D30 add to the podium
British company, D3O, produce a very clever armour system. Traditional motorcycle clothing armour has always been rigid, inflexible and somewhat uncomfortable. Indeed, the pieces in older suits would sometimes become brittle and actually break in the event of being 'needed'. A rather unpleasant position to find oneself in, as I'm sure you'd agree.
What the team at D30 have done is develop a whole new way of protecting sports people including skiing types and people who cycle their bikes so fast down hills that when they jump over things they actually spin upside down. They also make stuff for us.
what they've done is make a whole new protection solution. In really simple terms what they have produced is a selection of soft and easy to wear armour. This stuff is light and, most importantly, flexible. Rather brilliantly it does this by allowing the molecules within the piece flow freely. If the unfortunate should occur those molecules lock on impact.
Not only do they break the fall as traditional armour would, but they also dissipate the energy throughout the piece. This makes for a significantly more protective system than anything that’s come before it.
As a result they're well regarded in the racing world, Michael has been wearing them for years. Furygan use them exclusively in conjunction with InMotion airbags. Now they've brought another two living legends into the fold with Tom Booth-Amos and Lee Johnston adding D30 to their leathers.
This is a significant move for D30 as while the 'proof is in the pudding' from a regular riders point of view, making something like this work in the event of an impact at the speed that these guys move while still being soft enough to allow the rider to move about the bike, is the proof in a whole bakery full of puddings!
Both Johnston and Booth-Amos are riding for the Triumph Factory Racing Team with Lee having built a name for himself on the 'roads' particularly the NW 200 and the IOM TT. This year he'll also be competing in BSB with the team in his RST leathers. “Motorcycle racing is all about pushing limits, but safety is just as crucial as speed,” said Johnston. “Knowing I have D3O protection in my RST suit gives me confidence on my bike without restricting my movement.”
Tom, meanwhile, will be competing in the World supersport Championship in a set of Furygan leathers. He's just won his first race in Australia and reckons that “Racing at the highest level demands the best protection available, and D3O is leading the way. The fact that top brands like Furygan trust D3O says it all.”
It’s not just RST and Furygan. D30 is used in TCX boots, Belstaff, Klim, Scott, Rukka and Icon as well as Fox and Richa.
Rather interestingly D3O have recently trademarked the colour orange with regards to motorcycle protection. Yes indeed; Orange. It’s the new Black and it’s now owned by D30.
What this means for the company is that if the armour in your kit is orange then it’s definitely D30. As result they’ve adopted the new slogan, “Give it Orange”.
Having them in my own Furygan suit makes a huge difference to my riding in terms of comfort as well as protection. The D30 pieces in the riders suits are the Diablo Limb Protectors , the Viper Air Back Protector, CP1 and CP2 Chest Protectors . All of these are lightweight, ventilated and extremely effective. Check out the science on their website, www.d30.com
In the meantime I’m off to have a crack at trademarking the colour black as it best reflects the state of my cold, dark, damp pit of a soul...