Velocity Gear Full Body Armor Review
INTRODUCTION
One of the most important things about riding a motorcyle is to ride it with as much safety as possible. Motorcycles aren't dangerous by nature, but they are more fragile than a car, meaning the rider is more exposed in case something unexpected occurs. Most people already know that leather jackets and suits are the most adequate protection available when it comes to avoid serious injuries when falling from a motorcycle. But although leather is quite resistant to tarmac abrasion, it won't protect that much from impacts.
Here is where back protectors and body armor comes in. They present the rider with solid protections (even though flexible to a degree) that can effectively protect against some impacts that would probably cause a lot more injuries if a rider wasn't properly protected. Some specially sensible areas for motorcycle riders are the elbow and shoulder on the upper body, and ankle and knee on the lower boddy. That's because they're the usual areas that contact with the ground first. Those body armors are usually quite expensive, and most protections that come with most leather suits and gore tex jackets are not that good, to be honest. That's why most racers use back protectors and body armors besides the ones on the racing suit.
VelocityGear.com is a new company who's dedicated to provide body armor and back protector products at affordable prices, without compromising quality at all. Asked how they could back up that type of commitment, we were glad to see that their products are actually "European tested, and approved, meeting CE EN162
-2 'Level 2 High Performance' testing standards". And I live in Europe, so I know what that means. But not only did they have this CE seal of approval, they immediately provided us with a sample of their full body armor for a complete review:
Well, we had to put this product through a good test, and it had to be done by a CBRWorld member, since we would then be sure to read something written by one of the most helpful sportbike riders around (aham.... :-). Ok, so the choice for the CBRWorld.Net reviewer fell on Joey's lap (a.k.a. shakey75). He's got a Honda CBR 600 F4i that he races, and he would be a perfect candidate to test the armour under the stressing and sometimes dangerous environment of sportbike competition. Little did we know how well he would test the body armor...
Mario Sobral a.k.a Admin (CBRWorld.Net Webmaster)
But I'll let his words tell the whole story:
REVIEW by Joey (a.k.a shakey75)
When I was first asked to test Velocity Gear's body armor, I was hoping to just give everybody an idea of the comfort level. Well, unfortunately for my bike, I can give a full review now. haha. More on that later.
My first impressions when I recieved the armor were very good. I compared the armor to the pads in my suit (Taichi). The elbow and shoulder pads are sturdier than my suit pads. They're a harder material. The soft padding underneath also covers more area. The back protector is also of great quality. It's removable if desired, but I left it on as it looked (and was) just as protective as my A'stars tech b.p. The full armor also includes soft pads for the shoulder blade area. A first for me was the chest protector. Although I don't have anything to compare it to, it's the same quality armor as the elbow, forearm and shoulder. The arm and shoulder armor meets CE EN1621-1 level 1 standards. The back protector meets CE EN1621-2 level 2 (high performance) standards.
The armor was pretty comfortable when on. It's on a moisture whicking lycra "shirt" which helps keeps you cool. There's a zipper to the side of the chest protector to get the armor on and off easily. There's also adjustable straps from the shoulders to the chest to allowproper fit. The elbow,forearm armor fit in the right place with velcro straps on the forearm to hold it in place. I would consider the overall fit very good.
Now for the important stuff. I did crash test this armor. While trying to make a pass at Barber Motorsports park in turn 1, I bumped into the person I was trying to pass. I came off the bike and slid and rolled from I would guess around 60mph. The armor worked great. I was unhurt(except for pride). Even though I didn't highside, rolling on asphalt at high speeds isn't exactly non-violent. I was glad I had this stuff on. I'm including some pics of my suit and bike to give an idea of the crash!
I would recommend this armor anyone looking for this type of protection. Whether riding on the track or in the twisties this body armor will provide a high level of protection.
Joey, a.k.a shakey75 (CBRWorld.Net Moderator)
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VELOCITY GEAR BODY ARMOR FEATURES & PRICES:
Features
• CE EN1621-2 "Level 2"
• CE EN 1621-1 "Level 1" Injection molded elbow, forearm, shoulder, and chest protection
• Choice of either black, or yellow back protector
• Removable Pivoting back protector. Back armor is removable via vertically mounted zippers
• Velcro© kidney belt system
• Perforated moisture wicking Lycra and soft EVA padding for a non abrasive skin compatible armor
• Adjustable shoulder and forearm straps
• Articulating spines for high maneuverability and ergonomic comfort
• Top Quality, lightweight mesh construction
• Replaceable mesh top sections
• $169.99 w/ Free Priority Shipping
For more information and orders, you can visit
HighVelocityGear.com.
Mario Sobral