Motorcycle safety clothing and why this is important

To improve motorcycle safety many countries				terms of pockets and vents. Common materials
order the wearing of protective clothing by				include high density (600–1000 Denier) ballistic
motorcyclists, especially a helmet. Other				nylon (e.g., Cordura) and Kevlar (or blends of
protective equipment may include certain types of				Kevlar, Cordura, and Lycra) and often include
jackets, gloves, boots, and pants. Jackets meant				waterproof liners made from materials such as
for motorcyclists are typically made of nylon,				Goretex.
leather, or Kevlar. These jackets usually include
heavy padding on the elbow, spine, and shoulder				Motorcycling Boots:
regions. Gloves are generally made of leather or
Kevlar and some include carbon fiber knuckle				Boots are worn by motorcycle riders and
protection. Boots, especially those for sport riding,				passengers to prevent or diminish harm to their
include reinforcement and plastic caps on the				feet and ankles while riding and in the incident of a
ankle and toe areas. A well-protected motorcyclist				crash. Tough, strong, moderately flexible boots
will wear boots with heels that fit on motorcycle				with rigid soles provide the rider protection from a
foot rests (pegs) and provide good ankle support.				number of risks. Boots with oil-resistant,
Pants are usually leather, nylon, or Kevlar. Except				rubber-based merged soles give a grip on the
for helmets, none of these items are required by				concrete and help keep the rider's feet on the
law in any state in the U.S. but are recommended				foot rests. If the boots have heels, they should
by many of those who ride.				be low and wide to provide a firm base when
Types of clothing				standing with the bike. In a crash, boots may
				avoid or reduce foot and ankle injuries.
Leather Clothing:				Helmets:
Leathers are 1-piece suits, or 2-piece jackets and				A motorcycle helmet is protective head covering
trousers worn by motorcyclists mainly for				used by motorcycle riders. The primary target of
protection in a crash. The leather used is not				a motorcycle helmet is to protect the rider's head
fashion leather but protective leather which is				during impact, although many helmets provide
stronger, rather flexible and much tougher. Both				additional protection such as a face shield. In some
leathers and joins (seams and zips) should be				countries the wearing of motorcycle helmets is
officially tested for ergonomics and impact scrape,				compulsory.
cut, tear and burst resistance. They do not have				Helmets are made in 2 main layers: hard and
to be too heavy and there is no such thing as				energy-absorbing. The hard shell spreads an
rivalry leather - just safe and unsafe leather and				impact over a larger area, while the liner (often
joins.				polystyrene foam) absorbs energy so less is
Typically, an accident at a race track will result in				transferred to the skull & brain
the racers sliding, rolling and tumbling for
reasonably long distances and long times				Gloves:
compared to an accident on the public road. This
is because of the large safety run-off areas				Motorcycling racing glove
found on most race tracks; hence racers have a				Motorcycling gloves are typically gloves made of
much lower probability of hitting hard vertical solid				leather. They may have gauntlets to protect the
objects during a crash. Some racing leathers have				rider's wrists from injury, and help shrink drafts
additional protection properties to increase sliding				while riding in colder climates. Motorcycling gloves
and decrease bouncing and rotation. To decrease				typically have reinforced palms anticipated to
or prevent such injuries, most modern racing suits				protect the rider from scratch injuries in case of
have an area that helps sliding at the knees,				an accident.
shoulders and elbows – often made of				Optional characteristics include additional protection
titanium or high-density plastic, so the rider slides				or weatherproofing. For touring gloves, such
more along the track environment and so				additional features may include advanced insulating
decreases the bouncing and rotation through the				materials and waterproof/breathable fabric,
air, which may cause inferior injuries from angular				although touring gloves may still lack advanced
accelerations and rotational forces				armouring features used in motorcycle racing
Currently there are two major styles of				gloves.
motorcycle leathers: the tight fitting and				Gloves intended for motorcycle racing typically
sometimes colorful one or two piece suits based				feature precurved finger sections and the best
on motorcycle racing leathers; and the somewhat				available protection, obtained through additional
looser fitting leather trousers and jackets, usually				armour incorporated within the glove. Although
black and often decorated with metal studs and				maximum tacility is an noticeable starting point for
tassels.				racing gloves, additional protection should not be
				discarded. Additional protection may involve
Textile Clothing:				titanium or carbon panels for knuckles and the
				joints of the fingers. Furthermore, racing gloves
Increasingly, motorcyclists are choosing protective				may and often do add in additional wrist and
equipment make up of man-made textiles rather				other protection panels to protect the heel of the
than leather due to their improved weather				hand, back of the hand and other easily injured
protection from heat, cold, and water, and the				parts of the hand.
increased value these garments tend to provide in

Arkon Safety

Motorcycle safety clothing and why this is important