It is important to select quality, well-designed protective clothing to help reduce the risk of serious injuries from misadventure on a motorcycle. Continuing from a previous post on the value of good gloves, the next important items that should be in any serious motorcyclist’s wardrobe are strong, abrasion-resistant jackets and pants.

According to Motorcycle.com, it can be an enormous mistake to wear ordinary clothing while riding a motorcycle. Riders wearing shorts, short-sleeved shirts, or other flimsy items such as tank tops, often suffer some of the worst injuries in motorcycle accidents. Jeans made from cotton can abrade through barely a second after making contact with the road. Even leather isn’t safe unless it’s specifically designed for motorcycle use.

RideApart.com states that bikers can protect vital areas such as the lungs and heart with a piece of body armor called a chest protector. Other armor can protect a rider’s back, shoulders and elbows. The armor adds extra protection that can reduce a rider’s risk of suffering serious injury. This armor can be worn under a jacket. When choosing the jacket and pants, riders should seek purpose-made gear that is engineered from specially made fabrics or leather products to handle the forces involved in a motorcycle accident. A few advantages of fabric or “textile” products, including generally lower cost and the inclusion of materials such as Gore-Tex that improve thermal and moisture performance. Fashion leather should be avoided.

Whether going for the traditional biker style of leather or the more modern capabilities and reduced expense of textiles, both options offer protection from serious injuries when engineered specifically for motorcycle use. Spending a little extra on proper pants and jackets could help prevent a lot of pain.