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Many of you are still responding to the series of motorcycle armor review articles we've published over the last year or so.

Although we knew it all along, this just proves that webBikeWorld visitors are extremely knowledgeable -- and concerned -- about safety.

This pleases us to no end, because we've been on a continuous crusade for motorcycle safety since the site was started about seven years ago. 

We started our journey into the world of protective motorcycle clothing with a look at  the Bohn Coolguard system, which I guess you could call "armored motorcycle underwear".  Padded motorcycle underwear is probably a more accurate term, but has, uh, other connotations.

The underwear is actually just a carrier to hold the armor in place and not really a full-functioning undergarment.  The idea is that the stretchy and tight-fitting fabric holds the padding and armor close to the rider's body exactly where it can offer the best protection upon impact. 

I've found that if you can live with the extra time and effort it takes to wiggle in and out of it, the underwear has the potential of offering much better protection than the sometimes flimsy and almost always too-loose-fitting armor and padding sewn inside motorcycle jackets and pants.

We've also covered (if you'll pardon the pun) a variety of back protectors, armored shirts and more -- click through the various links in the column on the right to learn more.

And here we are, back to armored motorcycle underwear again!  This time, our friends at Motostrano kindly sent us a huge box full of Forcefield TPro Armourflex body armor (or "armour", as it's known on the other side of the pond).

The Forcefield name is well known in Europe and the products are also becoming popular in the U.S.A.  Although many retailers still sell the armor under the TPro brand name, Davies Odell (the company that manufacturers the products) refers to the product only by the Forcefield name.

The TPro brand name was apparently used for the technology in the protectors, but Davies Odell now uses the "Armourflex" label instead.  The bottom line is that the protectors are simply referred to by the brand name "Forcefield", so that's the name we'll use.

Forcefield armor has become popular for a several reasons, including a 2005 RiDE magazine (UK) "Best Buy" designation after having passed their back protector comparison tests with flying colors. 

The Personal Protective Equipment Directive
Forcefield armor was also one of the first "soft" types of motorcycle protective armor, offering potentially better flexibility and comfort to street riders than the typical "hard" back protectors and other types produced by much of the competition.  Also, the Armourflex (aka TPro) technology was also one of the first that met the tougher European Level 2 compliance standards for personal protective equipment (PPE) in Europe.

Level 2 compliance means that the protector has the potential of transmitting less of an impact to the rider during a fall.  Note that the product must have  the official CE mark (Certificate of European Conformity) showing compliance to Level 2 of the European Personal Protective Equipment directive and it must be tested in an independent lab, usin g the EN1621-2:2003 conformance testing standard specifications. 

Understanding the various standards, technical terms and other jargon can make one's head spin, but it's important to get it right if you're really looking for the best available protection. 

If you're really interested, the Forcefield website has some information about motorcycle armor and protectors.  Although there's an obvious conflict of interest, they do a pretty good job at explaining what's important.

Also, one of the best articles I've read on the subject is on the British Motorcycle Federation site.  The article is entitled "Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) For Motorcyclists - A Briefing From The British Motorcyclists Federation", and it discusses the history of protective equipment and conformance standards.

Forcefield Armor Technology
But that's neither here nor there -- the bottom line is this: there are really only three things motorcyclists need to be worried about: 1) Does it work; 2) Is it comfortable and 3) How much does it cost?

Although no one has yet volunteered to jump off their bike at 60MPH to give it a try, we'll have to take Forcefield's word for it on the "Does it work?" question.

With regards to comfort, we did claim in our review of the original TPro Forcefield back protector, that it is "the most comfortable and least obtrusive back protector we've tried".  And as for cost?  Well, that's up to you to decide.

There's no question that the Armourflex technology used in the Forcefield protectors is different; it's thinner and more flexible than almost all of the competition and it gets its protective qualities from both the "waffle" texture molded into the material and the composition of the material itself. 

Forcefield claims that Armourflex allows the impact force to be distributed more evenly across the surface, unlike (they claim) other types of padding that can offer substandard levels of protection, depending upon the exact location of the impact on the armor.

One of the benefits of Armourflex is the holes that are formed into the junction of each "X" in the waffle grid.  This theoretically provides more air flow than other types of back protectors.  Granted, none of them are going to keep the rider as cool as he or she would be without armor, but at least the Forcefield products do offer the prospect of better air flow.

Another potential advantage of the Forcefield armor is its ability to withstand repeated impacts.  Some or most of the other brands of armor can deform after one sharp blow, which can reduce its ability to distribute additional impact force that might be applied to the affected area.

Note that I'm not using the term "absorb" to describe what happens during an impact.  The protectors or armor don't really absorb the force; rather, the material is designed to slow the rate at which the force is transmitted to the rider. 

Forcefield uses a good analogy to describe this:  "A direct knee impact with the hard surface of the road or ground is sharp and sudden, but a good impact protector compresses slowly between you and the ground and spreads out the energy over a longer time.  Thus the protector reduces injuries. 

Your kinetic energy still passes to the ground, but slowly enough to not injure you or to dig a hole!  The differences in timescales involved are measured in milliseconds, but a millisecond is a long time in the world of impact protection!"

A Variety of Options
The good news is that the interest and response from the motorcycle community regarding proper riding gear has encouraged the manufacturers of protective armor to develop all sorts of interesting options for actually wearing the stuff.  A motorcyclist can customize his or her protection as required, even augmenting the armor that comes with their jackets or pants by adding kidney, rib, lumbar, shin, elbow and even head protectors to the mix.

But choosing the best combination can be confusing.  The basics include shoulder protection, elbow and forearm protection and knee and shin protection.  One could probably make an argument that back protection is more important than anything else, but it's often overlooked.  After that, there's rib protection (important for dirt riders) and don't forget the thighs, coccyx and chest.

So let's take a look at this potpourri of personal protective products!

Forcefield Shirt
Armored shirts are popular with many motorcyclists.  An armored shirt can make the rider look buff (a joke, folks) while offering a potentially higher level of protection then the armor that is provided in the typical motorcycle jacket. 

Unless the motorcycle jacket I'm wearing fits correctly (that is, very tight) and has quality armor, I usually depend on an armored shirt for protection. 

I've recently tossed the armor in one of my jackets and I wear the Forcefield shirt instead; it's not only more comfortable, but the jacket fits better over the Forcefield shirt than it did with the original flimsy armor that it came with.

The Forcefield shirt uses a different type of fabric than the mesh in the Bohn Coolguard system.  Forcefield uses a combination of stretchy Lycra with DuPont Coolmax behind some of the padding and in the flex points.

Lycra doesn't flow as much air as the mesh, but it seems sturdier and makes it slightly easier to enter the shirt.  Forcefield includes a large section of what I assume is Coolmax fabric mesh under each arm, extending down along the ribs and another narrow section along the back of the arm along the back.

One of the problems with this type of close-fitting, stretchy underwear is that the rider must take great care putting it on and taking it off.  It's easy to jam your foot into the wrong place or grab and pull a leg in the wrong spot, which can cause the seams to tear.  It's better to put it on and take it off slowly, moving small areas of fabric at a time.

The Forcefield shirt uses removable Armourflex in the shoulders, for the elbow and forearm and a couple of smaller sections on each side of the chest.  The armor must be inserted by the owner when the package arrives; it fits into the pockets sewn into the inside of the garment.  The armor can be removed when it comes time to wash the shirt.

Forcefield says that a triple layer version of Armourflex is also available, but I can't find it listed on their website, so I'm not sure what the difference is between it and the standard armor that comes in the shirt.

Many of you have asked about riding with this type of underwear in hot weather.  We experience much warmer weather over a longer period of time in the U.S.A. than they do in the UK or even Europe, for that matter.  Well, the answer is yes; wearing any type of extra undergarment, especially one with armor, does make you warmer, no question about it.  I'd guess about 10 degrees (F) warmer, on average. 

You'll have to decide if the tradeoffs are worth the added level of protection or not.  But remember that generally speaking, this includes every type of motorcycle underwear, not just Forcefield.

I normally take a men's size large and the size large Forcefield shirt feels slightly big by maybe a half size or so, like maybe it's a size 44 or 45.  The shirt is available in sizes from XS  to XL.  I probably could have gotten away with the medium; it's best to wear this type of shirt so that it fits as tightly as possible without feeling uncomfortable. 

The elbow armor feels like it has surprisingly more room in the cup that surrounds the elbow than I'm used to, but this doesn't seem to be a problem if the motorcycle jacket that I'm wearing over it fits tight enough.  It gives me some extra room in the elbow for moving around.  I'm assuming that the extra room won't be a problem in case of a crash.

It's interesting to note that the elbow armor that came with the shirt is labeled "small arm, small shoulder, small knee".  I'm not sure if this indicates that there are differently sized armor inserts available?  If so, I haven't seen them listed on the Forcefield or Motostrano website.

I'm also surprised that the shirt doesn't have a pocket for an optional back protector.  Our Forcefield back protector insert (see below) would have made a nice addition to the shirt, which would then become a perfect all-in-one upper body protective layer.

Overall, the Forcefield shirt is very comfortable and gives me more confidence that the armor will stay in place and is higher quality than the stuff that comes with many motorcycle jackets.  The armor in the Forcefield shirt meets EN1621-1:1998, EN1621-2:2003, EN13595-1:2002 and EN340:2003.

Forcefield Action Pro Pants
The Forcefield pants are made with a fabric called "Meryl", which is claimed to offer "breathability and outstanding comfort". 

The pants include several permanently attached Armourflex panels on the outside of the thighs and along the rear.  A smaller piece of Armourflex is also provided, which is inserted into a pocket by the owner and which is designed to cover the coccyx (lower spine). 

I'm not sure why the removable panel isn't also permanently attached to the outer fabric.  It seemed to be located slightly too low in both the size large and medium pants.

The pants have a Velcro fly, but for some reason the Velcro doesn't extend all the way up to the waistband, leaving a slight gap.  This isn't a problem except when taking a photo!  The shorts do not have a fly.

The elastic waistband on the pants ends half-way around the front and it does not extend around the back.  The waistband at the back instead uses a taller section of the Meryl fabric, which is stretchy but doesn't seem to offer the same amount of hold as the elastic waistband in front.  As a result, the pants feel like they creep down in the back slightly when I wear them.

The Forcefield pants are comfortable and the Lycra-type fabric helps provide some support.  The pants don't include corresponding mesh panels like those found in the shirt, so the pants can tend to be slightly warm, although the panels behind the knee armor are made from mesh.

The Forcefield pants meet the EN1621-1:1998, EN1621-2:2003, EN13595-1:2002 and EN340:2003 standards and are available in sizes S, M and L.  I tried both sizes and although they both fit, the medium felt more appropriate to my 35" waist, 31" length body.

Forcefield Action Pro Plus Shorts
The pants are also available as shorts; they're called the Forcefield Action Pro Plus shorts.  They're made from Lycra and they are very easy to wear and feel unobtrusive.  These are a good solution for anyone whose leather or textile pants have knee armor that fits but who desire better hip and thigh protection.

The Armourflex padding is positioned in slightly different locations on the shorts and it's all permanently attached, which I think helps make the shorts so easy to put on and take off.  The padding over the coccyx is also permanently attached, but it also feels like it's slightly too low.  The elastic waistband continues all the way around the shorts, which is a plus.

Rick wears the shorts under the GiMoto one-piece leather suit, which doesn't have much padding in the thighs, hips and coccyx.  The shorts are available in sizes XS through XL and they meet EN1621-1:1998, EN1621-2:2003, EN13595-1:2002 and EN340:2003 standards.

Forcefield Rib Protector
The Forcefield Rib Protector, or Upper Torso Protector, is an interesting product.  This is a Level 1 approved protective device that Forcefield says can be used "for those activities where the ribs are particularly vulnerable". 

UPDATE:  Our original photos of the model wearing the Rib Protector were incorrect -- he was wearing it backwards!  How embarrassing...!  But how was I to know that the elastic and Velcro belt goes across the back rather than the front?!  See the Owner Comments below for more...

We also learned that the Rib Protector, when worn correctly, is designed to work with a back protector.  The Rib Protector is available in sizes small, medium and large; the size large shown here is too big for me, a medium should fit better. 

The Rib Protector has adjustable elastic shoulder straps and a wide, stretchy Velcro belt in front.  This one is so big on me that the Velcro just barely attaches in the front.  I'd say the size large should fit chest sizes of 45-46 and above, but overall, it feels a bit like wearing a barrel.

Forcefield Back Protector Insert
Believe it or not, this was the product I was originally looking for when I contacted Motostrano. 

The fluff that passes for back armor in most motorcycle jackets is horrendous.  You'd think that the manufacturers would at least offer an extra-cost upgrade to proper back armor.  And you might also think that back armor would all conform to similar shapes and dimensions, but this isn't the case.

I wanted to get a back armor insert that would fit in my 3/4-length winter jacket in addition to my shorter leather and mesh jackets.  The Forcefield Back Protector Insert should be perfect, but I discovered that the back armor pockets on every one of the motorcycle jackets I own are differently shaped and the insert will not fit.  I tried to fit it into the Rev'it, Tourmaster (Cortech), Roadgear and Joe Rocket jackets without success.  What's up with that??

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