creates a wicking point for water entry) you will still get wet,” he says.
“The majority of wet claims I believe are mainly due to incorrect usage or fitment.
“If you wear gloves over your cuff, water penetrates through the jacket stitching in the chest and arms, runs down between the outer shell and the outside of the waterproof liner (so the rider is still dry) and drains straight into the gloves. This is not a glove issue but a rider fitment issue.
“Likewise with waterproof boots. I see riders buy ‘shorty’ waterproof boots and then complain they get wet feet.
Draggin Hydro waterproof jacket and pants
“If you have a look at their rain pants when their feet are on the pegs, the rain pants may ride up just enough to allow water into the boots.”
Riders also have a duty to maintain and treat their gear appropriately.
For example, zippers can get dry from dust and bugs etc. An occasional rub over with a candle or an appropriate wax on the zipper teeth will help the zipper slide smoothly and last longer.
Likewise, screwing up a zip in waterproof liner and securing it under a couple of Occy straps can damage the waterproof coating allowing water to enter the jacket.
Warranty
If your riding gear has experienced a genuine product failure, you may be due a replacement or repair under warranty.
An American motorcycle clothing company is about to launch the Biker Jacket that they claim is the only motorcycle jacket you will ever need.
The Biker Jacket, from Rybak Riding Gear & Apparel in Brooklyn, incorporates innovations such as fingerless gloves and magnetic drawstrings plus converts to a vest.
It will cost from $US238 for the textile hoodie version to $US524 for the leather/textile combo version. There are early bird discounts for Kickstarter backers.
You can also buy just the vest section ($US174) and a cap ($US49) that converts to a face mask.
Biker Jacket features
Biker Jacket features include a detachable and collapsible hood, retractable sleeve cups, detachable sleeves, an interchangeable face panel, built-in ventilation, two-way zipper, magnetic catch plates so pull strings don’t dangle and flap around.
We often criticise motorcycle jackets for not having enough pockets, but this has 10!
They also have pockets or pouches to place CE armour. It doesn’t say if it comes with the jacket, but we think you can buy it as an option or fit your own.
Customers have the option of jacket materials: abrasion-resistant Dyneema denim, cotton or leather.
The Dyneema and leather jackets have water-resistant properties, but are not waterproof.
And you can mix and match, such as having leather sleeves with a Dyneema vest section or vice versa.
The internationally awarded MotoCAP safety and thermal comfort ratings system for motorcycle clothing has added 15 more items to its list of tested gear.
It has now rated 186 items of clothing, including 50 pairs of pants, 90 jackets and 46 pairs of gloves.
Safety and comfort
Macna Vosges Nighteye
Of the newly rated jackets, two were leather which scored two stars for safety. All the others were textile and scored just one star for safety except the Alpinestars T-Core Air Drystar and Macna Vosges Nighteye which scored two stars.
The best of the newly added jackets for beating the current heatwave was the $500 Spidi Ventamax (top image on this page) which scored three stars for thermal comfort. The others scored from half a star to two stars.
Best of the newly rated pants are the Bull-It Covert Blue which scored two stars for safety and three for comfort and the BMW City denim trousers which only scored one safety star but four for comfort.
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 CouncilProtective Clothing sub-committee chair Brian Woodpoints 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.
YKK zips
Chris Hurren and his Honda GB400
Same failure
Dr Chris Hurren
Draggin Hydro waterproof jacket and pants
Macna Vosges Nighteye
