Motorcycle gear plays a crucial role in providing protection during crashes. However, some argue that the capacity of most gear to shield against impacts during accidents is fairly limited. This leads to an important question: is motorcycle gear essential? Undoubtedly, the correct gear, enhanced with additional padding or armor for high-impact protection, is vital. Present-day advanced body armor and protective gear ensure your safety while riding your motorcycle. The importance of certain gear, such as helmets, is universally acknowledged in motorcycling.
About 75% of all motorcycle crashes happen at speeds slower than 35 miles per hour. This is according to research done by the National Transportation Safety Board at the Motorcycle Safety Forum in Australia. This conclusion is also backed by a recent report going by the name MAIDS (Motorcycle Accident In-Depth Study), which also found that most crashes occur at lower speeds rather than at high speeds. It is at these lower speeds that your motorcycle gear becomes really useful and could mean the difference between you walking away unscathed and being carried out of the ruble.
High impact crashes at high speeds are a different story, and most gear won’t completely prevent you from getting injuries. But since more than three-quarters of all motorcycle crashes occur at low speeds, it is safe to say that any form of gear protection is welcome and indispensable at this stage.
So how much protection should your motorcycle gear provide?
The type of gear that you choose makes a huge difference as to how you emerge after a crash. For example, riders who wear leather gear suffer less serious injuries and on average spend less time in hospital after a crash. Leather has a high impact absorption rating compared to riding gear from other material constructions. Wearing armored motorcycle gear will help reduce lower body injuries significantly. It also helps prevent pipe burns, and chipped knees and elbows.
Helmet: a motorcycle helmet is perhaps the most basic form of gear protection that everyone needs to have. A motorcycle helmet is meant to absorb impact during a crash, and destroy itself to protect you. It is made of Styrofoam glued to the outer shell with modifications to allow visibility and air circulation. When choosing a motorcycle helmet, ensure that is the right fit for you. You need to consider both the shape and size of the helmet to ensure it fits snugly around your head and tightly enough for optimum comfort. Ideally, you should not feel pressure points or pinches when you wear the helmet. Also, check to ensure that the helmet is DOT certified. This certification is the minimal legal standard for legal helmets. There are various types of helmets, including a full-face motorcycle helmets and modular motorcycle helmets. Depending on your riding style, you can choose either a full-face helmet or a modular helmet for added functionality.
Gloves: after you’ve found your cool motorcycle helmets, it’s time to think about your hands. Getting yourself high-quality motorcycle gloves that offer, style, safety, and comfort should be top on your list. In the event of a fall, we instinctively try to touch the ground first to prevent the fall. This means that your hands will get in contact with the ground before anything else. It is therefore imperative that your biker gloves be made of the highest quality to offer the highest level of protection. Luckily, there are biker gloves explicitly made for this kind of situations. These motorcycle gloves include thick padding and armor to prevent your hands from outright crushing and abrasion. A proper pair of motorcycle gloves should absorb impact and effectively protect your hands from abrasion. When choosing your next high-quality motorcycle gloves, check to ensure that they come with a retention strap that wraps your wrist tightly and securely.
Jackets, leather pants, and suits: high-quality motorcycle gear will prevent you from abrasions and suffering broken bones when you hit the asphalt during a crash. For this reason, a sturdy motorcycle jacket, leather motorcycle pants, and suits will offer you the protection that you need no matter how severe the crash is. You can get a cool motorcycle jacket at an affordable price for outright protection across multiple offs. Nowadays, many manufacturers are coming up with sturdy textile gear that can withstand multiple crashes. These are, however, cheaper compared to their leather counterparts. With leather, the thickness, and quality of stitching determines how durable the gear is and how well it can absorb impact.
Riding boots: motorcycle boots protect your feet and ankles from everyday riding, including collisions, and being sideswiped in traffic. Just like your hands, your feet are incredibly fragile and prone to injuries. You will need a pair of bomb-proof motorcycle boots for the highest level of protection. Luckily for you, many riding boots come with excellent capabilities to protect your shin and feet from collisions. At the very least, you should get a rugged boot that provides excellent grip and foot support. You can also go for leather motorcycle boots that are waterproof and made with ample padding for comfort and protection. However, a specialized boot like a sports boot for track racing, or a dirt boot for off-road riding, ensure that you are not sacrificing protection for control and comfort. Riding a motorcycle is unlike any other form of transportation, and you cannot afford to skimp on quality shielding of your feet and legs. You will need serious gear to get the job done.
Overall, the purpose of any motorcycle gear is to absorb impact and reduce painful skin abrasion on the pavement while sliding during a fall. The good news is, most modern gear come with compressible yet tough amour for maximum impact absorption in areas of high impact. Fragile parts of your body, such as knees, elbows, shoulders, and hips, are therefore well protected. Despite the high-tech motorcycle gear that we have today, some major impacts can be hard to recover from even with the appropriate clothing. Riding safe is still the guaranteed way to prevent such bone-breaking accidents from happening.
