Does Motorcycle Mesh Gear Melt in a Crash?

If you ride a motorcycle you know you take more chances on the road than if encased in a steel and glass condom. An obvious question is how to reduce a rider’s risk? The answer is multifold, but starts between the rider’s ears: Develop that innate “spidey sense” to predict that a dumb cager will do an idiot move, move out of the way, and then watch as life unfolds, with the rider safely out of harm’s way. Another tactic is to increase your conspicuity: Wear a bright pink bikini bunny suit with a reflective vest. That might work. Or not. Yet another tactic is to wear personal protective equipment, or what bikers call “gear”. Of course thick leather is best, but in the heat of the summer you could pass out from heat exhaustion. Mesh is very popular and affordable, but does it protect you in a crash? A common impression is that mesh will melt against your skin during a crash, causing you more pain and suffering. One needs to ask “Does mesh really melt in a crash”? In short, mesh does protect you in a crash, and in general mesh does not melt in a crash. Last Update: July 08 2013.

These photos and examples are collected from various motorcycle forums. All photos are linked to the original posters. I wanted to collect all examples so that photos of crashes in mesh gear are all in one place and we can compare mesh outcomes.

Material Choice: Leather

With so many choices gear is not easy to purchase. Here’s a summary. Thick leather with armour gives you the best impact and friction protection, lessening the initial impact and subsequent sliding and road rash. Look for 1.2mm or thicker cow. Fashion leather, typically sheep or less than 1.0mm cow will wear through and rip. Unfortunately for us, thick leather is heavy and hot, so when the ambient air is over 25C, some of us are at risk of heat exhaustion and may pass out. An alternative is perforated leather gear, which increases ventilation but also weakens the leather. I don’t think one can conclude that perforated leather offers the same protection as non-perforated leather. I’ve seen no photos of perforated leather going for a slide, but riders say it is better than passing out.

Leather is heavy and not waterproof. If you are caught in a downpour leather will suck up water like a sponge and will take days to dry. Perforated leather will leak even faster, has more surface area and therefore has the ability to suck up even more water.

Material Choice: Textile/Mesh

An alternative to leather is textile or mesh. Both are man made cloth of a variety of materials, predominantly polyester and nylon. Both are light and can be nicely vented to keep you cool while moving. Mesh is cooler because the material is near see through, allowing air to easily dissipate the heat.

Textile can also be waterproof, so when you do get caught in the rain you will remain dry and comfortable. Textile is also windproof, which will keep you warmer when the wind chill is relevant. This waterproof coating is compliments of a polyurethane top layer, which when heated up will melt. There are many documented examples of textile gear melting on the skin of riders, no doubt undesirable.

I don’t think you’d want to wear the Phoenix 2.0 pants without wearing at least a pair of shorts underneath, because they’re slightly see-through and I’m not sure how hot melting poly fabric would feel on bare skin during a pavement luge run.

Many names are given to types of Nylon to make it sound impressive. Only Cordura Nylon or Dynatec of 620 Denier or above is suitable for motorcycle gear. Denier refers to the thickness of the fibers in the weave, higher denier means higher abrasion and tear strength. Be aware that due to cost, some makers coat their nylon with a layer of polyurethane that under heavy pavement friction can melt into your skin.

07-14-2003 Over the years I’ve picked up many a binned rider. (I’m a Paramedic) Without a doubt, the majority of the time, the people that wear leathers do better. I’ve seen the textile clothing melt during a getoff countless times. That’s not so bad….it’s when they have to scrub that melted textile out of your badly abrased skin. Zoey

Then again maybe not. Here are examples of textile that did not melt.

9/12/2006 I hit a deer and went down wearing a Joe Rocket textile jacket. The fabric wore through to the armor at the elbows, but no melting. The fabric just looked like a worn pair of jeans. YMMV… Randy724

9/12/2006 I hit a deer also. the fabric all most wore completely through on the elbows and on the back, but did not damage the armour much. There was no sign of melting and I went down at about 84 miles per hour on the interstate. The helmet was in worse shape than the Joe Rocket jacket. exyuppie

9/12/2006 I had a 85 to 100 ft slide during the RAT on pavement and gravel. I was wearing a Killy jacket and joe rocket pants.

No melting even through worn thru fabic to armor at right elbow and shoulder. No rash , some bruises, and broken ribs. Helmet damaged more than clothing. buldog9729.

9/12/2006… I just rode with a VIP from Joe Rocket and he stated that in all the accidents they have heard about while wearing Textile jackets they don’t have a single case of the material melting into the Skin. Note: Textile is different than mesh, I’m of the firm belief that everything made in the past four years or so is vastly improved from a melting standpoint. however I have no actual proof. magnasal

9/13/2006 I got off my FJR head first two summers ago, sliding on hot pavement then into the ditch while wearing a FieldSheer textile…the jacket was worn down to the armour on one elbow and shoulder pad. There was major heat marks on one shoulder, fabric was stiffer but intact. I had a heat rash on that shoulder but because the the jacket had a satin like lining, no skin was directly in contact with any of the contact areas. I still wear FieldSheer textile jackets and like the versatility that textiles offer over leather. GP38

Alas the reality of the melting textile on your skin is that the textile should hold your armour in place so the textile will melt against your armour and not your skin. This is also true for mesh. If you slide in a body area that has no armour, then a little melted nylon won’t be pleasant but that thin layer of textile will soon rip through and you’ll have the more intimate problem of road rash. And melted nylon in your road rash.

Examples of Melting Mesh

After a great deal of internet mining, I found it difficult to find much of an example of mesh melting during a crash.

talk to downsouth8 [downsouth8_2000] he is carlos he was doing about 80 when he went down and told me it melted to his arm…

…Carlos was wearing a cheaper brand of mesh jacket, I know, I was there and picked it up…While this jacket may have claimed to have kevlar threading, I highly doubt it. Materials such as nylon (found in most mesh jacets) and polyster are basically plastic that has been turned into threading, when plastic get’s hot, it melts before it burns.

I have another contact on a Toronto forum that says his mesh jacket did melt in his crash. He will try to find pictures of his wound and the jacket. When I get photos I will post them.

While it is true that the addition of Kevlar (Dupont) can reduce melting and increase abrasion resistance, the problem is determining the amount and type of kevlar in the garment. There is currently no way to determine if only a token amount of weak kevlar thread was used in the weave, or something better. One tried and true way to trust a garment is a recommendation from a fellow rider. One company that stands out for kevlar gear is Motoport. Another company is Draggin Jeans.

The final proof of our claims: If you ever crash in any of Cycleport’s Kevlar blended jackets/pants or one piece suits and the damage cannot be repaired, we replace the damaged gear for FREE!!!

Here’s a great post from thegearguy. Unfortunately I could not track him down. If you know this guy please leave a link to where I can locate him.

Boy, this is a complex subject, and being in the industry for 10 years and having gone to China more times than i wanted, (a brutal flight), i wanted to weigh in on a couple of things. I realy do not have a vested interest at this time with any manufacturer, so here goes. I will get to the kevlar and poly mesh material in a sec.

Armor, common sense… I see and hear about all the new foams that get harder like corn startch and water when you impact. some of the multi layer stuff is good as well, bottom line, when someone wants to sell you some new fangled armor, i am a bit old school. The outer solid plastic with padded inside, has merits. Take a jacket with the old school armor, and get the new fangled “hardening foam” proponent to stand in a door way with you and both of you whach the corner of the door jamb as hard as you can. Most of the new school guys decline, as the low profile armor may be more comfortable etc, it does not spread the impact area out like a harder outer shell does. The harder outer shell also allows you to skid on rough concrete much longer before wearing through. Keep in mind CE ratings rate G force and they use something like a 3″ round blunt nosed weight, that drops a few meters, and measure the G force on the other side, so the foam may seem good, but it is not the whole story.

Mesh, most all mesh is a synthetic material, cotton and leather are a few of the natural fibers we use in clothing, most all else is plastic of some sort or synthetic. this means it will melt. Kevlar and Nomex is best. Mesh jackets are usually intended to last one crash and save you from some road rash. It is not so much the mesh as it is the armor being placed in the highest percentage impact areas. Elbows, shoulders and back.

Protection should be rated in impact and abrasion, and good armor in the right places will usually save you some discomfort from an “unexpected get off”. The mesh may melt, but should be away from the skin, as it is on the outside of the armor in most critical areas and decent jackets. The hype about poly versus nylon is a very small degree of time as to which one will melt if you contact a hot exhaust, half a second may be something, but in practicality, is it? Both will melt, it is the nature most synthetics.

About kevlar, there are many weights and grades, and applications. from kevlar that is designed to be laminated, like in a helmet shell, or fiber glassing like application, etc, and a fabric or material that is pliable. Dragon jeans is probably the best out there, but a bit expensive.

Some other more popular brands ( more style than protection) may use aramide, this is a more genetic material similar to kevlar, but does not require royalties to be paid to DuPont, therefore usually less expensive. Check out the thickness in the knees, if it is paper thin, it may not do the job. Dragon jeans may be overkill as well, the price is high, and there are some jeans out there that use a lower grade kevlar that may suffice in a slide as well, in a typical non impact “get off”.

Sorry i am rambling, and if you have read this far, lets talk about denier, this is the linear weight, in grams, of a ( i believe 9000 meters) mills spool as it is going into the weaving process. It does tell you the linear weight or weight of the strand, but not how tight the weave is. An example is; if you see “ballistic” luggage that says 1680D, this means the weight of the new spool, 9000metes of length, weight is 1,680 grams.

Again as this does not tell you how tight the weave is, and it is not the whole story, but a part of the story. I have not seen any standard where manufacturers give you both an , area per weight number and denier. If you do not have a standard of area per weight or thread count per area, it is hard to compare the tightness of the weave for judging how good the abrasion resistance is.

Ok my ramblings and pecking here is done, i hope some of this makes sence, bottom line old fashioned, whack the door jamb armor test is not a bad thing when considering what armor is the best. And kevlar, etc does have a high melting point, somewhere around 500 degrees if pure and not mixed with spandex or synthetics of a lower grade.

The Gear Guy.

I am still in the industry, although more of an independent level. I may change that soon, but for now, a small operation and not working for any brand or distributor.
I had not seen the thread until the day i responded, so my appologies on the delay guys.
Where is spell check on this thing, i reread my post and the spelling was terrible, where would we all be without spell check and a calculator?

Best TGG

Examples of Mesh not Melting

There is considerable anecdotal evidence that mesh gear does work and does not melt during a crash.

Here’s old Jack with the Mesh Jacket, Kevlar Jeans, and DOT helmet that saved my life last July….. even though we hit a deer, we slid on our left side for many, many yards, a long slide that I remember before the lights went out! Broken ribs, collapsed lung, concussion….but alive….. no significant road rash….

The Mesh Jacket (First Gear) and the kevlar pants had not a single ground through hole in them….not a tear….. the jacket did not melt, the armor worked……Cousin Jack

Johns right, my mesh jacket saved my hide, no road rash, and did not melt. The armor did its job aswell. My first gear over pants were torn alittle but also saved me from road rash. The thin leather gloves I was wearing tore up and I lost a little skin. I had just changed out my armored mesh gloves. NaturalyGW

I should have got in on this [forum thread] way early as one of the survivors of a bad wreck while wearing a Joe Rocket Mesh jacket with Ballistic padding in it.

My jacket still looked new after the accident. I did not have any broken bones, or torn skin off my legs, knees, elbows…..

My left elbow has a permanent burn scar that measures about 1/4 inch by 3/4 inch from the heat generated from my sliding down the pavement while apparently laying on that elbow. The jacket shows no visible signs of that slide. AZgl1500

Review for Joe Rocket Pheonix copied from “Mesh vs Leather (2005)” thread:
Experience with product: More than 2 years.
Type of riding done with product: Commuting
Price paid: $100
Purchased from: Internet (don’t remember)
Product strengths: Lightweight, and when moving you don’t feel like you’re wearing it. In a crash, the jacket really works. I know because I was wearing the original Phoenix 1.0 when I crashed at 45 mph and did a long slide on my right side on hot asphalt. Not a bit of road rash, although the jacket looked like hell. Like a helmet, it is a “1 use” safety item.

Product weaknesses: Hard to wash – hand wash only in cool water, and then only gently. Also needs a bit more reflective stuff on it.

Overall Opinion: I’m buying another in bright yellow. The jacket protects in a crash and is cool when riding. It also fits my rather large frame very well and is comfortable no matter what I’m wearing underneath it.

In the case of the above mesh jacket crash the rider suffered major road rash on his shoulder. While the outer layer of mesh did abrade away the inner mesh layer remained intact. The road rash may have been caused by friction between his shirt and his skin. His foam shoulder armour may have also shifted during the crash.

I have seen three sets of textile gear and helmets after being involved in crashes. All of it was First Gear just by chance, two sets were mesh and the other was Kilimanjaro.
All of it was damaged beyond further use, with holes and abrasions but no torn seams, and most importantly no significant melting that was apparent to my untrained eye, some holes had a little melting at the very edge but only on the surface layer of fabric. The two wearing the mesh had bruises and a broken bone but no road rash. They were riding a Goldwing and slid for an extended distance on tar, they both replaced their mesh with more First Gear Mesh and were very happy with protection provided, neither experienced burns of any sort.

This crash was a low speed lowside on gravel. The mesh did not melt. The rider wore kevlar Draggin jeans and a mesh jacket. He even repaired his mesh jacket with hand stitching and epoxy!

When I had my encounter with the deer, I was wearing mesh.

I hit the asphalt at 65+mph and slid a long way. The mesh was destroyed, but I had no road rash. The only impact damage I had (broken collar bone, bruising) would not have been prevented by leather.

I’m a believer.

High speed crash at 140kph/81mph, JR textile jacket, Icon mesh gloves, jeans and running shoes. Fractured ankle, significant road rash results, but the textile jacket does not rip all the way through to the inner liner. The Icon gloves fail and rip apart.

I got into an accident… Yes I’ve been riding for 1 month and some ****** tries to pass me in my lane on the highway and clips me… I fly around like at confused bat at 130km/h skipping on the pavement like a flat rock on water.

In the moment I’m in disbelief but thinking to myself I’m gonna die at the same time. My body stops moving, traffic is at a stop, and I get up limping towards my bike. I’m confused and hurt, emergency arrives I’m taken to the hospital and I get off with severe road rash and a fractured ankle.

This [Teknic textile] jacket saved me after a collision with a deer in 2007, in fact other than it no longer being waterproof, I wore it for another year and use it for off road riding (Rotten_Ronnie).

02-05-2011 I had a very minor lowside once, leaned way over into a sharp left hander at only about 40 km/h, and the front hit a bit of loose stuff and washed out. The bike slid into the weeds, and I slid down the roadway pretty gently and came to a stop in about 20 feet. All in all a very minor incident and I was unhurt except for a bit of road rash on my left knee…

I think it’s a good idea to add a mesh textile jacket with armour to your list. When I had the crash I mentioned earlier I was wearing a mesh jacket. It held together fine and the armour in the left forearm saved my elbow from a nasty knock on the pavement. I remember feeling a hard jolt to the elbow on the way down, but it felt padded and the actual force wasn’t much at all to my elbow. It felt just like your hockey pads absorbing and redistributing the impact from a hard shot. I think the bone would have cracked without it. gpz1100

May 12 2011: Scott B (see comments below) pointed me to a crash where the rider was t-boned by a pizza delivery truck, spilling hot coolant all over his JR Phoenix mesh jacket. The rider suffered horrendous midriff burns as the polyester mesh melted and embedded into his skin. This is the first significant case where mesh has melted, failed to protect and contributed to injuries to the rider. Perforated leather may have been slightly better and certainly would not have melted. This case is unusual and did not involve friction from a slide on pavement.

April 18 2011…with the bike stopping about 4 feet from the guard rail. I was unfortunately catapulted over the bike and into the guard rail. So I got to spend the night in the hospital, have no idea what my bike looks like and have “multiple rib fractures” where I hit the rail.

It was a record setting heat day so all the oil and grease was up on the surface and swimming and I finally dumped the bike at about 40 mph. I was hoping to slide with it but was launched.

I’m lucky I hit the guard rail as a 150 foot drop would have killed me.
I was wearing ATGATT so road rash is minimum…..Spunky99

Frank Thomas mesh pants. No hip protection so I still have hard lumpy areas around the right hip under the skin and has a slight light skin road rash on the hip area that has healed. Right knee was road rashed where the seam popped open and exposed my knee. Left kneecap is still sore but no rash. Spunky99

In July 2011 Tracy Bader crashed in Montana. Riding at 110kph/65mph her V-Star’s brake line kinked, locking up the front brake. She endo’d, landing on her head, rolling a couple of times before sliding in a semi-sitting position. The bike skidded for 14 ft and then slid an additional 156 ft. Tracy slid on the road for 160 ft. Tracy received road rash on her left forearm and hands, and the usual cuts and bruises, but walked away without serious injury. Banged up she is, but without mesh gear she would have done far worse. Her Joe Rocket Cleo jacket’s armour protected her. The mesh abraded but did not melt.

From Scarborough, On, Canada, “Face” was riding in Pennsylvania when he low sided on a curve at 80 kph in May 2012. Broke two bones in his left hand, went over the handlebars, though he does not recall this. He damaged the chin bar on his Shark Evoline 2 (modular) helmet and the visor broke off. His Olympia Nomad textile jacket slightly melted at the left elbow, ripped slightly but did not abrade the inner liner and did not damage the elbow armour at all. Jacket cordura slightly ripped at left zipper, left zipper broke one tooth. Various seam threads were abraded away. A tiny section of the cordura melted together and could not be easily separated by heat.

mia389 was riding on the interstate at 60-65mph when his front fender came off and got sucked into his front wheel, locking it up, resulting in a lowside. He was wearing a Joe Rocket mesh jacket but only experienced minor skin abrasions and soreness.

…I had two holes in my jeans on my knees. Had road rash on both knees…My hand was burning so I took my glove off but it was burnt into my thumb. It hurt taking it off but I had some road rash on the heal of my thumb where the road came through my glove.

…I just departed my bike on the interstate prolly around 60-65mph and I only have minor road rash and soreness. My gear really saved me lots of pain today. I was wearing a half face HJC helmet, gloves, and a joe rocket [mesh] jacket. My jacked did its job. The elbow pads were half burned off and my forearm had the mesh burned into it just a bit.

…My equipment held up but if I was wearing leather instead of the mesh I wouldn’t need this morphine . It really hurt when they were cleaning my road rash…

Mia389’s jacket did not abrade completely through all layers, leaving only the inner mesh layer intact. Because the mesh has so many holes he may have received road rash through the mesh. The rest of his injuries appear to be friction burns. Unique to his crash was that his mesh jacket shredded and embedded mesh fibers into his skin wounds. Removal of these small individual fibers would have been time consuming and very painful.

“RockerGuy” was riding the Twyn Rivers curves in Toronto in 2008 when he entered a sharp decreasing radius turn too hot at ~70kph/44mph. He clipped his right foot on the road, resulting in a low side and his bike’s rear hitting the guard rail. The rider rolled over a few times, hitting his right shoulder and right elbow, and scraping the front right shoulder of his Joe Rocket mesh jacket. No damage was done to the rider’s upper body and the jacket is still in use today, a little scraped up but otherwise no worse for wear.

As RockerGuy was wearing jeans which quickly shredded. Both knees were severely lacerated, resulting in both road rash as well as embedded road debris. The rider still bears a scar on his right knee, 5 years later (2013). Glutes were also scraped.

While “Victorbrca” of Mississauga, ON, Canada, was on a refresher course for the Total Control L1, practicing leaning into a turn (knee was close to the ground), when at 40kph/25mph he hit some gravel, losing his front wheel and lowsided. The outer layer of his Joe Rocket Alter Ego overpants was shredded but the armour remained intact. The crash did not abrade through all layers of his pant. The textile did not melt. The rider’s Icon perforated leather jacket was only marginally scuffed. The rider did not suffer any injury.

This account dates back to 2009 but someone just pointed it out to me. “Crashmaster” from ADVriders inadvertently merged into a truck at 70 mph in Mexico, resulting in a spectacular crash and a serious test of his Motoport Kevlar Air Mesh II with Quad armor mesh jacket, stretch kevlar street jeans with quad armor and gloves. At least he is honest about his account. The jacket experienced surface abrasions and broken zippers but overall did very well. The pants were severely abraded in one area but did not wear through to the inner liner. The rider received no road rash.

In this thread there is a quote from “Swimmer” that goes to the heart ofwhy I have done this posting:

To the OP. Thanks for posting this. Since none of the manufactures provide real proof of the crashworthiness of their gear, first hand accounts are about all we’ve got.

Bad Dad’s crash photos. 60mph, hit a deer. Wearing leather and mesh combo jacket. Mesh did melt, causing some rash but he walked away relatively unscathed. Mar 2012.

I continue to seek further examples and photos of crashes while wearing mesh motorcycle gear. If you have been down wearing mesh, please send me your situation and photos. I’d appreciate it.

Mesh looks weak but its purpose is to keep the armour in place for the initial impact and while sliding. The mesh will abrade but often will not abrade right through to the inner jacket. Each crash is different and forces are subsequently different. It is the combination of mesh and armour that makes mesh gear effective. Overall there are very few cases where mesh has melted through to the rider’s skin.

While mesh offers less protection than competition racing leather, for the average rider on the street it is significantly better than no gear or jean material. Mesh will substantially reduce or eliminate road rash.

The best gear is the gear you wear. Whatever you choose, wear it for every ride.

Notes:
–Beware of Polyester Motorcycle Jackets: Nylon vs Polyester, Nylon is safer
-Disclaimer: I am a motorcycle rider not connected to any commercial venture related to motorcycling. I buy the gear that I can afford, which can be any brand name. I do not claim to represent any of the manufacturers mentioned in this post.