Bonneville America Forums Forums Rider Safety Forums Helmets and Gear R U Armored?

Armor seems to be popular. What types are folks using . . . gloves, back, thighs, whatever?

My Triumph Leather Perforated Raptor jacket has armor in the back, elbows and shoulders.
I also have a Triumph Paddock jacket that I can use the armor in and interchange it as the seasons dictate. But the rear armor for the paddock is slightly smaller so I just spent the $12 and bought one that goes in there permentantly.
Armor saves skin and bones!

Triumph Retro Paddock textile for about 6 years now. Armored elbows and shoulders, zippered vents and a zip-out liner. The armor was tested a couple of years ago, glad I had it. Good for zero to 100 (degrees, that is). Recommend highly. Arlen Ness textile riding pants with padded hips and knees, with a bold disclaimer that it's not racing gear. Pretty cheezy zippers that I had to replace. Wouldn't recommend them. Gloves are waterproof... well, they said waterproof, leather above 30, Gerbings when it's colder, so no, no armored gloves. I just can't get over those robo-glove looking things that some guys wear. I guess that's ok, more protection is better than less, but man, I'm not SpeedRacer... I go fast, but not knuckledragging, back tire slidin, wheelie poppin fast... so standard cruiser fare is good for me in case I fall... again.

Yep, I wear a Cortech leather jacket with armor in the back, shoulders, and elbows. Rocket gloves with are padded but don't have the carbon fiber stuff, but more than a regular pair. Only wearing chaps right now, can't say that I wouldn't be wearing some armored pants, but just can't swing them right now.

I agree, more protection is better than less. Hopefully I'll never need it, but with two little girls, it's the least I can do.

Yep, have a Triumph Raptor mesh jacket, and Joe Rocket Meteor 5.0, both armored on the back, shoulders, and elbows. Just wear leather gloves for the hands. Have considered, pants, but nothing yet.

Fall/Winter = Aerostich 1 Pc Roadcrafter with optional back pad, Gerbing jacket and glove liners. Leather over gloves. Cruiserworks boots.

Spring/Summber = Joe Rocket Phoenix (mesh) jacket, pants, & gloves with my old Aerostich Darien suit (minus pads) carried as a rain suit.

I've got the Triumph Highway jacket, not sure they make it anymore. REALLY thick leather and armor in the elbows and shoulders. I think it has a slot for back protection, think I'll look into it. The girlfriend just got herself a Joe Rocket jacket that is real nice, make for women, and has back, elbow, and shoulder armor.

Thanks for the input . . . armor makes sense. There seems to be some good deals at MCC that are worth considering if you can find a suitable style. Anyone ever shopped there?

I wear a Joe Rocket alter ego jacket & Draggin' jeans. I really like them both. I hope I never have to find out if they really work.

I like flip flops, cutoffs, a tanktop, and no helmet. OK I'm
just kidding but you see those guys out there.

Firstgear mesh-tex jacket with armor at forearms, elbows, shoulders and back. Draggin' jeans with knee armor. Leather gloves. Road rash sux.

Anyone familiar with Gericke textile jackets? Look pretty sturdy for the price. Textile w/ vents, but not mesh - probably quite a bit cooler than leather in the summer? And is EVA foam 'armor' tough enough?

Thanks.

Triumph Mesh Raptor, and Triumph Classic Leather Jacket - armor from the Raptor in the leather jacket now - back, elbows, shoulders - wear the jacket everywhere and hardly notice the armor is even in there. No one else knows, either.

Triumph Waterproof 5-pocket Jeans (Cordura) have knee protectors, though they ride a little low in my opinion - I can pull them up over my kneecaps once on the bike.

Triumph Highway gloves have Keprotec panels, for what it's worth.

Red Wing 980 boots - waterproof lace-ups - no steel toe (don't want steel toe).

The jacket protectors are cheap, so I will but another set soon to put back into the Mesh Raptor, and just leave the ones in the leather jacket - those pockets were tight, and a chore to fit them in so I'll leave them there.

Always wear a helmet.

A buddy of mine with a Legend and Speed Tripple swears by the draggin jeans...

I didn't get any armor with the jeans. I'm really pleased with the fit. The jeans are thicker than a regular pair of Levi's if I could get them w/o the kevlar Id buy a couple of pairs just to trash around in.

Hey Mark,

I have two pair of the draggin jeans and I love them. They look and fit like regular Levis but have Kevlar in the knees and butt.

http://www.dragginjeans.com/jeans.html

I wear an Alpinestars Air-Flo Mesh jacket. It has forearm/elbow and shoulder armor, and a back pad. It also has a removable liner. With the liner removed, the air goes right through it. It's nice and cool even in the hot sun.

Last year I dumped and slid at 20 mph. The arm and shoulder on the jacket were shredded, but all of my skin was in tact, except on tiny patch on my forearm. I don't like to think about what would have happened to my shoulder and elbow. I immediately went out and bought the exact same jacket again.

link: Alpinestars Air-Flo

The Triumph vented jacket is fantastic. It also comes in black and yellow just like my Speedy. It makes it easier to resist going out in a t-shirt in the summer. The temptation is always there to feel the breeze, but the potential for feeling the street when some cager does something stupid is too scary for me. I used to skateboard a lot when I was a kid in N. Braddock (not far from where you are) Pittsburgh Area = Big Hills. Skateboard at 25 - 30 miles per hour + little rock under wheel = road rash. Hard lesson learned at an early age. I can't imagine the damage going down at higher speeds.

I recently bought a pair of the Triumph 5 Pocket Waterproof Jeans. (Cordura, not denim) They have Knox knee pads.

See my post in Accessories.

I used to ride wearing a t-shirt when it was really hot too (it does get hot up here once in a while). I got a vented reptor jacket right after they came out. It's great.

I have to agree with Triumphant's comments about the Alpinestars Air-Flo jacket providing a significant amount of armor, while allowing airflow. With the liner out, even sitting at a stoplight I can still feel a breeze. Overall, it provides great protection in the elbows, shoulders, and back. However, if you somehow manage to Ricky Henderson it face first... then I'm sad to say that the material on the belly and chest are very thin. Then again, this IS a summer jacket. It has a full removeable liner; however, I take mine out during the summer and keep it in my saddlebag for those unexpected cooler days. It's also nice to have when I've been riding all day and the sun starts to set... it takes the chill out of the air.

During the colder days of the year, I use my Alpinestars TZ-1 leather jacket (it too has a removeable liner, although it's a vest as opposed to the Alpinestars Air-Flo that has a full liner).

Both of my jackets are black--I just couldn't stomach the bright colors. In fact, I removed the Alpinestars emblem from the chest and both arms (it's an A with a star attached)... it just wasn't my style... it had too much of a street bike look to it. Although, I kept the full "Alpinestars" emblem that runs the lenght of the arm on both sleeves.

This doesn't cover armor, but since were talking about protecting our skin, bone, etc... I also wear Firstgear leather overpants. They're great! I can wear jeans underneath and then take the overpants off and put them in the saddlebags when I'm gonna go into a pub/restaurant, so I don't feel like I standout. Plus, I prefer the overpants vs. chaps because I don't feel like one of the Village People with my butt hangin' out! A buddy of mine loves his chaps (he calls them "cheek chillers" b/c his butt is exposed!). Nevertheless, I feel secure knowing that the overpants are zipped up the sides of my leg and they feel like a part of my body just like my jacket, gloves, and helmet. When I'm fully suited up, I feel like the kid from "A Christmas Story" looks.... you know... the one that was bundled up with so much stuff that he couldn't move his arms! Although, that feeling goes away pretty quick.... but you get the point--a sense of feeling very protected... or at least as protected as I can be with all those cagers rolling aimlessly.

I hope that this provided some useful info for those of you who are new to the Triumph world. I write to you men/women who are thinking, "Holy $h1T" where do I begin to look for gear?!

Be well and ride safe....
Jason

I have "First Gear" textile armoured jacket. It's armoured in the back, elbows and shoulders. I have a pair of really good armoured gloves. Steel toed boots and HJC half helmet though. Looking for a modular helmet that I like.