Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126795
.... V ..0 8 V ;;.. o HRP's have best mobility... floating front and rear shield. It met wit~ large success but was later replaced by the Flak jak II that offers better arm mobility. To keep the shoulder cup from riding directly on a shoulder, a nylo!,! netting is sewn into the cup and rests on the rider's shoulder, instead of the cup itselfthis creates a cushion between the shoulder and cup. Both front and back shields function basically the same way, but without the netting. Only the bottom and top portion of the two shields touch the rider's stomach and lower back; the rest protrudes a few inches from the upper body, so when there is a sharp impact, the plastic has room to £lex and can distribute the blow throughout the pad. This set-up also creates better air circulation to keep the rider cooler. . The elastic straps that connect the front and back shields are thin and look wimpish; however, we never experienced any problems with them becoming stretched out or fraying. There is one strap on each side, they are fully adjustable. The upper arm guards are smaller than the other pads, and the elastic st~ holding tnem on to the rider's arm is non-adjustable. The upper arm guards are connected to the shoulder pad by one metal snap. There is no place on the back of the pads to install a name or a number. They come in a variety' of colors, weigh the least of the four at 1.93 pounds, and are the only pads that also come in kid's sizes; though, only in the original Flak jak style. Roost-D-Flector Earlier this year we did a product evaluation on the Roost-D-Flector while Fox's have the worst. JT's are ok but pinch ... Hallman's don't.. from Moto-X Fox and were quite pleased with them. Like the flRP pads, the Roost-D-Flector is fully suspended and has netting to keep the shoulder cups from riding on the shoulders. However, unlike the others, the shoulder cups are adjustable to di££erent heights on the rider's shoulder. Straps that snap the from and back shields together during use are made of heavy-duty nylon. There is one on each side; they're fully adj ustable. Upper arm guards are larger than the HRP's, and their straps are elastic and non-adjustable. The guards are permanently attached to the shoulder pad body by a stTong nylon strap. The Roost-D-Flector is the only pad system that has a place for a name built into the back shield, and now offer stick-on numbers. They are fully ventilated and come in eight color combinations. Weight is 2.09 pounds. jak and Roost-D-Flector. Unlike the Flak jak and Roost-DFlector, where all plastic pieces are joined to each other by nylon .straps, the V-2000 is a one-piece plastic unit, except where the upper arm guards attach to the main body: The upper arm guards are connected to the main body by straps and are not removable, but the V-2000 does have adjustable straps around the arms. The V-2000 is fully ventilated, comes in 35 color combinations, weighs 2.41 pounds and has an optional rear number and name plate available. Z body by non-adjustable nylon straps: The straps holding the upper arm guard to the arm is elastic and adjustable. The whole unit with front lowerextention is the heaviest at2.81 pounds. They come in a variety of colors; but fewer than the V-2000 or Flak jak. Pro Armor R,oost protection All four of these chest protectors protect the rider's entire upper torso quite well from roosts - whether in the rocks, mud or sand, however, the Pro Armor from Hallman does the job best. The front plastic piece completely covers the rider from the lower waist to the lower neck and is the widest of the bunch. Although there are numerous vent holes in the front, they are small enough to keep mud and rocks from reaching the rider's jersey. Even while wearing the Pro Armor when the track is muddy, the rider's jersey will remain almost spotless - cleaner than any of the other chest protectors. Running a close second to Hallman's Pro Armor, is the Roost-DFlector fJom Moto-X Fox. It, too, covers much of the rider's chest, but the air vents are larger, allowing more dirt to reach the jersey. The V2000 from jT takes third because it is the narrowest of the four and has a slight opening at the bottom middle of the front plastic piece. Bringing up the rear is the Flak jak: It has the shortest front piece and the arm cutaway in the upper chest allows plenty of roost to hit the ,rider's biceps. The roosts can easil y be felt. The jT V-2000 pads use the same shoulder protection principle as the Flak jak and Roost-D-Flector, but the design is di££erent. Instead of using suspension netting to keep the shoulder cup away from the shoulder, the V-2000 has a wing-type cup that sticks out past the shoulder. So, in a crash, the end piece of the wing makes contact with- the ground first and £Iexes, absorbing the blow. Front and back plastic pieces are suspended away from the body, but not as much as the Roost-D-Flector or Flak Jak. The V-2000 is the only pad that contorts to the rider's chest, because down the center of the front plastic piece is a slit that lets the shield bend slightly. The back shield extends down further than the Flak The newest of the four is the Pro Armor from Hallman Racing. Its shoulder protection set-up is very similar to the V-2000 - it has no suspension netting, but it does have downward-tapered wings. The Pro Armor has more plastic protection than the other shoulder pads, and also has more features. The front shield height can be adjusted, which cannot be done with the others, and the Pro Armor comes with a lower front extention that can easily be added or removed for di££erent riding conditions. It is connected to the front shield by Velcro. The Pro Armor is the only pad lhato££ers an optional elbow and lower arm guard. It attaches to the upper arm guard and must be purchased separately.for $11.95. When worn, two adjustable elastic straps connects the front and back shields together like the V-2000. Also like the V-2000, the front and back shields are a one-piece plastic unit. The upper arm guards on the Pro Armor are the largest of the four and permanently attached to the main It's di££icult to evaluate impact protection in riding situations wi thout crashing; we managed to exper- Roost-D-Flector. V-2000. Pro Armor. V-2000 Impact protection 21