It’s important to always wear your safety gear whenever you’re out riding your dirt bike. One of the most necessary items you should be wearing is a dirt bike chest protector or body armor.
The best dirt bike chest protector will protect your chest and torso in the event of a crash or accident. They also help protect your body from stones and debris along with tree branches and other hazards on the trail.
Whether you’re looking for the best motocross body armor or you just want a chest protector for additional safety, we put together this list of our top recommendations. This should help make it easier for you to find the right gear for a better dirt bike riding experience out on the trails.
Don’t forget to scroll towards the bottom of this post for some helpful buying tips and other features to look for. With that in mind, let’s jump right into it!
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The Best Dirt Bike Chest Protectors
Fox Racing R3 Roost Deflector (Best Motocross Body Armor Overall)
The Fox Racing R3 Roost Deflector stands as our top recommendation as the best dirt bike chest protector for most riders. Fox Racing is a well-known and reputable brand in the dirt bike community as a global leader in protective riding gear.
This chest deflector is a lightweight and designed to protect your torso and shoulders. Wearing one of these can be the difference between a light or serious injury if something happens when you’re out riding.
This body armor is well ventilated with the body shell providing plenty of airflow. Having the ventilation is ideal, especially if you’re riding in warmer climates or during the summer.
When it comes to fit, the Fox Racing R3 Roost Deflector can be easily adjusted with adjustable shoulder and waist straps. Thanks to the elastic side buckle waist closure, the chest guard is kept in place and tight to the body.
The low-profile shoulder cups prevent the shoulders from getting in the way of your helmet when you’re turning your head. This chest armor can even be used with a variety of neck braces, if you’re looking for additional safety.
Overall, the Fox Racing R3 Roost Deflector is our top recommendation as the best motocross body armor. If you’re looking to protect your body from roost and debris while staying ventilated and cool, this is the chest protector we would recommend.
Leatt Chest Protector
The Leatt Chest Protector is another great option if you’re looking for a lightweight dirt bike chest protector. This one is designed to be unisex so it can fit a wide range of adult body types.
The Leatt Chest Protector protects your core thanks to its lightweight, rigid frame. This design prevents roost and debris from slamming into your chest or upper body while you’re riding.
As for the strapping system, it makes it possible to usually adjust this body armor at the waist and shoulders. This keeps everything secure while allowing you to adjust the fit until it’s comfortable.
To help with air flow, there are ventilation slots built into the protective guards. This allows air to flow through and keeps you cool and dry while you’re riding.
Overall, despite the simple design, the Leatt Chest Protector is another great choice as one of the best chest protectors for dirt bikes. Although it doesn’t have any shoulder guards, it will protect your core from roost and debris while riding.
Fly Racing Revel Race Roost Guard
Up next we would recommend the Fly Racing Revel Race Roost Guard as another great choice. This is also one of the best dirt bike chest protectors to protect your core from roost, branches, and debris.
The body guard of the Fly Racing Revel Race Roost Guard is designed to protect both your chest, front torso, and back. This is beneficial to have while you’re riding and can also help protect your body in the event of a crash or accident.
Thanks to the adjustment straps on the waist and shoulders, this chest guard can be easily adjusted for a proper fit. Having these straps that allows you to customize the fit until it’s comfortable enough for riding while staying snug for protecting.
To help with ventilation, there are a number of airflow vents on the front and back of this roost guard. This keeps you cool, well-ventilated, and prevents you from overheating or sweating too much when you’re riding in warm weather.
One of the most interesting features of the Fly Racing Revel Race Roost Guard is the revolutionary biofoam chassis attachment system. This gets rid of any plastic rivets or other components of the chest guard that could cause injury in case of an accident or crash.
Overall, the Fly Racing Revel Race Roost Guard is another one of the best roost guards for riding with. It’s well ventilated, comfortable to wear, and protects your body from roost and debris out on the trails.
Alpinestars Sequence Chest Protector
The Alpinestars Sequence Chest Protector is lightweight, easy to wear, and better suited for light dirt bike riding. If you’re riding hard-packed gravel, country roads, or logging roads, this would be a great choice for you.
The Alpinestars Sequence Chest Protector feature has a soft shell that allows for a lightweight design. This shell is constructed from a high-performance, lightweight, thermoformed material blend that helps to protect your body.
When it comes to ventilation, the shell has perforation zones and air channeling. This helps with ventilation and results in excellent breathability, keeping you cool and dry when you’re out riding in warm weather.
For even more protection, the Alpinestars Sequence Chest Protector comes with a removable upper back padded panel. As for durability, the thermoformed textile material is abrasion resistant and is difficult to scratch.
There are specific sizes available for this chest guard. Adjustments are done with velcro straps at the waist, allowing you to customize your fit within a certain range.
Overall, we would recommend the Alpinestars Sequence Chest Protector if you’re doing a lot of easy dirt bike riding. It’s lightweight, comfortable to wear, and offers enough protection for logging roads, farm roads, and easier riding conditions.
Best Dirt Bike Chest Protector Buying Guide
When it comes to finding the right dirt bike chest protector, there are a number of different features to consider. These features include:
Sizing
One of the most important features is finding a chest guard in the right size. You want something that fits well so it’s comfortable to wear while riding and offers ample protection.
Look for chest protectors that come with adjustable straps. These can typically be found by the waist and shoulders, depending on the brand and style.
Having adjustable straps allows you to properly adjust the chest guard until it fits. Without straps, it can be difficult to find the right size.
Sizing is typically found in the product description or manufacturer specifications. Look for a measuring chart for exact measurements of the chest guard you’re interested in.
Should Guards
Another feature to look for is shoulder guards. Not all body armor comes with shoulder protection, although it’s a great feature to have for safety.
The shoulder guards can typically be removed from the chest piece. Some chest protectors even allow the shoulder guards to be used as an accessory.
Using shoulder guards helps to protect your shoulders and upper arms from branches, roost, and debris kicked up off the road. They’re also helpful in the event of a crash or accident.
Shoulder guards are typically available on some of the best dirt bike body protectors. Keep an eye out for this feature if you’re looking for additional safety and protection.
Ventilation
It’s important to use a chest protector with ventilation, especially if you’re riding in warm and humid climates. Without ventilation, it’s easy to get very warm, and possibly overheat when you’re out on the trail.
Most protectors come with air vents or some other form of ventilation. This allows the wind to blow through the protector and cool down your body.
Having this free flow of air also helps to prevent bacteria or fungus from growing. Not only that, it allows sweat to evaporate, which helps to keep your chest protector clean for a longer period of time.
Padding Thickness
Chest protectors with the thickest padding offer the most protection and resistance. The padding is designed to absorb the shock whether you’re in a crash, accident, or getting hit by branches and rocks on the trail.
Thick padding is typically found in the higher-end, premium chest protectors. Some models even have padding that can be removed, which helps with cleaning and comfort.
CE Certification
You shouldn’t buy any chest protectors, or dirt bike protective gear in general, that doesn’t come with CE certification. This is the certification that rates the safety of protective riding gear.
Without certification, you’re taking a chance with your safety. Non-certified gear tends to be cheaper, but it doesn’t offer anywhere near the same levels of safety and protection.
Weight
Wearing a heavy chest protector is cumbersome and annoying. It’s a good idea to look for the most lightweight protector you can find.
Lighter body armor is easier to wear and more comfortable. They also tend not to be as warm, which is not something you want when riding in warm, humid conditions.
Another problem with wearing heavy body armor is that the heat will get trapped underneath. This can lead to chafing or heat rash, something to avoid at all costs when you’re out on the trail.
The best motocross chest protectors will be lightweight and easy to wear. Keep an eye on the way when you’re out shopping for a chest guard.
Compatibility With Neck Braces
One interesting feature that not every chest protector has is a compatibility with neck braces. This means that it can be used along with a neck brace, for additional protection and safety.
Depending on your riding skill and where you’re riding, you may want to wear a neck brace on a dirt bike. This is made a lot easier if you’re using a chest guard that can be used with a neck brace.
Durability
It’s hard to judge the durability of a product if you’re ordering online. Thankfully, people typically leave in depth reviews where you can learn more about any of the products you’re interested in.
When it comes to durability of a chest protector, look for models made with higher quality and more reliable materials. This includes polycarbonate and adjustable buckles with velcro.
Don’t forget to scroll through the reviews or head to YouTube to see what other people have to say. This will give you a better idea of what to expect with any of the body armour you’re interested in.
Price
Finally, one of the most important considerations when it comes to choosing the right chest guard is price. Obviously, your budget plays the most important role in which specific gear you’re going to choose.
It’s hard to put a price on your safety and well-being. That’s why it makes sense to invest a little more in protective gear that keeps you safe out on the trails and roads.
As for pricing, you can expect to spend anywhere between $60 and $200 for a chest guard. At the higher end of this range, you’ll find better rated and more premium models that will come with more features and compatibility.
Why You Should Use Dirt Bike Chest Protection
Protection From Roost
It sucks when you’re out riding and the rider in front of you is kicking up roost right into your chest. The stones, dirt, and sticks getting kicked up can be very painful when they smash into you at high speeds.
Wearing a chest protector keeps you safe from roost. You won’t get home covered in scratches and bruises, assuming you’re wearing dirt bike gloves as well.
Protection From Trees
Another annoying distraction when you’re out riding are trees, specifically branches. Low-lying branches across the trail can knock the wind out of you, depending on how fast you’re riding.
At the very least, it’s annoying running into branches, especially if you’re not wearing any protective gear. A chest protector makes it a lot more manageable to ride through branches and you won’t have to take the risk of one of them injuring you or knocking you off the bike.
Protection From Crashes
Along with a helmet, dirt bike body armor protects you in the event of a crash or accident. Without the right safety gear, you’re putting yourself at risk.
Chest protectors absorb impacts and distribute it across the protector. This reduces the impact against your body, making it safer for you to get into a crash or accident.
While a rider never wants anything to happen, it’s impossible to predict everything out on the road or trail. That’s why it’s a good idea to wear protective gear whenever possible.
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