Motorcycle clothing standards, plain and simple....




Motorcycle clothing standards can seem a little confusing, at least to me! So I took the trouble of researching them a little...

I couldn't find any real standards relating to motorcycle clothing in the USA, but motorcycle clothing standards are part of life in Europe. There are quite a few brands, both US and European that subject themselves to the testing regime related to the European sandards, so here is a summary of the different standards, and more importantly what they mean to you!

The European Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Directive, 1989 requires any clothing or personal equipment sold as providing protection from injury , for example motorcycle clothing, must comply with the relevant European Standard. To comply, the gear has to be independently tested and certified. The manufacturer is then issued with a CE (Conformite European) label which shows that the motorcycle clothing conforms with the relevant European standard. The clothing or gear must carry a permanently attached CE label with the number of the Standard.

So, boots should be labeled CE EN 13634, while motorcycle jackets, pants and suits must be labelled CE EN 13595 and impact protectors and body armor are CE EN 1621. The relevant standards are listed below.

  • EN 13634:2002 Protective footwear for professional motorcycle riders. Requirements and test methods.

  • EN 13594:2002 Protective gloves for professional motorcycle riders. Requirements and test methods.

  • EN 1621-1:1998 Motorcyclists' protective clothing against mechanical impact. Requirements and test methods for impact protectors.

  •  EN 1621-2:2003 Motorcyclists' protective clothing against mechanical impact. Motorcyclists back protectors. Requirements and test methods.

  • EN 1938:1999 Personal eye protection. Goggles for motorcycle and moped users.

  • EN 13595-1:2002 Protective clothing for professional motorcycle riders. Jackets, trousers and one piece or divided suits. General requirements. The following Standards are for the testing methods for jackets, trousers etc.

  • EN 13595-2:2002 Protective clothing for professional motorcycle riders. Jackets, trousers and one piece or divided suits. Test method for determination of impact abrasion resistance.

  • EN 13595-3:2002 Protective clothing for professional motorcycle riders. Jackets, trousers and one piece or divided suits. Test method for determination of burst strength.

  • EN 13595-4:2002 Protective clothing for professional motorcycle riders. Jackets, trousers and one piece or divided suits. Test methods for the determination of impact cut resistance.

So there you have it, a fairly complete list of the meaningful motorcycle clothing standards. I hope you get some useful information from this article; feel free to contact me with any comments.



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