While the road riding community argues, whines, and moans about personal protective equipment, the motocross folks have been developing it. I'm not insulting the people who ride cruisers. I'm in that lot myself. But it seems that we're always talking about the level of protection a rider should have. It ranges from those who ride shirtless with jeans and no helmet, to those who ride bedecked with armor from head to toe.
Motocross riders are making lighter, stronger armor because they know they need it. A product of these advances is the BJ33 Ballistic Jersey. Molded polyethylene panels adorn the chest, shoulders, back, and elbows to provide the rider with superior protection in the most likely impact areas and everywhere else that you should keep safe. Between and beneath these panels is a ballistic mesh fabric that will keep the air flowing and prevent overheating.
The BJ33 is lightweight and, amazingly, fully machine washable. Regardless of the mesh, you're probably going to sweat -- so that washability is a good feature to have. Stretch panels will ensure that your armor fits where it's supposed to be and can therefore protect you the way it is designed to.
Although the BJ33 Ballistic Jersey is made for motocross, anyone -- regardless of their level of paranoia -- can pick one of these up to bolster their level of protection. If you need to know why you might want the BJ33, just think of the term "ballistic." It's synonymous with "projectile," and should you find yourself traveling through the air subject to the will of gravity, you might want to be wearing some body armor.
