armor Articles
Crash Tested: Vanson AR2 jacket and Alpinestars Bio Armor
If you’re a regular HFL reader then you’re familiar with the Vanson AR2. Over the last year and a half that I’ve been wearing, it’s become utterly synonymous with who I am. There’s a good reason for that. I wear it every day, everywhere, on and off the bike. And I was wearing it when I crashed last week too. Can a good looking jacket with no logos, no day-glo colors and, gasp, no speed h...
Oct 12, 2012
This is the city gear that saved my life
About a month ago, I had a terrible motorcycle accident here in LA. Six broken bones, a week in the hospital and three surgeries. About as bad as it gets, right? Well, not quite. That's thanks to the gear I was wearing — head-to-toe protection. But, I wasn't in leathers or ungainly Cordura or anything like that, I was in jeans and a jacket; the kind of thing I wear to go to a meeting or a bar. C...
Feb 25, 2012
Aerostich TF3 armor explained
The recognized benchmark for protective motorcycle gear is CE approval. If you buy a jacket from Alpinestars, Dainese, Icon or any of the other common brands, it will almost certainly have CE approved armor in the shoulders and elbows. The amazing viscoelastic TF3 armor in an Aerostich Roadcrafter isn't CE certified, so is it safe? Just like a Snell or ECE 22.05 sticker on your helmet, a CE certi...
Sep 09, 2011
This is the dirt gear that saved my life
Making bad decisions on motorcycles (or Russian sidecars) has consequences. I’m able to ameliorate the consequences of frequently awful decisions by wearing the best safety gear available. This is what I was wearing when I crashed last weekend, it, in addition to Sean, is the reason I’m able to type this (slowly) today. Alpinestars Tech 10 Boots These are bulky, heavy, look ridiculous and...
Jul 19, 2011
Dailies
How safe is safety gear?
In the first study of its kind, researchers in Australia have applied hard numbers to the safety gear we wear below our helmets. Surveying motorcyclists who had crashed both with and without injury and with and without items of clothing like boots gloves and jackets, the team was able to piece together a statistical analysis of the benefits of each individual piece. For instance wearing real motor...
Jun 24, 2011
Alpinestars Bio Armor explained
We’ve been making a big fuss over thin, flexible D3O, but it’s not the only choice if you’re looking for slimmer motorcycle armor. This Alpinestars Bio Armor may not be bright orange or come with science we hardly understand, but it is safe. 100 percent safer than traditional Alpinestars foam armor, for example, while only measuring about 1cm in thickness. It’s this that we’re installing...
Apr 13, 2011
Why can’t we look good when we ride bikes?
Conventional motorcycling wisdom states, “Dress for the crash, not the ride.” But why does being safe have to involve dressing up like a DayGlo sausage, a European hairdresser or a large nylon pillow? Why can Dainese make an airbag racing suit that can tell the difference between a high and low-side crash using a GPS sensor, three gyroscopes and three accelerometers, but not offer a jacket I
Apr 12, 2011