Back protectors are a fairly new thing, certainly when it comes to road riders. In fact, thinking about it, I don't remember seeing anyone wearing a back protector, even on the track, before the mid 90's, and even then it was considered a little over the top for a while. But now people are starting to look at back protection as being right up there with helmets as essential wear, and rightly so. As a motorcyclist you probably don't need reminding that your spine is terribly vulnerable - even if you don't hurt yourself falling off there are still things like kerbs to bounce over - so you probably already wear a back protector anyway. But just in case…

As you may know, Racer are an Austrian company who are fairly new to the UK market. They don't have a huge product range, but what they do have is a limited number of items all made to an extremely high standard. And their Bodyguard back protector is no exception - it feels solid and shows some really good thinking in the design.

Good ideas include the fact that it comes in two parts, joined by a zip and some of the most ferocious velcro I have ever seen. This means that if, for example, you are tall and fat you can get a long protector and a large lower section. Likewise, if you're short and thin then you can get a smaller upper section and a small belt. Or you can have any permutation you like from small to extra large. Being CE approved means that after a knock you really ought to replace the armoured sections. The fact that in most cases that means throwing away the whole protector generally means that this doesn't happen, and as a result loads of us (including me) ride around with back protectors which may not work properly a second time. The Bodyguard gets around that by having replaceable CE parts which are reasonably priced and readily available. They're also quite easy to change, which is a novelty. It's also nice to wear a back protector which doesn't make me overheat. The Bodyguard is vented, is covered in a wicking material and is mainly made of leather, all of which work together to make wearing it, even on a hot day, far less unpleasant than it might otherwise be.

I've not used this in anger yet, and hope to avoid doing so for a while yet. But I have ridden about 2000 miles in the four weeks since I got it, including a track day, and I can say without a doubt that it is far more comfortable than the one it replaced. As well as being cooler and lighter, the design makes it much less restrictive when I'm moving around on the bike - something I admit that I do a lot, especially on track days. The shoulder straps look as though they should be uncomfortable but aren't, despite not being elasticated, and the waistbelt is soft and wide. In fact, the only criticism I can level at the Bodyguard is due to the fact that the test one we have is too big for me at the waist (beggars can't be choosers, it seems) and the waist belt is a little loose as a result.

Overall this is a well designed, well made product that I am confident to use and would not worry about in the event of everything going pear shaped. Allied to the extremely competitive price of just £59.99, this is a very attractive back protector which is certainly worth a look when you're next in the market.