| Kevlar Clothing
The main problem is that Kevlar by itself is grabby, i.e. it doesn't slide well. You'll notice that Kevlar is usually used attached to some kind of supporting structure such as leather to keep it in place on your body. It shouldn’t be used alone.
As an example: I ran across a ‘95 test of motorcycle gloves by Performance Bike where they tested gloves using a weighted silicon rubber hand and a 80 grade sanding belt moving at 50 mph. They tested Kevlar work gloves and found excellent abrasion resistance. They lasted an equivalent of 720 feet before developing holes. They concluded that this would be the ideal glove except for the fact that they don't slide well. In fact, the gloved hand grabbed on the belt and was ripped right off the mounting jig during the test.
They concluded that a Kevlar glove that has no wrist restraint is likely to come off in a crash. So, one solution is to wear Kevlar gloves under leather gloves that have a wrist restraint and longer cuffs. After the leather gloves hole-thru, the Kevlar armor will protect your hands and stay on because of the over-glove wrist restraint.
The same issues would apply for Kevlar underwear or outerwear. Without something to keep it in position it will grab the road surface and likely ride up on you till your skin is exposed. Another concern is that, because it grabs, it’ll send you tumbling down the road instead of sliding. Not good.
There was another magazine test that compared leather and jeans with Kevlar. The distance they held up in a skid on asphalt:
Plain Jeans - 6 feet
Jeans with Kevlar - 12 feet
Leather pants - 120 feet.
Aerostitch uses Cordura. Here's THEIR pitch:
THE STRAIGHT STORY on KEVLARŽ
[i]Aero Design pioneered abrasion-resistant motorcycle riders' suits made of advanced technology fabrics, and we continue to be a world leader in this field. So we're often asked why we choose CorduraŽ nylon, ballistic nylon, and Gore-TexŽ laminates for our Roadcrafter and Darien garments. Why not KevlarŽ?
We'd heard good things about Kevlar'sŽ qualities when we started our work, but back then KevlarŽ simply wasn't available in a useable form, so we chose the most effective materials available. Our rigorous original testing and subsequent experience (as well as our customers') has shown CorduraŽ nylon's abrasion resistance is not merely sufficient, but it has far surpassed riders' needs and expectations.* We've examined and repaired hundreds of crashed suits, some tested at over 100 mph. Visit our shop sometime and we'll show you actual crash tested suits and our abrasion testing materials and apparatus. Today KevlarŽ is manufactured in a useable form only by Schoeller Textile Company in Switzerland. It's readily available and used by other makers of protective riders' clothing.
We still choose CorduraŽ, not KevlarŽ. Here's why:
Its advantages just don't make up for its disadvantages.
In pure, undiluted form, KevlarŽ is lighter than nylon and has greater tensile strength. It won't melt like nylon after touching a hot muffler (or from the friction-generated heat of a high speed slide on hot pavement). Unfortunately, it's expensive and difficult to work with, which limits design and construction possibilities. And believe it or not, pure KevlarŽ fabric actually is much less abrasion-resistant than Cordura nylon. KevlarŽ fibers have far less elasticity than CorduraŽ nylon fibers, a crucial handicap in a crash. Even the smoothest pavements have a rough aggregate surface that causes abrasive pulling. Nylon's stretchy fibers will elongate, ride over the surface irregularities, then snap back into the weave (like a tree bending in a strong wind), but KevlarŽ fibers quickly reach their tensile limit and snap.
To solve these problems, manufacturers blend KevlarŽ with LycraŽ and nylon. In this blend, "KevlarŽ" is only about one third actual KevlarŽ. This creates problems. Because of the additional nylon and LycraŽ, much of its slight weight advantage over CorduraŽ is lost. It also loses some of its fire-resistant qualities. The blended KevlarŽ fabric may burn or melt (just like nylon) when it comes in contact with a flame, hot component, or high frictional heat.
Some KevlarŽ suits may provide good crash performance because they are specifically designed for sanctioned competitive roadracing. Roadcrafter suits aren't, but fortunately they're designed for everything else, including abrasion resistance at highway speeds.
We've tested (and will continue to test) CorduraŽ nylon against the alternatives. Its superior comfort, easy workability and excellent abrasion resistance make it our choice for quality, versatile, high performance riders' clothing. You've got a choice between the Roadcrafter and its proven record of outstanding abrasion performance, and something that costs more and delivers less. Guess what we recommend.
* For detailed information on leather vs. nylon vs. KevlarŽ, see the September 1989 issue of Cycle. In the cover story, the editors duplicated the Aero Design tests developed for the first Roadcrafter suits. The April 1993 issue of Motorcyclist also has a feature on comparative abrasion resistance of various materials.
Last edited by Shazaam! : 02-Jul-2009 at 14:29. | 
02-Jul-2009, 11:15 
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