Be proactive and choose the right gear April 26, 2015 22:13
You are a motorcycling enthusiast, right? You head out to the road, make sure you're wearing the right stuff every time you saddle up. Cars are in essence, safety equipment, but on a bike you need to be proactive and choose the right stuff for the weather to keep you safe and comfortable.
Jackets:
A T-shirt won't save you when you go down. Unless you want to experience the asphalt cheese grater firsthand, we recommend wearing a real motorcycle jacket. The best ones combine tough abrasion-resistant shells with CE approved body armour for key strike zones, areas that would contact the ground first during a fall, like the elbows and shoulders.
One thing you should never do is accept a jacket without a proper, CE approved back protector.
When choosing your summer jacket, any material through which you can see is inadequate protection at highway speed. Riders will be quick to ditch the stifling nylon liner on hot days, but the polyester shell gets scratchy and irritating on its own. It can be tempting to just take the jacket off. This is where Rukka jackets and pants are different. They are specifically designed for your comfort to ensure that you wear the correct protective clothing while riding, just in case of an accident.
Pants:
You put focus on the jacket, ordinary street pants may seem like a good idea. That is, until you go skidding down the highway with nothing but a layer of cotton between the road and your skin. The best pants are made out of abrasion resistant and durable textile materials or leather, and include padding for your knees and hips.
Good riding pants should be a blend the comfort and crash protection. We come in all shapes and sizes, especially length of the legs vary from one person to another. It is important to have the protectors in the right spots. You don’t want the knee protector hang below your knee.
Removable thermal liner makes a lot of sense. You can take the lining out and put it in depending on conditions, making pants highly adaptable to varying weather conditions. When the rain comes down, you want your pants to be waterproof; whether the outer shell is waterproof or the liner is waterproof. Either way, you’ll be nice and dry.
Boots:
On a bike you need to secure your feet from various things: the asphalt flying underneath like an out-of-control treadmill; bugs and road debris battering from all sides and a high-revving engine that would just love to scorch your instep. You need special protection.
Any sneakers or regular shoes won't cut it. In safety tests, reports have found that dress shoes and sneakers provide as much real crash protection as a pair of flip-flops. Yes, it's true. So make sure to buy proper boots. All motorcycle boots should provide a stiff toe box for firm shifting and a nonslip sole for standing while stopped, and should cover your ankles to protect them in a crash.
Ankle protection is very important. If you smash your ankle, you probably won’t be able to have proper foot movement after that and walking becomes difficult.
Imagine you’re on a longer ride and the rain comes pouring down. It is the most uncomfortable feeling when your feet get cold, let alone when they are both wet and cold. For all year ‘round use you most definitely want your boots to be waterproof. But you don’t want to put your feet in a plastic shell, your feet will become sweaty and smelly. This is when leather boots with Gore-Tex are the way to go.
On the weekend rides you may want to stop here and there, take a look around and walk around. It’s a big ask, but the boots need to be good for walking too.
Gloves:
The best motorcycle gloves not only provide protection from bugs and other flying debris but most of all protect your hands and knuckles from abrasion in case of a crash They also improve grip and comfort, making a motorcycle's hand controls are easy to operate. They are warm and comfortable in cool weather and they are breathable when the summer weather gets hot.
Keep a lookout for good material workmanship and external seams, which will prevent irritation on long rides. Short gloves are designed to slip under the cuff on a jacket, while long gauntlet-style gloves will cover the cuff. Selecting a jacket and gloves together will help you decide which style you prefer. You can look for leather or textile, but make sure the material and workmanship meet your needs and provide that much needed protection.
Make sure your gloves have both knuckle protection as well and scaphoid protection.
Ride safe:
If you are ever involved in a crash, remember that you can always replace helmets, jackets, pants, gloves and boots, but it is much more difficult to find new knees, hips, fingers, knuckles, elbows, shoulders etc.
Ride safe and remember to wear protective gear.