The safety gurus at Australian non-profit MotoCAP have just released a new bunch of ratings. This time, they’ve listed nine jackets, three pairs of gloves and one pair of pants on their safety rating website.
Of the jackets listed, MotoCAP gave the best safety ratings to theAlpinestars Stella Kira V2, which had average scores on the abrasion and impact tests, and earned full marks on the burst test (see these tests explained here). Alas, this leather jacket didn’t do very well on the breathability test, but the testers noted “There are zipped vents in the upper arms and perforated leather in front body and lower back to allow airflow movement through the garment. The breathability rating is based on tests of the garment’s materials when all vents are closed. The breathability of this product may be better when the vents can be opened. Breathability was measured without the removable thermal liner installed.” Well, yeah.
See the rest of the jackets testedhere.
The only pants tested were theRST Blade Sport II CE W/P, which seem to be Australian-market-only. They performed poorly.
Finally, of the gloves tested, theRjays Long Cobra IIperformed the best. These appear to be roadracing gloves, although they’d probably do OK for street touring—but with full-leather construction and long cuffs, they wouldn’t be most riders’ choice for off-roading. See the whole list of gloves testedhere.
What does MotoCAP do?
MotoCAP tests gear for safety, but also for breathability. It’s a collaborative effort between several Australian government bodies (road safety commissions, insurance regulators, etc.) and transportation organizations, with actual testing performed at the Deakin University Institute for Frontier Materials.
This is all just for information purposes, with no regulatory authority, but it should serve as a helpful guide to riders looking for the best equipment for their money.
MotoCAP uses donated gear for testing, so it isn’t able to test everything that’s on the market. If you want to see more testing undertaken, or contribute otherwise, or just find out more information, check out www.motocap.com.au.
