Motorcycle Blog from JAFRUM » reflective motorcycle gear

Motorcycle Protective Gear – What You Absolutely Need To Have

Jafrum — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 20:26:29 +0000

Unfortunately, for many, when they think of riding their motorcycle they are thinking of being free and looking sexy and not about their own safety, which is why so many motorcyclists end up severely injured every year.
You can’t control what the other drivers on the road will do, but you can take some simple precautions to make sure you have a good shot at walking away if you are in an accident.

Motorcyclists rarely come out on top when in a collision with a automobile so it’s essential that you protect yourself by using motorcycle protective gear whenever you ride.
Just stop and think for a minute what it would feel like to slide across a roadway at 55 MPH without adequate protection for your head and body. Not good.

Whether you’re riding across town or across the county always wear protective gear, that’s the best way to insure you will be riding for many more years to come.
Here is a brief list of some of the absolute essentials in motorcycle protective gear , and don’t worry, a lot of it looks cool too:

Motorcycle Helmet – When buying a helmet you have a lot of choices in style and price, just make sure the helmet you choose has DOT certification. This means your helmet has passed strict safety tests. You also want to make sure you have the right fit. You want your helmet to be snug on your head, it shouldn’t slide back and forth. You also don’t want it to be too tight or have uncomfortable pressure points.

Motorcycle Jacket and Long Pants
– We all love long hot summer days but riding a motorcycle is not the time for shorts and tank tops. Cover up. Keep your skin where it belongs, not on the pavement.
A thick, well made jacket (textile motorcycle jacket/ leather motorcycle
jacket) can help protect you from abrasions and ‘road rash’. And don’t forget about your legs, always wear long pants, preferably leather, to protect yourself from head to toe.

Motorcycle Boots – Always wear heavy, over the ankle, boots or shoes. Do not even think about wearing open toed sandals or flip flops.

Motorcycle
Goggles – Bugs, dirt, dust, road debris – this is just a short list of some of the things that can cause severe eye damage when riding your motorcycle. Don’t risk your eyesight. Buy and wear full coverage, impact resistant eye protection whenever you ride.

Motorcycle Gloves – Again leather is the preferred choice. But anything is better than leaving your skin exposed.

High Visibility Indicators – It doesn’t matter if you wear a neon vest or a brightly colored helmet do everything you can to make sure other motorists can see you. This is the time you want to draw attention to yourself.

For anyone who has ever ridden a motorcycle on the open road you know what a fantastic feeling of freedom it can bring, but you also know that since we are sharing the roadway with other much larger and heavier vehicles it can also be dangerous.
There is no reason to take unnecessary risks. Enjoy the freedom of biking but protect yourself at the same time. Use motorcycle protective gear every single time you ride. Don’t take foolish chances with your safety. Protect yourself. And hey, leather pants can be pretty hot, too!

Bald Overlook -picture from a customer of Jafrum

Jafrum — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:58:32 +0000

I’m wearing my Pistol Pete premium leather jacket, 5-pocket leather pants and Milwaukee classic harness leather boots from Jafrum in the photo of me standing by the Lone Bald Overlook sign note: I didn’t even read the writing on the sign when the picture was taken…noticed later while reviewing the pictures of the day how ironic this particular photo was Both photos taken on the Blue Ridge Parkway south of Asheville, NC on April 22, 2009. Temperature was sunny and in the low 30’s! I was toasty warm and very comfortable. (I’m 6’4” and 250 lbs) Bike is a 2003 Honda Valkyrie pulling an Escapade trailer. (That’s ice on the rocks! Bike picture was taken facing across the road from the Lone Bald Overlook picture) Jim R , Florida

Safer Night Riding: Master the Art of Biker Recognition – Part II

Author — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 06:47:26 +0000

The importance of constantly improving your riding skills cannot be overemphasized. Many bikers take the mandatory course to get their license and ride for years without taking another course.

You can always become a better rider by learning tips from professionals that can improve your ability to avoid an accident.

Defensive riding serves the same purpose as like defensive driving; it makes you less likely to have accidents. Defensive riding technique focuses on improving your ability to:

Anticipate

Be alert and observant

Ride at a speed that will enable you to slow down and stop in good time

Position yourself in the best place

Overtake safely

Take a ‘lifesaver’ glance over your shoulder before carrying out maneuvers

Wear gear that makes you easy to be seen and recognized

Protective and reflective motorcycle gear is a must for night riding. You should always wear:

An approved helmet that fits securely

Protective clothing; jacket, trousers and boots. Wear something fluorescent during the day and reflective at night.

Keep your motorcycle helmet visor or goggles clean

Keep in mind that there are four steps in the response process:

Detection

Identification

Decision to react

Action

The goal is to help the driver to use less time to move through the recognition process. The question is: what’s the best way to be easily recognizable on the road? Answer: Use the colors that make drivers take evasive action.

Drivers are accustomed to seeing the colors red and white in railroad crossings. The color white is highly reflective, in fact it is five times more than red, but red is used to represent danger and signals the need to stop.

Safer Night Riding: Master the Art of Biker Recognition-Part I

Author — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:55:53 +0000

Motorcycle riders have to take road safety very seriously, especially at night when visibility is reduced. In a car dominated world, being conspicuous is not enough, you have to be easy to recognize by drivers as well.

Some bikers focus solely on making themselves visible at night; some use strobe lights on their helmets, but that doesn’t help much to make them recognizable.

A better way to use lighting to make you and your motorcycle easily recognizable is by installing LED accent lights as seen in the photo. These lights are available in several different colors specifically to highlight your bike on a night road. Check out the details at De-Luxcycle

Night riding can be dangerously deceptive: in the dark, what you might think is two motorcycles could actually be the headlights of an oncoming truck: the result of that false judgment would not be pretty.

It is not size that matters on the road, it is providing accurate information to drivers that make the difference. Reflective markings have been proven to provide more safety because it eliminates confusion: it allows the biker to be easily recognized.

When a bike and a car are both in motion, every second counts and the less time used in the process of identification, the more time there is to avoid danger. In the next article we will look at the recognition process and how to make it work for you to keep you safe while riding your bike at night.