Best Motorcycle Back Protectors [Top Safety Rated Only]

The single biggest piece of armour you’ll wear in your day-to-day life as a motorcyclist will be your helmet.

The second is likely to be your back protector, which could, in the event of an accident, be the difference between getting up and walking away and a life-changing injury.

It’s something you may be used to riding without, but after spending a few weeks with one, it feels alien to not have it on you – which is the state you should be aiming for.

Whether you’re riding on the track or the street, it’s well worth considering a bespoke back protector.

Types of motorcycle back protector

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Largely, motorcycle back protectors come in two types – inserts that you can drop into an existing jacket (most motorcycling jackets will have an inline pocket for this), or a harness with straps that you can put on below any other clothing.

Cost

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Inserts are usually the cheapest way to get back protection, but of course, this means you’ll need a compatible jacket to fit them into.

A decently-rated back protector insert can cost anywhere between £20 and £60 but will vary in its protection rating, weight, flexibility, and cover.

Harness-style back protectors, often worn for racing or track days, generally cost more – in the £80-£150 range – but usually offer a greater level of cover, as well as the flexibility to go under your normal clothing.

Some of them will cover almost your entire back area, while others may just cover the upper back and spine.

Protection ratings

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Since 1994, motorcycle gear in the UK has had to be ‘CE approved’ – which stands for Conformité Européene, meaning it conforms to EU standards of safety.

Although, legislation is regularly being introduced to make changes to the standards and what it takes to qualify as CE-approved. It’s hugely complex, and there’s a full breakdown here.

But for broad purposes, any motorcycle armour you buy should be CE approved – if you don’t see that label, don’t buy it.

CE ratings are easily broken down into two categories:

• CE-1 – this is the lowest bar armour has to clear to make CE approval and is often cheaper than CE-2.
• CE-2  – offers a higher level of protection, and we reckon it’s the best choice, especially for back armour that looks after your spine, although it may cost a little more.

EN1621-1 versus EN1621-2

Back protectors are there primarily to protect your spine, one of the more fragile parts of the human nervous system and worth looking after.

A study of 1,121 motorcyclists involved in road traffic accidents found isolated injuries to the spine affected nearly a quarter of them and almost one in 10 required surgery.

Although this study was conducted in 2002, the human spine hasn’t changed since then – but armour and attitudes towards protection certainly have.

As you check clothing labels, you’ll usually find one of the two European standards for motorcycle armour:

EN1621-1

This rating covers protection of any body part except back/spine – specifically:

• Shoulders
• Elbows and forearms
• Hips
• Coccyx
• Knee and lower-leg areas.

This is an important distinction; if we buy back armour, we want it to meet the more stringent levels required for back armour!

The armour is tested to the equivalent of 1kg of mass falling over five metres, with sensors measuring how much force is transmitted through the armour, monitoring its peak force in kilo-Newtons (kN).

EN1621-1 Level 1 – Average transmitted force, over nine tests, is 35kN.

EN1621-1 Level 2 – Average transmitted force of 20kN.

EN1621-2

This is the level of protection we want to see when buying back armour.

This rating covers CE-protection specifically for back/spine protection and is subjected to more strict testing with different shaped weights, with no more than 18kN of force transmitted to attain approval.

EN1621-2 – Level 1 – Average transmitted force over the nine tests is 18kN.

EN1621-2 – Level 2 –  Average transmitted force of 9kN.

Differences in materials

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Old bikers will tell you that the very first back protectors were made of little more than a handful of old helmet visors, gaffer-taped into shape and stuffed down the back of a shirt.

Nowadays, as technology and ergonomics have changed, you’ll find armour is made out of one or more of the following:

• Foam – The density may change from soft-ish to the harder stuff usually found inside a helmet. Soft foam is most comfortable but offers the least protection in a crash. There’s even a strand of memory foam that some manufacturers use.
• Silicone – A gel impact material that’s great for absorbing shock and also moulding to the rider’s particular dimensions.
• Hard plastic – Usually, this will be best for resisting asphalt abrasion or even punctures and is often blended with foam for an all-around effect. Most mid-range armour will use hard plastic somewhere.
• Viscoelastic – The most high-tech substance, it’s pliable and body-forming until impact when it becomes rigid, allowing it to be very strong for minimum bulk. D-3O armour contains this, which many companies use for high-level CE-2 protection.

Fit and sizing, breathability

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Much biking equipment will come with built-in, removable armour that you can upgrade at your leisure.

For a jacket with armour inserts, you can expect to find it in the elbows, shoulders, and a large panel on the back. Harness-style back protectors will sometimes also offer rib protection in the form of extra panels at the front of the rig.

In kevlar jeans or textile motorcycle trousers, armour inserts will be placed on the knees and hips.

When matched with boots, a helmet, and quality gloves, this will cover off all the likely impact points in the event of a fall.

Unfortunately, by its nature, most armour is going to lay on you without much breathability – this is a price you have to pay for the added safety! However, the lighter the armour, the lesser the impact.

How should it fit?

Fit is critically important. If it’s big and unwieldy, it may put you off wearing it except for on ‘special occasions’ when you know you’re going for a longer ride – this is dangerous.

You want something comfortable to wear at all times and doesn’t feel like it’s squirming or moving when you ride.

The stresses of an impact can mean your armour, if it’s not fitted correctly, has moved away from the area it’s meant to be covering at the moment of impact.

Feel free to bring your jacket into a store, where you can make sure whatever you’re going to buy fits correctly – and if you’re buying a harness-style back protector, make sure you try wearing it with all the rest of your gear before purchasing.

Many inserts come in men’s and women’s sizes, so you can get the size that matches you best.

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Recommended Reading: Motorcycle Gear Hub

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Image Credits: By Franc – originally posted to Flickr as Motorcycle driver fall
All product images via SportsbikeShop