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The section below aims to provide you with all you need
to know about motorcycle and scooter equipment and clothing - and guide you to
your
local and online equipment and clothing stockist.
Quickly locate motorcycle equipment and clothing stockists
All you need to know about equipment and clothing
Motorcycle Trousers
Always wear appropriate clothing for warmth and safety.
Traditionally, leather biking jeans have offered the best protection for your legs. However, being neither waterproof nor breathable leather is not that practical, offering little warmth in winter and often being hot and sticky in winter.
In recent years modern fabrics such as Cordura© have come a long way in providing protection, arguable every but as good as leather. In a recent spill, yours truly parted from his bike and slid 15 feet down a dry tarmac road in a pair of Cordura© trousers made by IXS and there's barely a mark on them - and more importantly by legs were fine.
Add Gore-Tex© and you've got a pair of styling and comfortable trousers offering great protection.
Motorcycle Jacket
You should wear a padded leather jacket
or synthetic motorcycle jacket with shoulder, elbow and kidney
pads. The same applies with Cordura© and Gore-Tex© as mentioned above for trousers.
Don't wear scarves or any lose fitting clothing that might
get caught on parts of the bike or other object.
Waterproofs can be bought separately as individual items
(i.e. jacktet and trousers) or an all in one.
Gloves
Skiing gloves might keep you warm but
the material is NOT designed to protect against tarmac and
may even cause further damage. Wear proper leather motorcycle
gloves and do them up properly. Even on a warm day gloved need to be securely fastened to stop them coming off in the event of an accident.
Boots
Motorcycle boots will also help keep
your feet warm in winter and protect your lower legs in
case
of an accident.
Unbelievably, most bike boots aren't waterproof which seems crazy in this country. Even the ones that claim to be so often don't live up to the promise so again, if you can afford it, a Gore-Tex© pair is about the only way your feet will definitely sstay toasty and dry.
Avoid boots or shoes with laces on a bike. They can get
caught around the foot rests, gear shift or brake pedal
and cause
all sorts of problems.
Helmets
By law you must wear an approved helmet.
(Although certain religious groups may be exempt). The helmet
chin strap must be secured.
There are two main types, full face and half face. The full
face offers more protection to the chin and jaw area whereas
the half face offers slightly better visibility. Ask your
for advice before purchasing and TRY ONE ON. Buying from eBay may seem like a good idea but the world't best helmet is no good if it doesn't fit properly.
It is recommended that you do not buy a second hand helmet.
Do not apply stickers or other markings. You should always
replace the helmet if it is dropped or involved in an accident.
Always protect your eyes. If you insist on riding with your
visor open then wear approved eye protection against flies,
wasps, lose road chippings etc.
Ear plugs
Noise experienced by motorcyclists is caused predominantly by wind. Apart
from the hearing damage that can be done, which at motorway speeds occurs in
a matter of minutes and not hours, there is a massive amount of stress caused
by this noise.
The foam earplugs are a start, however Custom Moulded Earplugs will do a far
better job without the discomfort of prolonged use.
Extreme weather
There is no reason why you can't bike all year round (apart
from in snow and ice) so what about when it's really cold
? Here are some ideas:
Hints & Tips
- ski thermals (or any thermals from M&S
or a bike shop) inner gloves - I use rather sexy(!) silk
inner gloves bought in a ski resort
- additional thin layers - such as roll necks
are excellent
- neck warmers - GAP do excellent fleece neck
warmers for a "tenner" that double as a woolly
hat.
- hand warmers - that fix to the handle
bars.
Please see your nearest dealer.
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