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Mark Hinchliffe·
Gear/accessoriesPants
··13 Comments·2 min read

MotoCAP rates textile pants low on safety

Motocap Motorcycle clothing rating system launched target canstar choose textile pants covert secretive
Motocap ratings

The world’s first motorcycle clothing safety ratings program, MotoCAP, has given only half a star to two stars to eight more pairs of textile pants.

MotoCAP launched in September 2018 with ratings for 10 leather jackets and 10 pairs of rider jeans.

In November they added ratings for 10 textile jackets which rated lower than the leather jackets on safety and leggings in January which only rated half a star for safety out of five.

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

Textile pants

BMW and Triumph textile pants tested by MotoCAP
BMW and Triumph textile pants tested

This latest batch of eight textile pants includes BMW Rider ($570) and Triumph Malvern Jeans ($812) which rated two out of five stars for safety but three for comfort.

DriRider Vortex Adventure 2 ($330), Neo Mugello ($199) and Rev’It Factor 3 ($350) only rated one star each for safety and comfort.

However, only half a star for safety and comfort was earned by DriRider Nordic 2 ($250) and RJays Voyager V, while Spidi X-Tour ($350) scored half a star for safety and one star for comfort.

Since all pants were advertised as water resistant, they were tested for water resistance.

MotoCAP reports a wide range of water resistance performance from one point out of 10 to the RJays Voyager V scoring 10 out of 10.

Voluntary system

Motocap Motorcycle clothing rating system launched The world’s first motorcycle clothing safety ratings program, MotoCAP, has given only half a star to two stars to eight more pair of textile pants.
A dummy dressed in riding gear is tested for abrasion resistance

The five-star ratings system is a voluntary system that manufacturers can display on their gear as information for riders.

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.

So far, all rated clothing has been bought off the shelf using a random sampling process.

The ratings were not commissioned by the companies and the motorcycle gear was not supplied by the companies.

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.

A 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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13 Comments

  1. It’s a great service but it’s important to note the exact model of each item being rated. It would be a mistake to rule out a brand because one item of its range scores low on safety. Most manufacturers offer a range of products from very protective to not-so-protective (and priced accordingly). Motocap don’t necessarily point that out from what I can see. You have to investigate it yourself.

  2. It would be very interesting to know what 1 or 2 stars means – does it mean they fail to give 4 seconds abrasion resistance?

      1. For anyone interested. I read the report on the RJays Voyager V pants (which I own a pair of).

        They are rated as 1/2 a star because they only provide 1/3 of a second’s abrasion resistance(!!!!) – instead of 4 seconds abrasion resistance which I was taught was the minimum needed.

  4. As I have advised motocap it is a pity that Aldi products not included in testing esp given the huge number of bike products they sell here

    1. However one of the founders of Motocap is on record (and on this site a year or two ago) saying that Aldi’s jackets and pants were some of the safest in Australia based on (pre Motocap) testing.

  5. Last year I went down the road at 100kph, in the wet admittedly, and slid for in excess of 35 metres. Whilst my Klim Badlands pants were torn and damaged, I did not get a scratch.

  6. Last week I had to ditch the 5 year old pair of Draggon Classic type jeans (worn to threads) and went to a pair of Draggon Twista’s that I bought on Christmas Specials a year ago.
    These new ones are totally superior to the old ones, with a silky inner material and optional knee guards.
    These Twista’s are like ballet tights to wear, no loose material to slide around in, but are very very hot in QLD summer heat.
    The outer material is very closely woven, so it is assumed by me to strong as they state.
    There is no ‘give’ in wearing them, so there is a pressure on your knees all the time.
    I think winter time is the time here to break them in, in comfort.

  7. Thanks for the link.

    Very useful, i need a new pair of pants as my aldi ones are pretty well worn out. Unfortunately, aldi have changed their supplier a few years ago and their jeans for the last few august sales have not been ce rated or included hip and knee armour. I wonder if the reputation of those now superceded ce rated pants are being applied to aldi’s recent, clearly inferior product?
    In any case, i went shopping for some draggin next gen pants based on motocap findings. I was very dissapointed to discover none of 8 or so dealers/accessory stores in my area had any, draggin’s online store is sold out. Clearly, the next gen is ‘the one’. Pity I can’t actually buy any.
    I also liked draggin’s holeshot (CE approved l2). Same, can’t buy that either.
    Under some sales pressure, i tried a few others on. Turns out the only way to fit an aussie beer gut is to put up with really long legs and the knee armour in the wrong place. I wonder why my aldi pants didn’t have this problem? Perhaps german men have a similar build to Australians?
    It all seems a little strange to me, money burning a hole in my pocket. A well reviewed locally manufactured product, but no way to actually buy it.

  10. All the real info is in the reports. Looks like it’s a relative star rating that compares the whole range of gear. Did you see those Jeans that perform as well as some of the leather pants??!?!

    WTF MOITE!

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