Protectors Standard
Body armour intended to be incorporated into a riders clothing (suit, jacket or trousers) is subject to the EN 1621 (1-4) range of standards.
Many of these standards refer to two levels of protection.
* lower level of protection – that does not affect the ergonomics of the product allowing riders good movement in many cases
* higher level of protection – that does affect the ergonomics as a compromise of added protection. However, anything that is considered too stiff or too heavy is not acceptable
1 – Back Protector (EN 1621-2:2014)
This standard accommodates three different types of back protector, which are offered to encourage the adoption of certified protection within the varied disciplines of motorcycling and the type of rider. These are ‘full back’, ‘central back’ and ‘lower back’ (lumbar) protectors.
2 – Shoulder Protectors (EN 1621-1:2012)
The lower the force that a protector transmits, the more protective a product is considered to be.
3 – Elbow Protectors (EN 1621-1:2012)
The lower the force that a protector transmits, the more protective a product is considered to be.
4 – Hip Protectors (EN 1621-1:2012)
The lower the force that a protector transmits, the more protective a product is considered to be.
5- Knee Protectors (EN 1621-1:2012)
The lower the force that a protector transmits, the more protective a product is considered to be.
6 – Chest Protector (EN1621-3:2015)
Devices designed to protect the chest from mechanical impacts
7 – Inflatable body-worn Airbags (EN 1621-4:2013)
Inflatable protectors can be worn over your clothing or incorporated into your clothing and are not visible. Activation occurs with from a strap that is attached to the motorcycle, in an accident the strap is pulled tight and activates the inflation. Other systems use sensors to determine whether an accident is occurring and activate accordingly.
PROTECTORS MARKINGS
Approved motorcycle protectors can easily be identified by their marking:
Jackets meant for motorcyclists are typically made of leather or specialized man-made fabrics like Condura or Kevlar. These jackets typically include padding with protectors on the elbow, spine and shoulder regions.
Pants are usually leather, condura or Kevlar. “Off-Road” riders wear a range of plastic armour to protect against injury from falling off, hitting other rider’s bikes, debris kicked up from the rear wheel of leading bikes, and from running into track barriers. This armour protects the extremities from breakage and dislocation and the back and chest from strain and broken bones.
EN1621-1 (Shoulder (S), Elbow (E), Hip (H) and Lower Leg (L))
1: Personal Protective equipment for motorcyclists.
2: Category (K) Knee, (S) Shoulder, (E) Elbow, (H) Hip, and type of protector (Coverage area of protector) Type B is the standard size and Type A is smaller.
3: Test performed at low temperature.
4: Test performed at high temperature.
5: Performance Level 1 or 2 (Level 2 provides greater protection than Level 1)
EN1621-2 (Full Back including shoulder blades (FB), Centre Back only (CB) and Lower Back only (LB)
1: Personal Protective equipment for motorcyclists.
2: Category (FB) Full Back, (CB) Centre Back, (LB) Lower Back.
3: Test performed at low temperature.
4: Test performed at high temperature.
5: Performance Level 1 or 2 (Level 2 provides greater protection than Level 1)
EN1621-3 (Chest Protectors one piece or divided)
1: Personal Protective equipment for motorcyclists.
2: Category (C) Chest., and type of protector (Coverage area of protector) Type B is the standard size and Type A is smaller.
3: Test performed at low temperature.
4: Test performed at high temperature.
5: Performance Level 1 or 2 (Level 2 provides greater protection than Level 1)
PROTECTORS TESTING
EN 1621-1: 2012 Motorcyclists’ limb joint impact protectors The EN 1621-1 test is used to assess the protective qualities of armour worn on the limb joints while riding a motorcycle.
Two performance levels are specified for motorcyclists’ limb protectors – level 1 and level 2. The lower the force that a protector transmits, the more protective a product is considered to be. To pass the standard, the mean maximum transmitted force must be below 35kN, and no single value should be over 50kN.
Optional impact tests to assess performance in high (+40°C) and low (-10°C) temperature environments.
EN 1621-2: 2014 Motorcyclists’ back protectors
EN 1621-2:2014 was written to specifically cover back and lumbar protectors. It uses similar design and test methodology to part 1 for testing of limb protectors, except that the geometry of the anvil and striker are different to better simulate the way back protectors are intended to work. This standard accommodates three different types of back protector, which are offered to encourage the adoption of certified protection within the varied disciplines of motorcycling and the type of rider. These are ‘full back’, ‘central back’ and ‘lower back’ (lumbar) protectors. Mandatory impacts must be carried out after ambient and hydrolytic ageing conditions. Two performance levels – 1 and 2 – are specified for motorcyclists’ back protectors. To pass the standard, the mean maximum transmitted force must be below 18kN and no single value should be over 24kN. The standard also includes optional impact tests to assess performance in high (+40°C) and low (-10°C) temperature environments.
EN 1621-3:2018 Motorcyclists’ chest protectors
EN 1621-3:2018 is used to assess chest protectors. This standard accommodates two different designs of protector which are offered to encourage the adoption of certified protection within the different disciplines of motorcycling and the type of rider. These are ‘divided’ and ‘full’ protectors. Two performance levels are specified for motorcyclists’ chest protectors against impacts – level 1 (protectors which fulfil only the force transmission requirements) and level 2, for more rigid protectors which fulfil both the force transmission and force distribution requirements. The standard includes optional impact tests to assess performance in high (+40°C) and low (-10°C) temperature environments.
EN 1621-4:2013 Motorcyclists’ inflatable protectors
EN 1621-4:2013 covers inflatable protectors. Two performance levels are specified for motorcyclists’ inflatable protectors against impacts – level 1 for protectors designed to give adequate protection, and level 2 for items providing more protection than a level 1 product. As it is critical that inflatable protectors protect the user from impacts and inflate within a satisfactory time, inflation is analysed with the use of a high-speed camera which can record at least 200 frames per second.