With the price of fuel still too high a rising number of people will be using motorcycles as their primary mode of economical transportation. Here are some tips to help make your venture most enjoyable. Basically – HAVE THE PROPER GEAR!
We’ll start with helmets. Snell or DOT approved helmets are a MUST! You might say they’re not macho! Is lying on a slab in the morgue macho? Is being a quadriplegic macho? Riding helmetless is not macho – it’s stupid. Go find great looking DOT approved helmets. Hey – you might even find one that makes you macho.
Be prepared for all types of weather! No reason to honker down because you’re not prepared for cold – wet – hot – humid weather changes. A leather jacket with a zip out lining is your first MUST as it provides you versatility. Add next a good quality leather vest for hot weather and protection. Next add for chaps. Whether you like plain or with fringe; lined for warmth or unlined your choice can be found economically on line. Also, leather shorts and leather 5 pocket jean style pants genuine leather will add to your comfort. You should have at least three pair of gloves being fingerless, full finger, and heavy lined.
Protect your eyes! When riding with open helmets you should consider eyewear that offers you custom designed foam eye pads to fit comfortably, and the CSF: Composite Shock Frames designed to fit snugly and hold their shape despite the abuse of the road. Interchangeable lenses offer you protection regardless of light conditions. Smoke Lenses for True Color Optics on bright Sunny days, Eye Lighter Yellow Lenses for Hazy days and low light conditions, and Crystal Vision Clear Lenses for Dusk to Dawn or overcast days where you still need to shield your eyes from flying debris. Regardless of which lens you have in the frame, you will block out the Full Spectrum of UV Radiation and the eye drying Infrared Radiation.
And where are you going to put all this gear for your fun and adventurous ride? You have a couple options here. Backpack or saddlebags. Over a long haul a back pack is not very comfortable – especially if you’re riding tandem. That leaves you with finding saddlebags the give you flexibility. For ample storage you would want to choose a good quality leather 7 piece luggage set. The other option is a 2 piece tour bag which you can find with unique patches and logos. Whichever you choose you need to make certain it’s quality leather and waterproof.
Get going, be prepared and have a great trip.
Dan Meusen is founder and President of Jatex, Inc. Jatex was incorporated in 1992 as a sales company. Over the years Jatex developed into a multimillion dollar organization with great integrity.
Presently Jatex operates three successful websites. One of the sites, http://www.BikersBestGear.com is dedicated to offering deeply discounted top-quality safety equipment and apparel for the motorcyclist. The site offers only DOT
and the Snell approved helmets as well as a full line of leathers.
Dan has written and published several articles on the subject of motorcycle safety and travel. Dan has also written articles regarding motorcycle helmet construction.
