NARRATION

Those of us who ride like to think of our motorcycle as the ultimate freedom machine. Just you, your bike and the elements.

Klaus

It's just the freedom feeling, the speed, the adrenaline pumping.

Mike

I like the thrill. I'm doing it purely for fun.

Michael

It's just the places that everybody's been, that just makes for instant friends.

NARRATION

Riders take personal responsibility for their safety, and when they don't wear protective clothing, it's usually because it's too hot.

Dr Liz De Rome

Something like 40% of riders will come off and they'll slide. And as long as they don't hit anything, it's a matter of whether they lose a layer of fabric or they lose a layer of skin, and it makes a big difference.

NARRATION

But is the gear we need for protection also the right fit for our Aussie summer?

Klaus

It's a compromise, safety gear, isn't it? I mean, the more it protects you, the hotter it will be.

Katie

You try and wear the right thing, but sometimes you also want to be comfortable as well.

Mike

If I'm going to the shops, it's ten minutes and it's hot, I won't gear up, it's not worth it.

Alex

You tend to focus more on how much you're sweating, and how tired you're feeling. You do tend to lose a bit of concentration on the job at hand.

NARRATION

Now scientists are putting motorcycle clothing to the test, for both heat comfort and capacity to protect, and the results are surprising.

Dr Liz De Rome

The testing we've done shows that quite a lot of the gear in the market is actually not fit for purpose, that is, it won't protect them in a crash.

NARRATION

Their research is vital to improve the safety, comfort, and perhaps survival of riders in the future. I guess I'm a bit of a petrol head at heart, with a love for motorbikes. Back in the day, they were my main way of getting around, up and down the East Coast, throughout the north, exploring other countries, and commuting in the big smoke.

Mark Horstman

I've been riding motorcycles for nearly half my life, but six years ago, I traded mine in for a family wagon and I haven't ridden since. It's good to be back in the saddle.

NARRATION

And it seems I'm not alone. The popularity of motorbikes has doubled over the past decade, to more than 800,000 riders across the nation. I'm on a road trip to the University of Wollongong to lend my mind and body to a unique study on the impacts of motorcycle clothing.

Mark Horstman

Hello, Liz.

Dr Liz De Rome

Mark. Hi. How're you going?

NARRATION

Putting me through my paces is fellow biker and safety researcher,Dr Liz De Rome.

Dr Liz De Rome

We selected the ten most commonly worn suits in Australia and we've tested them for their thermal management properties. And I have to tell you, this was the worst performer.

Mark Horstman

So if it was a hot, humid summer's day, the last thing I should be wearing is this.

Dr Liz De Rome

You might not like to be wearing it and the point of the study is to find out whether, in fact, it's just 'suck it up, princess, yes, we know it's hot' or if it's actually a safety risk.

NARRATION

After a weigh-in and a urine sample to check that I'm hydrated, I'm fitted with a heart rate monitor and thermal sensors.

Dr Liz De Rome

I'll need to shave in some areas, I hope you don't mind.

Mark Horstman

It just gets better and better.

Dr Liz De Rome

Level height...

Mark Horstman

About here?

Dr Liz De Rome

Yeah.

NARRATION

The sensors will monitor my skin temperature, while this probe, delicately squeezed into my ear, will measure my body core temperature. Next up, it's time for the gear, including all-season textile pants, socks, heavy boots and a very warm jacket.

Mark Horstman

This is the fanciest gear I've ever worn before.

NARRATION

I'll be doing a series of tests throughout the experiment to monitor my physical and mental state.

Dr Liz De Rome

This one is called the NASA TLX, it's a workload scale.

Mark Horstman

NASA, as in that was developed for astronauts?

Dr Liz De Rome

Yes, this was developed for astronauts.

NARRATION

With snug inner gloves to collect every bead of sweat, and my helmet firmly in place, it's time for lift-off to the thermal chamber.

Mark Horstman

Hi, Nigel.

Associate Professor Nigel Taylor

Welcome to the Chamber.

Mark Horstman

Love what you've done with the place.

Associate Professor Nigel Taylor

Yes. What we've got set up for you is 35 degrees. 40% humidity.

Mark Horstman

Right. What kind of two-stroke motorcycle is this?

Associate Professor Nigel Taylor

This is your two-stroke. Shanks' pony almost.

Mark Horstman

Yes, yes.

NARRATION

My reaction time will be tested throughout the study, and after establishing my baseline mental and physical state, we're good to go.

Associate Professor Nigel Taylor

Five, four, three, two, one, go.

Mark Horstman

And we're off.

Associate Professor Nigel Taylor

Target is 60 revs per minute.

Mark Horstman

I'll think of it as 60km/h.

Associate Professor Nigel Taylor

No.

NARRATION

Obviously we can't have a hot engine in here, so I'm pedalling just enough to replicate the energy I'd use riding a motorbike.

Dr Liz De Rome

Think about yourself as a metronome.

Mark Horstman

Yes.

NARRATION

With the fan simulating airspeed of about 30km/h, I'll be spending the next 90 minutes under these heaters, enjoying the equivalent of a ride around town in 35-degree heat with the sun belting down on me. What could possibly go wrong?

Associate Professor Nigel Taylor

As mammals, we regulate our body temperature and we try to keep it within a very narrow window. We can tolerate an increase of two, three and four degrees.

Dr Liz De Rome

How does the temperature of your body feel now?

Mark Horstman

Uh, ten.

Dr Liz De Rome

Ten? Hot. OK, thank you. And how comfortable do you feel with that temperature at the moment?

Mark Horstman

Um, slightly uncomfortable, two.

Associate Professor Nigel Taylor

If it gets too much of an increase or a decrease, then it can create problems. We're going to place Mark under quite a significant physiological strain and that is him trying to get rid of heat, at the same time regulate blood pressure.

NARRATION

Pedalling slowly like this should be a breeze, but after an hour, I'm really feeling it.

Dr Liz De Rome

How are you feeling?

Mark Horstman

Absolutely buggered. A little anxious about my heart rate.

Associate Professor Nigel Taylor

So we're looking at the hot side, which is the hyperthermic side, but typically a high heart rate, very high sweating, light-headedness. That's due to a drop in blood pressure. These are not things you want to encounter when you're riding a motorcycle.

NARRATION

With 20 minutes still to go, I'm really struggling.

Mark Horstman

I'm feeling stressed. I'm burning up. Temperature of my body is feeling very hot. In fact, can I say 11.5, nearly extremely hot?

NARRATION

I'm drowning in sweat. My heart rate's up to nearly 160 and I'm finding it hard to think straight.

Mark Horstman

My body feels under stress. I feel... I want to stop. If I was riding a bike right now, I would get off and have a rest.

Associate Professor Nigel Taylor

In those conditions, if he also gets dehydrated, which he will do in an hour and a half, then blood flow to the brain will be reduced. When that occurs, his cognitive function can become impaired. He's in a perfect situation to increase his risk of accidents through unexpected occurrences.

Dr Liz De Rome

You can stop now.

Mark Horstman

You're kidding me, I can actually stop?

Dr Liz De Rome

You can stop.

Mark Horstman

For real?

NARRATION

At last, my 90-minute ride from hell is over.

Mark Horstman

And I can feel sweat dripping out from my sleeves and my trousers. OK, here's the acid test.

NARRATION

Key to this study is how heat stress affects concentration and reaction time. In this test, I'm trying to spot the target and return to home base as quickly as possible.

Mark Horstman

If I was trying to respond to a change in traffic lights, or a change in road conditions, or if I had to take evasive action that took quick reflexes, I'd really be struggling right now.

NARRATION

At this point, I don't care if it's on national television, I can't get my sweat-soaked gear off fast enough. The team weigh everything to calculate how much I've actually sweated.

Dr Liz De Rome

Step up and we'll see how you fared. Well, you've lost about 1.5kg.

Mark Horstman

Oh, my God, the weight's just melted away!

NARRATION

It'll take a few days to get my full results, so I'm heading further south to meet Dr Chris Hurren. He's testing how bike clothing performs under pressure. First up - denim.

Dr Christopher Hurren

The largest injury rate is for abrasion injury, following that is cut, tear and burst, and these essentially can be fixed by improving the abrasion resistance of a garment. With regards to sliding down the road, your clothing is the thing that will protect you.

NARRATION

Apart from helmets, Australia doesn't have any standards of its own for motorcycle clothing. Europe set standards for impact protectors placed inside garments, and for materials like para-aramid synthetic fibre, more commonly known under the brand name, Kevlar. It's often used inside jeans and is marketed as highly protective.

Mark Horstman

European standard says that materials have to stand skidding along this kind of abrasive surface for at least four seconds, running at about 28km/h. So let's see how this denim, with a protective Kevlar liner, lasts. Take it away, Chris. Well, there you go, 6.67 seconds. So this would be skid-resistant enough to get certification?

Dr Christopher Hurren

Yeah, definitely, this would meet the CE Level 1 certification.

NARRATION

Having enough fabric to literally cover your arse and protect your knees, thighs and legs is just as important as the quality of the fabric itself. Material with a loop knitted structure that covers your entire leg will offer the best protection. But how well do the most commonly worn jackets in Australia protect your skin from the road if you happen to come off your bike? 'Ballistic nylon' sounds tough, but is it?

Mark Horstman

0.25, that doesn't seem quite right. This is supposed to be protective, wet-weather gear and it's lasting less than half the time of just regular denim.

Dr Christopher Hurren

Unfortunately these are very, very thin fabrics. There's barely 0.4 or 0.5 of a millimetre between you and the road, and it's the thickness of the material that protects you. So they call them 'ballistic nylon' but if you're wearing one of these without impact protectors, you would be better off wearing a pair of denim jeans.

NARRATION

Leather can last up to 15 seconds, but it's variable. This sample only made it to 3.64 seconds. Overall, so-called ballistic nylon was the least skid-resistant, followed closely by denim. Leather offered better protection, and para-aramid lasted the longest.

Mark Horstman

Is it possible to find a jacket that keeps me safe, keeps me looking cool, but, importantly, doesn't let me overheat?

Dr Christopher Hurren

You can get venting in jackets to help keep you cool. So if you look at sort of a jacket... This one here has venting in a good location, it's an openable flap that gives you air into your chest. Now, if your venting is under your arm or in this front area, which is not going to be involved in the impact, that's really good. But if you look at this one, it's actually got venting along the full length of the arm, and so you've got the highest impact point, has a vent that can be ripped open with barely any force at all. If I grabbed that, I could actually rip that apart with my own hands.

NARRATION

Our elbows, knees, hips and shoulders are the most vulnerable to impact and need extra protection.

Dr Christopher Hurren

You can see here, this one has good protection here and an impact protector, but then in the most important zone, it has a mesh. So there's no protection there at all.

NARRATION

Also, be sure to check that reassuring CE certified tag because the protection you're getting may not be where you'd expect.

Dr Christopher Hurren

It's not until you turn the label over and you read the very fine print that you'll find that the garment is only certified for its impact protectors, not for the entire garment. So it would need to have certification for the garment and say that it is for the garment, not just the impact protectors.

NARRATION

Now I know how to spot trouble in bike gear, how did I perform in those hot clothes?

Dr Liz De Rome

Do you realise that this is how much sweat you lost in that hour and a half? It's 1.5 litres.

Mark Horstman

That's a lot of sweat, but a motorcyclist wearing off-the-rack gear on a hot day in Australia could be losing the same amount.

Dr Liz De Rome

Could very easily. This is your heart rate and you were concerned at some points because you could see that your heart rate was increasing.

Mark Horstman

I could feel it.

Dr Liz De Rome

Yes. And you can see that it goes up quite rapidly initially.

NARRATION

And it continued to increase throughout the trial, especially when I stopped during my breaks, because the fan went off. It's the equivalent of stopping at a traffic light.

Mark Horstman

Just stew in your own juices.

Dr Liz De Rome

Yes, exactly.

NARRATION

My skin temperature also increased steadily, as did my body core temperature.

Mark Horstman

And I just peaked at 39 at the very end.

Dr Liz De Rome

Another half a degree and we would've had to take you off the bike because you were...

Mark Horstman

Border hyperthermia.

Dr Liz De Rome

You were borderline hyperthermia and, you know, we would have taken you off 'cause that's dangerous.

NARRATION

Most importantly, the physiological impact of the heat trapped by my clothing had a clear effect on my reaction times. I was OK to start with and even improved a bit with effort, but one hour in, I hit the wall and my reaction times tanked.

Dr Liz De Rome

Over the next half hour they just shot right up and that's when inaccuracies come in, too. So this is the highest risk area.

NARRATION

So here's the thing - is there a way to improve the quality of protective clothing and increase our desire to wear them, without being forced to? A five-star rating system could help consumers make the right choices and encourage manufacturers to improve their standards. It works for car safety and dishwashers, so why not motorcycle gear? Bernard Carlon from the Centre for Road Safety at Transport NSW sees the benefits.

Bernard Carlon

We're going to put together a system that actually assesses the abrasion, impact and comfort of those clothing items and rate them, and then make that available and transparent for consumers so that they can make informed choices about buying goods that actually do protect them.

Dr Christopher Hurren

You're going down the stores, a three-star product might be more than sufficient for what you want in protection, or you're going to go out on a ride where you're going down the Great Ocean Road, you're going to want five-star protection because you're going to be doing a lot of cornering and the likelihood of a crash is a lot higher. So you can choose that, you can make that decision.

NARRATION

When it comes to what's between our skin and the road, riders need confidence that our gear will not only reduce heat stress and the risk of having an accident, but will protect us if we do.