California Motorcycle Accident Attorney and Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., Courtesy of the Riverside Press Enterprise Newspaper, and Jennifer Fraley of Sunshine Photography

You have bought a new motorcycle, taken a motorcycle safety course and are ready to hit the open road.

What else can you do to help protect yourself? Wear the right gear – an approved helmet, face or eye protection and protective clothing.

Helmet

Accidents can happen to anyone. According to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF-USA), one out of every five motorcycle accidents results in head or neck injuries. These injuries can be reduced by wearing an approved helmet. I know they may not look cool, but they can save your life.

There are two primary types of helmets – three-quarters and full face. They provide different levels of coverage. To make sure that you get the most protection from your helmet, make sure that it meets U. S. Department of Transportation and state standards, that it fits snugly all the way around your head, and that it has no obvious defects such as cracks, loose padding or frayed straps.

Whatever type of helmet you chose, be sure to that it fastened securely while riding or it may fly off your head in an accident.

Eye and face protection

When riding, you will be faced with wind, dust, dirt, rain, insects and debris thrown up by other vehicles, you can protect yourself from these by wearing a face shield, googles, or good sunglasses. A plastic shatter-resistant face sheild will also help protect your face in the event of an accident, and goggles will protect your eyes if you’re not wearing a face shield.

To be effective, your eye and face protection must:

• Be free of scratches
• Be resistant to penetration
• Afford a clear view to either side
• Fasten securely so it will not blow off
• Allow air to pass through to alleviate fogging
• Permit enough room for sunglasses or eyeglasses if needed

Protective clothing

The right clothing will help protect you in an accident, as well as providing protection from heat, cold, debris and hot and moving parts of your motorcycle.

Jacket and pants should cover arms and legs completely and fit snugly enough to keep from flapping in the wind. Leather is the best protection but sturdy synthetic materials are a good alternative. Boots or shoes should cover your ankles. Soles should be hard and slip-resistant; tuck laces in so they don’t get caught on your motorcycle. Gloves will give you a better grip and help protect your hands in an accident.

Wear the appropriate clothing for the weather you’ll be experiencing. If you’re too hot or too cold, you may not be able to control your motorcycle as well.

There are plenty of things on the highway that can cause you trouble. Making sure you have the right gear will help
ensure that you have adequate protection should an accident occur.

California Motorcycle Accident Lawyer and Biker Attorney

The post Riding with the Right Gear first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

California Biker Attorney and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez at the Beach Ride

The main reason I like riding motorcycles is the feeling I get when I open my Harley Davidson Electra Glide up on the open road.

To be frank, I enjoy riding virtually any brand, make, or model motorcycle on the open road. I just happen to presently ride an Electra Glide.

There is no real way to describe the feeling I get when I ride my motorcycle, except to say that it is it is basically like meditation, or even psychotherapy.

If I am stressed out, taking my motorcycle out for a ride will calm me down.

As for me, I am a long distance rider. This means that I put 10-20k miles or more on my motorcycle every year.

I know many guys who bar hop or event hop on their motorcycles, some just ride on the weekends; hell that is all right too. Whatever floats your boat if you know what I mean?

I really like the fact that many women are also riding their own motorcycles these days. The more riders the merrier.

All bikers and motorcyclist all basically share the same kind of experience when riding; we feel the wind on our face and body, we know what it feels like to crack the throttle on a powerful machine that we ride on and not in, and we all experience the utter freedom and thrill of riding a motorcycle on the open road. City traffic kind of sucks, but once we get on the open road, it is the ultimate.

No cager or person who does not ride will ever understand the feeling of riding a motorcycle, and what a rush it really is.

Another added benefit of being a biker and a motorcyclist is that most if not all bikers and motorcyclist are amongst the most gracious, giving, and all around cool people you are ever going to meet.

You might see a tough looking guy in leathers with a big beard, a real scary looking dude, and yet the guy will turn out to be the nicest guy you will ever meet.

Most bikers will bend over backwards to help each other in times of need, in a way no biker or motorcyclist will ordinarily ever get to experience.

I kind of feel sorry for people who do not ride motorcycles; they will never know the experience of going to a motorcycle rally and having 1000’s of instant friends.

So there it is. I am grateful to be a biker.

By Biker Lawyer and Motorcycle Accident Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez, © March 3, 2011

The post Why I like Riding Motorcycles first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.