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Gearing Up On A Bike: What Do You Need To Ride A Motorcycle
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So, you’ve taken the decision to travel by road on two wheels instead of using your 4-wheeled daily-driver? Aside from needing a license, insurance and a bike, you’ll need to gear up. Beginners will typically have the odd accident to begin with, which means having all the safety equipment you can get your hands on. Here’s some of the equipment that you’ll need. Helmet Required by UK law, your helmet is the most important piece of gear you’ll own. Buy brand new to ensure the best protection – modern helmets are designed to crumple like a car in a crash dissipating energy to stop it getting transferred to your head. You’ll typically get five years out of a brand new helmet, after which the glue and lining may start to disintegrate, which isn’t dangerous but can make your helmet a lot less comfortable. To save buying goggles or a visor, you’ll want a full-head helmet. The wind, rain and bugs aren’t worth the extra ventilation that a visorless helmet provides. Expensive helmets aren’t any safer, so don’t feel the need to shell out on a carbon fiber or Kevlar helmet (Moto GP riders only wear these because they’re lighter!). Make sure that the helmet fits snugly. There shouldn’t be any movement (although it shouldn’t be crushing your head either). Gloves Hands are very fragile things. You’ll have to wear these if you don’t want broken knuckles and scuffed up palms. Good gloves should always come with a retention strap to stop them from flying off your hands. They should also have some armour but not so much that it restricts movement in your fingers or wrist. Make sure that the gloves are long enough to overlap your sleeves, so that no bare skin is on show. Check the stitching to make sure that it’s good quality. As with helmets, kevlar isn’t necessary. Boots Your boots are going to often make contact with the road, so they should be oil-resistant to stop them from slipping. Good boots will offer decent ankle support, so that when you put your foot down you can hold up the weight of your bike without it being a strain or causing a nasty twist or sprain. Always keep your boots tightly laced – your boots will slip off your feet otherwise or your laces may undo and get caught on the foot peg, which is never fun! Jacket/Suit For full body protection, nothing beats a suit. These can be pricey though, so many just invest in a jacket and decent trousers. Jackets and suits come in all shapes and sizes. Avoid going purely for fashion – safety should be your key objective (eg. leather durability, armour, padding). Other factors you may wish to consider are ventilation and porousness. Expensive jackets made of Gore-Tex can keep you dry in bad weather. Perforated leather can work better for the heat, allowing air in. Make sure that you can effectively move your arms and shoulders (and your legs). You want a snug fit, but enough movement so that you can still move your limbs and react fast.  david-beckham-belstaff-dailycarblog-fashionshoot
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