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/127250
PRODUCT
EVALUATION
T- Pro Street Body Armor
For years, off-road riders have used
.body armor to protect themselves
from the inherent hazards of their
sport. T he early dirt bike p ioneers
had to mak e do with hockey-type
shoulder pads (remember J ofa?), bu t
over ti me th ese have given way to
today's h igh-tech , p urpose-b uilt
motocross gear.
Road racers, too, have becom e
fa mil iar wi th body armor, largely
throug h th e use of back protectors,
which have grown in popul arity to
th e point th a t many clubs now
require their use. Additionally, many
of today's leathers are available with
built-in protection at the elbows,
hips, knees , etc.
But only the most ardent of street
rid ers use any type of body armor,
a nd wh en they do it's typically a road
ra ce-type back protector o nly.
T-Pro, a British company, aims to
change that. Their new Ches t and
Back Waistcoat Protector provides
upper torso and co llarbone protection tha t is unmatched by most offroad gear, let alone road race equipment. And best of all , it 's convenient:
Just unzip the front like you would
any ordina ry jacket, slip inside, zip
it back u p, adj ust the hoo k-and-loo p
fasteners for the correct fit (jus t this
first time, mi nd you), and you 're set.
T- Pro (formerly known as Pro tec)
markets a full line of street, road race,
and off-roa d protective apparel. T he
material used is called P ro la m ,
which is essentially a Kevlar, nylon
andpolymer laminate. T-Pro claims
Prolam is different than most hardplastic body armor in that it absorbs
a nd dissipates ene rgy upon impac t,
rather than transferring th e energy
directly to the wearer. A flexib le yet
shatterproof, hard panel withstands
impact a nd punctures, while two
softer ab sorption layers do their parts
tow ard dissipating the impact.
, The Chest and Back Waistcoat
Protector is not a t all uncomfortable
to wear, even under a tight-fitti ng
leather ridi ng jacket. It 's l igh tweight, and si nce air £lows through
the vented panels a t the ches t a nd
back, it doesn 't mak e th e wearer
swea t undu ly. Mu ch of its com fort
ca n be cre d ited to th e fact th at
Prolam m olds to th e shape of th e
wearer's torso o nce it reach es bod y
temperature.
.
T he T -P ro Chest and Back Wai stcoa t Protector is ava ilable for $139.00
fro m Bowm an-K in caid R a cing ,
Dept. CN , 7879 Greenback Lane,
Su ite 247, Ci trus H eigh ts, CA 95610,
9161725-6980.
Brian Catterson
YAMAHA
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