‘RIDER SAFETY IS AT RISK’
● Fake lids ● Bogus armour ● Dodgy sellers
Unscrupulous firms are putting rider safety at risk by selling jackets with fake CE back protectors. The discovery came when MCN bought a £54.99 textile jacket online which claimed to have CE armour, including a certified back protector. Despite the protector being stamped with the logo and standard for Level 2 back armour as well as extensive labelling in the jacket, an independent test shows that it provides barely any protection at all – nowhere near enough to meet any protective standard, let alone the higher Level 2 – and has been fraudulently marked to deceive buyers. MCN asked motorcycle clothing expert Paul Varnsverry for his opinion, and he arranged for the protector to be tested to the requirements of EN 1621-2:2014, the official European Standard for motorcyclists’ back protectors. “To the experienced eye it was obvious that this 8mm-thick, soft foam pad was extremely unlikely to have been legitimately stamped with the EN 1621-2 pictogram,” he said. “The foam composition is wrong and it is too thin to be effective, but a consumer would see the official marking and trust that it met the standard.”
Barely any protection
The CE standard tests back protectors with a 50 Joules impact. The lowest performance class, Level 1, states that the protectors should transmit an average of no more than 18 kiloNewtons force, with no single impact to exceed 24kN. The lower the transmitted force from a 50 Joules impact, the more protective the product. “Given our suspicions about the true capabilities of the foam pad, and not wanting to damage expensive lab equipment, we didn’t go straight in with a 50 Joules impact,” he continued. “So the test was conducted at 10 Joules - just 20% of the test severity specified in the standard.”
The mean value from five impacts at 10 Joules was 19.4kN and the highest single value was 20kN. The back pad had failed the Level 1 requirements at just one-fifth of the stipulated impact energy, yet the details embossed into the component claim it is a higherperforming, Level 2 protector (which demands no single impact exceeds 12kN).
Mr Varnsverry did not mince his words: “The claim that this is an approved back protector is false and the foam pad is fraudulently marked. It is being mis-sold to motorcyclists as something the test evidence proves it is not.” Whilst it’s not against the law to sell a bike jacket without a back protector, it is illegal to sell armour that claims to be CE certified when it is not. By doing so, riders are led to believe that this jacket will provide them with a certain level of protection so won’t feel the need to wear additional back armour, leaving them at risk of injury.
‘Rogue’ jacket blamed
When approached for comment, the vendor, Xtron Bikewear, claimed the jacket we purchased was an isolated “rogue” garment which had mistakenly been fitted with the wrong component, and pointed us toward an eBay listing of the actual back protector which they said should have been fitted. Unfortunately, our expert pointed out yet more problems. “The alternative ‘protector’ is marked ‘EN 1621-1:2012’” Mr Varnsverry explained. “This is in fact the standard for motorcyclists’ shoulder, elbow, hip and knee protectors, and the standard states quite clearly it is intended only to be used to test those items. The apparatus used to test limb joint impact protectors differs from that specified in EN 16212:2014, the standard for back protectors, and the transmitted force values for limb impact protectors are much higher than for back protectors.” “The evidence gives cause for concern at this company’s lack of ability to supply conforming back protectors,” he continued. “There is clearly a void in their understanding of the legislation and the standards, which they need to fill, as the legislation makes them responsible – as it does all manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers - for ensuring the products they place on the market satisfy the PPE Regulation.
“They should recall every back protector they have sold and replace them with genuine, conforming components. If they will not do this voluntarily, the authorities should compel them.” MCN has reported the findings to Trading Standards for further investigation, and they’ve shared the following advice: “We would advise consumers to research the product before you buy and always buy from a reputable retailer. If you have any concerns about the safety or description of a product, contact Citizens Advice to report the matter on 0345 4040506.”
‘They should recall every protector’ SAFETY EXPERT PAUL VARNSVERRY
‘It’s been marked to deceive buyers’
‘Failed at just 20% of the test standard’
‘Claim this is an approved back protector is false’