[william_c]

I think my brain is not working today. What is the difference between flex armor and hard armor?

[Loki]

“hard armor” offers better impact protection.
I would have to disagree with you there altough your not wrong. But think about it, hard armour doesnt give, its like putting a brick on you arm and hitting it with a hammer. It protects you but still hurts really bad.
But flex armour is softer and can give more while still protecting. Change that brick to a soda can. It can hurt less becuase it gives but the end result can still be the same given the crash. Its a matter of what your doing for what you want to wear. Hard will be good for slids and impact (i know, i know) but soft is also good for slids and impacts,(like your sliding in down a rocky road, the soft will give alilttle, like shocks but the hard wont.)

Thats how i view it.
Anyone else?

[Blasphemy4kidz]

Well, the most dangerous part in crashes is the actual fall, NOT the sliding. Leather and soft armor protect you in the sliding, so you don’t have some major road rash, but the impact when you actually hit the pavement can still do a lot of damage. Think about it: Those GP guys walk away from crashes like it was nothing, but remember: they were barely inches from the ground due to their extreme lean angle (and their knee was practically already on the pavement). So their falls are all sliding, and both soft and hard armor protect you from sliding.

To be honest, you should just wear soft armor, and get hard armor on your knees and elbows. Some really protective gloves wouldn’t hurt either.

[william_c]

I am trying to buy a jacket and they keep saying soft armor or hard armor and I was like “what do I buy?”. Being new to riding, I wasn’t sure what I should buy. I am still not sure what I am going to buy, but I need something better than what I have now. It’s cold here and I don’t like freezing that much.

My paintball pants and elbow pads work great for riding. They have all the padding I need and lots of ventilation. I just have to be sure that they are washed and cleaned before riding or they will start to smell.

Thanks for the answers.

[eon]

You should look for armor that is CE rated. That is a European safety certificate and it is the only standard I am aware of for motorcycle protection. Most products seem to claim CE ratings these days but not all. If it is not certified then you have no idea of the quality of the protection it offers. May be good, may be bad but its not something I want to find out the hard way.

If you are looking for a warm jacket, the Teknic Freeway jacket is certainly warm and it is water proof. Everyone who owns one (including me) seems to like it. You might have a hard time tracking one down in your size now as I think it is discontinued.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=291731

[dcJohn]

Just to complicate things, there is also hard armor that flexes. My Spidi jacket has hard, CE-rated armor that has flex points at the elbows and shoulders to keep things more comfortable/ergonomic. The best of both worlds in some ways, but darn pricey.

[Author]

Posts