Ok, you can call be boring if you like but am I the only person that cannot understand why motorcyclists do not wear good protective gear when riding either on the road or off road? I'm not that old fashioned to realize that looking cool means a lot to people but I also thought that a leather motorcycle jacket was cool. Well it was when Fonzie wore one! He, plus actors like Marlon Brando and James Dean for instance certainly made the leather motorcycle jacket very marketable indeed. Sometimes I think more people who do not ride bikes wear these jackets for fashion than riders do for safety. I have seen guys in particular riding on the road without helmets or jackets, in fact they weren't even wearing shoes. Obviously they have not ever come off or they are just plain stupid.

In many countries and states wearing a helmet when riding is mandatory but wearing protective clothing such as a leather motorcycle jacket is not. Obviously the helmet can save lives by preventing fatal head injuries and clothes do not but they do help prevent permanent scarring and injuries that can become infected. There are many different styles of jackets that can be purchased for protection. You can buy a very basic one to a fully padded style for racing or off road riding. You even have a wide choice of colors these days including motifs of your favorite brand such as Honda or Yamaha for example.

If you are a Harley rider then nothing but black will do for you. I do understand how expensive it is to buy a good bike and often people do not have enough money to spend on good protective gear to wear. But this should be thought about and added into the budget before purchase.

Even if you start out with a jacket from the bottom of the price range until you can afford a dearer version. The fact is that even a cheaper leather motorcycle jacket is more protection than none at all. These jackets are versatile in the way that you can wear them when you are not riding your bike as well as when riding. They are warm and very strong wearing.

Yes they are expensive so that makes it even a better idea to wear them on and off the bike. Another good idea as well as a jacket is leather riding pants along with boots and gloves. There are so many positives to wearing this type of gear compared to the negatives.

If you ride off road you will know only too well how important this type of clothing is. But if you ride only on the road you may not and yet it is just as important for you to do so. You need to forget about looking cool and about playing safe. In fact if you do it right you will look cool and play it safe!.

Susan Dean is a successful webmaster and publisher of http://www.bestmotorcyclesguide.info She provides lots of handy hints and advice on motorcycles at her web site.