Body Armor: New or Old style?

[Piranha]

Hi all, I'm new here.  I just bought a 92 gs500e with 12300mi in the red with the god awful grey zig zag decales.  I am a military history nut and as such have produced a set of Lorica Segmenta (roman Armour circa 200bc) its all steel and covers my torso nicely.  My question is; how much better are the fancy wizbang leather type protective coats any better than good old fashioned body armour?  I am also producing a scale armour cataphract like full body armour that will cover my legs and arms as well as any set of leathers, this is to be my permanant getup(enamaled the same red as the bike)it will weigh about 25-30 lbs will be flexible and padded as motorcycle coats and leathers how is leather better than steel?  I am a new rider so please expain all jargon.  BTW how do you take off the vile grey zig-zag decales without wrecking the paint or is it not possible.  Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[arcsecond]

My first thought is how all those steel plates are going to cut into your skin when you go sliding across the pavement leaving a trail of sparks behind you to ignite any spilled fuel. My second thought is of how insanley freaking hot that's gonna be after a few hours out riding in the sun.

Leather is the standard for a reason. Motorcycle armor is primarily to protect against sliding across asphalt. This is radically different than protecting against javelins and short swords.

-James

edit: for those unfamiliar, here's the wikipedia link to Lorica Segmentata http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorica_segmentata

[TadMC]

Holy Sh!t thats awesome, now i dont know about protection from the skid, but God damn that'd be the most awesome thing id have ever seen

[Straymonolith]

I have to agree, that's the coolest idea I've ever heard.
If you line the inside of the armor with some padding, and maybe CE armor, it should work well.
You can get is separately http://www.newenough.com/faq_armor_types.htm

[Alphamazing]

25 to 30 lbs?!?!?!?!?! You are going to get EXTREMELY tired trying to ride a motorcycle and deal with 30 lbs of armor.

There is a reason leather is used - light weight and high abrasion resistence.

[Mandres]

[TadMC]

25 to 30 lbs?!?!?!?!?! You are going to get EXTREMELY tired trying to ride a motorcycle and deal with 30 lbs of armor.

There is a reason leather is used - light weight and high abrasion resistence.

I dont care, Id be this dudes best friend and even let him have relations with my girlfriend...... Ok maybe not

[Piranha]

iIf you line the inside of the armor with some padding, and maybe CE armor 
I have a submuralis that pads the inside of the armour
1. Segmentata is cooler than any leather coat ive ever worn.
2 How does leather withstand abrasion better than cold rolled plate steel?
3. 20-30lbs aint' bad ive played paintball in segmentata (22lbs) any one ever in the army would consider it a lite pack.
4 TadMC your avatar picture rocks it looks like mine will look like only with a 1911 and a m-14

[Alphamazing]

iIf you line the inside of the armor with some padding, and maybe CE armor 
I have a submuralis that pads the inside of the armour
1. Segmentata is cooler than any leather coat ive ever worn.
2 How does leather withstand abrasion better than cold rolled plate steel?
3. 20-30lbs aint' bad ive played paintball in segmentata (22lbs) any one ever in the army would consider it a lite pack.
4 TadMC your avatar picture rocks it looks like mine will look like only with a 1911 and a m-14

1. How is baking under a steel coat cooler than a leather jacket (or high quality MESH jacket, for that matter)?
2. Light weight AND high abrasion resistence. It's a combination thing.
3. 20-30 lbs is VERY bad on a motorcycle, It might not be bad if you're walking, but trying to maneuver a bike around in traffic you're going to get VERY tired VERY quickly. Dealing with a combination of wind blast, heat, cars trying to kill you, and moisture of all sorts, a 30 lb suit of armor is going to end up doing nothing but hamper you.

[Piranha]

I think anyone who hasn't tried on Segmentata would be extemely suprised how comfy it is, i sure was.  I can touch my toes and and move freely in it how does the weight affect my riding ability? I thought it might help with the wind blast.  I live in western Michigan so "baking" in the sun is not very likely, besides the metal acts two ways much like a giant heat sink.  Thanks for the input alpha its making me look at this in a different way i was looking for protection not comfort.

[Straymonolith]

Alpha,
You're missing the point. Wearing a suit of armor and riding a motorycycle is the definition of awesome.
Although, I imagine it would be more comfortable on a big cruiser.
Maybe on this thing:

[Alphamazing]

I think anyone who hasn't tried on Segmentata would be extemely suprised how comfy it is, i sure was.  I can touch my toes and and move freely in it how does the weight affect my riding ability? I thought it might help with the wind blast.  I live in western Michigan so "baking" in the sun is not very likely, besides the metal acts two ways much like a giant heat sink.  Thanks for the input alpha its making me look at this in a different way i was looking for protection not comfort.

The extra weight is extra energy you have to expend in moving around, holding yourself up, and moving the bike (you're moving yourself too). It might not be bad for a minute or two down the road, but extra weight adds up. When you don't have as much energy you lose your ability to concentrate and your ability to make emergency maneuvers at critical moments diminshes.

As for heat, even if you're in Michigan where it isn't beatingly hot like here in Texas, but the sun still radiates onto the metal and causes it to heat up, as well as what's under it (you).

Sometimes the best protection is to be comfortable.

Think about this, why has armor gone from chain and plate mail and cuirasses to stuff like lightweight Kevlar jackets?

Motorcycle leathers are extremely durable. Racers survive crashes and slides at speeds of over 150mph. Leathers can be crashed in and re-used without a problem. The armor in them has been scientifically designed to protect a motorcycle rider in case of a get off.

Alpha,
You're missing the point. Wearing a suit of armor and riding a motorycycle is the definition of awesome.
Although, I imagine it would be more comfortable on a big cruiser.

It might look cool. Or it might look dorky.

[ajgs500]

I think that someone just has a chrome deficiency.

[st8racin]

Ok so I think I would point and laugh if I saw someone riding down the road in armor. But hey, that's just me. 

[bubba zanetti]

Just out of interest, how would this armor of your stand up ta a .58 cal musket ball?

[werase643]

different time periods.....

body armour was great for broadswords
they didn't really cut each other..... more beating each other to death
chain mail was great.....then they figured a (ice)pick would go thru the holes

[GeeP]

Huh?

[aaronstj]

As for heat, even if you're in Michigan where it isn't beatingly hot like here in Texas, but the sun still radiates onto the metal and causes it to heat up, as well as what's under it (you).

Given that the armor is fairly shiny, most of the sunlight radiating on it will simply reflect off.  For this reason, it's likely to be a lot cooler than leathers.

[ajgs500]

But wouldnt it look alternative lifestyle man???

[yamahonkawazuki]

not something i would wear on the bike per se, but damn i want a set for my home though