Personal Protective Motorcycle Equipment

Recent estimates indicate that a motorcyclist is sixteen times more likely to receive a serious injury during a crash than a car driver. Perhaps more shockingly a motorcyclist is more than twice as likely to receive a serious injury as a result of a road accident than a normal cyclist. For this reason personal protective gear is of high importance for any motorcyclist who takes his or her safety seriously.

The first and perhaps most important piece of protective equipment for a motorcyclist is the helmet. By law any rider or passenger on a motorbike within the UK must wear a helmet and so it is an essential purchase. There are many different styles of helmet generally fitting into one of five categories. There are full face helmets, off road helmets, flip up helmets, open face helmets and half helmets. Helmets are designed to protect the riders head from damage during a crash and some newer models also slightly protect the spine. A helmet is designed to break upon impact and thus expend energy which would otherwise go through the wearers head. There are several different materials which can be used when constructing a helmet but some of the more common are plastics, fibreglass, Kevlar and carbon fibre.

The next item of protective gear which all motorcyclists should own is biking gloves. Alpinestars are one of the leading brands providing motorcycle cloves with some of the more high quality ranges available. Alpinestars gloves are just one of the many suitable brands of protective gloves available on the market however and there are many styles to choose from. In modern times however motorcycle gloves also provide protection for the rider’s hands with more physical protection. Many gloves are reinforced with strong materials such a Kevlar and some include carbon fibre knuckle protection.

The final item of protective gear which is of vital importance to any motorcycle rider is boots. Bike boots are a primarily used to protect the riders feet in the event of a crash, they are therefore made from tough semi-flexible materials. Bike boots are not just to protect the rider in the event of a crash they also provide substantial grip so that the rider can stabilise themselves when stationary and so that their feet are grounded on the pegs when riding. Furthermore the boots protect the rider from the hot parts of the bike when riding and reduce the risk of the rider burning themselves. Alpinestars Boots are just some of the great boots available on the market providing the appropriate amount of protection for any motorcyclist’s feet.

Purchasing personal protective equipment should be a priority for anyone thinking about riding a motorcycle. Having well-fitting, quality protective gear can be the difference between life and death in the event of a road accident.

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