Every jacket on the rack claims to "protect." Very few hang tags tell you how, and almost nobody reads the small print sewn into the collar. That small print is the only part of the pitch that a lab actually had to sign off on.
GothRider doesn't run a crash lab, and we're not about to throw a mannequin down Rue Sherbrooke to prove a point. The good news is that you don't need us to. European and North American standards bodies already define what "protective" means, and the labels tell you which tests a piece of gear passed. This guide decodes them, from your jacket and armor down to your gloves, boots and helmet.
Why trust a certification label over a marketing claim?
Because a label refers to a published test with pass and fail criteria, and a marketing claim refers to whatever the copywriter felt that morning. "Abrasion resistant" means nothing on its own. "EN 17092-3 Class AA" means a garment passed a defined set of tests.
That doesn't make labels perfect. A standard sets a floor, not a ceiling, and it can't tell you whether the gear fits you or whether you'll actually wear it in July. But it's the only apples-to-apples comparison you get without a lab of your own.
The rule we live by: if a brand says "CE approved" without naming the standard number and the level or class, treat it as a vibe, not a rating.
What does AAA, AA, A, B or C mean on a jacket or pants?
It's the EN 17092 class, the European standard for motorcycle garments, and AAA is the top. The class describes the whole garment: how well the fabric survives a slide and whether impact protectors are required.
According to SATRA, one of the test labs that certifies to it, the classes break down like this:
- AAA: the highest abrasion performance, with elbow, shoulder, knee and hip protectors mandatory. Think one-piece or two-piece leathers.
- AA: a step below on abrasion, still with elbow, shoulder, knee and hip protectors mandatory. This is where most serious touring gear lives.
- A: lighter garments with the lowest abrasion level of the three, elbow, shoulder and knee protectors required, hip protectors optional. Urban riding territory.
- B: the same abrasion level as Class A, but with no impact protectors at all.
- C: impact protection only, with no minimum abrasion requirement. These are armor carriers, like mesh under-layers, meant to be worn with an AAA, AA, A or B garment.
The abrasion test simulates an average rider, 75 kg and 1.75 m tall, sliding to a stop on a concrete surface. To pass, no hole of 5 mm or more can open in the layer closest to the body. That's the part of the label that matters when you're doing an involuntary skin graft audition on the 40.
One catch: the class rates the garment, not the armor inside it. A Class A jacket can carry better armor than a Class AA one. Read both labels.
What do Level 1 and Level 2 armor ratings measure?
They measure how much impact force gets through the protector to your body. Lower is better, and Level 2 sets a much lower ceiling than Level 1.
Limb armor (shoulders, elbows, hips, knees) is tested to EN 1621-1. Per SATRA's summary, a protector passes when the mean transmitted force stays below 35 kN with no single hit above 50 kN. Level 2 tightens the average to below 20 kN, per the published thresholds summarized on Wikipedia's armor page.
Back protectors use EN 1621-2, which is stricter. Level 1 requires a mean below 18 kN with no single value above 24 kN. Level 2 drops the mean below 9 kN. Both parts of the standard also offer optional hot and cold impact tests (marked T+ and T-), which matter more than you'd think if you ride from a frozen March morning into a humid August afternoon.
The rest of the family: EN 1621-3 covers chest protectors, and EN 1621-4 covers mechanically activated inflatable protectors, the tethered style of airbag vest. For standalone protectors, our armor guide goes deeper.
Our take: Level 2 back armor is cheap insurance. Many jackets ship with a foam pad or an empty pocket where the back protector should be. Fill it.
How do you read a motorcycle glove label?
Look for EN 13594, a 1 or a 2, and possibly the letters KP. The number is the level, and KP means the knuckle protection passed an impact test.
SATRA's overview of EN 13594:2015 lists what gets tested: impact abrasion on a Cambridge machine, cut resistance, tear strength, seam strength, and restraint, which is how hard the closure holds the glove on your hand. Level 1 must resist being pulled off until 25 N of force, Level 2 until 50 N. Level 2 also requires a longer cuff and makes the knuckle impact test mandatory.
A glove that flies off in the first tumble protects nothing, which is why the restraint test is the most underrated line on the label.
What do the four numbers on a boot label mean?
They're the EN 13634 scores, each a 1 or a 2, in this order: height of the upper, impact abrasion, impact cut, and transverse rigidity. A boot marked "2 2 2 2" hit the higher level on all four.
Boot maker TCX publishes the thresholds: abrasion of at least 5 seconds for Level 1 and 12 seconds for Level 2, blade penetration of no more than 25 mm or 15 mm, and transverse rigidity of at least 1.0 kN or 1.5 kN. Transverse rigidity is the crush test, the one that matters when the bike lands on your foot. Some boots also carry a WR mark for water resistance.
A short "1" on height isn't automatically bad. It just tells you the boot stops lower on your leg, which is the trade-off for walking around like a human after you park.
Which helmet standards matter in North America?
DOT and ECE 22.06 are the two you'll see on most helmets sold in Canada and the US. Snell and SHARP are extra layers of information on top.
DOT FMVSS 218
This is the US federal standard. Manufacturers self-certify that a helmet meets it, then NHTSA has third-party labs buy helmets off the shelf and test them after they're already on sale. The tests cover impact attenuation, penetration and the retention system. It doesn't include a rotational impact test.
ECE 22.06
The current European regulation replaced 22.05. It added impacts at 6.0, 7.5 and 8.2 m/s, extra randomly chosen impact points so brands can't just reinforce the known test spots, an oblique impact test that measures rotational acceleration, a high-speed particle test on the visor, and testing with official accessories fitted, according to this ECE 22.06 guide. The UK's SHARP program notes that 22.05-only production had to stop in July 2023, so a lot of older stock is still floating around.
Snell M2025
Snell is a voluntary, private standard. The current versions, M2025D and M2025R, are aimed respectively at helmets that also need DOT and helmets that also need ECE 22.06, and both add oblique impact tests. Snell also runs a random sample program, pulling certified helmets from the same supply sold in stores and retesting them.
SHARP
SHARP is a UK government rating, not a certification. It uses at least seven samples of each model and runs 32 impacts per model: 30 linear hits at up to 8.5 m/s and 2 oblique ones, then scores the result from 1 to 5 stars. It only covers helmets sold in the UK, so plenty of North American models have never been rated. Our helmet buying guide and our breakdown of Icon helmet safety put these ratings to work.
What's legal in Quebec?
The SAAQ requires a helmet meeting one of six standards: DOT FMVSS 218, Snell, ECE Regulation 22, CSA CAN-3-D230, ANSI Z90.1, or a British Standards Institute standard, per the SAAQ's helmet page. For jackets, gloves and boots, the SAAQ makes recommendations, not certification requirements.
The SAAQ does recommend gear that covers the ankles, abrasion-resistant gloves and jackets and pants with impact padding. Recommended isn't required, which is exactly why reading labels is on you.
How do you use all this when you buy gear?
Read the sewn-in label first, then the price tag. Here's the order we'd shop in:
- Helmet: DOT plus ECE 22.06 at minimum. If the model has a SHARP rating, check the side-impact scores, not just the stars.
- Jacket and pants: Pick the EN 17092 class that matches your riding. AA is the sweet spot for most street riders.
- Armor: Check the EN 1621 level on each protector, and add a Level 2 back protector if the pocket is empty.
- Gloves: EN 13594 Level 1 at minimum, with KP if you can get it.
- Boots: EN 13634, and look hard at the fourth digit if you ride something heavy.
Do labels tell you how long gear lasts?
No. Certification tests new samples, so a label says nothing about how a jacket holds up after five Montreal winters in a damp garage, or how a boot sole wears after years of shifting.
That's where honest owner feedback, stitching quality and warranty terms come in. Inspect gear every season: seams, zippers, armor pockets, Velcro. If a helmet has taken a real hit, retire it, even if it looks fine. Foam that has crushed once doesn't get a second chance.
The bottom line is boring and correct: let the labs do the crashing, and let the labels do the talking. Your job is to read them, buy accordingly, and look good while doing it.
More gear safety guides
Go deeper on each piece of gear, from helmet ratings to what Quebec law actually requires.
- Motorcycle Helmet Safety Ratings: SHARP, ECE, DOT, Snell
- Icon Helmet Safety: Certifications and SHARP Ratings
- AGV Helmet Safety: SHARP Ratings, ECE 22.06, Matte Black
- Motorcycle Airbag Vests and Jackets: How They Work
- Motorcycle Armor Guide: CE Level 1 vs Level 2 Explained
- Motorcycle Glove Safety: EN 13594 Level 1 vs Level 2
- Sidi vs Alpinestars Boots: Which Should You Buy?
- Helmet Cameras for Riders: GoPro vs DJI vs Insta360
- Women's Motorcycle Gear: Fit, Sizing and Safety Labels
- Quebec Motorcycle Helmet Law: What Riders Must Wear
- When to Replace Your Motorcycle Helmet and Gear
Editor's note: this article was rewritten in October 2026. An earlier version described product tests GothRider Magazine never ran. Ratings and specifications now come from the manufacturers and independent testing bodies linked above.
