Level 1 vs Level 2 Motorcycle Armor: What the kN Limits Mean

Level 2 motorcycle armor lets less force through than Level 1 in the same lab test. For shoulder, elbow, hip and knee protectors, the average limit is 35 kN at Level 1 and 20 kN at Level 2. For back protectors it is 18 kN and 9 kN. Both levels come from the European EN 1621 standards.

For limb and back protectors the two levels share one test, and Level 2 simply has a tougher pass limit. Chest protectors are the exception: Level 2 adds a second test. Coverage, fit, thickness and abrasion resistance all sit outside the level. A lower number means the protector did better in one blunt strike on a lab rig. It does not predict what happens in your crash.

I read Level 2 as the better lab result and Level 1 as a fair choice when it stays on the joint and gets worn. The crash research further down is why I hold the lab number loosely.

The pass marks, side by side

Each protector type has its own standard and its own limits. The figures below come from Sportsbikeshop’s breakdown and Wikipedia’s summary of the standards. The single-hit column is the highest force any one strike may transmit.

Protector	Standard	Level 1 mean force limit (kN)	Level 1 single-hit limit (kN)	Level 2 mean force limit (kN)	Level 2 single-hit limit (kN)
Shoulder, elbow, hip, knee	EN 1621-1:2012	below 35	50	below 20	30
Back	EN 1621-2:2014	below 18	24	below 9	12

Sportsbikeshop words the Level 2 limb mean as 20 kN or less. Wikipedia says less than 20 kN. Either way, 20 kN is the line.

Against Level 1, the Level 2 mean limit is about 43% lower for limb protectors and exactly half for back protectors. The figure is a pass limit. Nothing in it measures strength. One retailer guide, Zees Moto, puts Level 2 back protectors at about 27 kN and calls that roughly 50% stronger. The standard’s Level 2 back limit is under 9 kN, and less transmitted force is the better result, so that figure runs the wrong way.

Back protectors face lower limits because the body part is more delicate. Wikipedia points to the spinal column. Sportsbikeshop says ribs are more fragile. Do not read a back protector’s kN figure against a knee protector’s, because the two come from different test setups.

Chest protectors fall under EN 1621-3, and there Level 2 means an extra test. Sportsbikeshop says every chest protector takes an impact test of eight hits across three samples, with a mean of no more than 18 kN and no single hit above 24 kN. A protector seeking Level 2 must also pass a force-distribution test with a hemispherical impactor. That test uses four hits across two samples, a mean of no more than 15 kN and no single hit above 20 kN. Inflatable protectors sit under a separate standard, EN 1621-4.

The editions disagree slightly. Sportsbikeshop dates the chest standard 2018. Wikipedia lists it as 2019-03 and calls it, with EN 1621-1:2012 and EN 1621-2:2014, current as of 16 June 2021. I have not confirmed whether newer editions exist, so check CEN’s listings before you quote a year.

How one 50-joule hit decides the level

In the EN 1621-1 limb test, Wikipedia says a 5 kg striker with a 40 mm by 30 mm face hits the protector at 4.47 m/s. The protector sits on a dome of 50 mm radius mounted on a load cell. The strike carries 50 joules, roughly what a 1 kg mass carries after a 5 m drop. Sensors record the peak force that passes through and how long it takes.

Sportsbikeshop describes the rig as the reverse of a real crash: the armor sits on the anvil and the striker falls onto it. It says each sample takes three hits, one in each of three zones, and the average of those hits is judged. Wikipedia counts nine tests behind the average. The sources frame the sampling differently, so the standard’s own text settles it if the count matters to you.

A protector must pass at 23°C and again after a wet conditioning cycle. Sportsbikeshop describes it as 72 hours in a closed chamber above water at 70°C, then 24 hours sealed in a vapor-proof bag at 23°C. Testing must start within five minutes of removal.

Two further tests are optional. For the hot test, the sample sits 24 hours at 40°C and is struck within two minutes. For the cold test, it sits 24 hours at -10°C. Passing earns a T+ or T- mark. Chest protectors use +40°C and -30°C for the optional pair. Without the marks, nothing on the label confirms how a protector behaves at those temperatures.

Sportsbikeshop says back protectors follow the same structure: ambient and wet tests required, hot and cold optional. Wikipedia’s account of the 2003 edition adds that the back test used a different impactor and anvil, with a point load.

It is one controlled strike. It does not simulate sliding, tumbling, repeated hits on one spot, or an edge such as a curb or a car bumper. Passing does not mean you will walk away uninjured. The level is also a floor. Two Level 2 limb protectors could read 19.8 kN and 8 kN and both pass. The mark shows the limit they beat, not where they landed. Some makers publish measured figures. Most do not.

Cafe Racer New York City’s video compares Level 1 and Level 2 armor and asks which is safer in a crash. Watch it alongside the table above.

Video: Motorcycle Armor Explained: CE Level 1 vs Level 2 — What’s Safer in a Crash? (Cafe Racer New York City)

Why there is no Level 3

The search for CE Level 3 armor has no current answer. EN 1621-1 and EN 1621-2 define two levels. Wikipedia’s history says the original scheme had three. Level 1 was tested at 40 joules, Level 2 at 50 and Level 3 at 60, and each needed a mean transmitted force below 25 kN with no single hit above 37.5 kN. Dr. Roderick Woods at Cambridge University did the work behind the standard. Per Wikipedia, two Italian manufacturers, allegedly worried their protectors would fail the top tier, lobbied successfully to drop Level 3.

Wikipedia cites that episode as evidence for the claim that manufacturers have captured rule-making for motorcycle protective gear. Treat it as an allegation. What it does show is that today’s levels follow a different design: one test energy, two pass limits. A hangtag that advertises CE Level 3 for a limb or back protector does not match the two levels in EN 1621-1 and EN 1621-2. Ask for the marking and the notified body number.

What a CE label proves, and where it applies

CE is a European framework. Regulation (EU) 2016/425 governs personal protective equipment sold in the EU and EEA. Under it, motorcycle impact protectors are Category II PPE, which needs EU type-examination by an independent notified body. That is a third-party test house, not the brand. The body’s four-digit number should appear on the protector. A bare CE on a hangtag with no number is the maker’s own word.

A full limb-protector label carries these marks:

• The CE mark with the four-digit number of the notified body that did the type-examination.
• Maker name or trademark, model reference and size, so the protector traces back to its certified type.
• The standard and its year, for example EN 1621-1:2012.
• The level, 1 or 2.
• Type A or Type B, the coverage area.
• T+ or T-, for the optional hot and cold tests.

Type A covers a smaller zone than Type B, and coverage is independent of level. So a Level 2 elbow protector of Type A can shield a smaller patch of arm than a Level 1 elbow protector of Type B. Force reduction only helps where the armor sits, which makes coverage the line riders skip most often.

Outside the EU the picture is looser. The United States, Canada and Australia have no equivalent mandatory standard for motorcycle clothing. Gear sold there may carry EN 1621 marks because the maker certified it for Europe, or carry no marks at all. In the UK, gear may carry UKCA marking instead of CE or alongside it.

Unrated armor is common: foam pads in fashion-leather jackets, the inserts in some riding jeans sold outside Europe, and generic replacement inserts. If a protector shows no standard, no level and no notified body number, treat it as unknown. Do not file it as ‘probably Level 1’.

Armor level and garment rating are separate

EN 17092 grades the garment itself for abrasion, tear and seam strength, using the classes AAA, AA, A, B and C. The armor standards do not touch any of that. A jacket can carry Level 2 shoulder armor and an A-rated shell, or Level 2 armor and no garment rating at all. RevZilla’s Common Tread says riders often confuse the two, and that makers do not always make the difference clear on the tag. Look for the EN 17092 letter on the jacket or pants as a separate check.

The gap shows up in crash data. The 2011 de Rome study, summarized below, found that 29% of jackets, 28% of pants and 25% of gloves failed in crash conditions through material damage. A rider who fits Level 2 armor into a jacket with unrated seams has improved impact protection and left slide protection where it was.

Infinity Motorcycles’ video asks whether your jacket will protect you in a slide and explains CE ratings.

Video: Will Your Jacket Protect You in a Slide? | CE Ratings Explained (Infinity Motorcycles)

What crash studies found

These findings come from Wikipedia’s summary of the research, which quotes the papers.

• De Rome et al. (2011). The George Institute’s release describes it as the first study in over 25 years to examine specialised riding clothing and body armor. Clothing fitted with armor was linked to a significant drop in the risk of open wounds such as abrasions, cuts and lacerations. Gloves and pants lowered that risk even without armor. The study found no evidence of lower fracture risk from armor on any part of the body.
• Wu et al. (2019), Université Lyon, 951 riders. Protective clothing cut abrasions and lacerations rather than contusions. It did not reduce fractures, dislocations or sprains, except knee-high or ankle boots, which were linked to lower ankle and foot fracture risk (relative risk 0.43). On back protectors the authors wrote: “No effect of back protectors was shown.”
• Back protectors. The introduction to EN 1621-2 says about 13% of injured riders in road accidents have an injury to the back region. Only 0.8% suffer a spinal fracture and under 0.2% a serious back injury with neurological damage, backed by the MAIDS report of 2004. A 2016 systematic review found too little evidence to say whether back protectors work. It noted they cannot protect against most spinal injuries, which come from bending and twisting forces. Afquir et al. (2019) found that very few injuries from rear-to-front impacts could have been avoided with back protection. They argued designs should be reconsidered for compression fractures.
• The force limits themselves. Albanese et al. (2017) wrote that the transmitted force EN 1621-1 allows may be too high given human tolerance figures in the literature. They said a lower limit “appears feasible”. Meredith et al. (2019) found that shoulder and knee impacts may need different performance criteria. In their simulated tests, CE armor cut shoulder impact force by only around 8%, plus or minus 5%.

Read together, these studies do not say armor is pointless. They show fewer open wounds and no clear fracture benefit. Albanese’s point favors Level 2’s tighter limit in principle, but no source here measured a crash benefit of Level 2 over Level 1. Claims that Level 2 is definitively safer for a given rider go past the evidence. So do claims that the levels make no difference, because the lab limits are a real, if narrow, measurement.

Picking a level for each body part

Lower transmitted force generally takes more material, a denser material or a costlier compound. That tends to show up as more bulk and weight, less airflow and less flex. Copenhagen Motorcycles says Level 2 gear often uses high-density foam or dual-density armor. Wikipedia describes viscoelastic compounds, such as D3O and Sas-Tec, that stay soft until struck and then stiffen. It says they reach more impact reduction with less bulk than older hard-shell and foam laminates. Soft, temperature-adaptive armor has narrowed the gap with Level 1 comfort, but it has not closed it.

Level 1 is thinner and more flexible, so it sits flatter and gets worn more. A Level 1 pad in a mesh jacket you wear every ride beats a Level 2 pad in a jacket left on the hook all summer. Zees Moto’s guide makes the same split: Level 1 for city commuting and short rides, Level 2 for sport, adventure, track days and higher speeds.

Two claims in retailer guides do not match the standards as Sportsbikeshop and Wikipedia describe them. Copenhagen Motorcycles says Level 2 tests simulate higher speeds and more severe crashes, and that Level 2 gear gives greater coverage. Both levels take the same 50-joule hit, and coverage is the separate Type A or Type B marking. Thickness is no rating either. The compound decides the test result, whatever the thickness.

Fit beats level. A protector that has shifted away from the joint does nothing, whatever its label says. If the pocket lets an elbow pad twist toward the inside of the arm, or a knee pad rides up the thigh once you sit on the bike, you have lost more than the Level 2 upgrade added. Check position seated in your riding posture, reaching for the bars. A standing look in the mirror proves little.

Work through these in order:

1. Fill every armor pocket. Many jackets arrive with a foam filler where the back protector should go, or with nothing there. An empty pocket is the largest gap most riders have.
2. Read the label on what is in the pocket: a standard number, a level and a notified body number. Outside Europe, many inserts carry none of the three.
3. Sit on the bike, reach for the bars and check shoulders, elbows and knees. Fix position before you think about levels.
4. Prefer Type B at knees and elbows. A larger zone allows for hits that miss the center of the joint.
5. Match the level to the riding. Track days, aggressive sport riding and adventure riding on loose surfaces are the clearest cases for Level 2. For hot commutes, low-speed urban riding and long touring days, Level 1 with excellent fit and ventilation is a defensible choice.
6. Check for T+ and T- if you ride in temperature extremes.
7. Check the EN 17092 grade on the jacket and pants as a separate question.

A reasonable split for most street riders is Level 1 at shoulders and elbows where that buys ventilation and fit, Level 2 at the back, and Level 2 at knees and hips if it stays put. Riders at speed or on track should go Level 2 throughout and accept the bulk. Conventional advice puts the back protector first because the back is the area most often left bare. Given the studies above, I would still fill that pocket, but I would not buy on the promise that it prevents spinal fractures.

Track organizers set their own rules, and many require a back protector. Read the organizer’s tech rules. The CE level alone may not satisfy them.

Swapping better armor into a jacket you already own usually works. Pockets tend to follow broadly compatible dimensions, but shapes vary by brand, and a poor match lets the protector move. Confirm the replacement lies flat and stays in place before you rely on it.

Hips and tailbone are the common gap. Many pants and jeans include knee armor and leave the hip pockets empty. Our guide to choosing textile motorcycle pants, including CE ratings and fit covers knee and hip armor in pants.

Armor under clothes and in base layers

Related searches ask about body armor worn under clothes and about Level 2 base layers. The sources behind this page do not test or rate those separately. The EN 1621 marks sit on the protector, so the same label check applies: a standard, a level, Type A or B, and a notified body number. If they are missing, treat the pad as unrated. Fit matters even more in a snug layer, because a pad that rolls off the joint does nothing there either. Armor shorts cover the hips and tailbone, which most jackets and many pants leave out. Our guide to choosing motorcycle armor shorts for impact protection covers them.

What the label cannot tell you

Some questions have no answer on the protector or in the standard.

• Where a protector landed inside its passing band, unless the maker publishes measured kN figures.
• How it behaves after years of use, compression, sunlight or an earlier impact. The standard tests new samples, and most armor has no consumer-facing expiry or re-test. Makers sometimes give replacement guidance. Replace armor after a significant impact, or when it is compressed, cracked or hardened.
• How it behaves against an irregular strike surface, because the test anvil has a defined shape.
• Whether an unrated insert protects at all. Without a test, nobody can say.

Featured image: Herobiker motocross jacket DSCF2203 by Mary Mark Ockerbloom, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped.