The test I do is I wear the helmet for 30 minutes and then I take it off and look at my head. The helmet should have been snug, but if after I remove it if there are some red spots on my forhead or cheeks etc… that means it is TOO tight. The helmet also shouldn’t cause a headache or anything like that.
When it comes to gear I have heard a saying, “Only cover the skin you don’t want to lose.” When I ride, I usually gear up for speed/temperature that I plan on riding. In an ideal world I would wear full leathers whenever I put a leg over the bike, but I have found that I am too lazy to do that, but I do realize my laziness comes with risks.
I never ride unless I am protected head to toe, but sometimes that level of protection varies. I will NOT ride in regular jeans because I hear they disintegrate on contact with the asphalt ( ) But I will wear some kevlar reinforced riding jeans if I don’t plan on going faster than 45mph. I figure that worst case scenario I fall off at full speed and I’m not able to shave off any speed from braking then the kevlar should be able to protect against some road rash. Although, when I am wearing the jeans I realize that if I do crash then I will most likely get at least a little road rash somewhere on my legs.
Pants are really the only thing I compromise on, everything else is built for full speed crashes. I have 3 different jackets (2 mesh, 1 leather), some textile overpants, and I have either Alpinestars racing boots or Shift Riding Shoes. I feel like I could crash at 65mph – 75mph in any of that gear and survive without much injury or scarring (besides maybe some broken bones).
I really recommend checking out some Shift Riding Jeans, or maybe some Draggin’ Jeans if you plan on wearing something besides textile/leather pants when you ride. They aren’t going to do a lot, but they are definitely better than regular jeans, and loads better than shorts.
When it comes to gear I used to think that having a lot of people that are safety conscious trying to peer pressure new riders into wearing the right stuff was the best way to go about it. Now I realize that if they succumb to peer pressure that easily, then they definitely aren’t going to wear gear because the Majority of riders only wear the bare minimum required by law (in CA that means a helmet). There are a lot more squids out there then safe riders, so you should really just ride your own ride. If you feel like your skin is worth protecting then thats great. If you don’t mind scars or pain or hospital bills then thats also OK. The number one thing to keep in mind though is every rider I know who has been riding at least 3 years has crashed once already (myself included). Some were low speed spills, others were highspeed and caused death or serious injury. Riding a motorcycle is incredibly dangerous, but also a lot of fun. The odds are very high that you will crash at least once if you ride a motorcycle. It could happen on the freeway, in the twisties, or even somewhere mundane like on an errand to the grocery store. I try and dress for the crash first, and dress for the ride second.
Thats my 2 cents.
Ben
~Best Beginner Motorcycles Admin
