Protective Clothing -
Giving Your Mind and Body A Fighting Chance
I am a big proponent of the wearing of protective clothing while riding. This really came to light when I T-boned a deer one night on my way home. My full face helmet, which received a bad case of road rash from front to back, my leather jacket, gloves, and chaps (along with my wallet, yes, wallet) protected me from being a casualty. I was lucky. I hit the deer, which suddenly appeared from the road ditch which was overgrown with trees and shrubs, at 80 km/h (50 mph) and only suffered 3 broken bones in my left wrist, several broken and cracked ribs, bruising from the top of my boots to my shoulder on my right side, and a slight concussion. Without my protective gear, it would have been much worse, especially if the helmet was not a full face type. No one every expects to be involved in an “incident”, but they occur, and can occur at any time, and many of them are out of your control, especially when Mother Nature decides to throw an unexpected surprise at you!
So lets take a look at some of the protective clothing you should consider wearing, even when going out for a short ride (most accidents occur within 10 km / 6 miles of home). So, starting top to bottom:
- Helmet - In Canada, in most provinces and territories, the helmet is the only piece of protective equipment that you legally have to have on. Your cranium can be easily damaged, as with that grey matter beneath it, therefore, it is a good idea to protect it. The helmet should meet D.O.T. requirements, as a minimum, and I recommend going up a notch with a SNELL or ECE rating. There are a number of types of helmet (full face, modular - also called a flip-up, open face (3/4), 1/2 helmet ( “bucket”), Moto-cross or Off-road, and Dual-Sport or hybrid styles, and which you choose depends on the type of riding you are doing and personal preference and comfort. Make sure that you try the helmet on for at least 10 minutes before purchasing (hard to do on-line!), along with wearing glasses with them. By doing this, you should be able to determine if the helmet is a good fit and is comfortable, without compromising safety. Try not to make the $$$ amount determine which one or brand you get. Just because it is far more expensive doesn't mean it is better at protection. However, the higher end "cranium protectors" tend to be more comfortable and lighter, and may have a few more bells and whistles. After all, comfort is important as you do not want to have your attention diverted if your helmet is causing issues.
- Eye protection - This can be done in a number of ways, depending on the helmet you are wearing, as you are protecting your eyes from coming in contact with foreign objects in the air, and / or the suns UVA and UVB rays. If you are using a helmet that does not have eye protection, your eyeglasses are not a good substitute if they are not shatterproof. Shatterproof motorcycle glasses or goggles that fit tight to your face, and have air vents, make a better choice. Make sure that if you are going to ride at night you have glasses that have clear lenses in them (also a requirement in most provinces, territories, and states.)
3. Ear Plugs - Yes, they are an important part to your comfort and well being. Moving air through your ears as you ride and the noise that accompanies it can cause minor to extreme hearing loss over time, or can also lead to tinnitus, even with a full or modular helmet. You can get disposable ear protection or go all the way up to custom fit. Whatever you decide, strongly consider wearing them.
4. Full Finger Gloves - have you ever fallen while walking? What is the first thing you do? Put out your hands instinctively to protect yourself. Keep this in mind while riding a bike. If you go down to meet the ground due to one reason or another, you will be glad you had the right gloves on - those with a leather or protective palm that can resist abrasion and disperse heat over a larger area, and even better if the gloves have protection for the back of your hand as well. Be careful of purchasing gloves that are too thin, do not have protection points, or are only made of polyester because polyester gloves can actually melt due to abrasion to your hands. In addition, consider getting different gloves for different seasons and weather conditions. If your hands are dry and warm, they work much better.
5. Motorcycle Jacket - Next to your helmet, a good motorcycle jacket is a must. Leather or any of the newer synthetic materials go a long way to protecting your hide (Note: A motorcycle jacket, especially leather, is much thicker and heavier than a regular leather jacket, and while the regular leather jacket is better than nothing, it is no where as good as a leather jacket designed for the motorcyclist). Also note that a jean jacket is just a bit better than nothing if you and / or your bike happen to go for a slid along some asphalt. To add to the jacket, CE 2 armour, which is flexible and light weight, should be located in the shoulders and elbows, along with the spine. The armour also needs to be fastened in place so they do not move out of place in case of an incident. As with the gloves, consider purchasing a jacket that can meet the needs of changes in temperature and climate of the riding seasons, or purchase at least a warm weather, mesh style jacket which will keep you cool and protected in the summer months, and a colder style jacket for cooler days. There are short jackets, mid length, 3/4, and full length jackets. Again, this is a personal preference. While black is the most common colour of choice, take a look at other colours as well, especially those that make you stand out and become easier to be seen by others. When purchasing, and you have your bike handy or the dealer has one similar to yours, ask to try it on while you are on the bike. What may fit standing up may not be so “kind” to you while you are seated and holding on to the handlebars of a motorcycle.
6. Pants or “Protect The Lowers” - One of the first parts of your body to come in contact with Mother Earth in the case of a tip over or a sliding incident is your legs. So, protect these “lowers” by wearing full length jeans, as a bare minimum. They help, but the sandpaper characteristics a of asphalt can wear through them in a matter of seconds, depending on your speed. Again, leather makes a good anti-abrasive material, but offers little protection if a collision is involved (leather chaps protect the legs but your butt area is left to whatever protection your pants are). The same can be said for Kevlar type pants which have a good resistance to abrasion. Pants that have a good abrasive resistance, plus has CE armour at the knees, hips, and tail bone area provides the best of anti-abrasion and protection from an impact. In addition, many of these pants have multiple vents to permit good airflow without sacrificing safety.
7. Footwear - The footwear you use will again depend on what kind of riding you are doing. Motorcycle-cross and dirt riders will be more likely to wear calf-high hard covered boots that protect against flying rocks or impacts with branches and other objects one might find off road. For the sake of on-road, choose footwear that is both comfortable and practical, covers at least up above the ankle, and fits the bike you are riding. They should allow you to place your foot on the pegs (or floor boards) and allow you to operate both the gear selector and back brake with ease. The tread on the bottom of the footwear is also important as they should provide good grip when you put your foot down. The last thing you want is your foot slipping out when you are trying to balance or push the bike. Could be both embarrassing and painful!
8. New Products / New Technology -
Products designed to give the motorcyclist a less hazardous journey continue to evolve and come on the market, and warrant a look by all to see if they fit their plans (or budget). Remember when ABS system first started showing up on bikes, and many riders pooh-poohed them. Now, most of those riders would be the first to make sure their bikes had them. Yes, they add expense to the over-all cost of the bike, but how much is your life worth anyway?
Air bags. Some Honda Gold Wing models have had these for a number of years now, and some other manufacturers are making them an option on their machines.
As for wearable safety technology, an important player is the development, and continued refined development, of the personal “Air Bag” vest or jacket. These products are fairly new, but show great promise. There are only a handful of manufacturers as of this writing, thus the high cost of purchase ($700 -$1200 CDN). However, if we are willing to pay in the area of $700 to protect are noggin, why not our core body parts? Through more development, and better competition, the price point will drop, and the usage and options will make these affordable and become the “next big thing” in protecting your body from harm.
Remember, you as a rider make the final choice as to what personal body protection you want to wear, but keep in mind that you are the most important item on the bike, and you buy insurance to protect your bike, why not insure yourself with protective motorcycle clothing? After all, it is only your mind (head) and the rest of your body you are looking after !
5. Motorcycle Jacket - Next to your helmet, a good motorcycle jacket is a must. Leather or any of the newer synthetic materials go a long way to protecting your hide (Note: A motorcycle jacket, especially leather, is much thicker and heavier than a regular leather jacket, and while the regular leather jacket is better than nothing, it is no where as good as a leather jacket designed for the motorcyclist). Also note that a jean jacket is just a bit better than nothing if you and / or your bike happen to go for a slid along some asphalt. To add to the jacket, CE 2 armour, which is flexible and light weight, should be located in the shoulders and elbows, along with the spine. The armour also needs to be fastened in place so they do not move out of place in case of an incident. As with the gloves, consider purchasing a jacket that can meet the needs of changes in temperature and climate of the riding seasons, or purchase at least a warm weather, mesh style jacket which will keep you cool and protected in the summer months, and a colder style jacket for cooler days. There are short jackets, mid length, 3/4, and full length jackets. Again, this is a personal preference. While black is the most common colour of choice, take a look at other colours as well, especially those that make you stand out and become easier to be seen by others. When purchasing, and you have your bike handy or the dealer has one similar to yours, ask to try it on while you are on the bike. What may fit standing up may not be so “kind” to you while you are seated and holding on to the handlebars of a motorcycle.
6. Pants or “Protect The Lowers” - One of the first parts of your body to come in contact with Mother Earth in the case of a tip over or a sliding incident is your legs. So, protect these “lowers” by wearing full length jeans, as a bare minimum. They help, but the sandpaper characteristics a of asphalt can wear through them in a matter of seconds, depending on your speed. Again, leather makes a good anti-abrasive material, but offers little protection if a collision is involved (leather chaps protect the legs but your butt area is left to whatever protection your pants are). The same can be said for Kevlar type pants which have a good resistance to abrasion. Pants that have a good abrasive resistance, plus has CE armour at the knees, hips, and tail bone area provides the best of anti-abrasion and protection from an impact. In addition, many of these pants have multiple vents to permit good airflow without sacrificing safety.
7. Footwear - The footwear you use will again depend on what kind of riding you are doing. Motorcycle-cross and dirt riders will be more likely to wear calf-high hard covered boots that protect against flying rocks or impacts with branches and other objects one might find off road. For the sake of on-road, choose footwear that is both comfortable and practical, covers at least up above the ankle, and fits the bike you are riding. They should allow you to place your foot on the pegs (or floor boards) and allow you to operate both the gear selector and back brake with ease. The tread on the bottom of the footwear is also important as they should provide good grip when you put your foot down. The last thing you want is your foot slipping out when you are trying to balance or push the bike. Could be both embarrassing and painful!
8. New Products / New Technology -
Products designed to give the motorcyclist a less hazardous journey continue to evolve and come on the market, and warrant a look by all to see if they fit their plans (or budget). Remember when ABS system first started showing up on bikes, and many riders pooh-poohed them. Now, most of those riders would be the first to make sure their bikes had them. Yes, they add expense to the over-all cost of the bike, but how much is your life worth anyway?
Air bags. Some Honda Gold Wing models have had these for a number of years now, and some other manufacturers are making them an option on their machines.
As for wearable safety technology, an important player is the development, and continued refined development, of the personal “Air Bag” vest or jacket. These products are fairly new, but show great promise. There are only a handful of manufacturers as of this writing, thus the high cost of purchase ($700 -$1200 CDN). However, if we are willing to pay in the area of $700 to protect are noggin, why not our core body parts? Through more development, and better competition, the price point will drop, and the usage and options will make these affordable and become the “next big thing” in protecting your body from harm.
Remember, you as a rider make the final choice as to what personal body protection you want to wear, but keep in mind that you are the most important item on the bike, and you buy insurance to protect your bike, why not insure yourself with protective motorcycle clothing? After all, it is only your mind (head) and the rest of your body you are looking after !