Motorcycle Safety Gear
Before
trusting your life to your motorcycle, you'll want to make sure it's roadworthy
and safe to ride. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation has established a checklist
they call T-CLOCS:
- T - Tires, wheels
- C - Controls (levers and pedal, cables, hoses, throttle)
- L - Light (battery, headlights, turn signals, mirrors, etc.)
- O - Oil (fluid levels)
- C - Chassis (frame, suspension, chain, etc.)
- S - Stands (center stand and/or kickstand)
One of the most important (and easily
overlooked) aspects of motorcycling is safety gear. it's also the only thing
that will protect you from the road in an accident. The problem is when a
motorcycle has an accident it is almost certainly severe. Head injuries account
for only 3%of deaths. Road Rash causes more deaths. The number one cause of
death on a motorcycle comes from Riders with less safety gear. The number one
safety gear you can wear to save your life is a riding suit, and preferably a
brightly colored one.
Safety helmet standards
Your motorcycle
helmet is the most important piece of kit you’ll ever own.
Get the Right Fit
The most important thing to
consider when choosing your helmet isn’t the brand name or how it looks. The
secret to providing yourself better head protection is in getting the right
fit. Wearing a helmet that fits correctly dramatically increases your chances
of surviving a crash.
After all, even a five-star helmet won’t protect you if it’s not on your
head at the point of impact.
Visors and goggles
Eye protection not only
keeps wind from making tears streak down your face, they also keep all manner
of debris and bugs from flying into your eyes. Visors in helmets offer built-in
eye protection, but some riders prefer to wear separate eye protection so they
can enjoy a tinted field of vision that's removable when the sun drops.
Protective motorcycle clothing
Jackets
A wide variety of jackets are available, offering many options when it comes to upper body protection; from armored race gear to ventilated summer wear, jackets can not only reduce or prevent abrasion injuries, they can also look cool in the process.
Gloves
Protect your palms, knuckles, and fingers with sturdily constructed, well-padded gloves, preferable gauntlet-style ones that extend past the wrist.
Boots
There
are loads of ways to keep your feet protected on a motorcycle. Also, don't
underestimate the importance of keeping your feet firmly planted on the pegs
and shin protection from pebbles.
Elbow, Shin, and Knee Guards
guards
protect key body parts like elbows, shins, and knees from impact; they can also
be effecting for street riding when worn in combination with less protective
outer layers (like Kevlar-reinforced jeans), though they won't offer the
complete coverage of full gear.
Motorcycling is a
high-risk activity, and the most vulnerable riders are new ones. Protecting
yourself with proper safety gear is an easy way to save yourself from injury.Riding
a motorcycle is going to be dangerous no matter what you are wearing, but there
are precautions everyone can take if they have half a brain left in their
heads. Keep responsible and keep respect each other
"Don't suit up for the drive, suit up for the accident."
