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Motorcycle Safety Gear
The decision to buy motorcycle safety gear is a no brainer as let’s face it - we have all and will all come off our motorcycles at some stage to a lesser or greater degree. Therefore any seasoned motorcyclist would recommend that you buy yourself extra protection. All motorcycle safety gear should be chosen on the extent to which it will protect you in the case of an accident. These days gear is becoming better and better equipped to keep you from harms way, and many suits, trousers and jackets come with added impact protectors – but if you can afford it, extra safety gear could make all the difference!
Surprisingly enough, the impact in most crashes actually happens at relatively low speeds (generally under 50 kph) but it is in these crashes that protective clothing is of most value. A German study (ok it was in 1986, but the point still stands) found that riders wearing protective clothing were less badly harmed in accidents than those who were not wearing protective clothing.
So get safe by reading on:
- Types of safety gear
- Safety gear tips
- Where to buy NOTE: You can actually buy your safety gear in this section!
Types of Motorcycle Safety Gear
The most common kind of safety gear is an impact protector, which is a shield worn underneath your leathers or textiles to better absorb a blow to the body. The thing to remember about this motorcycle safety gear is that it is unlikely that you will be protected from major injuries, but it will protect you from minor injuries by absorbing the impact of the blow and spreading that force around your body. For instance, you may still break your leg, but it may be a cleaner break that is more likely to heal without long-term implications.
Limb and Shoulder Protectors
These are mainly designed to provide protection against impacts with the road surface and to protect your shoulders when rolling or falling. There are six shapes and two sizes. Type A is smaller, but the Type B is the most common, intended to cover the needs of most riders. The most important thing however it to find the right type for your body size to ensure a good fit!
Spine and Lumbar Protectors
This motorcycle safety gear is designed to provide protection against edges such as the pavement. Unfortunately a back protector will not prevent injuries to twisted or bent spines as most believe, but it will make it less likely for you to sustain minor injuries and at the end of the day a spine protector could improve your quality of life after an accident.
European Standards for Motorcyclists' Protective Clothing
It’s actually quite simple: it is illegal to claim or imply that motorcycle clothing is protective unless it has been independently tested and bears the “CE” marking which can usually be found on the actual protectors.
If a retailer or manufacturer claims that their protective clothing has “additional protective features” then they must also comply with the PPE directive and the label on the motorcycle safety gear must be CE marked PPE and must be supplied with detailed information on selection, care and maintenance of the product. The protective clothing and impact protectors must also describe how the product was tested, the test data generated, how to remove and reinstall protectors (you will need to know this when cleaning your gear) and the expected service life or how to recognise when the PPE requires replacement. Contact details for the European Notified Body responsible for the testing and certification will also be provided, from which you will be able to contact them to determine the authenticity or otherwise of the manufacturer's claims.
(Information taken from the BMF briefing on motorcycle safety gear.)
Safety Gear Tips
- Motorcycle safety gear can be worn in addition to your motorcycle jacket, like a Knox back protector. These offer excellent protection for your spine, kidneys and other vulnerable areas. There is a wide range available
- You can place armour in your vulnerable areas, like knees, elbows, shoulders, spines and hips for extra protection
- In order to be effective, it is essential that impact protectors are fitted and held in place so that they will not move during a crash
- Even if a garment tag says “CE armour inside,” ask the shop assistant to remove the armour and show you
- If you are going to ride in jeans a lot, you can get knee guards to be worn under your jeans, which will offer extra protection, but slider patches should be big enough to let you move around to suit your style
- Re-enforced motorcycle jeans are also available which look like normal jeans, except offering padded protection in the thigh and hip area, and often extra padding in the shin area
- Soft foam is for comfort only and offers little protection
- Make sure that gloves and racing suits can have strategically-placed sliding materials, (metal rivets or plastic pucks) to ensure that you slide rather than roll in the event of a crash
- Armour can be damaged in a crash, so it is wise to replace it in the unfortunate incident of a spill as it won’t give you the same protection twice
Where to Buy
- SPORTS BIKE SHOP offer Knee sliders that range in price from £9.99 - £39.99.
- GET GEARED have a great selection of Motorcycle Safety Gear that ranges in price from £6.99 - £79.95.
NOTE: I would suggest that it is always a good idea to wear motorcycle safety gear, but it goes without saying that your helmet is a black and white issue.