Glossary

BKS back protectors are currently made by Davis Odell (the Forcefield TPro range) and have won awards for being the best in the industry. They are made from high density PVC Nitrile foams and are up to 20mm thick. These are soft-shell, with no hard plastic, such is the firmness of the foam used. As with limb armour, hard
plastic elements in back protectors may protect against penetration injuries but can also have the adverse effect of wearing holes in the areas of leather it touches on impact.
The same test is used for backs as for the limb test although with minor changes. Instead of the 35KN limit they must register less than 18KN for a level 1 pass or less than 9KN for a level 2 pass.
The BKS Forcefield item (Level 2) achieves around 6KN.
All back protectors come in lengths suitable for one piece race suits or jackets and are either fitted into pockets within the lining or worn separately using a well designed waist and shoulder strap.

BKS badges are designed to compliment the colour scheme of your suit and come in a variety of shapes and types. Synthetic badges have designated locations whereas BKS leather letters are placed according to the design of the suit. Shoulder badges form the company logo and are placed at the top of the bicep. Knee badges are triangular and sit on the knee cap. Neck tabs are functional and help keep the front zip closed Leather letters are made from reduced thickness leather in all of the colours used to make suits. 5 different sizes are available. Laser etched logos are also available, some of which carry extra cost.

Carbon fibre is often used in reinforcement applications, but mainly in a composite form of hard plastic coating. This gives added tensile strength to items like motorcycle body parts and other shell-type uses. Its use in clothing is unnecessary, no better than expensive plastic even if used in hard armour etc, giving no added advantage to impact protection (see section for armour). BKS uses soft PVC-coated Carbon Fibre purely for cosmetic effect, as an option on torso pads and glove cut-outs. They are no less effective at abrasion resistance than leather, but do not add any advantage other than colour and trim.

To Be Revisied in light of the new PPE Regulation 2016.

We previously said: BKS Leather became the first company in the World to gain CE Approval for the Leather Motorcycle Suit and its Impact Protectors. Understanding CE Approval MOTORCYCLE LEATHERS ARE PART OF THE PPE DIRECTIVE Since July 1st 1995, it is unlawful to offer clothing as “protective clothing”, unless it has met with the specifications of the PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT DIRECTIVE (PPE). This sets out the official requirements for products to meet with the type approval standards relative to their usage. Compliance is ensured through rigorous sample and garment testing by an official notified body (e.g. BSI, SATRA or SGS Yarsley etc.), then independent certification of the CE Mark. BKS made the decision to put their range of motorcycle leathers through CE Mark accreditation to satisfy both legal and moral obligations. It seemed ridiculous to design and offer products providing a protective function and then ignore a European Directive on Personal Protective Equipment. We were also aware of the potential marketing advantage to be gained by showing the consumer our products had gained independent approval. With this in mind, we worked with Cambridge University to ensure our suits offered the highest possible level of protection. This was confirmed when BKS Leather became the first company in the European motorcycle clothing industry to be awarded the CE Mark. We qualified in July 1994, meeting the: ‘Cambridge Standard - High Performance Classification’ Cambridge University has a Protective Clothing Research Facility, headed by Dr. Roderick Woods. Dr Woods has performed extensive research into motorcycle clothing and its performance in accidents. The Cambridge Standard was developed from this research and has become the benchmark for motorcycle clothing protection standards. In fact, since the ‘Police Act 1997’ was passed, all UK Police forces and Ministry of Defence riders can only be issued with CE-approved, High Performance garments. The Cambridge Standard complies with - and exceeds - the Health and Safety elements of the PPE Directive for motorcycle clothing. In brief, the Cambridge standard uses approved test methods for all materials, seams and impact protectors to establish performance criteria for burst and tear strength, impact cut and impact absorption. The surface area of the body is divided into 4 zones, with Zone 1 being the minimum area of suit to have coverage from impact protecting materials. Zone 2 is an extension of zone 1 and is the minimum area to give coverage for severe abrasion protection. Zone 3 covers the remaining area of the suit with Zone 4 limited to the areas that require least protection, (such as armpit, groin, front torso - generally areas that rarely come into contact with the road surface.) Each zone has a specific performance criteria for the tests. E.g. a seam featuring in zone 1 demands much higher burst strength than a seam in the groin area, zone 4, as less strain and damage can be inflicted. Some clothing avoids the need for CE Marking, but only if it does not claim to offer protection against anything other than adverse weather conditions. As soon as it advertises accident protection, claiming features such as abrasion resistance, burst strength and impact protection, then it must comply in one of the following ways: If the entire garment offers protection, the entire garment needs to be tested for CE accreditation. If the impact protectors alone are the only advertised protection, then only the impact protectors need testing. DO NOT BE ASSUME THAT A LEATHER SUIT FITTED WITH CE MARKED IMPACT PROTECTORS IS THE SAME AS AN ENTIRELY CE MARKED SUIT. The entire BKS suit is officially CE Approved and manufactured to comply with the European Personal Protective Equipment Directive (EN 13595 PT. 1-4), and this allows us to openly promote the protective qualities of our armour, leather and seam construction in relation to impact, abrasion resistance and burst strength. Customer feedback has shown that CE Marking remains one of the major reasons people choose BKS, confirming the demand for an industry standard that consumers can trust. Don’t just take our word for it! The British Motorcycle Federation (BMF) and Paul Varnsverry from the industry’s leading independent consultants (PVA) deliver the story in a succinct manner very worthy of reading.

Collar styles are one of your design options:Rim Collar; Mandarin (race) Collar; Sports Collar; Touring Collar. One-piece suits work best with our Mandarin style collar. It has no fastening at the front and has an elasticized stretch insert at the rear. Rim collars are useful for those who have a large or short neck, as these have a simple rim-bound edge to the neckline. Two-piece suits work well with the Sports Collar if you want to complete the look of a jacket and trouser suit. The Mandarin can be used to make your two piece look more like a one-piece suit, with its minimalist style. Our 100SPS and 100SPL require the touring collar, due to the design of the zip front fastening and are essentially a Sports collar, only 10mm higher.

All BKS suits are essentially made the same way. We have standardized the main seam construction, cover the same internal areas with equal amounts of double leather reinforcement (or Ballistic Nylon layers) and start from a basic pattern design for all main panels. The BKS 100R is the basis from which every BKS suit begins. Every other design is an extension of this, using stretch panels, Kevlar inserts and other design features to enhance the suits’ appearance and functionality. Essentially each BKS suit is as protective as the next. However, there are some features suited to certain designs, which might help you choose one over another:
Leather stretch panels in additional areas to give a better range of movement
Kevlar stretch inserts to increase comfort
Torso pads and coccyx pads and other areas of secondary impact protection, over and above the normal limb and back protectors.
Graphics to increase aesthetic appeal All of these are found throughout our range of designs and are the reason some suits cost more than others. Essentially every BKS suit is the same underneath.

The cuff of one piece suits and jackets is cut to go inside the gloves. Choices include a raw edge for fine comfort, or bound edge for enhanced cosmetic effect. Both are very neatly finished with the Velcro attached linings recessed up inside the sleeve, out of sight. Depending on arm length, 5” or 6” zips are used to close the cuff neatly to a secure fit. This is designed to ensure that the sleeve cannot travel up your arm any more than 60mm which would contravene CE Approval.

Double leather areas are necessary to meet with CE Approval and give the right levels of enhanced abrasion resistance throughout the suit. Two layers at a minimum of 1.3mm thick each are required to meet Level 3 or High Performance classifications. The areas covered are designated by Zone 2 of the Cambridge Standard. Essentially, these are the top outer arm and shoulder (into the collar); full outside elbow to immediately above the cuff; front of hip, wrapping around the entire seat and down the outside thigh (3” either side of the outside leg seam); top of knee and shin to the boot area. Double leather has an alternative in the form of a Ballistic Nylon fabric. This is also used to reinforce these same areas.

The unofficial classification given to the level of performance achieved by BKS impact protectors, going even further than the Cambridge Standard High Performance figures for CE Approval

> CE standards allow a pass at 50 joules.

> High Performance is awarded at 75 joules

> Ultra High Performance at 85 joules

> Extreme Performance at 90 joules