Don’t destroy the joys of the open road by wearing improper gear
Going out for a short ride on your motorbike, it’s hot out and you can’t be bothered to put on the gear. Think again. Even at the more sedate speeds of a motor scooter, the damage to your body when, not if, you come off your bike — it can be life altering.
Having said that, according ridinginthezone. com/truthsaboutriding-gear, “Please do not think for one minute that wearing good riding gear doesn’t reduce or prevent injury and death… it does. Just remember that protective gear is intended to prevent injury, not give permission to ride recklessly.”
Ty Karsten, Sales Consultant at Badlands Harley Davidson and Kayla Sails, Motor Clothes Consultant, went over some of the essentials of riding gear. Badlands Harley Davidson is just west of Dunmore just off of the TransCanada Highway.
“Full gear is always recommended from head to toe,” said Karsten. “If you ride with runners or flipflops you have the chance of slipping on gravel. If you have proper shoes, not only do you have the support, but you get the protection. Flipflops or runners are going to come off, leaving exposed feet and skin that will not agree well with the pavement, taking the skin right off. Road rash isn’t fun, especially on your feet that you use daily.”
“Even slow speeds can cause quite severe injuries,” added Sails.
The boot should go above the ankle and have good traction, to give it support so it doesn’t twist if a rider should come off the bike, or even for stopping and starting. Skin grafts aren’t a walk in the park, don’t heal well and increase risk of infection.
An armoured riding jacket, good chaps or riding pants are also required. Sails recently had a woman come into the store who had come off her bike at only 30km/ hr. She had been wearing a regular leather jacket and not one with armour in it.
“She came off and the jacket shredded onto the pavement, and she got road rash all over her arms,” explained Sails.
“Many people complain about the price of good riding gear, whatever brand,” added Karsten, “..a jacket that is designed for looks and not riding isn’t going to serve its purpose. To me at that point you might as well have on a long-sleeved t-shirt. How much do you enjoy your life? Some people get lucky but to me there are too many bad opportunities when not wearing proper gear.”
Don’t forget about the hands, leaving the digits exposed can increase the risk of hypothermia in cooler weather and cause the fingers to stiffen, preventing the rider from making a quick maneuver. Karsten said, “full-fingered gloves are always a good choice. It helps with circulation, comfort, and peace of mind. If you are riding down the highway and a semi spits a rock out and it hits your finger, you have a chance of shattering a bone.”
Then there are helmets, which must be DOT (Department of Transportation) approved. Without that DOT sticker on the back, the helmet doesn’t meet specifications. “Keep in mind that helmets expire, you have a five- or six-year term on a helmet,” said Karsten. That helmet that you found at a knock-off price, or the one handed down from person to person, they aren’t going to protect your head. If the helmet doesn’t have a date on the inside, it’s not one you should be wearing.
Karsten wears a full-face helmet, finding “the extra protection comforting as far as anything hitting my face. Even when riding with a full windshield I prefer the full-face helmet. When I take it off, I’m not as wind-worn and my body doesn’t feel as bounced around.” Helmets now come with the most up-to-date technology, allowing a rider to not worry about distracted driving or to play their music. If a rider wears prescription sunglasses, they can get one with a dropdown sunshield that will go over them. “I recommend good eye wear, to protect against rocks, if a rider chooses an open face helmet,” added Sails.
Karsten said riding is “…my therapy. I’ve never experienced such an awesome feeling when it comes to forgetting the world’s problems. It’s a big enjoyment, I hop on my motorcycle, and I don’t worry about anything.”
Born and raised around a family of motorcyclists, his dad has owned Badlands Harley Davidson for 25-years.
“I’ve been riding motorcycles since I was a young little gaffer. I was the coolest kid going to soccer practice because my dad would take me on the back of his motorcycle. Even before I could sit on the back, my dad figured out how to strap the car seat into the sidecar.”
Sails also had a dad who was in the motorsport community as she was growing up. “It’s an indescribable feeling, keeping you are in the present moment. Just you, the bike, and your immediate surroundings. It is commonly associated with being a men’s sport and sharing that with other woman can be empowering.”
Badlands Harley Davidson keeps their social media pages - Facebook and Instagram - up-to-date and puts upcoming events on them. Such as their Ladies Night, where they go over motorcycle tips and safety, how to pack gear, how to pick up a motorcycle once it’s been laid down, along with hydration and food prepping to make sure they are ready for a good long ride.