These are the 13 mistakes to avoid to equip yourself on a motorcycle and not cast lots for your safety

We all know how great it is to get around on a motorcycle and we really enjoy it, whether it is on a day-to-day basis through the streets of our cities to go to work or on weekends to enjoy those unique sensations by secondary roads or even on closed circuits.

There is often the feeling that for this, the only important thing is that our bike is in the best possible condition, that it has all the details taken care of, keeping its maintenance up to date without making typical mistakes. But no, we are just as important as our motorcycle and for this reason, being correctly equipped is vital.

1. Wear street clothes

This is one of the biggest mistakes that are made and at the same time, it is one of the most common and that we sadly see the most on a day-to-day basis. Your street clothes may be very beautiful, you are incredibly fashionable and you are super handsome or beautiful in it. But no, your street clothes will not protect you at all if you fall while riding a motorcycle and the consequences can be very serious. Motorcycle clothing is resistant and designed to keep us safe. If you are not going to use it, you better go by car or by subway, for your own good.

2. Do not wear clothes of our size

Not that it's as bad as not wearing it, but wearing motorcycle clothing that doesn't fit our size won't help us much either. If the clothes are too big for us, in the event of a fall it will move and leave us unprotected as well. If it is too small for us, it will limit our movement and reduce our agility. Since you are going to wear motorcycle clothing, make sure it is the correct size.

3. Do not wear a helmet of our size

If wearing clothes of another size is bad, wearing a helmet that is not our size is a blunder that can directly cost us our lives. When choosing a helmet, it is vitally important that it be our size. If it is large, in the event of a fall it can come out leaving us totally unprotected. If you think those things don't happen, watch this video…

@lorna_oh Fingers crossed! I am slightly worried I won't recognize my colleagues and students once I meet them in real-life...

— Sandra Jasper Wed Apr 28 10:19:27 +0000 2021

4. Not wearing a helmet correctly

If you buy a helmet in your size but don't fasten it, you will have wasted time and money. It is as important to wear a helmet as to wear it well fastened. And it's not worth it if the closure is closed, no. You have to wear it as tight as possible without drowning us. If you can wear a double ring closure, even better.

5. Do not close the visor

It is another of the mistakes when using the helmet in the proper way. Helmet visors are more important items than many think. They are not worth only to remove the annoying air from our faces. They also protect us against stones that can jump, against other things that can hit us, against objects that can hit us... It is best to always keep it closed to have extra protection on the face.

6. Do not wear gloves

If you're one of those people who don't wear gloves, maybe soon you won't be, since it sounds like a mandatory measure in no time. However, you should not need the Civil Guard to force you to wear gloves, you should want to wear them yourself for your own safety.

Wearing motorcycle gloves (note, not for snow or for the cold, they have to be for motorcycles) is important when holding on to the motorcycle, it will protect your hands from the abrasive asphalt if you hit the ground and the impact of any insect or stone can do a lot of damage. Do not skimp on gloves, which will later take your hands to your head when there is no solution.

7. Do not wear protections

It may seem like a no-brainer, but the ground is very hard. Take the test of running and dropping to the ground. It hurts quite a bit, right? Well, imagine going 50 km/h instead of 7 km/h. To minimize the injuries caused by the impact, it is best to wear good protections, always approved.

At least the back protector is essential, a piece that jackets don't usually incorporate and that can prevent us from a fracture in the posterior area, which is something very serious and tremendously dangerous. If you buy technical clothing that already comes with elbow pads, shoulder pads and knee pads, all the better. Your bones and joints will thank you.

8. Do not wear protective footwear

Protective footwear designed for motorcycles acts in the same sense. Wearing appropriate footwear that at least has ankle protection is the best thing you can do, better if it incorporates protections on the toe and heel. If you don't want to wear boots as such, there are many options for motorcycle shoes that go unnoticed.

It seems silly, but the simple fact that the bike falls on top of us while stationary can cause us a lot of problems. If we have our feet well protected, it will always be more difficult for us to hurt ourselves. Not to mention possible objects that can hit us during the march or falls that we may suffer either in the city or on the highway.

9. Do not inspect the equipment from time to time

Having good motorcycle equipment and not checking it from time to time is a very common mistake. Like everything in life, time does not pass in vain for our equipment. Checking it in search of damage, possible holes, broken closures or in poor condition or simply to check that the fabrics are in good condition is important. Spend 5 minutes from time to time, you won't be wasting your time.

10. Not keeping equipment in good condition

In line with the previous point, the equipment is not enough to have it, you have to have it in good condition. If you detect that it is not, the time has come to renew it. Do not hold it longer than necessary because if we wear it in bad condition it will be very similar to not wearing it.

There is only one thing worse than going unprotected and that is thinking that you are when the reality is the opposite. Storing it in a place that does not have a lot of humidity, that is not exposed to the sun directly and that does not suffer from the elements of time is a very good idea. If you have leather or leather clothing, giving it moisturizing cream is a very useful trick that will help prolong its life.

11. Do not renew the hull

Yeah, sorry to break it to you, but your amazingly nice helmet that you spent a lot of money on expires too. This does not mean that you will get sick if you eat it, but it means that in the event of a fall, the helmet may not act correctly and may not take the impact correctly, either breaking or not filtering the energy of the blow.

Current helmets are made of fibers and compounds that lose mechanical properties over time. These fibers and compounds deteriorate, losing their ability to absorb energy. To find out the useful life of your helmet, it is best to consult the manufacturer. A good measure is to renew it every 5 years, but that term depends on each case.

12. Not wearing appropriate seasonal clothing

This point above all works against your comfort, although it can also affect your safety, since if you are not comfortable, your fatigue will increase and your driving abilities will decrease.

There are ranges of clothing prepared for both summer and winter. These different collections are designed to continue protecting us without roasting us in the heat or letting us freeze in the cold. By varying their fabrics they will help us not to give up security regardless of the temperature it is.

13. Do not check if the equipment has approval

This is something that is often overlooked, but should never be done. If the equipment that we are thinking of buying is not approved by the relevant authorities, it will be for a reason.

If it is not approved, it can be for many different reasons, but in that case the advice is clear, it is better not to buy something that has not passed the approvals. These products should not be for sale in many cases, but the best filter for not buying them is common sense.

In the end, and as they say, cheap ends up being expensive, so it's best not to put a price on your physical integrity to save a few euros. Drive safely and enjoy your motorcycle, but always do it well equipped.