ÿ

ÿ

ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ One of the most essential pieces of safety equipment a rider should be wearing is some type of chest protector. With many different kinds of protectors on the market today, a rider may not know the obvious differences between a regular chest protector and an underprotector. Read on to find out what both have to offer and common injuries that affect the chest area.ÿ

ÿ

The Basics

Full Coverage Chest Protector

A regular chest protector offers all-around comfortable protection. It also incorporates all the upper body protection any rider could ever ask for. It’s an effective, comfortable, and cool (temperature wise) piece of equipment.

Serious protection and coverage should be taken into consideration when talking about chest protectors. It’s also important to keep in mind that comfort should never be compromised for coverage. This shouldn’t be hard however, since many chest protectors on the market today are naturally contoured to fit your specific body type. In addition, chest protectors allow your body to follow the movements of your specific riding style.ÿ

Chest protectors are also great for extra protection on the shoulders and arms. Some brands of protectors come with removable upper arm guards. This is a nice feature since some people use them and some simply do not. Another nice feature is the free floating shoulder system, which allows the shoulders to move freely and comfortably while riding.ÿÿ

Riders who wear a chest protector will always have that peace of mind against crash damage during any type of riding.ÿÿÿÿÿ

ÿ

Roost Guard

For many riders, a roost guard is often times preferred over a full-covered chest protector. A roost guard, also known as an under jersey protector, serves its purpose as a roost deflector. It blocks the upper body from rocks, dirt, mud, and debris, while keeping the rider cool and allowing them a free range of motion on their bike. While many things may slow you down when riding, roost should not be one of them. A lot of riders have many complaints about regular chest protectors being too bulky, uncomfortable, and most importantly, moving out of place in the event of a crash. It’s instrumental to find a protector that moves with your body, not away from it and that follows your body’s every move, making sure its protection, though minimal, is used to its maximum potential.ÿ Even though most roost guards are not designed to offer much protection in the event of a crash, a light/small amount of impact protection is given directly to the ribs and chest.ÿÿÿÿÿ

With its incredibly lightweight feature, a roost guard offers more comfort with less restriction than a full covered chest protector. Many also have a more contoured, tailored fit than traditional protectors. While a roost guard offers maximum coverage, it doesn’t offer maximum protection, but it is better than nothing at all. As an unrestrictive piece of safety gear, a roost guard is another one of those pieces that some riders wear and some don’t. It’s strictly up to the rider whether or not they want to wear one.ÿÿÿ

ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ Those riders who do choose to wear the roost guard vs. the chest protector, often claim that the roost guard is much more cooler temperature wise than a regular chest protector. Many come with innovative, extensive, and natural venting air channels to keep a rider’s body temperature down while riding. With its lightweight features and maximum airflow, a less-bulky, lightweight roost guard may be of interest to some riders. However, a rider is definitely giving up less protection when wearing just a roost guard.

ÿ

Injuries

ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ Injuries are inevitable to many motocross athletes. Without the proper safety gear, a rider is just asking to be sidelined from any type of riding. We all know that not being able to ride due to injury is a major letdown, but with the proper equipment, many of those injuries can be prevented. Since were talking chest protection here, we thought it would be a good idea to briefly discuss how the ribs help our bodies and what could happen in the event of a direct impact to the chest area.ÿ

ÿ

Ribs

ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ A rider’s ribs serve two main purposes. The first is to help protect your internal organs and the second is to stabilize your body while the muscles contract to help you breathe. This will allow air to flow in and out smoothly. When the ribs are fractured, one of the individual rib bones of the rib cage will crack, which is normally caused by a direct blow to the chest. This is something that can often be prevented if a rider is wearing a full covered chest protector. However, if a crash is severe enough, or the impact is harsh, nothing can prevent such an injury.

ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ When the rib cage area is injured though, a rider may experience pain and discomfort in the area of the ribs. With a broken rib, bending and twisting the torso may aggravate the pain even more. Bruised, cracked, or fractured ribs are often the root cause of rib pain.ÿ

ÿ

Impact and Roost Protection?a Great Combination

ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ Now that you know the basics of both a full-covered chest protector and a roost guard, you can decide which one will better suit your specific needs. In addition, don’t forget that preventing injuries is crucial in the world of motocross. So if you don’t already own either one of these protectors, head to your local dealership and try a few on for size and see what you think. You can then be the judge and find what works best for you. And remember, motocross is a contact sport, so get yourself some serious protection!ÿ ÿÿ

“EVS Winning with Safety”

ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ÿ

ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ÿÿ

ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ÿÿÿÿÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ