Motorcycle Protective Apparel
Protective apparel for motorcyclists is an important, though somewhat disregarded part of overall safety. Many riders choose their riding clothes on the basis of how cool they look rather than how it will hold up and protect them if they get into an accident; or wipe out and are skidding across the road. The motorcycle apparel business has been booming, and there are all kinds of great looking clothing out there, but you may have to look a little harder to find items with enough protection. It’s easier to find good protective clothing in Europe because they have developed a series of standards that the apparel must meet to be sold as safety clothing. They are put through tests for tearing, impact, and abrasions. In the US, there are no regulations like this, so the safest clothing is a bit harder to find. The following are some things you should look for.
Most motorcycle injuries occur to the legs and feet, so it’s important to wear a good pair of high boots, and protective pants with extra reinforcement around the knees and hips. For added protection, you pants should have the ability to attach to your jacket through a zipper. You should look for boots made of thick leather, with a hard sole.
The traditional motorcycle clothing is made of leather, but there are other materials that also work pretty well. Thick nylon offers protection, as well as Kevlar reinforced apparel. In the European abrasion tests, regular denim blue jeans last 0.6 seconds, while a decent pair of leather motorcycle pants or chaps will last 5 seconds.
Jackets work the same way as pants—make sure if they are made of leather that the leather is thick, and not the fashion leather you see in fancy leather stores. Like the knees and hips, there should be extra reinforcement around the “impact points” of your shoulders and elbows. It is also recommended that you have padding or impact protection in these areas.
A good pair of riding gloves is also very important safety-wise. Kevlar gloves, or reinforced leather are solid options for protecting your hands. It’s especially important that the palms of your hands have extra padding or patches—when falling, our instinct is to put our hands out with palms down, so they will be taking the brunt of the impact and sliding.
If you have questions or doubts about protective clothing, it’s usually better to look for apparel that has the degree of impact protection included. After all, you don’t want to be hoping that your clothing will provide some protection in the event of an accident—it’s always better to be sure.
Finally, and most importantly, find a good helmet. I know there is a lot of debate on this subject, and different laws depending on where you live, but if you are all interested in safety, never ride without a helmet. I mentioned earlier that most motorcycle injuries occur to the legs and feet, however, the most serious injuries occur above the neck. Don’t buy a used helmet, unless you are absolutely positive that it has never been in an accident, or otherwise damaged. I always recommend a helmet with a full facemask for the maximum protection.
Enjoy your rides, and remember when shopping for cool new motorcycle apparel to take into account how safe the clothing is.