CE2 Replacement Armor Database / Comparison

The Rev'It back protector is way too much of an oven, even with 2x 3D mesh back inserts in front of it. That said it is comfortable. Airflow is why I went with a Dainese G2, unfortunately it's very hard. The A* Nucleon doesn't look all that much better than the Rev'It, but I haven't tried it to be sure.

I got the Rukka D3O XTR measurements here:

https://www.mcgearhub.com/motorcycl...r-armor-review-ce-level-2-protectors/#Fitment

I wish Revzilla would put the measurements on their site.

It doesn't really matter how much a back protector is perforated if it's sitting against your back. If you really want max venting, get a Dainese ProArmor. Puts even the D3O vented stuff to shame.

I've moved to using a hydration pack designed for MTB, with a back protector insert that's kept off my back by the design of the pack + an air gap.

That's the one I have, The Pro Armor G2. Like I said it vents exceptionally well, but it's also rock hard. In my Dominator jacket it's not a concern as the pocket is quick thick, but in the Tornado where the pocket is super thin, it's uncomfortable.

Like I said this XTR back pad is probably going to end up in my Leatt body protector, which has a back protector that has about as much ventilation as the Rev'It back protector. But because it's worn so close to the body, I think the softness of the foam will help it still feel comfortable while flowing much more air than the stock back pad.

Oh yeah, for some reason I kept thinking of the Wave protector when I was reading ProArmor.

Good luck!

@cblais19 Do you have dimensions for the Alpinestars Nucleon Flex Pro armor in both Small and Large sizing? Specifically looking for the shoulder and elbow pieces. I can't find any good resource for sizing online.

Shoulder pic attached. The Large is massive, even trimmed a bit I can’t really get it in anything. Only Rukka’s stuff is similar, and it’s less shaped. Top part is about 7” across for the Large, 5” for the small.

large elbow is 10” long, about 5” across at the widest.

Thanks, shoulders don't look all that promising for my body protector.

As for the large elbows, do you think there's enough material to trim 1" lengthwise, i.e. 1/2" from either end (down the 10" length)?

Possibly. The edges are all quite thin. They’re cheap, I’d give em a shot if interested.

Have you seen how critical MCGearHub was about D30 LP2 Pro protectors (used in Klim, Icon and some Rukka garments)?

https://www.mcgearhub.com/motorcycle-armor/d3o-lp2-pro-limb-armor-review-klim-icon-rukka/

Unlike many other online and magazine reviews, Roy gives justified criticism (e.g., calling out D30 for graphs that are misleading about impact protection). I’m glad he does.

I’ve pointed this out multiple times, the booklet suggests a mean value of 18 or 19 (can’t remember which). The LP2 coverage really isn’t that different from the others he’s using as an example.

He also deepthroats Rev’it plenty (see the Tornado 3 review) despite their armor averaging the same values, being heavier, using single layer materials with no shoulder reinforcement, and generally being very meh.

What specifically is so bad about Rev It? Is it marketing? Is it value at its price point? The Tornado 3 Jacket is one I have had recommended to me multiple times.

Rev'it uses single layers of fabric at the impact points, and rarely uses an upgraded material at the shoulders (a primary impact area). Their armor is incredibly heavy and very stiff. On top of all that, they charge a LOT. For $350, I'd be getting a Klim Induction or an Adventure Spec Mongolia (the latter especially if more of a dual sport rider).

I personally prefer highly cupped style armour with just a few vents. I've never noticed a lot of sweat build up at this location despite riding in hot and humid southern Vietnam. The sweaty area for me has always been my back under a pad. So I stuck a layer of 3d mesh onto my Knox Microlock level 2 back pad. That helped a lot. Most of my off-roading is in Mongolia which is not a humid country in summer or winter. So I actually enjoy the insulation a thick pad adds, especially at the knees.

Almost all armour manufacturers cherry-pick the CE test numbers in their marketing to a degree. Usually citing their best numbers (not the mean of all impacts). Knox won't tell you at all. Good luck getting any of them to divulge the full CE test results because their only legal obligation is to tell you their declaration of conformity which tells you nothing useful - just the level. Only MOTOCAP tells you every test impact. It's concerning that d3o cites the wrong certification in their graph. I believe the latest is CE/EN1621:2015-1 for limb armour. Marketing is usually responsible for these cock-ups and they are probably the least scientific of all departments.

Going back to MOTOCAP, one of the best performing armours was the d3o that was included in the Klim Badlands Pro. It doesn't say which particular type of d3o is in that jacket but it was almost certainly level 2 and with mean levels of about half of the performance required (8.8 and 9.3). Anybody know what armour is in that jacket? They bought it early 2019.

The Badlands uses the Aero Pro D3O. It’s very thick, and has massive coverage. The Xergo pads that they used in the previous gen badlands & Adventure Rally stuff also tested very well, low teens. The key with D3O seems to be thickness, it does much better with more material in a way that some of the other formulations of PU don't seem to need as much. Also, every pad of D3O I've purchased has come with the test results page, which in accordance with 1621-1 shows the mean forces. Their marketing slides might be somewhat more optimistic.

Only Knox armor hasn't displayed some degree of results at all.

Vented pads are the most important to me for knee armor. I wear jeans in the summer since I have yet to find any other pair of pants that flows air through all points like a single layer blended jean, and my kneecap gets super sweaty and uncomfortable using solid pads. I was using the XTR (which I think is a slight modification on LP2, or perhaps the other way around) elbow pads to good effect - nice and compliant around the joint when the leg is at sharp bends that place lots of pressure, and decently cupping.

Revits seeflex (knee) armor is painful to wear. They usually have the best cut and styling of any of the big names though if you care about that sort of thing. Idk what the data is on the motoport pads and I know they don't CE test and there's big contention here for that reason, but I love their coverage and abrasion resistance. Would be awesome if they'd either publish new data and update their armor material. You can't beat their abrasion resistance.

Motoport's quad armour was CE-certified in 2007 as level 1. The mean transmitted force was 30kN. The pass is <=35kN so it was a bare pass. Wayne uploaded the certificate a while back and I asked if it was quad armour of tri-armour. He confirmed that is was quad armour. However, Motoport probably chose not to renew the certification which is required every 5 years, I think. Take a look:



Based on my own tests, which was an impact abrasion test of armour, pretty much any armour is highly abrasion resistant. It's not magic, it's just due to thickness and mass. Armour is far thicker and much heavier than the materials it is attached to. When you normalize for mass, it's actually not that great compared to cowhide. It only feels light because your entire suit isn't made of armour. A set of armour can easily add 1kg to a jacket but only covers maybe 20% (rough guess) of your garment. The material itself might only be 1/3 to 1/2 of that.

I replaced my Rev'It knee armor with D3O LP2 vented stuff, and it is so much more comfortable. And they're pretty much the same size, so the D3O fits right in the pockets.

What would be recommended for a Triumph Speed Triple? The Tornado 3 was recommended by people I respect.

I'd suggest you take a long browse of MOTOCAP.com.au before choosing a Rev'it textile. Most of their textiles got 1/10 for impact abrasion. Their armour varies. If you're a street rider, why not choose a perforated leather jacket? They outperform textiles to a massive degree and can probably handle a few crashes without holing. Whereas textiles probably won't survive a slide without holing - not so bad in the area with armour but not so great where there isn't any armour.

I did a whole research project on a wide array of materials. Pretty much all textiles didn't survive the duration of a slide. Hey, it's your skin but if you insist on a textile jacket, there are much better choices. Look for one with double layers in the impact zones, especially TPU caps at the elbows and shoulders will do very well in their class. Plastic/TPU is very abrasion resistant due to density and promotes sliding vs tumbling.

I’m not as down as above on textiles, but I do like to see an overlay or leather patches at the impact points. We’re getting pretty far afield from this threads purpose here, but I think the Rukka stretchair is your premium pick for a svelte mesh, and something like a Klim Induction (pro or normal) is the more reasonable priced choice.