Safety Ratings

Tested for the roads we ride

When it comes to protective motorcycle gear, certification matter - but not all testing systems are created equal. At Don & Stav, we prioritise MotoCAP because it delivers transparent, relevant safety results for riders in Australia, New Zealand, and beyond.

Did you know?

Effective motorcycle gear can prevent injury and hospitalisation if you crash. Yet researchers have found that more than 25% of protective clothing worn by Australian riders is of a poor quality and can fail under crash conditions.

Why MotoCAP matters

MotoCAP is an independent testing body, which means the results aren't influenced by marketing, sales targets, or brand claims. Every product tested is judged the same way - purely on performance.

For riders, that means one thing: Results you can trust.

MotoCAP evaluates motorcycle clothing based on three critical safety factors:

  • Abrasion resistance
  • Seam strength (burst strength)
  • Impact protection

These are the same forces your gear needs to withstand in a real crash.

Designed for Australian Roads

Australian and New Zealand road surfaces are often much more abrasive than the roads used in European testing standards (CE).

MotoCAP's testing reflects our reality, not ideal conditions elsewhere.

That means if a product performs well under MotoCAP, you can feel confident it's built for the roads you actually ride.

What About CE?

CE certification is required to sell protective motorcycle clothing in Europe, but here's the simple truth:

  • CE testing focuses on European conditions
  • MotoCAP gives riders in AU and NZ a more relevant measure of real-world protection

MotoCAP is also one of the only independent systems in the world and with no equivalent in the United States, this means consumers globally are gravitating to it more for clear, unbiased information.

Why MotoCAP's tougher testing matters to you

MotoCAP goes far beyond the minimum CE requirements.  CE tells you a garment has met a baseline.  MotoCAP tells you how well it actually performs when things go wrong.

  • Higher impact and abrasion forces: MotoCAP uses more demanding test rigs, so get a clearer picture of how the fabric holds up in a real slide.
  • Stricter seam and burst strength checks: Weak seams are a major failure point in crashes.  MotoCAP pushes them harder.
  • Every zone is tested: CE allows lower-performance materials in some areas.  MotoCAP evaluates all protective zones, not just the minimum.
  • Real world clarity:  CE AAA is the highest CE level available, yet many CE AAA jeans still achieve only 2 stars on MotoCAP, and CE AA often receive just 1 star.  This doesn't mean they're bad - it simply shows that MotoCAP uses tougher, more transparent testing to give riders a more accurate picture of real-world protection.

MotoCAP is a safety rating program, whereas CE is an official standard and rating system.

What this means when you're choosing gear

 

MotoCAP helps you compare products on actual performance, not just certification labels.  It gives you the confidence that the gear you're buying has been tested in a way that reflects real world crash forces, not just the minimum legal standard for Europe.

 

Independent Testing That Made Us Better

MotoCAP didn't just confirm our performance - it shaped it.

During development, we tested early materials through MotoCAP and discovered they didn't perform at the level we demanded. Those results sent us back to the drawing board, where we sourced new, higher-performing technical fabrics and re-engineered key components.

Because of that process:

✔ Every pair of jeans is built not just to pass - but to excel

Without that independent testing, our jeans wouldn't be where they are today.