Usage of Safety Gear

IBN strongly recommends that proper Safety Gear be used when riding.

We recommend you to use the following when riding

- A Good Quality Helmet

- Strong and sturdy pair of shoes

- Thick and Protective clothing (Jacket + Jeans)

- Gloves for palm/wrist protection

If in case you are using your Two wheeler to tour/stunt, Please consider using a set of proper and good quality protective gear while doing so.

Please note that the below description is to demonstrate importance of Safety Gears usage. Kindly take it constructively.

Need for Protective Gear - 

Simply said, Life is unpredictable. We have all experienced the occasional and embarrassing fall when we were not at fault. A person riding a two wheeler may say that he/she is a careful rider and hence there is no need to invest on Safety Gears. The person would be a fool to imagine so. Riding a bike is as much an art as much as it is science. Balancing the bike comes naturally to us, but it is a much more complex process which involves our body sub-consciously compensating by shifting body position to maintain balance. 

Long story Short. 

Imagine Rider A, riding with full protective gear is riding at 60 kmph down a straight road.

Imagine Rider B, riding with only an Helmet is riding at 40 kmph ahead of Rider A.

At the intersection to which both the riders are heading, Person 1 is crossing the road.

Things happen fast.

Rider A due to his higher speed overtakes Rider B, but has somehow missed the Person crossing the road. At the last moment Rider A notices the crossing person and tries to brake. While braking he/she loses balance and comes in the way of Rider B.

Rider B, even though he/she was at 40kmph and not at fault, tries to avoid Rider A, fails and falls to the Tarmac. 

While Landing onto the tarmac, Rider B's subconscious takes over and the arms and legs are put out to protect the torso(important organs) from damage. 

Tragedy. Contact with Tarmac. Depending on the angle of fall, the Palm/Wrist, Elbow, Knee, Shoulders, Head or all hit the ground. Bones come into contact, gets affected, the skin on the body also gets damaged causing wounds.

Conclusion - Bones affected + Wounds Caused due to the fall at 40 kmph.

The Chances of injury rises exponentially with higher speed.

Rewind. Imagine Rider B had been wearing Elbow/Knee Guards, a thick Jacket, a good Helmet, a pair of shoes, and a pair of gloves.

During the fall, the knee/elbow guards would have protected his bones from coming into contact. The Jacket would have prevented damage to the skin. The Gloves would have prevented the palm and wrist from getting affected by the fall.

There would be shock due to the fall, but major injury could have been prevented.

Majority of Injuries resulting from a fall can be prevented by using a good set of Safety Gears.

So kindly consider saving up and getting a set of protective gear for yourself. Safety always needs to be priority over anything else. Takings the risks before being properly prepared would be foolishness on the Rider's part.

Listed below is the suggestion for usage of protective gears - 

- Elbow and Knee Guards - (Included in the High quality Riding Jackets/Pants)

These guards are Hardened Kevlar plates with elastic bands and padding for comfort and snug fit. These are fastened on the Elbows to protect lower arms and on the Knee to protect shin and the Knee bone.

Fox Branded Knee/Elbow Guards - Cost on Ebay.in - Rs.600(Average)

- Helmet - 

Needless to say Helmet is the single most useful Safety tool that can be used when riding a two wheeler. But what type of helmet? Cap type? Open Face? Just for the sake of cop?

I suggest you to go for a branded Full Face Helmet that can be availed at any Helmet store. The cost is subjective, but make it a habit to take care of the helmet.

A Full Face Helmet (A good one Costs about RS.700. You can get better ones as well. :) )

Also, ensure that the Helmet needs to be changed in case the rider has a fall or if the Helmet impacts the ground when at speed. The Helmet loses its protective strength consistently over impacts and time.

- Gloves - 

As told earlier, the Human body's first instinct during any fall, minor or major, is to put out the hands and the first thing to come into contact with the ground is the palm. Usage of gloves would help to protect the rider's palm in case of fall as well as protect the rider's wrists by providing support against bending at wrong angles. Usage of Gloves also gives quite a grip while wringing the throttle.

Pro-biker Gloves - Cost on Ebay.in Rs.500 (average). 

- Shoes -  

Usage of shoes with a protective padding over the toe as well as the Heel would be ideal when riding. It may be as simple as a Sports shoe or if you enough cash saved up, a dedicated riding boots available at all shoe stores. Consider choosing shoes that have hardened toe tips and padding over the heel area. Also consider the over all comfort.

- Riding Jackets - 

This is the area which would require the rider to save up cash. Most riding Jackets come with embedded elbow/knee/back/chest/shoulder armor or guards so saving up for a Good Jacket would be very much recommended. A High quality Riding Jacket could cost you anywhere between Rs. 3500 to Rs. 5500. Of course, the higher the price - the higher the quality and protection (Standard scenario). However, when you are trying to save up, make it a point to wear a thick Jeans Jacket at the very least.

- Riding Trouser - 

Again a pair of thick and protective jeans could do the trick here.

Please note that the suggestions given above are cost effective alternatives used by yours truly. With more cash, you could go for more higher quality products.

The reason i have written this is because of my fall a few weeks back. Thankfully i was wearing the Guards that i have. The Knee Guard is now damaged and the Helmet has scratches. Were it not for these guards, i would currently be typing this with a broken leg, wounds on my face and a Broken elbow. Thanks to my gear and to God's Grace, i came out of the fall with a wound on my chin, body ache due to impact and shock.(My Helmet was not fastened tightly and it slipped upwards causing a wound on the Chin. That is another lesson for you. Always fasten the helmet tightly.)

All the Best and happy Riding.

- Krish