On the ABCs Catalysts programe tonight.
Testing reaction times for bikers riding in warm weather ect, but what might be really interesting is that there looking at motorcycle gear such as leathers ect, and wether they actually protect. There doing a piece on how long materials in your riding gear can take sliding along the bitumen. The reporter said that most riding gear fails and is not fit for purpose. I think he said that it was riding gear, not so much helmuts. Just watched the ad promo on ABC 24. caught only some of this so I hope I read the add promo right.
Might be worth a bo peep.
I though it was interesting how some leather was absolute crap for protection, as well as various cooling panels/etc compromising integrity of wear areas. The show reiterated the value of the European CE system but noted how some jackets that claim they met this was in the armour on only. Made me look at my HD jacket twice. I too think some sort of star system makes sense as there are so many different brands and options on the market these days that I think it dilutes good decision making. I will add as an aside, that I've read some of the researchers work on Motorbikewriter and wasn't impressed -- they tested a lot of kit, made a song and dance about a lot of it failing but didn't release the info or name names. It was like 'well, thanks for that'. And you walk away shaking your head.
Opened my eyes up a bit. I agree with posts above. I think all motorcycle aparell ect should have a rating according to some type of acceptable standard. Particularly as a thicker jacket will have more abrasion resistance over a set distance compared to a thinner jacket containing same material. A rating system would at least give the purchaser the info to make an informed choice. With helmuts, we know they have to be built to the Australian Standard but we still have the choice of open face,, full face ect, So I reckon a rating on jackets, ect would work.
I reakon some gloves that bike shop sell are useless and wouldn't hold up in a slide crash but yet are pretty pricey. I'd like to see motorbike air bag clothing made available so if come off it would be like landing on a pillow.
The show tested a patch of kevlar lined jeans on there machine and I note that the reporter said that kevlar lined jeans dont contain kevlar fibers in all the jeans material, only in the parts that are likely to slide along the road such as hips, knees, elbows, ect. I think the reporter was generalizing as specific brands wernt mentioned. Then I got to thinking, allthough ive never wore anything but regular jeans on the bike, if i was to buy kevlar lined jeans and spend the money, ide naturally be buying them for added protection if i come off the bike and slid down the pavement. Now if I did purchase, Ide want to know which kevlar lined jeans rated the highest or near highest and why they rated so high, For eg: do the more expensive one have more kevlar in jeans and more kevlar covering more of the jeans in areas that the show said dont have kevlar in the jeans. How would I know if im buying better kevlar jeans than the next brand.
A shop will want to sell the brand they stock so your not going to get the best advice verses safety verses cost.
Seems like a real good reason to rate apparall, specially products that claim to have an extra safety margine built in. Fatboys post shows shows that gloves should be rated as well as its probably a natural reaction to put your hands out on the road while sliding on it particularly if heading toward a gutter, ect
Im a tee shirt and jeans bloke around town and a leather jacket bloke out of town so im not suggesting mandatory rules on wearing clothing on a motorcycle but the consumer should be able to at least make an informed choice where product performace is important in your decision to purchase.
Sleeping bags dont seem to have any problems rating there gear, You woulnt buy a tropics/hot weather rated sleeping bag to go to Antartica and expect it to stop you freezing to death would you.
Draggin Jeans are Melbourne based and top quality, but pricey - mind you ts peace of mind your buying. Another company in Melbourne called "Bikers Gear" also sells Kevlar gear at a very good price (about $150 for jeans). Its made overseas but the Kevlar is the right thread count.
You can download the ABC Catalyst episode from here: http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/tv/catalyst/catalyst_16_17_09.mp4
