Ready For Battle: Street Bike Protective Gear Essentials

We've fully entered
into the motorcycle riding season and with that comes an army of
two-wheeled soldiers ready to battle against cagers for their fair
share of paved turf. And with the evolution of motorcycle riding
gear we've now entered a world where we can cover ourselves in
protective wear like futuristic bio-mechanical robots. From under
armor to exo-skeleton padding, the choices for street bike
protective wear continues to expand, ensuring our legion of
high-speed, technical, and stunt riding warriors will be ready for
the open road.
Listed below are a five of our favorite body armor items.
Forcefield Pro Protection Jacket

You might look at this piece of motorcycle gear and
wonder "why would I wear something like this if my motorcycle
jacket already has armor? " Well, the answer is simple, not
everyone is satisfied with the comfort or fit of the stock armor
that came with their jacket. Sometimes the stock elbow, shoulder,
or back armor is too stiff, doesn't offer great
mobility/flexibility, or is just made of simple foam padding that
doesn't offer the best results in impact absorption. This Pro
Protection Jacket from Forcefield is a great option for those that
aren't happy with the armor that came with their jacket or their
jacket didn't even come with armor. Forcefield is known for making
high-end body armor and this piece is no exception. This under
jacket is comprised of a lightweight shell made of BeCool moisture
wicking material and features CE approved Level 1 armor in the
elbows, shoulders, and chest, along with a CE approved Level 2 back
protector. All armor is removable to suit your comfort needs and
the shell material is washable to keep the jacket fresh. With its
tight fitting shell and flexible padding, the jacket easily
conforms to the body for a comfortable fit without feeling
excessively bulky. The highly technical armor has been specially
designed to offer great energy absorption without being too
soft.
Scorpion EXO SGS Leather Gloves

It's a natural instinct for people to want to put their
hands out to catch themselves when they fall. For a motorcyclist
that reaction can result in the palms getting ripped to shreds in
an instant. A good pair of motorcycle gloves can make a world of
difference in the event of a low side slide. While many gloves
offer great protection with leather or high impact material in the
palm areas these SGS Leather Gloves from Scorpion up the ante by
incorporating Knox's Scaphoid Protection System (SPS) into the
palm. The Knox SPS features a small hard plastic-like slider
located at down by where the thumb bone meets the wrist. With most
leather gloves when you fall forward and begin to slide on your
palms, the leather can often get caught up on the pavement causing
the hand to twist or even possibly causing your body to roll.
Similar to knee sliders, the palm sliders are designed to act as an
additional preventive layer between your precious skin and the
flesh hungry pavement and allow your palms to slide against the
pavement. The top side of these motorcycle gloves feature
Thermoplastic Polyurethane molded knuckle protectors for impact
protection against things like side-view mirrors when fitting
between tight spaces. The gloves are made from a mix of top-grade
perforated and non-perforated leather with highly abrasion
resistant kangaroo skin in the palms for a comfortable and firm
feel on the motorcycle grips. Additional protection and durability
is provided by the Kevlar® out stitching, Kevlar® internal palm
patch, and ventilated thermoplastic rubber on the back of the
gloves cover critical areas of the fingers.
Speed and Strength Lunatic Fringe Armored Protection Vest

We like this motorcycle vest for its
armadillo-like spine protector. While we never expect to go down on
our motorcycle, when the unfortunate circumstance does arise the
Lunatic Fringe Armored Protection Vest will absorb the majority of
the impact and help protect you should you land on or roll over
onto your back. In addition, the ridged, flex-panel design of the
injection-molded, CE approved spine protector allows you to bend
into your riding position without stressing your back.
Tri-composite Fierce Mesh allows for easy ventilation while also
being highly abrasion resistant. The front of the vest features an
injection-molded chest protector and Speed and Strength's Lockdown
waist and shoulder adjusters allow you to adjust the vest to fit
over a motorcycle jacket or t-shirt quickly and easily. Along with
impact protection this vest offers nighttime protection with Speed
and Strength's Light 'Em Up LED system built into the vest. Hidden
behind the front left shoulder is small button that you push to get
the LEDs to glow solid red, flash slow, or flash fast.
Icon Field Armor Stryker Knee Guards

Most motorcycle pants and riding jeans feature padding in
the knee area but what they often lack is protection for the rest
of the lower leg.[mageProductLink sku="038-2704-0238" title=""]
Icon's Field Armor Stryker Knee Guards[/mageProductLink] offer the
benefit of a high impact knee pad incorporated with a strong shin
guard. The exterior is made of three injection-molded plates
layered over one another to fully cover the shin, knee cap, and
just above the knee. The top plate also helps keep the guard in
place preventing it from creeping down. Below the exterior are a
layer of bio foam and a layer of D3O-an energy management material
that disperses impact laterally instead of towards the body.
Similar to an armadillo, the layers allow for easy articulation
while HdryaDry material against the skin wicks sweat and moisture
away. With their Velcro adjustment straps and thin profile these
motorcycle knee guards are easy to slip on and comfortably fit
under or over your pants. And for those that like additional
protection, you can pick up a matching set of elbow guards as a
well.
Forcefield Pro 008 Back Protector Insert

Here we find ourselves looking at another product from Forcefield Armour, this time it's their Back Protector Insert. Designed for motorcycle jackets with an existing back protector pocket, [mageProductLink sku="ff-1013-008" title=""]Forcefield's Back Protector inserts[/mageProductLink] are a smart choice for those who have simple foam padding or want the utmost in back protection. Forcefield offers their motorcycle back protector upgrades in ten different shapes and sizes to fit a variety of jackets/back insert pockets and most are available in either a lite version which offers CE Level 1 protection or a standard version which provides CE Level 2 protection. The key to Forcefield's armor is the honeycomb-like design of its Nitrex Evo armor. Nitrex Evo is a unique high-tech shock absorbing material that allows energy to be dispersed and absorbed evenly over the entire surface of the pad. The material is also highly flexible so its moves with your body and is ideal for the aggressive position associated with sport bike riding. To help reduce fatigue and sweat the pad is lightweight, perforated, and breathable.