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Mark Hinchliffe·
Gear/accessoriesJackets
··5 Comments·2 min read

MotoCAP rates eight textile jackets

MotoCAP rates eight textile jackets complex secretive
MotoCAP textile jacket ratings

The world’s first motorcycle clothing safety ratings program, MotoCAP, rates eight new textile jackets poorly for safety and comfort.

Unlike the 10 leather jackets MotoCAP rated when it launched in September, none of the textile jackets rates more than two stars for comfort or safety.

An official MotoCAP release says they expect better gear with higher ratings to become available as the industry responds to customer demand.

When it launched, only 10 pairs of protective jeans and 10 leather jackets were tested. No gloves have yet been tested.

MotoCAP has set a target of testing 10% of available jackets, pants and gloves in its first year of operation.

Textile rates worse than leather

The new textile jacket ratings are for the Merlin Everson, Ducati Giacca Tour V2, RJays Dune, Dainese D-Blizzard D -Dry, DriRider Air-Ride 4, BMW AirFlow, Alpinestar Chrome Sports Hoodie and Harley-Davidson Bentan.

All are men’s jackets. No women’s gear has yet been tested.

Prices for the eight jackets vary from the $200 DriRider to $659 for the BMW jacket. They both rated just one star for safety and two for comfort.

Click here to see the full ratings for the jackets.

By comparison, the 10 leather jackets rated from two to fives stars for safety and half to two stars for comfort.

Testing target

Motocap Motorcycle clothing rating system launched target
MotoCAP testing equipment

Last month a Transport for NSW spokesman told us that gloves have been tested and the results would be published “soon”.

Leather pants are also being tested.

The clothing is bought anonymously from stores and local online outlets.

Motocap Motorcycle clothing rating system launched testing

Invitation to industry

When MotoCAP was launched, the motorcycle clothing industry was not invited to pay for testing to guarantee independence.

However, MotoCAP has invited companies to submit products for ratings and pay a low fee to cover testing.

It is not known if these eight textile jackets were randomly selected or provided by distributors.

Companies can voluntarily advertise their rating using the MotoCAP logo.

MotoCAP is a not-for-profit organisation in partnership with the following: from NSW – Transport for NSW, SIRA and the NRMA; from Victoria – VicRoads, TAC and RACV; from South Australia – DPTI, MAC and RAA; from Queensland – TMR and RACQ; from Western Australia – the Western Australian Road Safety Commission; plus the Australian Motorcycle Council and the New Zealand Accident Compensation Corporation.

The Transport for NSW spokesperson says MotoCAP is designed to “reduce road trauma and injury severity for motorcyclists” by informing riders of their choices.

“It is hoped this will be achieved by raising consumer awareness of, and demand for, better protective clothing, and manufacturers and suppliers will respond to that demand,” he said.

“The MotoCAP rating system will be continually monitored and feedback will be considered to identify any improvements that can be made.”

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Mark Hinchliffe
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5 Comments

  1. pity they haven’t tested the Aldi jacket given how many wear them – also given the high German standards they are based on.

  2. The testing by MotoCAP is a fantastic resource for motorcyclists and well overdue. While only a small number of products have been tested so far, I hope they keep up the pace. The more products tested, the more useful the results will be when making a purchase.

    It is certainly influencing my purchases. I returned a textile jacket I bought just before the last report was published and got some perforated leather instead.

    1. Generally, the textile jackets performed worst in the abrasion tests – i.e. how long they would protect you when sliding. Repeated tests are done with the different materials from various parts of the jacket, simulating a slide at 28 km/h.

      There were still considerable differences in the results across the range of textile jackets, so worth reading for details.

  4. It seems that they are rather harsh with the fabric jackets. My DriRider meash jacket has been excellent for comfort – in hot summer weather, where a leather jacket would have you passing out with heat exhaustion. Virtually useless in winter but what do you expect? Sure the abrasion resistance is fairly low compared to leather but it does have reasonable elbow shoulder and back protection, that has saved me in several low speed tumbles.

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