Smart crashual: Best motorcycle shirts and hoodies

Motorbike hoodies are a great way to stay comfortable and look casual on the road without sacrificing safety.

There are times when you don’t want to feel too ‘bikey’. You might be heading to an event or just to hook up with some friends but you want to relax and spend a bit of time off the bike at your destination without the world knowing you rode there.

You might be riding a bike that cries out for a certain type of clothing, where a sports jacket or adventure clothing simply isn’t the tight thing.

If, for example, you’re on a custom or a retro, then you might find you want to be wearing a shirt or in the urban jungle, a motorbike hoodie but you still want to maintain your protection and ensure that you are safe while you look relaxed. So you need an armoured shirt or hoodie.

With the advances in material and design technology nowadays, there is no reason that you should have to compromise your protection when you come to choose your style.

Related: Best urban motorbike boots

So even though you’re looking for informal clothing, you should still be looking for a decent overall CE rating for the garment, from B to AAA in increasing levels of protective ability as well as decent armour in at least the elbows and shoulders and ideally, a back protector as well.

Here is a selection of armoured shirts and hoodies that will keep you safe while you look cool.

How MCN tests products

At MCN, our team of expert journalists have decades of experience gained over hundreds of thousands of miles. We don’t test our kit to destruction; we use it exactly how you do, in the real world and in all conditions. That means we can deliver impartial buying advice you can rely on.
Each of our writers has an in-depth understanding of the needs of today’s biker… because they are one. If you can’t see a review against an item on this page, it’s because we haven’t tested it yet. These items will only be included if we think they’re important and relevant in the market, and rest assured, we will be working on bringing you a review as soon as we’ve done the miles.
To find out more, head to our dedicated page explaining how we test motorcycle products

About the author: After qualifying as a mechanical engineer, Jim Blackstock began working on magazines in the early 1990s. He remains passionate about product testing to ensure readers know what products offer good value and why. He relishes torrential rain to see if riding kit keeps water out and an hour or two to tinker on a project bike in his workshop.

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