| There is some great looking motorcycle clothing | | | | are hardwearing, if they are leather make sure it |
| on the market these days, but believe me not all | | | | is thick leather not fashion leather like some |
| of the motorcycle clothing offers as much | | | | jackets. Stitching should be uniform with no |
| protection as you think. In Europe, for motorcycle | | | | dropped stitches, and all your "sharp bits", your |
| clothing to be lawfully sold as "safety" clothing, it | | | | elbows and shoulders should be reinforced, ideally |
| has to pass a series of European standards, which | | | | with some impact protection included. |
| are pretty lengthy but are available on my | | | | A decent pair of gloves is a must; your palms will |
| website. The standards cover the clothing's | | | | be at risk in an accident; you instinctively put out |
| performance in abrasion, tearing and impact tests, | | | | your hands palm side down to stop yourself in a |
| and when they have passed; they are sold with | | | | slide, so the palms of your gloves should be |
| the CE mark. However, no such regulation is | | | | reinforced with patches. Knitted Kevlar is |
| available in the USA, so what should you look for? | | | | especially good for this kind of abrasion resistance, |
| Protection in the right places... | | | | but reinforced leather works well too. |
| Not many people realise that most motorcycle | | | | Impact protection can be bought separately like |
| injuries occur below the belt. Your legs and feet | | | | back protectors and so on, but remember where |
| are extremely vulnerable, so make sure that you | | | | your most vulnerable areas are. And make sure if |
| wear a decent pair of high boots and some | | | | you buy impact protection you actually wear it! If |
| protective pants. The pants should be reinforced | | | | you have any doubts it may be better to go for |
| at the knees and hips; ideally they should attach | | | | motorcycle clothing with a degree of impact |
| to your jacket by a zipper. Boots should be thick | | | | protection included so that you know when you |
| leather, with a sole that can flex with the foot but | | | | put on your jacket and pants, the protection is |
| has a resistance to crushing across the foot. | | | | always going to be there. |
| Traditional material for motorcycle clothing is | | | | Last but not least, pick out a helmet you can |
| leather, but thick nylon and other synthetic | | | | wear and wear it always. You may have a |
| materials work well too. Kevlar reinforced jeans | | | | greater chance of getting injured below the waist |
| are better than normal jeans .Normal jeans last | | | | in a motorcycle accident, but the consequences |
| 0.6 seconds in the European standard abrasion | | | | of being involved in an accident without a helmet |
| test, while protective motorcycle pants will last 5 | | | | just don't bear thinking about.... |
| seconds or more. You don't really want to be | | | | So, next time you are shopping for motorcycle |
| ripping your skin open within less than half a | | | | clothing, give a bit of thought to the level of |
| second of falling of your bike do you? Thought | | | | protection it offers before you buy it. You never |
| not. | | | | know it could save you a lot of unnecessary pain! |
| Same principles apply to jackets. Make sure they | | | | |