Richa Hamada shirt with D3O Ghost armour in navy

For casual riding in warmer weather, riding shirts are all the rage. And this one from Richa covers all the bases. Like all riding shirts it sits, in truth, somewhere between a heavyweight shirt and a lightweight jacket. The Hamada is made from cotton woven with Kevlar for added strength. As far as CE is concerned, it only meets the single A standard, but that is all one would expect. 

The Hamada wears like a shirt. It comes with two breast pockets, but no hand pockets. It fastens with press-stud buttons, but you also get a full-length zip behind the placket. There’s no thermal lining in the shirt, but then again this is meant to be worn in the summer. It does come up small. But remember this is a shirt not a jacket; a merino top will add a touch of warmth, but you’re not going to want to wear anything much bulkier than that. 

Now normally the Hamada comes with standard D3O armour in the elbows and shoulders. There’s a pocket for a back protector, but the protector does not come as standard. But, at no extra cost, the Motolegends version comes not with normal D3O, but with D3O Ghost armour. Ours is the only version to be thus equipped, and it makes a difference. With its standard D3O armour, the Hamada is easy to wear, but with Ghost you don’t know you’re wearing armour at all. It transforms it; it feels just like a regular shirt.