Upper body protection for adv riding

[JayD]

Hello everyone!

 

Protection gear is as subjective as tire choise, gear oil and whats better, pizza or hamburger, I know.

 

Anyhow, I have a full set of Klim Marrakesh which I love, but I feel kinda naked when I travel off road (on road too actually) with the integrated armor. It floats around and doesnt stay in place.

 

So, I’ve been looking at pressure suits and armor that sits closer to the body. Is something like the Leatt 5.5 overkill as upper body protection? I guess «overkill» isnt possible when it comes to protection, but theres always a compromise: comfort, hassle of putting on, heat tolerance, climate etc.

 

 The T7 is not a dirt bike, but I often find myself in the deepest of woods, so everytime I ride, I search for the paths where one shouldnt go- which ultimately results in a tumble or slow speed crash. My trips consists of short commutes and multi-day trips across the continent.

 

If you have any experience with the Leatt or similar MX-style protection for upper body armor, or any othrr input, please chime in!

 

Happy new year,

 

Johannes.

Edited January 1, 2021 by JayD

[ADVUSA]

On top I use:

*  Fox Titan armor   (with back and front plastic removed...too much width for jacket...you'll see)

*  Tek Vest Freestyle  - this is all for general 360 and RIB protection - it's ok

*  Hi Viz Killimanjaro jacket  (interested in Leather too - must be huge with all the under gear HA)

*  *****  Helite Turtle airbag vest - researched to the hill - indisputable investment - don't ride without it

(it has a back protector built in)

 

Working on any gear gaps, still need a tad more around the Tek Vest for ribs as well as shoulder area.

 

Cheers

Edited January 1, 2021 by ADVUSA

[JayD]

6 minutes ago, ADVUSA said:

On top I use:

*  Fox Titan armor   (with back and front plastic removed...too much width for jacket...you'll see)

*  Tek Vest Freestyle  - this is all for general 360 and RIB protection - it's ok

*  Hi Viz Killimanjaro jacket  (interested in Leather too - must be huge with all the under gear HA)

*  *****  Helite Turtle airbag vest - researched to the hill - indisputable investment - don't ride without it

(it has a back protector built in)

 

Working on any gear gaps, still need a tad more around the Tek Vest for ribs as well as shoulder area.

 

Cheers

Wow thats a lot of gear, impressive!

 

What kind of riding do you usually do? Do you ever find so much gear restrictive or a pain to put on before riding, during breaks etc?

 

Thanks!

[slakdawg]

If I know I'll be in the woods or more off-road, I'll wear my Alpine Stars A10 with G-Form elbow and knee pads. If warm and dry weather will leave the jacket home and just wear a jersey. Will still bring a lightweight waterproof jacket, just in case. If traveling, will bring the Klim Carlsbad with included armor removed. Fits over top without much issue.

 

A-10 Full Chest Protector | Alpinestars

---

With its revolutionary exoskeletal and contoured design the A-10 Full Chest Protector offers improved...

 

 

 

Elbow Pads | Elbow Guards

---

Whether at the skate park, on the trail, on the field or on the water, our Pro-X Elbow Pads give you the protection you...

 

[ADVUSA]

4 hours ago, JayD said:

Wow thats a lot of gear, impressive!

 

What kind of riding do you usually do? Do you ever find so much gear restrictive or a pain to put on before riding, during breaks etc?

 

Thanks!

It really is !    

 

Pretty much 80/20  mainly street. However, I'm preparing for longer duration trips.

I try to avoid "milk runs" to the store.

I have the gear add / remove pretty quick - 10 minutes.

 

On the bottom portion is Alpine stars bionic shorts, AGV sport leather pants and SIDI boots !

 

This is all a result of studying MANY riders protective gear, and then of course buying most of it.

 

I tend to wear the gear going here and there.

 

Longer trips and taking breaks, I have a HUGE gear bag for that and yes, clothes changes as you know are more time consuming.

 

Edited January 1, 2021 by ADVUSA

[MikeCMP]

I wear

Shoei Neotec or Scorpion at350 modular helmets

Klim S4 Baja jacket or MSR explorer jackets with armor 

mobius knee braces

Klim carlsbad goretex pants or first gear mesh over pants 

Forma terra boots.

 

i recently picked up a set of Leatt 5.5 pro had body armor and enduro jacket off the flea market at ADV rider. Will be trying that on my dirt bike, and maybe my adventure bike. Also looking into a neck brace at some point. 
 

The adventure gear is pretty good, I have generally been able to cinch my self es down enough to keep the armor in place. I have come of the bike many time off road, and only once on road and my gear has kept me safe. 
 

I pulled the knee armor from the carlsbad, I like not needing a waterproof layer on my legs as I have had trouble getting waterproof pants over my boots at times. I tend to prefer the mesh jackets, I really liked an Olympia jacket I have but I am not sure they still make it any more. Regardless the mesh jackets are good as you can layer underneath and wear a windbreaker or rain layer on top.

 

my biggest problem with gear is the arms on jackets. Jackets seem to have a ton of room in the body but the arms are always super narrow. Makes it harder to layer.

 

i also have a buff and some other stuff for cold weather.

 

Mike

[Alan M]

5 hours ago, JayD said:

Hello everyone!

 

Protection gear is as subjective as tire choise, gear oil and whats better, pizza or hamburger, I know.

 

Anyhow, I have a full set of Klim Marrakesh which I love, but I feel kinda naked when I travel off road (on road too actually) with the integrated armor. It floats around and doesnt stay in place.

 

So, I’ve been looking at pressure suits and armor that sits closer to the body. Is something like the Leatt 5.5 overkill as upper body protection? I guess «overkill» isnt possible when it comes to protection, but theres always a compromise: comfort, hassle of putting on, heat tolerance, climate etc.

 

 The T7 is not a dirt bike, but I often find myself in the deepest of woods, so everytime I ride, I search for the paths where one shouldnt go- which ultimately results in a tumble or slow speed crash. My trips consists of short commutes and multi-day trips across the continent.

 

If you have any experience with the Leatt or similar MX-style protection for upper body armor, or any othrr input, please chime in!

 

Happy new year,

 

Johannes.

I wear the Leatt 5.5 for offroad on my enduro bike but personally feel this would be too much on the T7.

 

Think you just need to make a call on the likelihood on coming off. I know pretty much every time I'm out on my enduro bike I'll take a tumble to varying degrees so dress accordingly.

 

For the T7 I just use what's build into my jacket & trousers, elbow, back, hip and knee protection. At the moment I don't do any hard off road riding on the T7, if I did I'd probably go with the Alpinestars Sequence jacket.

 

Also meant to say, armour like the leatt is not the best under jackets, it's really designed to be covered with an MX top. I've found in the winter when I wear my enduro jacket over the armour it can restrict movement, especially in the arms and you start getting early arm pump.

Edited January 1, 2021 by Alan M
Missed a bit

[JayD]

2 hours ago, slakdawg said:

If I know I'll be in the woods or more off-road, I'll wear my Alpine Stars A10 with G-Form elbow and knee pads. If warm and dry weather will leave the jacket home and just wear a jersey. Will still bring a lightweight waterproof jacket, just in case. If traveling, will bring the Klim Carlsbad with included armor removed. Fits over top without much issue.

 

A-10 Full Chest Protector | Alpinestars

---

With its revolutionary exoskeletal and contoured design the A-10 Full Chest Protector offers improved...

 

 

 

Elbow Pads | Elbow Guards

---

Whether at the skate park, on the trail, on the field or on the water, our Pro-X Elbow Pads give you the protection you...

 

Thank you, exactly what I wanted to hear. The option to remove the outer layer and just ride in a jersey sounds fantastic!

 

If you were to head out on a two week trip, mostly on tarmac, but knowing the adventurer in you will take you offroad - would you rock the same setup with the chest protector?

[JayD]

1 hour ago, ADVUSA said:

It really is !    

 

Pretty much 80/20  mainly street. However, I'm preparing for longer duration trips.

I try not to avoid "milk runs" to the store.

I have the gear add / remove pretty quick - 10 minutes.

 

On the bottom portion is Alpine stars bionic shorts, AGV sport leather pants and SIDI boots !

 

This is all a result of studying MANY riders protective gear, and then of course buying most of it.

 

I tend to wear the gear going here and there.

 

Longer trips and taking breaks, I have a HUGE gear bag for that and yes, clothes changes as you know are more time consuming.

 

Thanks again. I want to use as much protective gear as possible, but if its too combersome to put on and wear, I know I’ll end up using nothing..

[JayD]

21 minutes ago, Alan M said:

I wear the Leatt 5.5 for offroad on my enduro bike but personally feel this would be too much on the T7.

 

Think you just need to make a call on the likelihood on coming off. I know pretty much every time I'm out on my enduro bike I'll take a tumble to varying degrees so dress accordingly.

 

For the T7 I just use what's build into my jacket & trousers, elbow, back, hip and knee protection. At the moment I don't do any hard off road riding on the T7, if I did I'd probably go with the Alpinestars Sequence jacket.

 

Also meant to say, armour like the leatt is not the best under jackets, it's really designed to be covered with an MX top. I've found in the winter when I wear my enduro jacket over the armour it can restrict movement, especially in the arms and you start getting early arm pump.

Perfect, good response.

 

I very much agree that the likelihood of crashing is small. No offroading that I will do will be hard, but I am trying to get better and i always push my limits, skill wise.

 

I’ve looked into those pressure shirts with soft armor- do you have any first hand experience with those? I think the Knox Urbane Pro looks the best. My concern is that in a get off, the armor wont stay in place.

 

Johannes 

[ADVUSA]

4 minutes ago, JayD said:

Thanks again. I want to use as much protective gear as possible, but if its too combersome to put on and wear, I know I’ll end up using nothing..

No problem. Riding a motorcycle includes risk. I've seen people (on the screen) lowside, highside, fly off the bike and break collar bones, break ribs, and of course road rash. I just learned the importance of zippering jacket to pants - look into it.

Ultimately in the end, cumbersome is much better than a possible alternative. And I'm very happy with cumbersome.

 

Cheers

[Alan M]

16 minutes ago, JayD said:

Perfect, good response.

 

I very much agree that the likelihood of crashing is small. No offroading that I will do will be hard, but I am trying to get better and i always push my limits, skill wise.

 

I’ve looked into those pressure shirts with soft armor- do you have any first hand experience with those? I think the Knox Urbane Pro looks the best. My concern is that in a get off, the armor wont stay in place.

 

Johannes 

I also have an O'Neal Underdog jacket, mix of hard and sort armour. It's taken a few hits over the years and I haven't had any issue with the armour moving. Might be a different situation with a high speed off. My offs tend to be low speed affairs, a good jacket & trousers with level 1 armour might be better in this situation.

[slakdawg]

1 hour ago, JayD said:

Thank you, exactly what I wanted to hear. The option to remove the outer layer and just ride in a jersey sounds fantastic!

 

If you were to head out on a two week trip, mostly on tarmac, but knowing the adventurer in you will take you offroad - would you rock the same setup with the chest protector?

The picture I posted was from a long distance ride, camp, play on the OHV trails trip. No two weeks, but mostly road to and from.

In this trip, I wore my Carlsbad gear with included protection and carried the chest, elbow, and knee guards separately. They all fit into a dry bag, strapped to outside of my luggage. But I am leaning to just wearing those protections all the time on any trips. The separate armor stays in place WAY better than the built-in jacket and pants versions. Bonus in the warmer weather to not need and wear a jacket all the time, even on road.

[JayD]

38 minutes ago, Alan M said:

I also have an O'Neal Underdog jacket, mix of hard and sort armour. It's taken a few hits over the years and I haven't had any issue with the armour moving. Might be a different situation with a high speed off. My offs tend to be low speed affairs, a good jacket & trousers with level 1 armour might be better in this situation.

My offs will probably be low speed too.

 

Do you find a jacket like the Oneal one cumbersome to take on and off on adventures?

[JayD]

3 minutes ago, slakdawg said:

The picture I posted was from a long distance ride, camp, play on the OHV trails trip. No two weeks, but mostly road to and from.

In this trip, I wore my Carlsbad gear with included protection and carried the chest, elbow, and knee guards separately. They all fit into a dry bag, strapped to outside of my luggage. But I am leaning to just wearing those protections all the time on any trips. The separate armor stays in place WAY better than the built-in jacket and pants versions. Bonus in the warmer weather to not need and wear a jacket all the time, even on road.

Personally I dont want to bring the armor. The armor I am looking for will be on me all the time.

 

In terms of armor staying in place, thats exactly why I am thinking about this. The possibility of taking the jacket off and riding in a jersey is a good bonus!

 

Im looking into the Knox Urbane Pro. It doesnt have a chest protector, but it has abrasion resistance.

 

Thanks!

[Alan M]

5 minutes ago, JayD said:

My offs will probably be low speed too.

 

Do you find a jacket like the Oneal one cumbersome to take on and off on adventures?

As I said, I only wear this gear for enduro riding so it's on and off only once. Saying that it's not the easiest stuff to put on and take off especially if you're sweating. I've found on both the O'Neal and Leatt armour the quality of the zips and armour attachment is pretty poor. Considering how little it's put on and removed it doesn't take much abuse before needing a mend. I'd guess it would give problems sooner rather than later.

[JayD]

7 minutes ago, Alan M said:

As I said, I only wear this gear for enduro riding so it's on and off only once. Saying that it's not the easiest stuff to put on and take off especially if you're sweating. I've found on both the O'Neal and Leatt armour the quality of the zips and armour attachment is pretty poor. Considering how little it's put on and removed it doesn't take much abuse before needing a mend. I'd guess it would give problems sooner rather than later.

Thanks thats very valuable information!

 

I would guess the Leatt one was of good quality.

[Alan M]

23 minutes ago, JayD said:

Thanks thats very valuable information!

 

I would guess the Leatt one was of good quality.

Between the two, the Leatt has been used less and has needed repaired more.

[DT675]

Those of you with Klim gear, does the armor in the pants and jacket “stay put”?  Ive been deciding on weather or not to armor up the jacket and pants ive got or go with separate armor on my body. Thanks. 

[MikeCMP]

44 minutes ago, DT675 said:

Those of you with Klim gear, does the armor in the pants and jacket “stay put”?  Ive been deciding on weather or not to armor up the jacket and pants ive got or go with separate armor on my body. Thanks. 

It will depend on the fit. Also depends a little on your expectations as well. My KLIM jacket has shoulder and back armor, and elbow too.  The arms on most of my jackets are super slim so fit pretty well and the armor stays in place. The back armor , I’ve not ever landed on that but if you have the jacket cinched down, and zipped to your pants, you’d probably be ok. 
 

however, that is most likel the case if your on the road. Off road, the armor is not quite as useful as there is nothing on the front of he jackets I own. I have an msr explorer jacket with chest armor, have not been down on that,

 

my only significant down on a bike, something I would actually call an accident, would be zipping to work on april morning. It was 28 degrees out, I made the left return of the side street and the rear wheel slipped out on black ice. Happened so fast all I knew was I was watching the bike slide down the road in front of me. Ripped through the elbow material but not the armor, I slid on my left side, and my overpants held up. I had bruises on my side and chest from my phone being in that pocket.

 

off road, I’d say for low speed the KLIM stuff is ok. What I am more wary of than the jackets, is the leg armor. I can never get knee armor to stay in place.  I went full up mobius knee braces and wear them off road and any significant road trip. 
 

Mike

[cstatman]

for offroad, i wear this under my Jersey.

I haven't tried fitting it under my Klim Badlands.

and haven't (i know) had my T7 in the dirt yet -- but getting there.   Covid + Silicon Valley ER space + age = more cautious than usual me.

I have been spat off an XR650 during the street portion of the Sheetiron 300, running about 60mph on PCH1, wearing a now replaced version of this body protection, under a jersey,  dirt gloves, riding pants with armored britches, Fox Knee/Shin guards, and Alpine Star Tech 7s.

Slid a bit on my toolbag, ripped the jersey some, but all pads stayed in place, and the only thing hurt was my pride. 
 

Thor Sentry XP Body Protector

---

The Thor Sentry XP offers excellent upper body protection with reinforced and articulated back panels that are matched with vented chest, shoulder and…

 

[MagnusR]

Knee pads and a thick sweater. 

[DT675]

On 1/11/2021 at 10:30 AM, cstatman said:

Covid + Silicon Valley ER space + age = more cautious than usual me.

 

I hear ya.  That’s pretty much why I spent a lot more time just riding on 2 wheels this year and took the year off riding track days. I’m very hopeful to get back on the track this year now. 

 

The Thor armor is awesome!  

[DT675]

While i was mountain biking today and nearly wiping out on some icy corners *with* studded tires i was thinking more about armor. I wear a helmet but need some armor on the non-motorized 2 wheel bike too! What i think is m going to do is get knee guards and elbow guards that are meant to go under clothing.  I don't know what their called but the type I’m referring to is like a sleeve that fits tightly to your skin and have a plate of some sort built in. That way i can use them for riding off-road bikes and my mountain bike.  Then just get the back protectors and shoulder pads for the jacket only and maybe hip pads for the pants. They *should* stay in place well enough. Right? Lol.  

[Landshark]

15 hours ago, DT675 said:

While i was mountain biking today and nearly wiping out on some icy corners *with* studded tires i was thinking more about armor. I wear a helmet but need some armor on the non-motorized 2 wheel bike too! What i think is m going to do is get knee guards and elbow guards that are meant to go under clothing.  I don't know what their called but the type I’m referring to is like a sleeve that fits tightly to your skin and have a plate of some sort built in. That way i can use them for riding off-road bikes and my mountain bike.  Then just get the back protectors and shoulder pads for the jacket only and maybe hip pads for the pants. They *should* stay in place well enough. Right? Lol.  

 

Check these out for your shin and knee protection.  I wear them under Carhartt pants as they are a bit baggy.  They're excellent and fair priced.

https://www.amazon.com/EVS-Sports-Unisex-Adult-Pastrana-X-Large/dp/B072W3RRZV/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=EVS+Sports+Unisex-Adult+T.+Pastrana+199+Knee%2FShin+Pad%2C+Black%2FHi-Viz+Yellow&qid=1610996124&sr=8-1