A More Articulate Hand: Armored Gloves with Better Flexibility
June 7, 2014
There is a common conundrum when choosing motorcycle gloves: a decision you must make between true protection and improved flexibility. Traditional gloves allow your fingers more agility and tactile function. Meanwhile, the modern “hand armor” style provides better protection and less tactile control. However, Del Rosario is working on a solution to this age-old dilemma: a glove that allows fingers to move with the freedom of traditional gloves while providing the protection of modern-day hand armor. Just before the company hit the production line, the good folks at gizmodo.com had a few questions to ask. See the full story here:
Summer Motorcycle Jackets: Best of the Mesh
June 2, 2014
Today we’re sharing a great piece for all bikers in need of a cool summer motorcycle jacket. RideApart.com has put together a mighty fine list of mesh motorcycle jackets for under $300, complete with pics, reviews and comments to give buyers all the info they need. See the full post here:
http://rideapart.com/2013/08/the-best-mesh-motorcycle-jackets-under-300/
Summer Motorcycle Pants
May 31, 2014
It’s really starting to heat up these days, and a good set of summer motorcycle gear is a must. In case you missed the last post on summer motorcycle boots you can click here. Otherwise, let’s continue to work our way up and discuss summer motorcycle pants.
Summer motorcycle pants come in a variety of materials: from perforated leather pants to mesh-textile combos that allow for exceptional airflow. A good pair of pants will feature reinforcements in impact areas, giving you the perfect combination of comfort and safety.
To browse a great selection of summer motorcycle pants, check out the link below:
Summer Motorcycle Boots
May 29, 2014
Summer riding is a spectacular experience… if you have the right gear. When it comes to summer riding gear, there are endless considerations to take into account. So, let’s just start at the bottom and work our way up.
Summer motorcycle boots are a great investment for hot weather riding. Hot feet are uncomfortable and, well, stinky. So today we’re sharing a helpful buying guide for summer motorcycle boots. This comprehensive post over at motorcyclenews.com will tell you all you need to know to keep those feet cool this summer:
A Helmet So Dangerous, It’s Like Wearing Nothing At All
May 21, 2014
A lethal batch of motorcycle helmets were seized by UK trading standards officers recently, who said the helmets were so dangerous it would be like not wearing head protection at all.
Bikers buying cheap helmets online should be on the lookout for helmets labeled “jiekai” “JK 100” or “JK 1000”, as well as other motorcycle helmets listed at prices that seem too good to be true.
According to Peter Stonely, a Principal Trading Standards Officer, the helmets “would give a rider almost no protection in a crash, increasing the chance of brain injury or death”, and wearing the helmets “would give the rider a sense of safety, which the helmet would not back up”.
Any riders who have recently purchased the helmet models should stop using them immediately.
When shopping for motorcycle helmets online, be sure they are DOT-approved. A DOT-approved sticker means they have passed a series of tests and trials to achieve the safety standards set by the Department of Transportation. It also means they are legal, since many states require a DOT-approved helmet to ride.
Lo And Behold: Riders Are Actually Cooler Wearing ATGATT
May 16, 2014
The summer heat can make it hard for some bikers to follow the ATGATT philosophy – All The Gear All The Time. However, wearing full gear can actually keep a rider cooler than wearing nothing at all.
Wise riders have learned this the hard way, sweating their way through motorcycle tours and rallies in hot jeans and leather. However, with the rise of the ATGATT culture, many have learned to look for more practical (and safer) summer gear. Vented jackets and pants with built-in armour, full face vented helmets with tinted visors, as well as vented boots and gloves all block the sun while letting the air flow through, creating an air conditioning effect that keeps you cool and safe.
So don’t let that summer heat become an excuse to avoid the all-important ATGATT philosophy. Use summer-tailored motorcycle gear to turn a burning hot road trip into a cool cruise.
Learning the Lingo
May 13, 2014
Are you a newbie, a squid, or possibly an organ donor? Do you know what these terms mean? If not, then this article is for you! We have put together a handy list of vocab words for new riders, so you can learn all the motorcycle jargon you need before hitting the big slab.
1%er – A biker belonging to an outlaw motorcycle club, like the Hells Angels. The term was coined by the AMA, when they mentioned that these biker gangs represented 1% of the biker population. You will find a “1%” patch often on their vests.
Ape Hangers – Ape hanger handlebars rise far above the mounting location so that the rider must reach up to use them, hence the name. They are popular on choppers. They are available in heights up to 20 inches. Some jurisdictions have regulations on how high the handgrips may be above the seat.
Apex – the line a motorcycle must take in order to minimize the time taken to complete a curve.
Armor – The reinforced parts of your riding gear, often found in motorcycle jackets and trousers. Armor can be made out of different materials, like Kevlar, Foam or plastic, and can often be removed.
ATGATT – All The Gear, All The Time, meaning you should always wear all your protective clothing, no matter when you ride. ATGATT Gear means helmet, gloves, vest, trousers and boots.
BAMBI – Born Again Motorbiker, a biker who having reached middle age, starts riding again after years of not riding.
Big Slab – A highway or motorway.
Brain Bucket – A helmet
Cage – A car or SUV
Cager – Someone who drives a car.
Century – 100 mph
Do-Rag – A cloth covering the biker’s head and forehead, avoiding sweat in the eyes and helmet hair. Often used by non-bikers as fashion. Examples
Duck Walking – Sitting on your motorcycle, and pushing it with your feet, usually done when parking your bike, or moving forwards a few feet (like at a gas station).
Eating Asphalt – Crashing your bike
Gearhead – Someone who is very interested and passionate about mechanical objects, like cars and motorcycles.
Highsider – Being ejected from your motorcycle while riding, above the motorcycle.
Iron Butt – An association that promotes and holds rallies aimed at travelling very long distances. The shortest distance, the Saddle Sore, is 1,000 miles in 24 hours, the longest, the Bun Burner Gold is 1,500 miles in one day. The Iron Butt Rally is 10 days riding 1,000 miles each day.
Lid – A helmet
Lowsider – A motorcycle crash with the bike falling sideways and the biker ejected sideways.
Monkey Butt – When riding for hours on end, your rear end becomes uncomfortable and becomes sore, often the result of chafing.
Newbie – A beginner.
Organ Donor – A biker who rides without a helmet, or rides likes a squid.
PMS – Parked Motorcycle Syndrome, usually the result of not being able to ride in the winter.
Popping The Clutch – Letting go of the clutch rapidly, making it possible for the motorcycle to accelerate very quickly.
Pucker factor – A very close call when riding.
Ride Captain – The leader of a motorcycle rider-out. The ride captain opens the ride, and is up front.
Ride Lieutenant – An experienced riders who rides as last in a ride-out, making sure that every thing goes according to plan with all the other bikers.
Road Rash – Marks from the asphalt left on your body after you have been thrown off your motorcycle, highside or lowside, a skidded alongside the road.
Squid – A biker who rides with no protection, and rides very dangerously.
Twisties – A part of a road that has many curves, turns and bends. Twisties are very much sought after when riding a motorcycle.
Wrench – A mechanic.
Gear Up For Summer
May 3, 2014
Get the best gear for your summer road trips. This list of awesome biker gear includes memory foam seat pads, Dainese jackets, Italian themed helmets and hi-tech headphones. See the full story here:
http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/784/18397/Motorcycle-Article/Gear-Up–Sena-Expand—Dainese-Gore-Tex.aspx
ATGATT Essentials
April 7, 2014
A wise, old biker once said, “Don’t dress for the ride, dress for the crash.”
If you are a new rider that wants to survive to the ripe, old age of this wise man, then you’d be smart to follow his advice. All motorcycle training programs stress the ATGATT acronym (All The Gear All The Time), and for good reason. You will be travelling at highway speeds with no seatbelts or airbags, much less doors, floors or roof. There will be nothing between you and the asphalt besides the clothes on your back, so to speak. Good gear is the only chance a biker has at surviving a crash. So, now is the time to start hunting down all the essentials of a motorcycle wardrobe.
Boots
Let’s start with the feet and make our way up. Motorcycle boots come in a variety of prices and styles – from the cheapest and least conspicuous of everyday-looking boots to the priciest of racer-worthy designs. While you pay for quality, even the cheapest motorcycle boots are better than everyday shoes. This is because they have been specially engineered to survive a crash, and will hold together when they are ground into the road at highway speeds. So, be sure to look for real motorcycle boots to prevent serious damage to your feet and legs in the event of a crash.
Pants
The day that inevitable crash happens, what kind of pants (or God forbid, shorts) will you be wearing? If you think you’re safe with normal jeans or leather pants, then think again. Most modern pants are made with thin, weak materials and bad stitching.These will shred instantly when slid across the road. Look for tough leather and jeans made with strong materials such as military grade Kevlar and Dyneema. Motorcycle pants come in all kinds of styles these days, from low rider jeans to old school leather to sport racer textiles, and they include features such as water resistant design, venting, and reflective piping for visibility. Buying the right pants will save your butt, and let you recover from a crash far more quickly than the road-rash rider that ends up stuck on the couch for weeks.
Jacket
Much like pants, motorcycle jackets are specially designed to bear the brute force of a crash and protect you from road rash. They are constructed with better materials and better stitching, and often include extra padding, armor and even built-in airbags. However, there are also features for added comfort. Motorcycle jackets are made to protect you from the weather. In the spring and fall, a heavier jacket with water-resistant design will keep you dry, warm, and protected from cold air as you travel at highway speeds. In the summer, there are bike jackets made with great ventilation that lets the heat out, the cool in, and still provides great protection.
Gloves
Never take your hands for granted. You need them for everything, and it’s easy to forget that until you break a finger and realize the world is suddenly a much more difficult place – go ahead and try to cut your steak with one hand. In the event of a crash, it’s likely that both hands will be used to break your fall. That means that both hands will suffer the debilitating effects of road rash, broken fingers, and/or broken wrists. This is why quality motorcycle gloves are a must.
Head Gear
Everyone knows that a helmet is the most important piece of gear any biker can buy. All legal helmets are DOT-approved, meaning they have passed a series of tests and trials to achieve the safety standards set by the Department of Transportation. Whether you are purchasing a full-face helmet, open-face helmet, modular helmet, or half helmet, make sure that the DOT-approved sticker is on the back. And, unless you’re purchasing a full-face helmet, be sure to stock up on sunglasses and/or goggles to keep your eyes protected.
These are just the essentials, and motorcycle gear is always improving with better materials and advanced safety technology. So, stay tuned for the latest and greatest biker goods, and the latest innovations in motorcycle safety.
5 Reasons to Wear Gloves When You Ride
March 14, 2014
While the helmet debate rages on, people often overlook the importance of a good pair of gloves. Whether they’re just some old rodeo gloves or high-dollar pro gloves, this essential gear should always be worn – whether or not you wear a helmet. Here’s why:
Control. Gloves greatly improve grip and response, which can be life-saving in situations that require lighting-fast reflexes. You know, like when that driver is texting and seemingly trying to swerve into you.
Weather. Hot weather can make the palms sweaty, and rainy weather will certainly get them wet, resulting in dangerous slippage. In cold weather, not only are freezing hands a discomfort, they’re also more prone to cramping that can make it hard to flex and move when they are most needed.
Blisters. Hands are used A LOT when riding a motorcycle. It won’t take long to get a blister or rash, and when that happens you’ll understand just how difficult everything becomes.
Falls. The natural reaction when falling off a bike is to put your hands out in the “Ahhhh, this gonna huuuurrrt!” pose. With gloves, your panic-posing hands will be protected from skin-peeling asphalt. This is especially important because the healing process for hands takes much longer than other parts of the body. Hands are always moving, flexing, stretching and holding. Every movement will break the skin back apart, and lengthen the healing time.
Independence. Try to live one day without hands. You will notice how difficult it is to eat, drink and even turn on the TV. What about work? Whether you’re an IT guy in Silicon Valley or a rancher down in Texas, odds are your hands are an indispensable part of the job. And, that’s not even the worst part. Life can suddenly get very complicated when your hands are too damaged to even go to the bathroom.
So find a good pair of gloves and never forget them. These handy hand-protectors won’t be cramping anyone’s style.