With the hotter weather approaching, riders can check the breathability standard of their gear on Australia’s internationally awarded MotoCAP online safety ratings service.
Sixteen new MotoCAP safety ratings have just been published, providing riders with safety ratings for 11 jackets and five pairs of pants.
Importantly, they also test the breathability and comfort of the gear in hot conditions which is an important primary safety factor.
The Richa Daytona 2 leather jacket performed best, receiving three out of five stars for safety yet two out of five for breathability.
The new ratings for jackets can be viewed here. The new ratings for pants can be viewed here.
MotoCAP has now performed testing and issued safety and comfort ratings ratings for 356 items of rider jackets, gloves and pants.
The MotoCAP safety initiative launched in September 2018 and is the first of its type in the world.
Riders are urged to consider checking the safety and comfort ratings of gear before they buy.
While some have disputed the veracity or usefulness of the tests, rider representative groups and road safety experts say MotoCAP at least makes riders more aware of wearing protective gear.
The breasthability score also shows how the gear may perform when out on the road, something you can’t test for when trying it on in a store.
MotoCAP is a partnership between Transport for NSW, State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), VicRoads, Transport Accident Commission (TAC), Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC), Lifetime Support Authority (LSA), the Department for Infrastructure and Transport, Western Australian Police: Road Safety Commission, Department of State Growth, Insurance Australia Group (IAG), Australian Motorcycle Council and Accident Compensation Corporation in New Zealand.
Testing is carried out by the Deakin University Institute for Frontier Materials on behalf of the MotoCAP partners.
All gear rated so far has been obtained through a secretive buying system to guarantee integrity.
In 2019, MotoCAP won a Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) road safety award.