If you are new to road racing or just looking to be as safe as possible on your motorcycle, then there are five essential pieces of gear that you need.
- A set of One Piece Leathers
- A good Motorcycle Helmet
- A designated Back Protector (not just the padding sewn into the leathers)
- A good pair of Leather Gloves
- A pair of Leather Boots
The first piece of race gear I want to talk about is your set of one piece leathers. Why one piece leathers over two piece you might ask? Well it’s simple really, one piece leathers hold up better in the event of an accident. A two piece suit may be a little more convenient and less expensive but you run the risk of the jacket and pants separating when you hit the pavement. And let’s face it, it’s not a matter of if you will go down but a matter of when. Plus for you road racers, a lot of tracks require one piece leathers.
Safety is no place to cut cost or corners. When looking for your leathers the last thing you should look at is price. A cheap price means cheap leather, weak stitching and poor fit. Avoid second hand leathers. You don’t know how many times the leathers have been worn, so you don’t know if the leather has stretched completely. You may get a second hand set of one piece leathers and have them fit perfectly, only to find out that the leather hasn’t stretched completly, leaving you with baggy leathers and body armour that won’t stay in place. The flip side to that is that the leathers are uncomfortably tight, like they should be when you first get them, and you find that the leather has stretched all that it is going to stretch, leaving you with a set of leathers that you are not going to want to wear.
If you insist on buying two piece leathers, never buy a leather jacket and pant combo from the fashion shops at the mall. This is fashion leather and it will not protect you, instead look for the two piece leathers that zip together to make a one piece leathers. In the event of an accident you are putting a lot of trust in that little zipper to keep your skin from looking like hamburger so I strongly suggest just going for the one piece leathers.
I personally use Alpinestars products. I have used a lot products from most of the big names like Spidi, Joe rocket, Vanson, Frank Thomas, just to name a few. I am not saying that any one of these brands is any less quality than another but as far as I am concerned, Alpinestars is the best way to go. I have gone down at 130mph in Alpinestars and walked away without a scratch on me and the leathers were still wearable. A buddy of mine went down at the same time in his Joe Rocket and had to trash them.
Happy riding and ride safe!!
