There nothing like laying your bike down on asphalt and leaving lots of your skin on the street to get you to think about wearing protective clothing on your motorcycle. If you are like most peopke, you think about falling (impact) or abrasions. Both of these type of injuries can be very painful especially if you survive them. Clothing can play an important part in both primary and secondary safety.



Are you aware that 30% (50% at night) of drivers involved in accidents with motorcycles claim they didn't see the bike? How many times have you not seen a motorcyclist and you are even more aware of them than the average driver?

Driving in your neighborhood on your bike could be highly dangerous. Approximately 90% of urban motorcycle accidents are caused the other driver not by the motorcyclist. Riding with your headlights on is very important to being seen. Bright colors or reflective stripes can help a lot.

since the human body is really not very impact resistant, you are going to need to wear some protective clothes. Sometimes you just got to fall off your bike to avoid even more serios problem, you will need to minimize the injury from impact. That old saying it didn't hurt till I stop could very well apply to you. there are some very cool impact resistant clothing, jackets, pants, etc that come in the form of armor or padding. The are especially adapt at absorbing the impact and spread the load across the body. This reduces injuries. You probably have seen them already. The jackets looks like the cyclist is all bulked up. It has armor protection or pads where the body meets the road. Know Armor makes these but there are others. They can be expensive but if you can't afford armor then go for high density foam. Some protection is better than none at all.

Ok, so now you have fell off your bike and are skidding quite rapidly. You need clothing that will protect you from abrasion, the friction of the aspalt against skin. Normally shirts and pants are no good in this type of situation. Your skin will help but only for a few seconds. What should I be wearing? The answer is leather. Haven't you noticed that the stunt drivers wear leather to proctect them not just to look cool. It is part of their protective gear. Cordura and Kevlar are pretty abrasion resistant but can't match the protection of leather. Your leather jacket needs to be thicker than something your would wear on a date.

Have you considered wearing a one piece suit? They provide better protection that wearing a leather jacket and pants. If you are skidding across the asphalt, one or both pieces could provide an opening for the asphalt to take a bite out of you. Getting in and out of those one piece suits can be difficult but fun for everyone else to watch. Seriously make sure either your jackets, pants or suit is re-enforced in areas that are proned to high impact or friction. The good jackets and suits will have armor or pads in those areas. Make sure your jacket, pants or suit fit snugly but comfortably. Out here in the desert, it can get pretty hot so look for ventilation holes in the jackets, pants or suits.

All motorcycle helmet equipment must comply with U.S. Department of Transportation Sec. 571.218 Standard No. 218 FMVSS 218 - 49 CFR 571.218. I don't believe there any U.S. standards for abrasion or impact clothing. The

European Standard EN1621-1/1997 would be good to look for in your clothing in the U.s. To gain the CE mark products have to be tested and approved by an independent, Government approved test house. While the CE mark can't guarantee to prevent all injuries in an accident, it may significantly reduce the severity of your injuries.

Boots & Gloves are just as important as your jacket and pants. Those fingers are attached and your want to keep them attached and in good working order. The same goes for your feet. The trick here is to get the protection but also allows you to safely operate your bike without any problem. Think leather. It is always a good choice! You can find gloves that will have padding around your knucles. Keep in mind the weather and how it can affect your hands and feet.

Motorcycle boots can seem expensive, but you can they can last you for a very long time. Since your feet operate the brakes and shifters, you want boots that fit and are comfortable and do not interfere with you doing your job.

They say dress for success. Well, you need to dress for cycling so that you can do it over and over again. Fortunateley, most of the motorcycle clothes you purchase will last for a long time because of the material they are made out of. Go out and enjoy your self.