Last Updated on 2 years by Honest Bikerz
Speed is addicting, right? Especially when you ride a motorcycle, the feeling of flying like a bird won’t let you move your foot from the accelerator. But an accident and few injuries are more than enough to ruin the total picture.
About 13 percent of motorcycle injuries involve the back. Though the percentage may seem a little low, but you will surely don’t want to hurt your back. Because this can cause the most fatal injury after death. Paralysis! No one wants that, we know.
A defensive riding style can definitely reduce the accident chances, but you should follow the famous riders chime “all the gears, all the time”. We are here to help you out finding the best motorcycle back protectors for you. As far as your safety is concerned, we left no stone unturned to ensure it for you. So let’s find out.
| Image | Product | Details | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Best for the beginners: RIDBIKER Kids Motorcycle Armor Suit Dirt Bike Chest Spine Protector | Material: PE Plastic Shell/High Elastic Mesh/ EVA High Foam/Lai Kabu/PP with Elastic and Zipper. Protection Level: Chest Protection,Spine Back Protection,Arm Protection,Shoulder Protection,Knee Protection,Calf Protection,Ankle Protection,Elbow Protection Color: Sliver,Black. | Check The Latest Price |
 | Best for Affordable price: Alpinestars Nucleon KR-Celli Motorcycle Back Protector | Material: Triple segmented back shell plate. Ergonomic protection plate. Nucleon KR-CELLi Protector insert. Protection Level: Maximum breathability and air flow, Perfect balance between force dispersion and energy absorption Color: Black. | Check The Latest Price |
 | Best for Multi-purpose use: Motorcycle Bicycle Back Spine Protector | Material: PP shell a film, Lycra fabric, high-density EVA Protection Level: High quality plastic buttons, high elastic Nylon belt and adjustable fastener on the PVC waist protection belt can help adjusting a suitable length of strap. Color: Black. | Check The Latest Price |
 | Best for Multi-purpose use: MOTOKER Motorcycle Adults Back Protector | Material: PE plastic shell + EVA Protection Level: Light back protection with urethane padding on key areas. Color: Black. | Check The Latest Price |
 | Best for thin dimensions: Alpinestars Men’s Nucleon KR-Cell Motorcycle Back Protector | Material: Polymers, protective plates. Protection Level: Fits seamlessly under an outer garment. Color: Smoke Black/Red. | Check The Latest Price |
 | Best for safety: Surlim Back Protector | Material: Surlim patented. Protection Level: Surlim protective pads are especially suitable for sport impact protections.Such as: motorcycle,Cycling Bike ,skateboarding, skiing , Rollerblading. Color: Red. | Check The Latest Price |
 | Best for all types people: Motorcycle Armor Vest Chest Back Spine Protector | Material: PE plastic shell, very sturdy; inside with padded high foaming fabric. Protection Level: Can be used for motorcycles and bicycles, skiing and ice skating, skateboarding, cycling, outdoor sports, or any other activity that requires additional protection Color: Black. | Check The Latest Price |
 | Best for the overall quality: Surlim SR Back Protector | Material: High performance shock absorbing. Protection Level: Lightweight, soft and breathable. This motorcycle pads can let you enjoy the fun of motorcycle riding better. Color: Black. | Check The Latest Price |
 | Best for Professional use such as racing: Alpinestars Men’s Nucleon KR-3 Motorcycle Back Protecto | Material: Innovative protector plates. Protection Level: High performance polymeric blend for protection, offers excellent performance under an outer leather or textile garment. Color: Smoke Black/Red. | Check The Latest Price |
 | Best Superior chest and back protection: Leatt 4.5 Chest Protector | Material: Hard shell and 3DF AirFit ventilated soft impact foam. Protection Level: ventilated with ventilation slots that provide maximum airflow. Color: Black | Check The Latest Price |
10 Best Motorcycle Back Protectors Reviews
The back protector is not that discussed as like helmets. But it is equally important to wear protective gear like helmets. Tracking down the right feature of this product can be a little hard for you. We are here to ease your task. We have analyzed the safety, comfort, material quality, durability, and every other aspect of the product, and narrowed the list down for you to 10.
RIDBIKER Kids Motorcycle Armor Suit Dirt Bike Chest Spine Protector
This is a perfect product for the learners. Perfect to protect one from the injuries that can be caused because of the fall while learning. Comfortable enough for the new learner.
The safety of the kid had always been a concern for the parents. RIDBIKER, one of the most famous brands in making armor for motorcycles for 18 long years. It has come out with this armor suit for kids.
As this product is made for beginners, the material is very comfortable. The vest is segmented between parts. It ensures the mobility of a kid while wearing it. The mesh clothing ensures temperature control and breathability.
The foam padding increases comfort and safety. The injection-molded plastic exterior is well enough to save the torso from impact. Though it is a vest, you will get to split the chest protector easily. That will let you use the back protector only.
The entire built material and seams are sturdy enough to provide the exact security to the kid while learning to ride. The rigidity and the safety level made it to be the top of our list.
Alpinestars Nucleon KR-Celli Motorcycle Back Protector
This is a product with sufficient comfort and safety from a well-known brand. Perfect enough for people who are looking for a quality and branded product within budget.
This is the most affordable back protector from the brand Alpinestars. This brand has always stood out with its various models of back protection gears. The Alpinestars Nucleon KR Celli is a CE level 1 back protector.
The product is segmented into three parts. This comes with an ergonomic protection plate with contouring foam as well. That is why the center structure has thicker padding. This will not only ensure comfort, but also safety.
The exterior part is built with a polymeric blend. This makes the product sturdy, lightweight, great in energy absorption. While ensuring all the safety measures, the comfort, breathability, and temperature control weren’t compromised even a little bit. Which often go missing in the protector inserts.
This is an armor that you can trust with quality, amazing comfort, and safety. This is surely one of the best insert-type additional armor.
Motorcycle Bicycle Back & Spine Protector
This is an activity buckle. It is a strap-on armor that can be used while hiking, skiing, or riding. So this will be a great choice if one is into different sports and doesn’t want to invest in several gears.
Another back protector from RIBIKER made it to our top 3. It is one of the most famous brands in making armor for motorcycles for 18 long years. The armor is suitable for many sports including riding.
This is a proper strap-on back protector. This robust-looking armor has a CE level 2 security correct standard. So this has the highest level of protection. This activity buckle is strong enough to absorb heavy direct impacts.
The honeycomb structure is best for ventilation. No matter how humid the weather is, you won’t be into a sweaty back protector. The high-impact absorber plastic shell performs extremely well when it comes to falls or crashes. The divided panels support every human movement.
Using an external back protector can be discomforting for some people. But when it is rigid on the outside and soft and extremely flexible on the inside, the thing is excellent for safety.
MOTOKER Motorcycle Adults Back Protector
You can wear it under your riding jacket, and you can use it for different sports as well. This is lightweight, smart fitting, and affordable for different uses.
This is another multi-sport strap-on back protector. One of the common problems of strap-on armor shields is they tend to be bulky. Motoker came out with a light and slim strap-on protector, which can be worn under a regular biking jacket with ease.
The PP plastic shell on the exterior comes with strong wear resistance. So you can count on it for a long time. The toughness of the shell gives great protection against heavy impact and absorbs shock nicely with a minimum transition rate.
The honeycomb design makes it easier for you in the hot-weather riding condition. The adjustable nylon straps give a perfect fit. The foam padding in the interior offers perfect support to the back. The entire fabric setup ensures plush comfort.
Wearing armor with proper support is important. This armor is well built to make sure you are in a good posture and comfort. It is excellent in shock absorption as well. Surely a good deal worth the money.
Alpinestars Men’s Nucleon KR-Cell Motorcycle Back Protector
This is one of the slimmest strap-on back protectors. If you have a jacket with no back pocket for the insert, but you want to wear something thin like that, this is your item.
Alpinestars had always been an outstanding brand in making protection gears. Nucleon KR series has been their most sold back protector series. This is the very first edition of the Nucleon KR-Cell series.
Nucleon KR-Cell is an ultra-thin strap-on back armor. This is perfect for wearing under a jacket. The dimensions are nearly the same as an insert-type protector. The CE certification of the armor is of level 1.
The armor is a one-piece injection-molded super flexible shield. The cellular design enhanced the safety level. During an impact, the cells are going to collapse against one another and take the load. The shoulder strap is removable, you can turn it into a vest using a chest protector.
Comfort and protection are the things you can’t compromise at all. This protection gear will provide you both.
Surlim Back Protector
One will not want to spend that much behind a replacement back armor. So a reasonable price is a great option for buying a replacement pad.
Surlim back protector is very flexible. It is an insert-type armor. As it is a replacement pad, it fits into almost every possible riding jacket. The gear is CE certified to level 1. Good enough to provide you necessary safety.
It is a very soft and flexible armor. It bends in half easily. So the installation process is a no-hassle action. But when it comes to impact, the body hardens up and prevents the shock from transforming inside.
The entire armor is fully vented. This will do a great job in temperature control and maintaining the airflow. The adhesion is impressive. This will simply set itself in the shape of your back. So this will give a superlative comfort while wearing.
This shield is at the lowest prices on our list. But the comfort and safety are not compromised even a little bit. This is a far better option than using the regular low-end included foam pads of the jackets.
Motorcycle Armor Vest Chest Back Spine Protector
This is an all-in-one product. A vest that can be used in other sports along with riding. You will get the coverage of the back protector and the chest protector spending less money and time.
A very robust-looking armor. The shell outside is pretty rigid and covers a huge area of your body. The inner foam padded fabric is super comfortable. Different foam types like EVA and polyester mesh have been used here.
Though the look outside can be too plasticky. But the plastic versus foam ratio is just perfect. You won’t feel any movement issue or rigidity while wearing this.
The shell covers a huge area of ribs and the entire backbone. The padding is nicely breathable and it stays odor-free. The product is also lightweight and keeps the body posture correct. A good to go item for all-day use.
The vest design protectors increase the protection and decrease the spending of money. This vest is smartly designed and provides sufficient protection where necessary. This can be a great deal for the countryside bikers as well.
Surlim SR Back Protector
Replacing the low-end foam that comes as an insert with the jacket. This fits almost in every jacket. Good to put this in instead of the foam padding that comes along the jacket.
The Surlim back protector is very flexible. It is an insert-type armor. It fits into almost every possible riding jacket. The gear is CE certified to level 1. Good enough to provide you necessary safety.
It is a very soft and flexible armor. It bends in half easily. So the installation process is a no-hassle action. But when it comes to impact, the body hardens up and prevents the shock from transforming inside. This will move back to being soft as the previous post-impact.
The entire armor is fully vented. This will do a great job in temperature control and maintaining the airflow. The adhesion is impressive. This will simply set itself in the shape of your back. So this will give a superlative comfort while wearing.
This is the best level of protection at this price point. CE level one protection is provided in the products at a premium price. Surlim surely made a great job in back protection in a budget-friendly way.
Alpinestars Men’s Nucleon KR-3 Motorcycle Back Protector
This is an ultimate protection gear for supreme-level safety against joint-destroying impacts. Perfect for professional use.
Alpinestars had always been an outstanding brand in making protection gears. Nucleon KR series has been their most sold back protector series. This is the latest edition of the Nucleon KR series.
A CE level 2 armor with an ergonomic design is going to offer maximum comfort and safety. The elastic straps give a firm fitting. But it doesn’t interfere with the functionality at all. The velcro is good enough to hold on tight in extreme movement situations.
The design has given a lot of impotence to the perfect fitting. You will get to adjust your waistline. Getting to decide where the waist sits makes the fitting much better. The setup is well vented to make sure the airflow.
Nucleon KR-3 is professional-grade protection for the back. You can count on this in extreme heavy impacts as well. The armor is well enough to minimize the injury level at a great expertness.
Leatt 4.5 Chest Protector
This offers premium level security on the chest and back. Great for adventure racing as well.
The name might confuse you a little. But this is another vest-style armor that ensures the security of the back and front with skill. The low profile vest is CE level 2 certified at both front and back.
The sizing method is not the traditional one. They will go by your weight. Getting into the interior, there is a 3D foam underneath to make sure that it is soft and breezy on the inside.
The material is going to go a long time. The straps in most products tend to wear out. But here, the straps are also wide and sturdy to go for a long run. The design is compatible to wear a neck brace on top of it.
Leatt is a brand that has been around since 2006. When it comes to protection, they give outstanding products. This one is no different. That is why this made a cut to our top 10 best motorcycle back protector list.
What does the motorcycle back protector do?
You can get it from the name that this product will protect your back. The back is a huge area of your body. The bigger the area is, the greater the chance to get hit there. So this is surely one of the most important riding gears you need to buy.
The back protector covers the entire backbone. It ensures the safety of your spine as well. Protecting the spinal cord is really important as it manages lots of different functions in our body.
This is basically a protecting pad, that covers up your entire backbone part. This has some shock-absorbent quality. So the padding will save your back and the spine from any fatal impact or injury if you are in a bike crash.
What are the different materials used in a back protector?
The back protectors are mainly foam-like objects. The armor is made of heavy-duty foam and plastic to absorb the impact. Now coming to the different parts of the protector, it is made of different materials.
The outer part of the protector, which will kind of look like a shell, is segmented. It is made of mostly heavy-duty, shock-absorbent, and lightweight plastic or polymers. You will get to see elastic couplings in between the segments. Because the back is the part of the body that needs to have full comfort and freedom to move. To make the rider’s movement easier, elastic couplings are provided.
Moving into the inside, there will be soft memory foam padding. This will provide enough support and breathability as well. The foam padding increases the shock absorption limit as well.
In between, there are layers to increase the protection. The material inside varies from brand to brand. The entire thing is made of breathable material to keep the rider at ease.
What does the label on the motorcycle back protector mean?
You may often notice the word CE level on the motorcycle armors. Now surely your question will be what is a CE level? CE level indicates the security level the armor can provide you. This is a European safety standard certification.
There are two levels mentioned in CE. Level 1 and level 2. Now, what are those? Let’s dig down to it.
There is a safety international standard written in Europe for the riding back protectors. It is named EN 1621-2:2014 safety standard. This is basically a test to decide the level of protection.
For the test, the products are impacted with 50 joules. It is more likely throwing a brick from a height of 5.5 or 6 feet on the shield. They basically give 5 impacts to get the average reading. Then they take the reading of the transmitted force.
For 1621-2 CE standard level 1, the transmitted force needs to be 18 kilonewtons or less. For CE level 2, the transmitted force needs to be under 9 kilonewtons. So in any case, proper standard level 2 is safer.
If you are looking for the best motorcycle back protector, you better opt-in for CE level 2.
Should you wear a Chest Protector?
Are you a speed lover? Or in a racing profession? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, then you better grab one chest protector as well along with the back protector.
Protecting your back is super important cause you may just lose your mobility for the rest of your life if you hurt your back that bad. But protecting your chest is also very important. Most vital organs like the heart and the lungs are right behind your ribs. A broken rib can damage those organs for good.
A fall on your chest while riding can break your ribs. Also can damage those vital organs. So to ensure your safety, you better wear a chest protector with a back protector.
How to choose the size of the motorcycle back protector?
What is the size? That is definitely one of the big questions when you decide on buying a protector. If you are wearing the wrong-sized armor, it will be of no use.
The size mostly corresponds to the jacket size of yours. Still, you may need to measure it to buy a strap on back armor.
The shield needs to cover your upper back (thoracic area) to the lower back (lumbar area). So to decide the length, you will have to put the measuring tape on the nape, and pull it to the end of your back. Then you will get a size chart in the manufacturer company to decide your size according to the length.
How to place the motorcycle back protector. Is your jacket compatible?
Most riding suits come with a back protector inserted. In most cases, it turns out to be a low-end one. There you go for a replacement armor. Mostly the size corresponds with the size of the jacket. To avoid any problem, you better order your protector using the size of your racing jacket.
Second thing is, does it have any rear pocket? The protector goes in the rear pocket. Most motorcycle jackets come with rear pockets.
Now, the most important part. The insertion. You will have to put the labeled side to the exterior. Make sure that it is fully opened. Bended corners can cause you more injury and discomfort.
Does the back protector work?
This is the most definite question that will come into your mind while you are intending to buy one. The answer to your question is, yes, it definitely works. A high-end motorcycle back armor is enough to save your back from injuries if you are in a crash.
Things to look for while you are buying:
With tons of features floating in the market, choosing the right one can be very difficult for you. Let us help you figure out what exactly you need to look for in your back protector.
Length: The protector must be covering from the thoracic to the lumbar areas. Your protector needs to be of that length at least.
How it blends on your skin: Riding armors are like the second skin of their bodies. It has to adapt the body shape of yours. The ergonomic feature can be a great choice.
Mobility: You have to be 100 percent sure of your movements. The segmented and flexible ones usually provide the maximum level of mobility.
Know thy need: What type of protection do you want? Strap-on or insert type? The strap-ons are going to fasten around your body, this will give better support to your back. This can also be a little heavier.
The insert types are lighter in weight and go inside your jacket. They can’t be bulky. But it won’t be much of a help to fix your posture.
Durability: If you need to wear your gears on a regular basis, then you better go for something durable.
Protection level: If you are into speeds and racing, then you better go for the CE level 2 armors.
Ventilation: You won’t be at comfort if the armor makes you feel hot or sweat a lot. That is why go for a well-vented one.
Final thoughts:
It is in our instinct that when it comes to protection, we get very optimistic. When it comes down to fear like not being able to walk or move, the fear intensifies. But hold on! We have solutions to all the problems, all you need to do is to know the needs.
After a lot of analysis, we presented the list to you. The RIDBIKER vest on the top of the list made it there because of all of the excellent features it has. It is a learner’s suit. All the features are well enough to handle all the impacts while learning. It makes sure the learner doesn’t back out from learning because of being injured.