Good motorcycle gear should do one thing, above all else: Make riders safer. As riders, of course, we may also want it to look good, to be comfortable, and to provide various features depending on what type of riding we’re doing. Still, if the only thing you’re after is comfort, you could just wear your pajamas and I’m reasonably sure that you’ll find very few people who would make that choice. 

Australia’s independent motorcycle gear safety testing program, MotoCAP, was first established in 2018 at Deakins University. As of January, 2022, it uses a five-star rating system to rate characteristics of moto gear in two broad categories: Safety, and Breathability. Three different ratings go into the overall Safety rating: Abrasion, Impact, and Burst, all of which require extensive testing. Results in these subcategories are rated on a scale of zero to 10. 

As of January 5, 2022, MotoCAP has currently rated over 250 jackets that are sold in Australia. Some may be offered elsewhere as well, while some may not be. To date, here are the five jackets to which MotoCAP has given its highest safety ratings. We should note that of all jackets tested, only three have received a five-star safety rating from MotoCAP as of the date of publication. 

Ixon Frantic 

Ixon Frantic
  • Type: Leather 
  • Date purchased: August 26, 2019 
  • MotoCAP Safety Rating: Five out of five stars 

The Ixon Frantic leather jacket comes with impact protectors for both the elbows and the shoulders, as well as a pocket in the back where a rider can fit an aftermarket back protector if they so choose. It also features vents in the back to enhance airflow and breathability for rider comfort. In both the Abrasion and the Impact test scores, MotoCAP rated this jacket a solid nine out of 10. Burst protection got a full 10 out of 10, which indicates that this jacket did not come apart at the seams in any area during this test.  

Alpinestars GP Plus R V2 Air Flow

Alpinestars GP Plus R V2 Air Flow
  • Type: Leather 
  • Date purchased: August 26, 2019 
  • MotoCAP Safety Rating: Five out of five stars 

The Alpinestars GP Plus R V2 Air Flow leather jacket comes with impact protection in both the elbows and the shoulders. Additionally, it has a pocket in the back for an aftermarket back protector that the rider can purchase separately and fit as desired. The leather in the chest, arms, and back features perforations that allow plenty of airflow through the jacket while the rider is in motion at road speeds.  

On both the Abrasion and Burst tests, MotoCAP gave this jacket a score of 10 out of 10. However, when it came to the Impact test, the score dropped to six out of 10. In both MotoCAP’s average and maximum force tests, both the elbow and shoulder protectors fitted into this jacket came out with scores that landed them solidly in the Acceptable range (out of a choice of Good, Acceptable, Marginal, or Poor).  

RJays Calibre 

RJays Calibre
  • Type: Leather 
  • Date purchased: July 18, 2018 
  • MotoCAP Safety Rating: Five out of five stars 

The RJays Calibre leather jacket has impact protectors at both the elbows and the shoulders as it ships from the apparel manufacturer. It’s solid leather, not perforated, but it does have zippable ventilation ports along the arms and back that riders can adjust at will to enhance their comfort. 

On both the Abrasion and Burst tests, this jacket scored a perfect 10 out of 10. However, in the Impact test, this jacket only received a five out of 10 rating. The average force Impact test netted Acceptable ratings (out of a possible Good, Acceptable, Marginal, or Poor) for both the elbow and shoulder protection. However, the maximum force Impact test resulted in Marginal ratings for both types of impact protection. 

RST R-18 

RST R-18
  • Type: Leather 
  • Date purchased: July 4, 2018 
  • MotoCAP Safety Rating: Four out of five stars 

The RST R-18 leather jacket comes with impact protection at both the elbows and the shoulders. It also has a pocket in the rear of the jacket that a rider can use for a back protector, if they desire. The front of the jacket has perforated leather, and the hard shoulder caps also have ventilation holes to improve airflow when the weather is hot. 

This jacket scored a perfect 10 out of 10 in both the Abrasion and Burst tests administered by MotoCAP. However, the Impact test netted a score of five out of 10. Both the elbow and the shoulder had Acceptable ratings (out of a possible Good, Acceptable, Marginal, or Poor) for the average force portion of the test, but only Marginal ratings on the maximum force portion. We should note that within each category, there are numerary values assigned—which is why this jacket ultimately scored slightly lower than the RJays Calibre. 
 

Merlin Lichfield Oxblood 

Merlin Lichfield Oxblood
  • Type: Leather 
  • Date purchased: November 16, 2019 
  • MotoCAP Safety Rating: Four out of five stars 

The Merlin Lichfield Oxblood leather jacket comes with impact protectors fitted in both the shoulder and elbow areas. There is also a pocket provided for an aftermarket back protector, if a rider chooses to use one. This jacket has zero ventilation included to adjust rider comfort. 

On the Burst test, this jacket scored a perfect 10 out of 10. However, on the Impact test, it scored a seven out of 10. On the Abrasion test, it scored a six out of 10. The average force portion of the Impact test saw both the elbow and shoulder protecters get an Acceptable rating (out of a possible Good, Acceptable, Marginal, or Poor). However, under maximum force, both received Marginal ratings. As for the Abrasion test, MotoCAP tests different zones of each jacket to judge abrasion resistance in the event of a crash. Most zones scored Good, but the outer forearm area scored Acceptable instead, which brought the score down.

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