What a superb review David. Thank you for taking the trouble to research and report this. I'm not sure I ever considered armour beyond a leather jacket and leather or Kevlar jeans, but I will now.
Ped/Rob.. This deserves to be sticky?
I can't resist the urge to jump in here and recommend a little rider training in the form of one of the "Safe Rider" courses run in conjunction with local authorities and the Police.
The name and price varies from County to County but the message is the same and these courses are all subsidised in some way (Often from the fees from driver awareness courses), some are free.
Aside from being beneficial to your riding and health long after the course and into your hopefully long motorcycling career, they are a load of fun, especially the ride out with the Police motorcyclist on his work bike... They like to "progress".
https://www.google.co.uk/search?sxsr...=1568540577020
Also a very good thing (and free too), are the "Biker Down" courses run by many Fire and Rescue Services throughout the UK.
Essentially this is a first aid/responder course orientated towards motorcyclists and Road accidents, with a bit of self preservation included. Very well worth an evening listening to up to date common sense.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?sxsr...=1568539973486