The Elite Shirt by Bowtex is motorcycle clothing like you have rarely seen before. Bowtex created the Elite Shirt to be worn on its own, or underneath (any type of) other clothing, relying upon a AAA protective value, which is particularly remarkable!
Bowtex – Belgian design and produced in Europe – was founded when a couple of motorcyclists couldn’t find what they were looking for in the existing range of protective motorcycle gear: a light, practical, versatile and high-quality shirt that could offer the same protection level as a leather racing suit.
The latter is no lie: a leather motorcycle racing suit is the first thing you look for when you expect AAA value; the same AAA label that is reached by this Elite Shirt. Amazingly so, because an Elite Shirt weighs only 1,000 grams with the secret hiding in the materials that are used.
The Elite fabric has been specifically developed by Bowtex in cooperation with Dyneema®. It is unique and has been 100% manufactured in Germany. The heat-conducting properties of the material allow for a soft and cool contact with your skin, including optimal wearing comfort. It is largely chemically and UV resistant, as well as cutting and wear-resistant. The black result won’t fade easily. Dyneema® is produced according to a patented gel spinning procedure that stretches, heats, extends and cools the fibres. The final result is 15 times stronger than steel. Those café racers that created Bowtex from scratch occasionally tie a rope to the backs of their motorcycles to check how tear-resistant their products really are. Although it’s the independent lab that bears the certification responsibility.
Wearing this underneath a regular jacket is perfectly okay, the choice is yours. Do whatever feels easy, good and what you feel like doing. Bowtex will make sure it is safe, something like that. You get the highest possible homologation, in the most discrete and light version thinkable. There’s no doubting the wear-resistance. Nor the comfort. There’s plenty of breathability. Waterproofness there is not. That is something to consider. But that’s actually the only thing.
Admittedly, it takes some getting used to. Motorcycle riders wear either many layers or want to feel as much riding wind as possible. This is neither. One layer that includes everything. This is something new. The SAS-TEC® level 2 impact protection on the shoulders and elbows is flexible and ultralight. A little more substantial than a pyjama top but not that much more – with regard to feel, that is. Chest and back protection are an option. Let’s consider its practicality: the belt loops can be used to attach it to motorcycle trousers – also Bowtex – and the elongated back keeps everything neatly covered.
The price tag? This is complete motorcycle gear. High-tech. Comfortable. Versatile. Cooler than Kevlar. Something to wear every day. After a year, this comes down to less than one euro a day – for the protection level of that of a motorcycle suit.
