Dainese Full-Length Back Cover
DAINESE FULL-LENGTH BACK COVER
EVALUATION
DROP-ZONE ARMOR
ROADRACERS, MORE SO THAN MANY other sportsmen, go into battle almost naked. By comparison, motocrossers and even football players lumber to their grids practically groaning under the weight of plastic protective gear, with knee/shin guards, shoulder pads, kidney belts and the like. But the roadracer often girds his loins with little more than a helmet and long-handle lederhosen. Yet, while there’s not an extensive array of protective equipment available for the roadracer, he needn’t depend almost solely on leather skivvies. And one item he can strap on is Dainese’s Full-Length Back Cover, from Motorace (P.O. Box 861, Wilbraham, MA 01095; [413] 734-6211). Back pads aren’t anything new, but Dainese’s stands out by taking a more comprehensive approach than most. Whereas most others rely on a single, flat piece of foam-backed plastic that runs along the backbone, Dainese uses six articulating plastic plates riveted to a fabric-covered foam backing, with a nylon belt to help hold the cover in place. The plates extend down the back from between the shoulder blades to just above the waist, and their “feet” straddle the spine. The design is intended to spread out impacts into the muscles flanking the spine.
And, according to Dr. David A. Kieffer, the Dainese’s design is a sound one. Kieffer is uniquely qualified to make that assessment, too. because not only is he an orthopedic surgeon, but he’s also a professional roadracer, and he’s on the medical committee to the Federation Internationale Motocycliste (FIM), the sanctioning body for worldchampionship roadrace events.
M oreover, Kieffer says the Dainese Back Cover could eliminate bruising associated with direct impacts, and abrasions, and that it might significantly reduce damage stemming from bending or twisting forces. He cautions, however, and rightly so, that it’s unrealistic to expect any back pad to limit the effects of extreme trauma. He also says that while there is no conclusive clinical data to condemn or support the use of back pads, their use is empirically
supported by the people whose best interests are at stake: racers
themselves.
One such racer is Doug Toland, hotshoe So-Cal club competitor and CYCLE WORLD’S hired-gun pavement artiste. Toland was wearing his Dainese Back Cover when he bailed at about 145 mph during a race, and survived a lengthy slide on his back with nary a scratch. On another occasion, Toland fell and got hit in the back with either a footpeg or exhaust pipe. The impact punched a hole in his leathers and tore one of the plate's rivets loose from the foam backing, but he was unscathed. Most telling, perhaps, is that Toland says he won't race without the Back Cover. In addi-
tion, our less adventurous experiences show that Dainese's Back Cover provides unrestricted freedom of movement, although it is hot to wear, and makes the rider’s back sweat.
That discomfort is a small price to pay—as is the suggested retail price of $49.95—considering the Back Cover’s potential benefits. Mind you, no piece of protective gear gives you carte blanche to cartwheel into the scenery and emerge unblemished. But Dainese’s Back Cover can make a significant contribution toward reducing the damage associated with certain types of back injuries. And wearing one is far better than going into battle nearly naked. 0
