MOTORCYCLE GEAR – Recommendations:
Here is a list of Motorcycle safety gear, which will protect you, and help you stay safe and injury free.
* Helmet (DOT approved): If you have your own helmet bring it, otherwise we will provide you with one free of charge. A properly fitted full face helmet is more recommended than an open face. With open face helmets must have the addition of eye protection or goggles.
The primary goal of a motorcycle helmet is motorcycle safety – to protect the rider’s head during impact, thus preventing or reducing head injury and saving the rider’s life. Some helmets provide additional conveniences, such as ventilation, face shields, ear protection, intercom etc.
Motorcyclists are at high risk in traffic crashes. A systematic review, examined studies on motorcycle riders who had crashed and looked at helmet use as an intervention. The review concluded that helmets reduce the risk of head injury by around 69% and death by around 42%. Although it was once speculated that wearing a motorcycle helmet increased neck and spinal injuries in a crash, recent evidence has shown the opposite to be the case, that helmets protect against cervical spine injury, and that an often-cited small study dating to the mid-1980s, “used flawed statistical reasoning”.
Types of helmets: Full face, Off-road / motocross, Modular or “flip-up”, Open face or 3/4 helmet, Half helmet, Novelty helmets.
* Gloves: Sturdy, or Leather with padding is best. If you have your own full fingered globes you can use them, otherwise we can provide gloves for you to use. Proper gloves absorb much of the vibration that can be felt in the hands while riding. Gloves also help prevent the numbing and tingling many riders experience, especially on longer rides. Gloves provide added comfort by protecting your hands from becoming dry and calloused. Leather gloves have been popular with motorcyclists since the earliest days of riding, and for good reason. Leather is durable, and it also offers good feel when properly fit. Another of leather’s strengths is its ability to mold to the rider’s hand.
* Jacket: Best motorcycle jackets offer padding or impact resistance at the waist, on the back and chest, and at the shoulders and elbows. You can add to that protection with an armored vest, a back protector.
* Pants: Riding gear is designed to keep you safe, no exception for the pants. A proper motorcycle riding pants is best. Your favorite pair of jeans may be comfortable, but they certainly will not protect you in a motorcycle crash as much. The bottom half of your body is important too, so you should protect it just like you would with the top.
* Boots: We recommend proper motorcycle riding boots. If your feet aren’t comfortable, it’ll contribute to distraction and fatigue while riding. Motorcycle boots also need to provide protection from the bike’s exhaust pipes, extreme cold and other weather conditions, and road debris. A pair of boots should protect against foot and ankle injury in most accidents. So sandals or slippers are not safe to wear.