A lot of the motorcycle gear on the market today; clothing in particular is being made more for looks than protection. When you are sliding down the asphalt at fifty miles and hour it's not about the looks!
In the United States it is pretty much "caveat emptor", or let the buyer beware. There is no governing body watching over the manufacturers of protective clothing like they have in Europe where they have to go through extensive testing before they can me marketed as protective clothing.
In contrast to popular belief the vast majority of motorcycle accident injuries are to the lower portions of the body, especially the legs and feet. So in consideration of this you should definitely make sure that you have a good quality pair of riding boots along with a good pair of quality leather protective pants. When shopping for motorcycle pants make sure they have extra reinforcement in the knee and hip area and that they have an option to be connected to your jacket which also adds to protection.
When choosing riding boots, they should be made of thick but flexible leather and the sole should be made of a material that is resistant to oil and other petroleum based products as you ten to put your feet down on the road quite a bit.
Although leather is the material of choice by most serious bikers there are now other synthetic fabrics on the market that do a good job of protecting you in an accident. One choice is the new Kevlar reinforced jeans which have been tested to last more than five seconds in ana abrasion test as opposed to jeans with last about a half second!
Take the same care and precautions when choosing a motorcycle jacket as well. Many of the motorcycle jackets on the market today are for looks only and use thin leather which is not suitable for a protective motorcycle jacket. All contact points such as your shoulders and elbows should be reinforced and contain extra impact padding.
When it comes to your hands, they must be protected. A good pair of leather gloves is a necessity to keep you from tearing the palms of your hands off in even a minor accident. It is just natural to put your hand down to protect yourself when you feel your bike going down or if you get thrown. I have seen people with horrible injuries to their hands from a minor accident, injuries they would have never received had they worn gloves.
So, next time you are looking for protective motorcycle clothing, make sure you are buying it for the protection and not just for looks. Nobody looks good lying in a hospital bed or a coffin!
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