There is some great looking motorcycle clothing on the market these days, but believe me not all of the motorcycle clothing offers as much protection as you think. In Europe, for motorcycle clothing to be lawfully sold as “safety” clothing, it has to pass a series of European standards, which are pretty lengthy but are available on my website. The standards cover the clothing’s performance in abrasion, tearing and impact tests, and when they have passed; they are sold with the CE mark. However, no such regulation is available in the USA, so what should you look for?

Protection in the right places…

Not many people realise that most motorcycle injuries occur below the belt. Your legs and feet are extremely vulnerable, so make sure that you wear a decent pair of high boots and some protective pants. The pants should be reinforced at the knees and hips; ideally they should attach to your jacket by a zipper. Boots should be thick leather, with a sole that can flex with the foot but has a resistance to crushing across the foot.

Traditional material for motorcycle clothing is leather, but thick nylon and other synthetic materials work well too. Kevlar reinforced jeans are better than normal jeans .Normal jeans last 0.6 seconds in the European standard abrasion test, while protective motorcycle pants will last 5 seconds or more. You don’t really want to be ripping your skin open within less than half a second of falling of your bike do you? Thought not.

Same principles apply to jackets. Make sure they are hardwearing, if they are leather make sure it is thick leather not fashion leather like some jackets. Stitching should be uniform with no dropped stitches, and all your “sharp bits”, your elbows and shoulders should be reinforced, ideally with some impact protection included.

A decent pair of gloves is a must; your palms will be at risk in an accident; you instinctively put out your hands palm side down to stop yourself in a slide, so the palms of your gloves should be reinforced with patches. Knitted Kevlar is especially good for this kind of abrasion resistance, but reinforced leather works well too.

Impact protection can be bought separately like back protectors and so on, but remember where your most vulnerable areas are. And make sure if you buy impact protection you actually wear it! If you have any doubts it may be better to go for motorcycle clothing with a degree of impact protection included so that you know when you put on your jacket and pants, the protection is always going to be there.

Last but not least, pick out a helmet you can wear and wear it always. You may have a greater chance of getting injured below the waist in a motorcycle accident, but the consequences of being involved in an accident without a helmet just don’t bear thinking about….

So, next time you are shopping for motorcycle clothing, give a bit of thought to the level of protection it offers before you buy it. You never know it could save you a lot of unnecessary pain!

Michael Holmes is a enthusiast for all thing motorcycle. His website, http://www.motorcycleparts-accessories-andmore.com, is a great resource of articles aimed at motorcyclists of all levels, including a page specifically for motorcycle clothing.

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Why should motorcycle riders wear protective leather clothing? Because the high quality leather jackets and leather chaps can save your life as well as keep you warm and looking good.

I want to hit on the key aspects of why you are buying your leathers. Protection, Warmth, and Looks.

A lot of our customer’s main concern is safety. How safe are our jackets? Well, safety is one of those things that is hard to measure. (Like glove warmth, it really depends on how cold natured you are as to how warm you will feel.) I would suggest trying to determine how safe you feel you need to be vs. the leather thickness. Fox Creek Leather uses only the best, thick, and durable cowhides. So thick in fact, that an EMT went through 4 pair of shears to remove them after a wreck. You can read about this crash testimonial and others on our site. So yeah, our gear holds up.

You also need warmth when it is cool and a breeze when it is hot while still looking “cool” while riding. Almost all of our jackets have a vent system to help accomplish the comfort level of your ride. To keep cool, there are two generous vents in the front and in the back works (with a tough mesh shell) to allow maximum airflow. When it starts to cool off, just zip up your vents and put the zip out thinsulate liner back in it for added warmth.

Everything was designed by a motorcycle rider to ensure that you get the most functionality out of your leathers as possible. As an added bonus, you look good in the soft, buttery leather.

Anyway, to keep my blog from turning into a full blown advertisement, let’s move onto the topic of the leather itself. Specifically, what type of leather should you buy? What qualities should you be looking for in the leather itself?

Check the grain, the dye process, and the thickness of the leather.

The best leathers are thick, drum dyed, naked leather. This means that the grain of the hide is unaltered. (Lesser hides are corrected by sanding to remove imperfections, making it hard to see the grain). With naked leather, you can see the actual scars that that particular cow obtained during its lifetime. Only the highest quality hides can be used to make naked leather. Drum dyed leathers are immersed in a drum of dye and tumbled. This method provides the most even and permanent dying that will not bleed.

But the interesting thing is that I am talking about purchasing leathers from an online business. It’s hard to feel, inspect, and even smell the leathers over the internet. So it is important to check the return policy. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, no matter what they may be. Last but not least, get help with the sizing. Most companies sizing differs and help from a sales associate can save time and shipping expenses.

Article originally posted on the Fox Creek Leather Blog website by Scarlett McGrady. http://www.foxcreekleather.com

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Today all we see splashed all over the internet, magazines and television are visions of famous people like Paris, Britney, and Lindsay carrying the hottest designer bags and wearing the best clothes and shoes. While Paris and Britney and Lindsay probably get a lot of their clothing, handbags and shoes for free from the designers just so they’ll wear them (there isn’t any better advertising for a designer),you and I have to pay $1000 for that BE&D handbag that they carry, and those Tag jeans worn by Jessica Simpson will cost you at least $200.
If you desire to carry a designer handbag but can’t handle the cost the place for you to visit is Bag, Borrow or Steal. They have wide array of designer handbags which they rent out monthly, or for however long you want. You can choose handbags from dozens of top designers such as Dooney & Bourke, Perlina, Salvatore Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton and Chanel. These bags are guaranteed to arrive to you in like new condition, and you decide how long you carry it. Just like Lindsay and Paris and Britney you can carry the designer bag of your dreams. Imagine how envious your friends will be […]

Full Article At: KnowHow-Now.com Articles

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