James Hill has been racing and riding for the better half of his life. He has competed against the top Texas Cross Country racers and competed Nationally at a few OMA’s. Like most fast riders, he has had a few crashes that left him headed to the hospital. One in particular was the one that broke his back. James is all better now and back at it, racing his dirt bike most weekends in either TSCEC or TCCRA. After winning the 30+A TORO Championship this past winter, his opinion on protective gear was a needed asset. Though James is quite the opposite of Brian, with less energy and a quite demeanor, he has ridden for a very long time and knows the value of good equipment.

In this review, James tested out the new FLY Racing Pro Lite Chest Protector and Valor Neck Brace. As he states in the video, the chest protector stays put. It is very adjustable with velcro straps for fine tuning placement on the chest and back, allowing for over or under the jersey placement. The 17 vents help to keep the rider cool on a warm day and it easily attaches to the Valor Neck Brace thanks to the exclusive BraceOn™ elastic strap system. This protector is very light and can withstand extremely hard impacts due to the highly rated CE Approved back protector and CE certified chest protector. A great chest protector at a great price, something every rider needs to own.

The Valor Neck Brace, partnered with the Leatt BraceOn™ elastic strap system, is the best Neck Brace setup we have tested. As the Neck Brace technology gets better, neck braces become lighter, stronger and more comfortable. Leatt knew one of the main complaints about neck braces in general was that without a chest strap, they would bounce around while riding. The BraceOn™ elastic strap system is a very good innovation to help fix the neck brace bouncing around. It didn’t happen while testing, but it seemed like it would be fairly easy for a branch, or stray object, to unsettle the strap system. But the brace looks great thanks to the FLY Racing graphics and the updated features to the brace certainly keep it relative and should be one you look into if you are looking at purchasing or replacing a neck brace.

Thanks to James Hill for helping us test out a few products while Brian heals from shoulder surgery. We hope to keep bringing you all reviews and fun bits throughout the summer. Remember to tune in Tuesday nights at 8pm CST for all your Off-Road news.