Knox Urbane Pro review | Mesh motorcycle jacket with Level 2 armour

Date reviewed: June 2024 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £249.99 | planet-knox.com

The Knox Urbane Pro Mk3 on review here is a mesh motorcycle jacket with high performance armour fitted, which can be worn on its own in the summer heat, or with other items over the top when necessary. I’ve been wearing it on a BMW R1250GS, Zontes ZT350-T and Kawasaki ZX-6R to find out if it’s worth the money…

Construction and fit

Knox describes the Urbane Pro Mk3 as ‘the most versatile core garment for any rider, thanks to the fact that its large areas of polyester mesh in the less critical areas, along with stretch nylon at the key impact zones, make for a relatively tough armoured jacket that can be worn on its own, or under other gear.

This stretch fabric creates a close-fitting yet comfortable garment that keeps the amour in the right place, and also allows it to sit well under other gear when the weather’s not so good. With its own armour removed, my Oxford Hinterland jacket fits comfortably over the Urbane Pro, making for a waterproof, even more protective combo.

The stitching throughout appears very good, and it’s nice to find details like subtle reflective piping at the front and back of the shoulders.

Belt loops around the inside bottom of the jacket can be used to keep it down in a slide, though they are a bit of a fiddle to get your belt through, so many won’t bother. Fortunately, the jacket’s a good length, and the large back protector helps keep the material in place when riding.

Fit is of course very subjective, and while the arms seem a better length in this Urbane Pro than the Knox Honister I reviewed a while back (both of them are the same size large), the waist here is let down by the seam stitching of the pockets. Granted, I need to lose some weight, so it’ll be less of an issue soon, but the lack of stretch relative to the rest of the jacket means a slightly tighter band is formed around the belly. For many it’ll be fine, but my gut isn’t Santa Clause big, and it’s a design that could perhaps have been better considered. Not deal breaking, but a bit irritating.

Another let down is a bulky seam at the cuffs, which can rub a little on the wrists. Granted, I’m nit-picking here, but at the price I’d hope for better.

The cuffs are also spoiled a little by the soft, stretchy fabric at the ends, which sticks to the Velcro hooks of your gloves and frays quickly.

The collar was the main disappointment in the Knox Honister, being tall and uncomfortably bulky, so it’s great to see it removed on the Urbane Pro, but this still manages to press a bit on my throat. Again, this might be an entirely personal thing, so try it for yourself, but I ride with it slightly open at the neck, which then feels fine.

It’s frustrating that, when putting the Urbane Pro on after it’s been hanging up, the shoulder armour often folds over itself and needs poking around to get it to sit properly. It’s wonderfully comfortable once in place though as it’s so soft, and the best bet is to flatten it before putting the jacket on.

The Urbane Pro also comes with an elastic cord in the right front pocket that has a visor wipe on the end. It’s a bit of a gimmick as the wipe fell off the first time I took my keys out of the pocket, and the cord just gets in the way. I cut it off.

What is Knox Seasonless?

The idea of the Knox Seasonless collection is that you can combine various pieces of kit to ride in all conditions. The £249.99 Urbane Pro can be paired with the £44.99 Max Dual Active Base Layer that’s claimed to offer enhanced wicking and drying properties, the £99.99 Union Quilt jacket when temperatures drop (though it’ll need something else over the top), or the £229.99 Dual Pro 3 in 1 Jacket, which blocks the wind and, Knox says somewhat timidly, ‘assists’ water resistance. Without trying it, it’s impossible to know how effective this is at keeping you dry, but there’s also £149.99 Waterproof Overjacket Mk2 offered by Knox. On paper, the Dual Pro 3 in 1 does look like a great addition that’d work well both on and off the bike.

This makes for a total of £774.95 – a not inconsiderable amount – but if it does truly mean kit that’s suitable for use right through the year, it has real potential.

Of course, there’s also nothing stopping you using any other kit with the Knox Urbane Pro, and a cheap waterproof over-suit could do the job well. Possibly the biggest stumbling block with this idea is that a lot of motorcyclists are quite lazy, and would rather throw on one jacket in the winter that’s got a thermal liner, is waterproof, and has the armour built in, but…

Protection and certification

One of the biggest advantages of the Knox Urbane Pro (and the Honister) is that the armour is held in the correct place and doesn’t flap about.

All motorcycle riding kit sold in the UK and Europe has to be certified as being protective, which gives you some means of comparing products based on repeatable lab testing. EN17092 covers the garment and its construction to provide a rating of A, AA and AAA (the more As the better) for the overall performance of the product in abrasion testing, seam strength and tear strength (plus other tests). Armour must be included, and this is tested separately using the criteria of EN1621, where Level 1 is the minimum and Level 2 provides greater mitigation of the transmitted force of an impact. Granted, there’s a limit to the protection that armour can provide, but it can be the difference between a bruise and a break… or far worse. It also adds to the abrasion resistance of the garment in the areas it sits, but if it moves (or worse, falls out due to the outer material tearing) it won’t do anything, so treat it as an abrasion bonus, not a feature.

The elbows and shoulders of the Knox Urbane Pro feature the brand’s own Micro-Lock cast polyurethane (PU) foam armour in a very large (yet comfortable) size, and Level 2, so offering the higher level of impact protection. It’s not certified as T- or T+ for use at -10°C and +40°C, which might be something to consider in hot climates as the material gets softer as the temperature rises, and harder as it drops.

The back protector is a huge FB (Full Back) model that’s extremely flexible and also certified to Level 2. Note that shoulder and elbow protectors must transmit no more than a mean of 20kN to reach Level 2 (35kN for Level 1), while a back protector mustn’t pass more than 9kN in testing, (18kN for Level 1).

An optional Level 1 chest protector is available for £39.99, which attaches to a Velcro patch on the left of the main zip. Chest protection must transmit no more than 15kN for Level 2, and 18kN for Level 1, though it’s measured in a different way to the other protectors, looking at a distributed force, rather than localised.
While tough, this type of foam armour can, on rare occasions, tear – particularly if it’s stored in a cold environment, and if an air pocket caused by the moulding process is at a vulnerable point – so take care with where you keep it, and when washing the jacket be sure to take the protectors out. In the unlikely event that you have a problem, reports from owners are that Knox’s customer service is very good.

Interestingly, the Knox Micro-Lock armour fitted to the Urbane Pro Mk3 is noticeably softer and more flexible at room temperature than that in the Honister I reviewed last year. I’ve asked Knox for clarification of whether this is a new formulation, and what buyers of both jackets should expect to receive now, so will update this review if I hear from them.

The Urbane Pro is rated as AA under EN17092, which means it’s within the mid-level of this certification and similar to many textile garments on the market. I won’t wear A-rated kit as the test criteria is so low – AA is my personal minimum.

Overall I’m impressed with this Knox jacket, especially when it’s worn with other gear over the top, which will further add to the protection offered, but on its own I can’t help but prefer the potential safety of the AAA-rated Honister. Besides meeting the minimum requirements of this higher level, the Honsiter doesn’t have the very thin material on the insides of the arms and sides of the torso that, while not in a key impact area, doesn’t have the same strength as the rest of the construction.

Of course, an AAA rating only shows that a product has met those minimum requirements, not that it can perform anywhere near as well as something that way exceeds them – like a quality set of leathers – but it is a very valuable guide in choosing the protection you want when buying, and the Honister is among our recommended textiles for good reason.

The Honister is slightly more bulky than the Urbane Pro, but it’s only 44g heavier; so the biggest compromises in the company’s top-end jacket’s comfort are down to the design.

All motorcycle clothing sold in the UK and Europe is deemed to be Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This is a good thing for riders as it can help them choose kit that has provable levels of safety because, to meet this legislation, it must be tested to a recognised standard. To fully understand the labels found in all bike kit, click here.

Pockets

The two pockets on the front of the Urbane Pro are very useful, capacious, and easy to access thanks to the chunky zips with string pullers. Just be aware that the pocket liner is quite thin, so could be damaged by things like keys over time (though you should be cautious with what you put in pockets here on any jacket when riding, in case of a crash).

Unlike the Honister, there are no unnecessary silicone flaps covering the bottom sections of the openings, and they’re big enough to easily get my hands in. It’s just a shame that the stitching inside creates a bit of a tight band across a less-than-flat stomach.

Inside on the left chest area is a phone pocket with a Velcro closure that’s big enough to swallow a Pixel 7 Pro (80x167mm). Inside at the waist are two elasticated pockets with open tops that might be handy for shoving your gloves in, but don’t offer any security. The material of the external pockets also creates a divider, to effectively provide two stash areas on each side. The right also has a smaller earplug pocket, with no closure.

Fastening

The main zip of the Urbane Pro is a chunky toothed design that’s easy to operate, and again an improvement on the Honister.

Adjustment

There’s no adjustment on the Urbane Pro, but the stretch design means it’s not needed. The wrists are kept down with an elasticated loop that hooks over your thumbs, but I’m not a big fan of this, and would have preferred a slim Velcro cinch at the wrists. I tend to leave it off as the fit is pretty good on my arms.

The most vulnerable areas are a heavy-duty mesh, but the insides of the arms and sides of the torse have a thin, lightweight mesh material

Ventilation

With excellent mesh coverage, ventilation isn’t an issue on this jacket, and if you’re riding in hot weather, it’s a superb piece of kit.

Most of the mesh areas are backed with a thin layer of additional fabric, except the chest and sides, so as long as you’re wearing a tee-shirt underneath you won’t have to worry about sunburn.

If you want to stay cool while riding in the heat, this is a superb piece of kit.

Warmth

Unsurprisingly, this won’t keep you warm when you wear it on its own, but like the string vest my parents used to make me wear, with a windproof layer over the top it should prove quite effective at trapping air and keeping you warmer. So, when combined with other kit, this is a very practical option.

Liner

Overall, the lining of the Knox Urbane Pro Mk3 is comfortable, but it’s the little details like a bulky seam at the cuff and the stitching on the outer pocket linings that lets it down a touch, especially in a premium product.

Waterproofing

Do I need to point out that this isn’t waterproof, unless you wear something else over the top? If you want to ensure your armour is held correctly in place, and doesn’t move around, then this is a great solution when worn under something with a waterproof membrane, be it a throw-over or a textile jacket.

Five alternatives to the Knox Urbane Pro Mk3

While hard to believe as I write this, there are times when it can get incredibly hot in the UK, and if you’re riding abroad then all the more reason to invest in a mesh jacket… 

• Knox Honister, £379.99 | The Honister carries the same rating of Level 2 armour  (though it’s less soft in my one) in a jacket that has achieved the higher AAA level under EN17092, meaning it’s proven to have better abrasion resistance, as well as increased seam and tear strength. It’s also visibly tougher, with areas like the thin mesh inside the arms of the Urbane Pro replaced with tough mesh. In a slide, especially on the surface-dressed rural roads that most of us prefer over urban and main-road tarmac, this is the jacket I’d trust more. Unfortunately it has some design flaws that hold it back a little, but it’s still well worth trying on. Read our full review of the Knox Honister here.

• Bowtex Elite, £339 | The Bowtex is incredibly lightweight, yet also achieves AAA under EN17092. It costs £339 with back AND chest protection, but it’s let down by smaller armour than the Knox and isn’t as suited to use on its own. Trousers are also available in this range. Check out our review of the Bowtex Elite here.

• Weise Scout, £129.99 | Rated to the AA-level, the Weise is very well ventilated for hot summer rides, but not designed to be worn under other kit. Check out our review of the Weise Scout here.

• Hideout and BKS Made to Measure | If you want the highest levels of protection, consider bespoke textile kit from Devon-based BKS Made to Measure, and Essex-based Hideout. It’s significantly more expensive, but it meets a higher level of certification than EN17092 AAA, and should last a lifetime as it can be repaired or adjusted at any point. Check out our BKS textiles review here, and our Hideout textiles review here. 

These are just four of many alternatives – you can find all the motorcycle textiles we’ve tested here and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through Bikesocial membership.

Knox Urbane Pro Mk3 review: Verdict

The Knox Urbane Pro Mk3 is wonderfully cool and easy to wear in hot weather, with large, comfortable armour (once you’ve sorted out the shoulders).

Worn on its own, I prefer the protection of the Knox Honister, but while both have small issues with their design, the Urbane Pro Mk3 seems the far more evolved.

Ultimately, the Knox Urbane Pro Mk3 is the best AA-rated mesh jacket I’ve worn, and while it’s expensive, it does offer great versatility throughout the year when combined with other kit. Despite some (fairly minor) flaws, it comes recommended.

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