On Wednesday we gave you the first part of a guide to motorcycle gear for beginners below is part two of that article. As we stated then… we’re refreshing some older (but still helpful and informative) articles to help you all get ready to ride. Bits and parts of this article have been published throughout the time we’ve been online. This is the advice we dished out on some Motorcycle Riding gear for riders no matter if they are veterans, intermediate or beginners. Here we will also lay out some advice on gear and explain why you should never wear regular jeans on a bike. We have split this article into two parts making it easier to read.
Gloves
Your hands are an awesome combination of extreme fragility combined with utter necessity. You need them to do stuff and they’re also the first thing to touch down in any crash. So you need to protect them. Motorcycle gloves should fully cover your fingers, palm, the back of your hands and your wrists. There should be significant overlap between glove and jacket so that you never see any skin exposed between the two, and is a significant part of your Motorcycle Riding Gear.
In order for a glove to remain on your hand in a crash, it needs a retention strap around the wrist. Consider this feature a minimum entry point for any riding glove. After that, you want to look for strong, abrasion-resistant materials and strong, protected stitching. Materials like Kevlar are often spec’d for the stitching for their ability to resist abrasion and bursting.
Last, but not least is armor. While most motorcycle gloves spec armor for the knuckles, it’s actually the base of your palm that will impact in nearly any crash and which needs protection the most. Look for materials here that will slide rather than catch on the pavement and that can provide some impact protection. Armor anywhere else is welcome but can cause the glove to bind or pinch your hand as you grip the controls. Make sure any glove you choose allows you to operate the controls on your bike unimpeded.
Armor
As mentioned above, motorcycle body armor protects you from impacts by absorbing energy that would otherwise be transferred to your joints, limbs, and body. Whether purchased separately or included in an item of Motorcycle Riding Gear, you want it to fit snugly in a manner that won’t see it shift or move around in a crash. It should be comfortable and not restrict movement. Also, think about its area of coverage; you want it to cover as much of you as possible. Some cheaper elbow protectors, for instance, don’t extend very far down your forearm while the real quality stuff does. Back protectors should ideally cover everything from your coccyx to the base of your neck.
Those back protectors are available in two levels of safety: CE1 and CE2. CE1 is the less safe of the two, but protectors made to that lower standard are often lighter, more flexible, cheaper, and breathe better. Protection you wear more often is better protection.
You can often upgrade the armor in an item of riding gear by ordering superior, but more expensive items and retrofitting them. To do this, check to see if the item of clothing features removable armor in Velcro pockets or similar. Because not all armor is of the same shape and size, ordering it from the same manufacturer as the item of clothing is typically necessary.
The most frequent upgrade you’ll perform is to the back protector. If you feel that your jacket’s or suit’s back protector is sub-par, you can fit a better one in the pocket or simply opt for a strap-on item (Not that kind of strap-on; get your mind out of the gutter), which you wear separately under the jacket or suit. Strap-on protectors typically cover a greater portion of your body.
Everything Else
Other things to consider when thinking about Motorcycle Riding Gear is eye protection or a visor/face shield that is tinted You’ll likely also want to protect your eyes from glare and the sun. Wearing sunglasses inside a helmet can be tricky, so a tinted visor is the best option. You’ll need one specifically designed to fit your helmet. Always carry a clear visor with you if there’s even a slight chance you’ll be out after dark. Wearing a tinted visor at night is extremely dangerous, reducing your vision to an extreme degree.
We carry both types of eye protection to help keep your peepers safe, like these BIKER SUNGLASSES- BLACK FRAME/AMBER LENSES they are an updated version of the extremely popular Foamerz these wraparound sunglasses are available in smoke, clear or even stunning amber anti-fog polycarbonate lenses.Closed cell foam allows for ventilation while providing a comfortably cushioned lining to protect the eyes from wind and dust while flying down the road. Which any biker will tell you the most uncomfortable is having dust in your eyes.
Conclusion
Riding a motorcycle exposes you to extreme risk, variations in weather, and requires your full concentration and physical ability. Luckily, Motorcycle Riding Gear is available that can keep you safe in a crash, comfortable in any weather condition, reduce fatigue. As such, it should be considered a necessity when riding a motorcycle. Factor its cost into the overall price of purchasing a bike. There’s no such thing as not being able to afford good gear; reduce the price of the bike you’re buying until you can afford to buy the helmet, jacket, gloves, pants, and boots necessary to ride it.4
~And as always…
~Live Free Ride Hard~
~AMERiders
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Let AMERiders keep you up to date with a Guide To Motorcycle Riding Gear for Beginners.
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