Motorcycle Rain Gear

The motorcycle jacket is one piece of gear that you don’t want to leave behind when you head out on your next motorcycle trip for a number of reasons including the facts that they provide comfort as well as protection from the elements that you’ll face while riding.  Style is also an important factor, but is not the most important factor that should be considered when making your jacket purchase.  Before you go out and buy yourself a jacket, let’s cover a few basic areas of importance that you should be aware of when you’re researching the different types available on the market.

One of the first attributes of the motorcycle jacket is the material that the jacket is made of.  Jackets can be made of a number of materials, but the two main materials include leather and the more general non-leather category, which includes many different types of materials including mesh and nylon.  All of these types of leather are acceptable materials for motorcycle jackets.  If you buy a leather jacket, make sure that the leather is at least 1.2 mm thick or more.  This will ensure that you get the maximum protection and durability out of your jacket.

Another important attribute of the motorcycle jacket is ventilation.  It’s important that you are able to get some sort of ventilation when you’re riding in warm conditions.  Ventilation helps keep you cool and comfortable while riding.  Jackets will either come with or without ventilation and those with ventilation are typically more expensive, but it is well worth the cost.  If you’re looking to purchase a jacket that provides ventilation, check to see that the vents are located in critical areas such as the arm pits, back, and chest.  Most jackets will have vents which are accessible with zippers.  Check to make sure that these zippers, and all zippers on the jacket are made of good quality hardware.

Also, your motorcycle jacket should make you more visible to other drivers and riders from a good distance away.  One of the major factors in many motorcycle crashes is visibility and having a jacket with reflectors, or bright colors will make your more noticeable at night as well as during the day time.

If you’re used to riding in a variety of weather conditions, then you may want to consider some sort of waterproof material that will help keep you dry when you do run into wet conditions.  There are a number of different types of rain jackets that are available on the market for you to purchase, and can be found just about anywhere online or in motorcycle stores.

Before you go out and purchase your motorcycle jacket, be sure that you have researched all of the different characteristics and features of the jackets you are considering.  Doing so will help you find the perfect solution for your needs.

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The Department of Transportation recommends using the following protective gear for safety: DOT (Department of Transportation) approved motorcycle helmet with a high safety rating, good quality leather jacket, thick leather chaps or leather trousers to protect your legs, leather gloves to protect your hands, and leather boots to protect your feet and ankles. Protective clothing, such as a jacket, boots, and gloves reduce rider injury severity and, therefore play an important role of preventing or at least decreasing the degree of injury should a crash or fall occur. Weather protection is also an important aspect of PPE not mentioned above is protection from the elements. PPE provides protection from wind, rain and cold. . Protective clothing and equipment serve a three-fold purpose for motorcyclists: comfort, protection from the elements, and some measure of injury protection. Remember that the passenger needs safely gear as well.

Protective clothing, such as a jacket, boots, and gloves reduce rider injury severity and, therefore play an important role of preventing or at least decreasing the degree of injury should a crash or fall occur. Another idea that comes to mind is weather protection and not mentioned above is protection from the elements. PPE provides protection from wind, rain and cold. The Department of Transportation recommends using the following protective gear for safety: DOT (Department of Transportation) approved motorcycle helmet with a high safety rating, good quality leather jacket, thick leather chaps or leather trousers to protect your legs, leather gloves to protect your hands, and leather boots to protect your feet and ankles. Protective clothing and equipment serve a three-fold purpose for motorcyclists: comfort, protection from the elements, and some measure of injury protection. Donot forget to supply the passenger with safety gear also.

Stay Visible: Extreme Visibility is Very Important

One of the main reasons motorcyclists are killed in crashes is because the motorcycle itself provides virtually no protection in a crash. Also it is no surprise that the majority of motorcycle/automobile accidents are due to poor visibily. Make yourself visible: Choose protective gear that will increase both the rider and passenger visibility in addition to providing protection in the event of a crash. LED lighting improves motorcycle visibility, and horns provide sound warnings to keep others on the road aware of your presence. Remember to utilize the use of bright colors, white, neon colors, or reflective material, a means for other motorists to see the motorcyclist and also the passenger.

Protect Your Body: Jackets and Trousers

Jackets and trousers should be made of heavy-weight, durable material like leather or denim. Clothing worn when riding a motorcycle should provide some measure of protection from abrasion in the event of a spill, accidental contact with the hot parts of the motorcycle, nasty bug splats, and also in case of fire occurring as a result of the crash. The most common leather used for motorcycle wear is from cattle such as beef. Horse leather is sometimes used and also provides excellent protection. Originally, motorcycle leathers were adapted from tank corps gear immediately following World War I. Thick, tough leather provides the most abrasion resistance in a crash, but fabrics such as cordura, kevlar and ballistic nylon provide significant protection too. Airbag system technology is now available to be fitted to jackets and vests for accident protection and impact protection for both riders and passengers. Trousers should be made of the same material as jackets, usually including special protection for the knees and hips. Increasingly, motorcyclists are choosing protective equipment constructed of man-made textiles rather than leather due to their improved weather protection, from heat, cold, and water. These garments tend to provide greater convenience in terms of pockets and vents. Eventhough becoming popular, PPE constructed of textile fabrics offer much less protection for abrasion than leather does.

Protect Your Feet, Ankles, and Lower Legs

Proper footwear for motorcycle riding gives superior protection for the feet, ankles, and lower parts of the legs. Sandals, sneakers, and similar footwear should not be used since they provide very little to NO protection from abrasion or a crushing impact. Despite their toughness and protection, most boots are very lightweight. Tough, strong, moderately flexible boots with stiff rubber, oil/chemical resistance soles with a good grip provide the rider protection from a number of risks. A safety oriented, protected motorcyclist will wear boots with heels that fit on motorcycle foot rests (pegs) that also provide ankle support. Tough, strong, moderately flexible boots with stiff soles provide the rider protection from a number of risks. If the boots have heels, they should be low and wide to provide a stable base when standing with the bike. Extensive research has shown that heavy leather boots or boots designed specifically for motorcycle riding are the only types of footwear that offer any foot protection in a crash. When shopping for motorcycle boots, be sure that they are labeled as such because their construction is different as they have special seams and different techniques are applied for more resistance to abrasion, crush protection, and tear resistance so they provide better injury prevention. Besides the obvious abrasion, as you probably already know, on most motorcycles there are many hot parts that reside near your feet and ankles: Motorcycle boots help prevents unnecessary injury to these areas by placing a thick barrier between your lower legs, feet, and ankles. The choice of buying boots with reflective tapes or placing some on the boots yourself, (this tape can usually be purchased very easily at a number of online merchants or if you prefer to fight traffic and shop around some department stores also “should” stock it).

Protect Your Hands

Besides abrasion protection, gloves usually offer a better grip on the controls, especially in extreme weather and when riding on rough surfaces. They also provide some level of protection against flying objects, such as rocks thrown by traffic or insects (yuck). Motorcycling gloves are typically gloves made of leather with some type of padding. Gloves provide more safety if they cover the wrist area and fingers, this provides extra support in case of a crash or fall.

Protect Your Head. The Most Important Protection: The Helmet

Most bikers know that helmets add protection and most states require that every biker and passenger use one. Maybe I’m wrong but I thing that the simple act of putting on a helmet is a reminder that you are about to participate in a very dangerous activity and this simple act places your unconscious mind in safety mode. A helmet also provides eye protection and decreases wind noise which allow the rider to see and hear better. The major function of the motorcycle helmet is to prevent injury to the head. The style of helmets with full face protection, helps to protect the lower jaw. There is a new helmet on the market now that incorporates a full face helmet for better protection in which the face/jaw shield portion can be lifted up and opened. This feature allows for better communication function ability while also making the helmet as easy to put on and take off as the popular open faced models, When purchasing a helmet, look for those that meet a high protection standard as indicated on a tag or on the helmet itself, Unfortunately there are helmets being sold that do not meet the Department of Transportation (DOT) standard and do not provide the level of protection needed while riding your motorcycle, much less offer safety from injury should a fall or crash occur.

Keep Yourself Safe by Keeping Your Motorcycle Safe: Please Remember the Safety Checks

It is very important to remember to check that all lights are working properly on your motorcycle; this should include the headlights, tail lights, signal lights, brake lights. Be sure to also check the motorcycle horn before each ride as well, if present. If you don’t have one purchase one and make sure it is properly installed. Visually assess the condition and routing of control cables, making sure they move freely, also check that cables are not so tight as to interfere with steering. Make sure the cables have no sharp angles and replace any frayed cables found immediately. Check to make sure your throttle moves freely, with no sticking and snaps closed when released. Always remember to check shocks and forks to make sure they are properly adjusted and travel freely. Any attached load should be inspected and reinspected periodically to make sure it is securely fastened, and that any straps are tight, have no loose ends, and not freely moving. Every safe rider should practice observation skills and being aware of her/his surroundings. Enjoy the freedom, the ride, the great outdoors, but stay alert and concentrate on riding safely as well. Happy riding!

Written by Leah L Fitzgerald.com

Copyright April 6, 2008, Fitzmart.com

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I’ve made the decision to switch to a bike year round. Seeing as it’s late September, people are already calling me “stupid,” and “saying “what a horrible idea,” and so on so forth. Well, I’ve sold my old car, and bought a 2003 Kawasaki Ninja, kept in great shape by a friend of mine, with only 4,500 miles. I would really like some advice on some year round gear. I have already bought the airforce jacket, by Rev-It, which came highly rated, via online, and the people at Colemans (of course.) I already shelled out for the spine protector insert, but I’m wondering what I should consider for winter. Pants? What helmets do you suggest? I’m borrowing one from a friend, and its a KBC, but the visor frequently fogs up, which is annoying. I love to ride, and I’m ready to be a serious biker, (even though coming home from work today in the rain scared the living **** outta’ me!) Please help me make some decisions on gear, and quality gear, preferably gear that’s not seasonal, and I can use year round! Also, any tips on weather condition riding, experience, etc. is more than welcome! Thanks in advance!

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I’ve made the decision to switch to a bike year round. Seeing as it’s late September, people are already calling me “stupid,” and “saying “what a horrible idea,” and so on so forth. Well, I’ve sold my old car, and bought a 2003 Kawasaki Ninja, kept in great shape by a friend of mine, with only 4,500 miles. I would really like some advice on some year round gear. I have already bought the airforce jacket, by Rev-It, which came highly rated, via online, and the people at Colemans (of course.) I already shelled out for the spine protector insert, but I’m wondering what I should consider for winter. Pants? What helmets do you suggest? I’m borrowing one from a friend, and its a KBC, but the visor frequently fogs up, which is annoying. I love to ride, and I’m ready to be a serious biker, (even though coming home from work today in the rain scared the living **** outta’ me!) Please help me make some decisions on gear, and quality gear, preferably gear that’s not seasonal, and I can use year round! Also, any tips on weather condition riding, experience, etc. is more than welcome! Thanks in advance!

Bookmark It

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I’ve made the decision to switch to a bike year round. Seeing as it’s late September, people are already calling me “stupid,” and “saying “what a horrible idea,” and so on so forth. Well, I’ve sold my old car, and bought a 2003 Kawasaki Ninja, kept in great shape by a friend of mine, with only 4,500 miles. I would really like some advice on some year round gear. I have already bought the airforce jacket, by Rev-It, which came highly rated, via online, and the people at Colemans (of course.) I already shelled out for the spine protector insert, but I’m wondering what I should consider for winter. Pants? What helmets do you suggest? I’m borrowing one from a friend, and its a KBC, but the visor frequently fogs up, which is annoying. I love to ride, and I’m ready to be a serious biker, (even though coming home from work today in the rain scared the living **** outta’ me!) Please help me make some decisions on gear, and quality gear, preferably gear that’s not seasonal, and I can use year round! Also, any tips on weather condition riding, experience, etc. is more than welcome! Thanks in advance!

Bookmark It

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