The roads are fast becoming more and more crowded, and the pressure is increasing to not only ensure your own safety, but others as well.
We’ve pulled together a few tips to help keep you and others safe on the road road:
Even at lower speeds, fall off your bike and the road surface will shred through your jeans and skin in seconds. Having and wearing the right clothing and helmet is just as important to your safety as making sure your bike is serviced and knowing how to ride it properly.
Having the right gear when riding isn’t just about protection from injury, but comfort as well. Ensuring your gear fits properly means you stay comfortable, warm and dry on your bike, meaning you enjoy your ride more without getting distracted from the road and whats going on.
Gloves:
The first thing you instinctively do in a collision is put your hands out to protect yourself. Unfortunately your fingers and wrists are fragile and weren’t built to withstand this sort of impact.
If you make contact with the road it can take less than a second to remove the skin from your hands, so its imperative you have specialist motorcycling gloves.
You can get gloves for both winter and summer so its well worth investing in a pair of each to keep your your hands safe all year round.
Boots:
Your boots need to be sturdy and above ankle-height to provide the support and protection you need in your ankle area. They should be made from a good quality leather and be at least 2.5mm thick, and ideally waterproof. The soles need to be at least 4mm thick and the thicker the sole the better it will absorb any vibration from the bike.
Recently published stats show 19% of admissions to hospital for biking injuries involved broken bones in the lower part of the leg, showing it to be the most likely part of the body to get injured, making it vitally important to protect your ankles and feet.
Jacket and Trousers
Even a short slide on tarmac at 30mph will shred through clothes and take skin down to the bone in seconds.
Whether you’re riding a 50cc or a 1200cc, riding in everyday clothes puts you at risk of a very serious injury. Wearing the right clothing to shield you from the impact and abrasion, the most common causes of injury, is very important.
Your leathers need to feel comfortable and be a good fit, without being too tight. Make sure the arms are long enough and your movement is in no way restricted.
The best tip we can give is, do not spare any expense when buying your gear…it could save your life
Back