THE regular half-dressed sight of me striding across the office, with my leathers draped over my arm and still wearing my back protector, has now meant that I have come to be known by many of my colleagues as the Mutant Hero Turtle, writes Simon Nix.

Hopefully it's not because I am a mutant, but a comment on my brightly coloured armour. It amazes me somewhat that many riders will splash out hundreds of pounds on leathers and padded jackets, but never think of boosting protection for their spine. I think the Turtles - that toy craze of the 80s - had the right idea. They always had their backs covered!

Of course, many bike jackets and leathers come with some sort of foam insert, but these pale into insignificance compared to the Knox KC2000 men's tour back protector I have been testing.

At first, the bulk of the armour - a tough foam TramaLite backing covered with Keprotec Carbon/Kevlar honeycomb panels that guard the spine, shoulder blades and kidneys - feels a little restrictive. It takes a little time to mould itself into your shape.

But once you have got used to putting it on every time you venture out on your bike, it begins to inspire a feeling of safety.

I have got to the stage that should I leave the £74.99 back protector off, even though I may be clothed in full leathers, I get the feeling of nakedness.

Touch wood, I have never had to put the KC2000 to the ultimate test. But should I have a coming together with the Tarmac, I would much prefer to have to put up with a broken arm or leg than shatter my spine.

And I am confident with Knox armour because the Cumbria-based firm, which has been manufacturing under the strict guidance of Geoff and Margaret Travell for more than seven years, has been fully proved - by first its own in-house test lab, then a European-approved test lab and last, but not least, by a host of top motorcycle racers. Names like Jamie Robinson, Ian McPherson, Jonty Hobday, Terry Rymer and Dean Ellison all use Knox equipment.

If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me! Plant Knox also supplies insert armour for a host of famous companies - including Belstaff and Frank Thomas, to name a few.

Buying direct from Knox also brings another big bonus.

The company, not afraid to put its money where its mouth is, runs a scheme called Knox Assist.

Buy a back protector, for example, and the firm pledges to pay out motorcycle accident compensation of £50,000 should you suffer quadriplegia in a police-reported accident. The 12-month 'insurance' is all for free.

Story date: Wednesday 24 November

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.