Motorcycle rider safety starts with the bike and the gear. These are your first lines of protection in a crash.
There are legal requirements that your bike and gear must have, as well as important things to consider when making your choice.
Ride Forever provides comprehensive information to help you work out what bike or gear might be right for you:
Ride Forever – your bike and gear(external link)
Important things to consider when choosing a motorcycle are:
What all motorcycles legally must have before you can ride or park on the road:
Legal requirements for motorcycles
All motorcycle riders and passengers must wear an approved safety helmet. This is the minimum legal requirement, but best practice is to wear full safety gear including motorcycle gloves, boots, jackets and pants. The motorcycle road code has information about helmet safety standards and protective clothing:
If you come off your bike, your clothes are the first line of protection against skin grazing. The Motorcycle Clothing Assessment Programme (MotoCAP) provides free and fair information about protective gear.
Anti-lock braking system (ABS) works to prevent a motorcycle’s wheels from locking when braking and helps you to keep steering safely. Without ABS, braking causes the wheels to lock up and skid.
Novice riders are 33% less likely to be involved in a fatal crash if they ride a motorcycle that has ABS brakes.
It’s compulsory to have ABS on motorcycles over 125cc. Motorcycles up to and including 125cc must have ABS or a simpler system known as a combined braking system (CBS).