All right guys, you all forgot to give me my kick in the ass for not posting the safety topic of the week. I decided that I am going to go basic for this week. We are going to talk about safety gear. Since I have been hearing a lot about accidents where riders do not have proper gear. To me gear is like when you buy a car. You normally pay more for safety, right? Air bags are standard on new cars, but we will pay extra for ABS, side airbags, seat belt detection systems and other really cool safety features. So why is motorcycling any different? Don't we want the best for ourselves? I know I do.
From head to toe.
Helmet: Wonderful piece of safety equipment. Most states require you to wear one. If you live in a state that doesn't require it, wear one any ways
. I need not get into the importance of a helmet, that is obvious, but I will get into quality of helmets. Best protection for your melon is a full face helmet. No brainer there huh. So what is a good full face helmet you may ask, well that's simple. Look for the DOT sticker on the back and labeled on the inside of the helmet. DOT stands for Department of Transportation They test the helmets to meet a min. standard. A DOT helmet is a well put together helmet. There is also another rating in addition to DOT that you may see. That is a SNELL (Snell Memorial foundation) rating. This rating exceeds the DOT standard. So obviously a DOT/Snell rating is a better built helmet. There are only two manufactures of helmets that I know of that exceed the Snell rating and they are Shoei and Arari. Of course they cost more, but you have to ask how much is your head worth. Another good pointer when buying a helmet is to purchase a helmet without a seam down the middle of it. That is a clam shell mold helmet. They take two halves and put them together as compared to a solid mold helmet, one that is one piece.
BTW law wise, most states require a clear visor or clear eye protection on when riding at night. Eye protection is a must in most states when you have no visor on your helmet. A windshield does not constitute as a eye protection. Of course the best eye protection is a shatter resistant wrap around glasses.
Jacket: Leather is the best material to protect your skin, but we aren't riding harleys here are we. A jacket is essential for a motorcyclist. It protects us from the elements and it protects of god forbid we hit the ground. I live in the state of Florida where 90 degree days are common. Does this mean that its to hot for jackets and helmets. Hell no. They make jackets that are mesh and allow the wind to flow right through it, but stops the road from going through your skin. I personally own a Joe Rocket Ballistic 3.0. I wear it while I teach on the black top on the range. I cant even tell I have it on. Bright colors are also essential. All black is for people trying to hide, we don't want to hide in traffic. So buy a jacket with some color a retro reflective material.
Gloves: Again leather is the best material. But they do make gloves that protect that are not leather but again a mesh material. Gloves do more than protect us from a crash, they protect us from debris from the road, child from cool air, and a nice cure for sweaty palms on the grips.
Pants: Hey pac, what do you think I should say about pants? Leather again is the best material, but it is summer time and most likely we wont wear it if its hot outside. So denim is a nice alternative, but as proven by pac at high speeds denim has a tendency to loose its durability. You do have options, Draggin jeans are a great choice as so are riding suits.
Foot wear: Boots, over the ankle foot wear is your best choice. Something with grip preferably. Oil resistant boots. Need I say more. I believe I do. Why over the ankle? Easy, support, when you constantly put your foot down in traffic a extra support is appreciated. It also protects you again from the elements. Done forget that slippery stuff that we step into at lights. Even those painted lines can be slippery, you know they take broken glass and mix it with the paint to make it reflect. Hit that stuff at 6 in the morning with the dew right on top of it. You'll be in for a big suprise.
Dont forget about Hypothermia and Dehydration. Hypothermia is when you body temp go below normal. Lets say your riding on a bike in 50 degree weather at 45 mph. You will achieve a chilling effect of 35 degrees. It gets worse at higher speeds, lets 65 degrees at 75 mph, you will receive a chilling effect of 40 degrees. Pretty damn cold huh, if you don't have your gear on. Dehydration is a b*tch. You can get dehydrated just by warm wind going over your exposed skin. So its hot out and you decided to wear your shorts and tank top w/ flip flops (ive seen it). How quickly do you think the water in your body will be sucked out just by warm wind going over your skin. Pretty damn quick. So even if it is warm out, wear your gear.
Rain is no joke either, so a nice set of rain gear is a riders best friend.
Safety gear should not be a burden or discomfort. If it is not comfortable for you, you wont wear it. So buy gear that is appropriate for the season. Dress in layers when its winter time. It may be freezing cold in the morning but by mid day it can warm up significantly. So it would be nice to just peel off a layer of cloth instead of all or nothing. I can hear what some of you are saying. I never wear safety gear because I don't plan on getting into an accident. Well do we ever plan on it. If you don't wear your gear for you self, wear it for the ones that you love. Trust me they will appreciate it if you do. Squids are squids, there is no need for my fellow busa riders out there to be put in that category One of the members said it best when they said "Dress like your not coming back from the ride" I have hear every excuse in the book why not to wear safety gear, but not one of them has ever had any logical sense to it. If you are one of those who go with out. All I can say, may god give you a guardian angle to ride with.
God bless and be safe out there.
PS. This post is dedicated to my best buddy Brian, RIP brother, and ride it up there like you stole it.
Brian crashed without a helmet or safety gear.
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From head to toe.
Helmet: Wonderful piece of safety equipment. Most states require you to wear one. If you live in a state that doesn't require it, wear one any ways
BTW law wise, most states require a clear visor or clear eye protection on when riding at night. Eye protection is a must in most states when you have no visor on your helmet. A windshield does not constitute as a eye protection. Of course the best eye protection is a shatter resistant wrap around glasses.
Jacket: Leather is the best material to protect your skin, but we aren't riding harleys here are we. A jacket is essential for a motorcyclist. It protects us from the elements and it protects of god forbid we hit the ground. I live in the state of Florida where 90 degree days are common. Does this mean that its to hot for jackets and helmets. Hell no. They make jackets that are mesh and allow the wind to flow right through it, but stops the road from going through your skin. I personally own a Joe Rocket Ballistic 3.0. I wear it while I teach on the black top on the range. I cant even tell I have it on. Bright colors are also essential. All black is for people trying to hide, we don't want to hide in traffic. So buy a jacket with some color a retro reflective material.
Gloves: Again leather is the best material. But they do make gloves that protect that are not leather but again a mesh material. Gloves do more than protect us from a crash, they protect us from debris from the road, child from cool air, and a nice cure for sweaty palms on the grips.
Pants: Hey pac, what do you think I should say about pants? Leather again is the best material, but it is summer time and most likely we wont wear it if its hot outside. So denim is a nice alternative, but as proven by pac at high speeds denim has a tendency to loose its durability. You do have options, Draggin jeans are a great choice as so are riding suits.
Foot wear: Boots, over the ankle foot wear is your best choice. Something with grip preferably. Oil resistant boots. Need I say more. I believe I do. Why over the ankle? Easy, support, when you constantly put your foot down in traffic a extra support is appreciated. It also protects you again from the elements. Done forget that slippery stuff that we step into at lights. Even those painted lines can be slippery, you know they take broken glass and mix it with the paint to make it reflect. Hit that stuff at 6 in the morning with the dew right on top of it. You'll be in for a big suprise.
Dont forget about Hypothermia and Dehydration. Hypothermia is when you body temp go below normal. Lets say your riding on a bike in 50 degree weather at 45 mph. You will achieve a chilling effect of 35 degrees. It gets worse at higher speeds, lets 65 degrees at 75 mph, you will receive a chilling effect of 40 degrees. Pretty damn cold huh, if you don't have your gear on. Dehydration is a b*tch. You can get dehydrated just by warm wind going over your exposed skin. So its hot out and you decided to wear your shorts and tank top w/ flip flops (ive seen it). How quickly do you think the water in your body will be sucked out just by warm wind going over your skin. Pretty damn quick. So even if it is warm out, wear your gear.
Rain is no joke either, so a nice set of rain gear is a riders best friend.
Safety gear should not be a burden or discomfort. If it is not comfortable for you, you wont wear it. So buy gear that is appropriate for the season. Dress in layers when its winter time. It may be freezing cold in the morning but by mid day it can warm up significantly. So it would be nice to just peel off a layer of cloth instead of all or nothing. I can hear what some of you are saying. I never wear safety gear because I don't plan on getting into an accident. Well do we ever plan on it. If you don't wear your gear for you self, wear it for the ones that you love. Trust me they will appreciate it if you do. Squids are squids, there is no need for my fellow busa riders out there to be put in that category One of the members said it best when they said "Dress like your not coming back from the ride" I have hear every excuse in the book why not to wear safety gear, but not one of them has ever had any logical sense to it. If you are one of those who go with out. All I can say, may god give you a guardian angle to ride with.
God bless and be safe out there.
PS. This post is dedicated to my best buddy Brian, RIP brother, and ride it up there like you stole it.
Brian crashed without a helmet or safety gear.
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Reason for Edit: None given...|1085606180 -->
