Motorcycle & mobility PPE
Motorcycle apparel is a set of PPE components — gloves, jackets, trousers, protectors, footwear — each with its own standard, and a manufacturer rarely needs just one of them assessed. BIMEO starts from the whole product: which components carry requirements, which test reports already exist, what still has to be measured — and EU type-examination for the components within its notified scope.
One product, several PPE components
- Gloves — EN 13594, Level 1 and 2, KP marking: glove testing · glove certification.
- Jackets, trousers, suits — EN 17092, Class AAA to C: protective clothing certification.
- Impact protectors — required in Classes AAA, AA and A (hip protectors are optional in Class A); their certificates and test reports are assessed, and any missing test is sourced from a laboratory equipped for it.
- Footwear — requirements identified at the scope review, together with the rest of the range.
- Materials — leather and textile behind every component: leather testing · abrasion and durability · cut resistance (TDM).
The route, step by step
- Components and requirements: which parts of the product are PPE, which standard and class each one targets.
- Existing evidence: material, component and product test reports, protector certificates, earlier versions — reviewed first.
- Remaining tests: the list of what still has to be measured, and which of those tests run in our own laboratory.
- Testing: material-level measurements here — abrasion, tensile, tear and seam strength on leather and textile, TDM cut resistance (EN ISO 13997) on a commercial MESDAN machine, pH and chromium(VI); tests beyond our own equipment sourced separately, named before the quotation.
- Technical documentation: assessment of the file the Regulation requires — material data, construction, user information, risk analysis.
- EU type-examination (Module B): for the components within the NB 1524 designation; where the type meets the applicable requirements, a certificate for each product.
Existing evidence is reviewed first
Experienced manufacturers arrive with evidence: a leather with last year's report, a protector with its own certificate, a fabric tested for a previous collection. BIMEO reviews that evidence first and determines what can be used and what additional work is required — no promise in advance that a report will be accepted, and no repetition of what already stands.
Already have test reports? Have them assessed → How existing test reports are assessed →
Scope review before any promise
We do not publish a standard lead time for motorcycle PPE. The number of components and the tests that have to be sourced beyond one laboratory differ from project to project, and a generic figure would be wrong for most of them. What you get instead: an early scope review, a list of the remaining tests, and a quotation and schedule written for your product.
Measure first, procedure second
In the motorcycle PPE market the class marking (AAA…C, 1/2/KP) has become a buying criterion. Manufacturers who measure during development do not discover their class boundary at type-examination; they arrive with fewer surprises. Manufacturers outside the EU run the whole route remotely: how it works.
Frequently asked questions
Which standards apply to motorcycle gloves and clothing?
Motorcycle protective gloves fall under EN 13594 (Level 1 and 2, KP knuckle-protection marking); motorcycle garments under the EN 17092 series (Class AAA, AA, A, B and C). Both are PPE under Regulation (EU) 2016/425 and carry CE marking.
Can BIMEO certify motorcycle gloves and garments?
Yes. Motorcycle gloves (EN 13594) and garments (EN 17092) are assessed under the hand-and-arm protection and mechanical-risks lines of BIMEO’s notified-body designation (NB 1524). They are Category II PPE: EU type-examination (Module B) and a certificate per product. Where a standard requires a test that our own laboratory does not run — the impact protectors are the typical example — the scope review names it and it is sourced separately; we do not present it as an in-house test.
Do you test impact protectors?
Impact-protector testing (the EN 1621 series) is not part of our own laboratory’s equipment. In a garment project the scope review identifies which protector evidence is needed: existing protector certificates are reviewed first, and any remaining test is sourced from a laboratory equipped for it.
How long does a motorcycle PPE project take?
We do not publish a general lead time: motorcycle apparel often needs tests beyond one laboratory, and the schedule depends on how many components the product has and what evidence already exists. After the scope review you receive the list of remaining tests and a realistic, project-specific schedule.
What should be measured on motorcycle leather?
Tensile and tear strength of the leather, seam strength, abrasion resistance, and the innocuousness characteristics (pH, chromium(VI)). BIMEO’s leather-testing experience goes back to 1949.
Further reading
Discuss a motorcycle PPE project
Tell us which components the product has, what has been tested already — materials, protectors, earlier versions — and where you sell. You get a scope review back: what can be used, what still needs testing, which of those tests we run ourselves, and a project-specific quotation and schedule.
Discuss a motorcycle PPE project