Depending on the climate where you live, you may be asking yourself, what kind of gear should you wear while riding a motorcycle? The truth is that you should be protected from the elements in a variety of ways, and your motorcycle gear is an important part of that. While riding a motorcycle is incredibly fun, the dangers that you face are much greater than they seem. Fortunately, science has developed various types of protective gear to help you stay safe and comfortable.

Motorcycle boots should protect your feet. Leather motorcycle gloves are a great choice because they provide 100% hand coverage. A pair of leather motorcycle boots should have good ankle support and durable materials. You can also check the fit of your footwear by twisting the toes or the heel. Lastly, be sure to wear pants that cover your upper body and keep your legs covered and dry. And do not forget to get a helmet.

If you ride a motorcycle, it is essential that you wear protective clothing. Choosing the right biker gloves can make all the difference in the world. A good pair of biker gloves will cover your entire hand and will help protect you from being hit by a car or a truck. The material should be durable and reinforced, and it should be made of a thick material that will last for many years.

You should also buy biker gloves. These gloves should provide full hand coverage and reinforced stitching. They should also have armor at the base of the palm. But do not worry, they will not interfere with the control of the bike. Just be sure to purchase a pair that does not interfere with your bike’s controls. This way, you can focus on riding your motorcycle safely.

When riding a motorcycle, you should always wear protective gear. Your helmet should be a light color to make you more visible to other motorists. You should also wear a helmet with reflective strips to ensure that you are visible to other drivers. As a rule of thumb, you should wear a leather jacket or pants for maximum safety. In the case of a crash, you should be wearing the proper protective gear for every type of weather.

Your motorcycle clothing should provide protection not only in the event of a collision but will also protect you from the cold and heat of the motorcycle. Your riding apparel should cover your arms and legs, be comfortable, and fit properly. It should fit loosely and snugly but should be durable enough to protect you. A jacket should also protect you from overheating and dehydration. While leather is a better option, synthetic materials are more affordable and will provide you with the same protection.

If God forbid you are in a motorcycle accident anywhere in California call the real Biker Lawyer who rides for free consultation on your motorcycle accident case at 800-816-1529 extension 0.

The post What kind of gear should you wear when riding a motorcycle? first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

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.

Norman's Harley Davidson Electra Glide in the NBC Parking Lot before action shots were taken

Well it has been 40 something years since that sunny summer day in the sixties when my dad first put me on a mini-bike in the fields behind the housing development where we lived at the time.

I have ridden some form of motorcycle ever since.

I will admit that from time to time, especially when I was in my teens, and early 20’s, I was not so concerned about motorcycle safety.

Since becoming an attorney who handles motorcycle accident cases all over the State of California, and becoming a recognized expert on the subject of motorcycle safety, I figure I am really careful at least 99% of the time. The other 1% of the time I do foolish things like maybe crack the throttle and go real fast, or wear no helmet in States that have no helmet laws; stuff like that.

Well today I did a bonehead thing that could have cost me my life.

You see I have been to NBC studios twice in the last few weeks to be interviewed by an Emmy award winning news producer and her team, and to have action shots taken of me on my motorcycle. I am not going to go into any detail with regards to this piece, until it airs so don’t ask.

Today was the action shot day. So I woke up early, suited up, and rode my motorcycle to the NBC studios in Burbank. Hell I went straight to the A lot today, that is where the insiders get to park.

Anyway, back to the subject of this story. It was a real hot day today. It was in the 100’s. It was so hot that I had a gallon jug of water in my tour pak, and when I got home it was hot.

So as I left the NBC studios, the Alameda on-ramp to the 170 freeway was closed so I had to take a detour. I ended up on Lankershiem Blvd. in North Hollywood.

I got into a left hand turn lane behind a big ass truck that had multiple cars in front of it.  This was on old fashioned light with no green arrow. If you are lucky two cars can turn when the thing turns yellow.

The light turns green and nothing. We did not move. It was over 100 degrees, I had long sleeves on to protect myself against the sun, and I had a full face modular helmet on.

I knew if I sat at this light another cycle, I would start to severely overheat the way I was dressed. I decided to move into a traffic lane to the right, flip a U turn, and make a quick right.

Well this is where my life almost ended. I looked in my rear view mirror, did not see anything, and then flipped into the traffic lane to the right. Just as I got into the lane, there was a friggen car right there. In other words, I cut off a car that was doing at least 35mph, on my Electra Glide. Had the guy not been paying attention, had he not hit the brakes, had I not accelerated like a bat out of hell, I would have been toast on the hot pavement.

I fucked up and I know it. When I went to flip a U turn the guy passed me and gave me a hand signal which means “what the fuck” He put his hand out the window with the palm facing up. If you saw it, you would know what it meant. Anyway………….. Right after the incident, I thanked GOD for keeping me safe. I pray that way from time to time.

I analyzed what happened on the long hot ride back home. The first fuckup was that I was in too much of a rush to flip into the lane.

We riders of motorcycles do not get second chances like I got today. I was lucky. Next time I won’t be so lucky.

I should have not relied exclusively on my mirror; I should have turned my head to make sure the coast was clear.

A simple turn of your head can save your life.

The second thing I realized was that even though I feel that a full face helmet is the way to go for safety, it has an inherent flaw; it takes away your peripheral vision. Had I not had a helmet on, I may have seen the car. Then again, if the car had taken me out, I would have rather had the helmet on.

What lessen did I learn today that I am passing on to you; turn your head when changing lanes, don’t just rely on mirrors, turn your head, and take your time.

Yes it may be a little hot, or you may have to wait at a light in 100 degree weather. However, this inconvenience is better than ending up frying on the pavement in a pool of blood.

By California Motorcycle Accident Attorney and Biker Lawyer, Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © August 2010

The post Even Experienced Motorcycle Riders Need to Be Careful Riding! first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

California Motorcycle Accident Lawyer and Biker Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez on the road.

First off let me start off by stating that I do not advocate mandatory helmet laws or anything like that. I feel that each motorcycle rider should have the right to wear whatever they want to wear while riding. The advice I am giving in this article is just that, advice. You can and will ultimately do whatever the hell you want to do. However, if this article helps someone be safe while riding a motorcycle, then so be it.

I personally think that the two most important things you should wear while riding a motorcycle are; a good helmet, and a good leather jacket. Let me explain.

Now I know that there are other what I consider to be mandatory motorcycle safety items that should be worn, such as gloves, boots, leather or heavy jean pants, etc., however, this article is about what I consider to be the two most important safety items.

I am a California motorcycle accident attorney. I handle motorcycle accident cases, and other types of personal injury cases for a living. I also happen to be a biker and a motorcyclist who rides a significant number of miles each year on my Harley Davidson Electra Glide.

I have seen a marked increase in the number of motorcycle accidents, and a substantial increase in motorcycle deaths in the past decade. Furthermore, it has been reported by many different sources that there has been a tremendous increase in the number of motorcycle accidents and motorcycle accident deaths in recent years. I am sure these all have to do with an increase in the number of motorcycle riders on the road.

Knowing this, I can think of a couple of things I would not like to happen, god forbid if I do go down. I would like to keep the grey matter between my ears inside of my skull instead of being splattered all over the road, I would like to keep my face, and rather than having all my skin rubbed off by the pavement, I would rather a leather jacket be the one that gets the brunt of the punishment.

Look we all know that wearing a helmet is mandatory in California and some other States. I for one don’t care if there is a law or not, I wear a full face modular helmet when I ride, and I suggest that you do the same. This is not rocket science; it is about surviving a motorcycle accident. It does not take a genius to figure out what happens when your head or face meets the pavement at 70 miles per hour; the pavement wins.

There is virtually nothing better to protect your upper body from a fall than a good heavy leather jacket. If you go down, it may still hurt, but the leather will take the brunt of any road rash. They even sell lightweight armor that can be worn under the jacket or inserted into the jacket. I know, sometimes it is too hot to wear a jacket, or you want to look cool. Well it is not cool to have permanent road rash scars all over your body just because you decided not to wear the jacket, or suffering as your skin heals from road rash.

We who ride motorcycles know two things, it is not a matter of if we are going down, it is a matter of when; and we sure the hell do not want to go down. I myself have been down 3 times in the past. God was with me, all of my mishaps were minor, and I only suffered minor injuries in two of them.

I have been involved in numerous close “scary” calls while riding, and if you are a motorcycle rider, you have been too. It is just the nature of the beast.

Once at the Palm Springs Biker Rally in 2000, I was only wearing a sleeveless T-Shirt, when I went down at low speed. It hurt, and caused some minor road rash on my left side where I laid it down. That small amount of road rash hurt like hell. Imagine what losing multiple layers of skin feels like; I sure don’t want to feel that. Wear a friggen leather jacket.

You can take this article as you will. Unlike some other poser fake biker lawyers, and motorcycle accident attorney’s out there advertising that they handle motorcycle accident cases, when they don’t actually ride motorcycles, or have any clue whatsoever about the issues related to riding a motorcycle and being a biker, I am the real deal. I, just like you, am a biker and a motorcyclist.

I will be here for you if you need me after a motorcycle accident; however, I would prefer to see fewer injuries because you were smart and were wearing proper safety equipment.

By California Biker Attorney and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., ©2009

The post Let’s Talk Real No B.S. Motorcycle Riding Safety; The Two Most Important Safety Items. first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.