Where to start? EN1621 vs. EN14021
When it comes to motorcycle protective gear, understanding safety standards is crucial for every rider. You'll often see terms like "CE certified" and various EN numbers. But what do they all mean, and how do they impact your safety on the road or track? Let's break down the key differences between EN1621 and EN14021, and dive deeper into the EN1621 series, especially for back and chest protectors.
EN1621 vs. EN14021: What's the Difference?
The main distinction lies in what each standard is designed to protect against:
- EN1621: Impact Protection This is the central standard for impact protection in motorcycle armor. It measures how effectively a protector absorbs and dissipates impact energy during a crash or fall, reducing the force transmitted to your body. This standard is divided into several parts, each covering different body areas or types of protection.
- EN14021: Stone Shield Protection This standard is for "stone shields" or roost deflectors. It's designed to protect against smaller, sharper objects, like flying debris or roost from other bikes, rather than significant impact forces from a crash. While valuable, it's not rated for the same type of impact absorption as EN1621 protectors.
In short, if you're looking for protection against the force of a fall or collision, EN1621 is the standard to look for.
Diving Deeper into EN1621: Back and Chest Protectors
The EN1621 standard is further categorized into different parts to address specific protective needs. For upper body protection, the most relevant parts are EN1621-2 for back protectors and EN1621-3 for chest protectors.
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EN1621-2: Back Protection This standard specifically evaluates back protectors. It sets requirements for how well a back protector absorbs energy during an impact to reduce the force transmitted to your spine. Tests simulate various collision scenarios using a falling mass.
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EN1621-3: Thoracic (Chest) Protection This standard applies to chest protectors, defining performance criteria for impact absorption and coverage of the thoracic cage. Like back protectors, chest protectors undergo impact tests to verify their effectiveness.
Both EN1621-2 and EN1621-3 include different levels of protection, ensuring varying degrees of safety.
Level 1 vs. Level 2: Why Level 2 is Your Best Choice
Within the EN1621 series, you'll see two main protection levels: Level 1 and Level 2.
- Level 1: This provides a basic level of protection, meaning a certain amount of impact force is still allowed to be transmitted through the armor. For example, EN 1621-1 Level 1 armor allows a maximum transmitted force of 35 kN (kilonewtons).
- Level 2: This offers a significantly higher level of protection by drastically limiting the amount of force that passes through the armor. Level 2 armor typically absorbs a greater amount of impact energy and is designed to transmit less than 20 kN of force. This means Level 2 protection allows less than half the force transmission of Level 1.
Why choose Level 2? Simply put, Level 2 protection means more energy is absorbed by your gear, and less by your body. This can translate to a meaningful reduction in injury risk during a crash, helping to prevent fractures or internal bruising in common impact scenarios. When it comes to your safety, particularly for vital areas like your back and chest, opting for Level 2 is always the better choice.
RXR Protect: Committed to the Highest Standards
At RXR Protect, your safety is our priority. That's why we're proud to announce that the RXR Protect R-Pro2 is certified to the highest level of protection under EN1621-3 for chest protection & EN1621-2 for back protection. This means our innovative R-Pro2 body protector has undergone rigorous testing and meets the most stringent European safety benchmarks, offering you superior impact absorption when it matters most.
When choosing your protective gear, look for the CE certifications and prioritize Level 2 where available. It’s an investment in your safety and confidence on every ride.