If you’ve been riding a while, chances are you have a closet with more motorcycle gear and accessories than you really need. We’re all guilty of it, but as new technology and styles come out, we just can’t help ourselves. Besides, we deserve the best and safest stuff to protect us while we’re riding, don’t we? Cycle Trader has a half-dozen things to add to update your riding gear.
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1. High-Tech Helmet
It’s a smart move to replace your helmet every five years. Whenever that time rolls around and we’re facing the increasingly steep costs of a decent lid, that five-year span seems painfully short, but use and weather can reduce a helmet’s protective capability.
A helmet with a built-in communication system might motivate a new bucket purchase. For those who ride two-up, tour with buddies, or simply like to enjoy some tunes or podcasts while riding, the Bluetooth communications systems from Cardo and Sena have been a treat, but not all helmets will cleanly accept the addition of speakers, wires, microphone, and external control module.
Sena, however, has created a small lineup of helmets that come with their famed comm systems already seamlessly integrated. Incorporating Harman/Kardon speakers means the sound quality is about as good as you can get in a helmet, and with the Mesh system, several riders can be connected into the conversation at the same time.
2. Modular Motorcycle Jacket
One of the best ways to help streamline the amount of riding gear clutter is to get a modular jacket. Mostly found in the adventure riding segment, a modular jacket is one that manages to keep a rider comfortable through a broad spectrum of environmental conditions. Gore-tex materials enable waterproofness and breathability for soggy trips, while well-insulated inner liners can help keep a rider warm during those cold, early or late rides. When things get hot, zip the liner out and open expansive panels of the outer shell to provide flow-through ventilation like a mesh jacket.
3. Temperature-Regulating Vest
Planning to ride through more extreme weather conditions? Add a vest to the mix. Heated vests have been around for a while now and can help dramatically extend the riding season for those who live in northern climes. They operate with a rechargeable battery pack that energizes a mesh of heating elements within the vest, and fit comfortably beneath a jacket.
But for extreme heat, there are cooling vests, too. Alpinestars, BMW, and Sedici all offer cooling vests that combine ventilation for airflow with a layer of moisture. The vests work by either filling a small reservoir with water that gets slowly released, or by soaking the vest in cool water first. The evaporative process can help to reduce a rider’s core temperature by several degrees, and basically do the same job as our own sweat does—but without the stink!
4. Airbag Vest
While on the topic of vests, an arguably more important sleeveless garment is the airbag vest. For those of us who don’t want to ride a new Honda Gold Wing, the only way to protect ourselves with a layer of CO2 while we ride is to wear an airbag vest. The originators utilized a ripcord when the rider flew off the bike and yanked the trigger. Voila! instant safety. More contemporary options are activated electronically based on a computerized brain that determines if a rider is likely to impact something.
These are pricey accessories, but airbag vests provide impact protection many times greater than the best back-pads available, and thanks to shoulder inflation, they protect a rider’s neck and collarbone as well.
5. Pants
We know plenty of riders stick with a pair of old Levi’s and figure that’s better than wearing shorts (or nothing at all!), and it is, but just barely. A regular pair of jeans will still shred pretty quickly, or have its seams blow apart when sliding across the pavement at 60 miles per hour. There are tons of riding jeans out there with Kevlar-reinforced areas, heavy-duty denim, and tough stitching, all to help a rider avoid the misery of skin-grafts.
If jeans aren’t your style, check out a pair of Uglybros riding pants. They’ve got plenty of denim styles, but they also do joggers and cargo pants for both men and women, offering proper protection and style. Best of all, because they’re designed for riding, they don’t bind and bunch up in uncomfortable ways like traditional jeans.
6. Photochromic Shields
For those of us who like a dark-tinted helmet visor, how many times have you told yourself, “I’ll be home before dark, it’ll be fine,” only to find yourself squinting through the tint to see when the ride ran a little later than expected? It’s a pain to have to pack a second visor to switch out when needed, but Klim, Bell, and Shoei all offer photochromic shields that transition from a dark tint in bright light, to clear in low-light conditions. It’s one of those features that you’ll wonder how you lived without it once you’ve had one.
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Now, clean out that closet and make room for some great new gear! And don’t stop there either. Find a nationwide inventory of new and used motorcycles on the market with the latest safety and technology features on Cycle Trader.
