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Riding gear

Body protection

Chest, back, knee and elbow protection: the standards on the label and what their levels mean.

The standards on the label

European standard EN 1621 covers motorcyclists’ impact protectors in parts: EN 1621-1 for limb joints (shoulder, elbow, hip and knee), EN 1621-2 for back protectors and EN 1621-3 for chest protectors.1

Each is tested to a performance level, 1 or 2, and level 2 is the more protective of the two.1

EN 1621-3 chest protectors come as a single piece or in two halves, in two size types. Products meant only to stop stones and debris are tested to a different standard, EN 14021.2

Off-road stone shields

EN 14021 is the standard for stone shields for off-road riding: protection against stones and debris thrown up by other bikes. Its impact test measures the force that gets through at a small point, with a 1 kg striker at 10 joules, rather than the larger crash impacts that EN 1621 tests.3

So a roost guard labelled EN 14021 and a chest protector labelled EN 1621-3 are tested for different jobs. Read the label for the one you need.

Sources

  1. CE / European safety ratings, EVS Sports (protective gear maker). Read 2026-09-25.
  2. EN 1621-3:2018, motorcyclists’ chest protectors (standard summary), iTeh Standards (CEN catalogue). Read 2026-09-25.
  3. EN 14021: stone shields for off-road motorcycling, SATRA (test laboratory). Read 2026-09-25.

General guidance. Standards describe how gear is tested, not what it will do in a particular crash. Product picks appear only in buyer guides, where gear has been ridden and tested.