Good protection is very important if you want to make your rides safer. For that, you must have a motorcycle jacket and motorcycle pants with proper protection. Personally, I recommend armor on elbows, shoulders, back, chest, and knees & hips. These are the areas that have the highest chance of impact during a crash. Most of the Motorcycle armor comes in two CE levels. You have to choose from level 1 or level 2 CE-rated motorcycle armor.
What is CE Level 1 Armor and what does it mean?
CE Level 1 rated armor means that this type of armor can have a maximum transmitted force of 18 kN, and no single value shall exceed 24 kN.
What is CE Level 2 Armor and what does it mean?
CE Level 2 rated armor means that this type of armor can have a maximum transmitted force of only 9 kN, and no single value shall exceed 12 kN.
This means that CE Level 2 rated motorcycle armor will transmit less force than CE Level 1 rated armor. The armor will simply absorb more forces, reducing the chances of injury during a crash. ( kN = Kilonewton, an SI unit of force)
The last line says EN1621-1 which indicates that this is armor is tested for motorcycle riding, which can be used on the whole body (elbow, shoulder, knee)
How do these EN codes work?
There are certain codes that tell you the rating number of ceratin clothing. Let’s take EN1621-2:2014 as an example. Every part of this code has its own meaning.
First of all, the numbers following EN are an indication of what the protection is rated for. In this example, 1621 indicates that the armor is rated for motorcycle use.
Next is, – 2 is going to tell us the area of protection. A -1 code indicates that the armor can be used pretty much anywhere on the body, except the back. A – 2 code indicates that the armor is meant to be used for the back.
Finally, 2014 refers to the year when the standard was implemented. These standards are being reviewed every few years so you’ll want to buy a protector that meets the latest standards.
A rating that you will see less often is the EN340:2003 rating. The 340 is a general standard that is not specifically designed for sports or motorcycles. A 1621 rating always goes beyond a 340 since it’s specifically designed for motorcycles.
Want to know more about the EN1621 codes? This is what the code tells you:
- S – The armor is designed for the shoulder
- E – The armor is designed for the elbow
- H – The armor is designed for the hip
- K – The armor is designed for the knee
- K + L – The armor is designed for the Knee + Upper and Middle Tibia
- L – The armor is designed for the front of the leg below a K protector (shin bone)
- KP – The armor is designed for the knuckles
- A – reduced coverage for specialized applications
- B – normal coverage
- B or FB – Full back protector
- CB – Central back protector
- L or LB – Lumbar protection only