What is the best way to test the safety of riding gear? By being a sentient crash dummy? Well, I have done it, I was the dummy. While riding in the Himalayas I had a spill and it taught me two things crashes can happen when you least expect it and that’s why it helps to gear up. The thing with crashes is that you sometimes end up falling awkwardly. In this instance, I was ejected off the motorcycle side Superman-style and landed on the hard ground, left arm outstretched and on my torso and left chest. While the left side of the helmet absorbed a nasty hit, my Rynox Raid jacket and pants took care of abrasion injuries while the Knox armour in the chest and waist area and impact foam in the rib cage area of the base layer absorbed the brunt of the impact. One minute to catch my breath and I was back riding on my motorcycle.
Safety aside, the Raid gear impresses in the comfort front as well. This spreads in areas of wearability, fit and comfort. The inner protective base layer jacket has a zipper on the front side going up to the neck, leaving a clean front. It even gets thumbholes to keep the jacket in place. The outer jacket and pants are loose-fitting with enough flexibility to move around on the motorcycle. The entire set is vented allowing for maximum airflow which is a boon for your off-road enduro sessions.
Coming to the price, the entire set of jackets, pants and inners cost close to ` 27,000
and that’s without the knee guards. That’s a bit steep but then the beauty of this kit is that you
can buy it separately and pair it with your hard body protector (the set is even compatible with a neck brace) and tailor it according to your needs.
Dune Neo Trail offroad jacket: Rs 4,650
Dune Neo offroad pants: Rs 6,850
Quest pro protective base layer upper: Rs 9,550
Quest pro protective base layer upper: Rs 5,750
