Activity Days – Motocross: Safety First

Motocross: Safety First

Getting the proper equipment to make the most of your motocross experience is an affair that leaves a bittersweet taste in the minds of many. On the one side, you really need the proper equipment to protect yourself and in order to minimise the risk of injury; with the proper equipment you can enjoy a fun ride on your bike without the constant feeling that, should something go awry, the odds are stacked against you for coming through without a scratch. On the other side, it is no secret that the gear itself can be very expensive and, for many, this is a deterrent to get into the sport as the initial investment seems too high.

Getting What You Need

The good thing to know is that you don’t need to purchase absolutely everything in order to get on the bike and have a few laps around the track. In fact, while all the safety elements are very helpful, it is quite clear that some of those elements will give a greater impact on your safety than others and thus it is not hard to start purchasing the most important elements first. Here is a list of the usual safety gear used for motocross; we have ordered the list according to the importance of the item so it stands as a very nice check-list when you are out shopping.

Helmet

A helmet is, hands down, the most important piece of gear that you can have. In fact, it is so important that you should absolutely not ride your bike without it. Your head is the most vital part of your body and, while the skull does a pretty good job at protecting it, you don’t want to take any risks when it comes to it.

Googles

A good pair of googles not only protects your eyes from the incredible amount of dirt and other things that usually go flying on a motocross course, it also allows you to see the road ahead clearly (a very good perk for anyone driving a vehicle!) A must buy for having fun and crash free activity days.

Boots

Oh yes, the boots. Be prepared to spend quite a lot of money on these as motocross boots are one of the most expensive items of the whole safety set. They are very important for protecting your legs, which go under heavy abuse while you are riding.

Guards: Knee and Elbow guards

These two items serve a double purpose each. First, they serve as shock protection: the guards will absorb a deal (hopefully a great deal) of the shock from any impact so that your body doesn’t have to. The second function is to restrict the mobility of the limbs so they don’t bend in ways they shouldn’t. Even the cheapest guards will take care (at some level) of the first function, usually only the expensive ones also take care of the second.

Kidney Belt

While it’s not a number 1 top priority, a decent kidney belt will absorb some of the constant impact that your kidney and back suffer from all the jumping around in the motocross track.

Body Armour

And since you are at it, you might as well go for broke; this upper torso armour will make sure that you take the better half of all the bumps and bruises coming to the upper part of your body. Some body armours include a kidney belt so check before making your purchase.

Motocross Gear

Equipping yourself with all the motocross gear you need to go racing can be expensive, we've listed it all in order of importance and offer a few tips to help you decide what to spend your hard earned dollars on.

Helmet

With out a doubt the most important bit of motocross gear you'll ever own is a helmet. Don't even think about buying a second hand one, you'll have no idea what's been done to it, even if it looks like it's in good nick. Regardless of what sport you're in, your head is the most precious part of your body even if you're a bit like me and it's not the best looking part!

Goggles

Next up on the list is a good pair of goggles. Apart from obviously protecting your eyes, they're also pretty important to see exactly where you're going! There's plenty of quality goggle brands out there so it's pretty much a personal preference.

Boots

Boots are one of the most expensive bits of motocross gear you'll have to buy but they're also important for protection. They range a lot in price and quality so you should do your homework before deciding what to buy.

Knee and Elbow Guards

I think just about anyone who has thrown their leg over a dirt bike will know the feeling of removing the skin from their elbows. Elbow guards are just the thing to stop that from happening. I wear a pair of Fox elbow guards under my jersey and they do a pretty good job.

Just a couple of points to note, some elbow guards have a velco strap set up to secure them in place. That's fine but be aware that anything strapped too tightly around your arms will restrict the blood flow and can make arm pump worse. The Fox guards I use have a Lycra sleeve arrangment that you slip your arm through, they're not too restrictive but they can slip down your arm after they become older and the Lycra stretches.

Your list of motocross gear should include a pair of knee guards. They range from basic padded plastic shells all the way up to custom fitted, kevlar composite knee braces. The cheaper knee guards really only offer impact protection (regardless of what the manufacturers would like you to believe) but the more expensive guards do offer some protection against your knee being turned and twisted in ways it shouldn't, obviously the more expensive knee braces are the preferred option here if you need the most protection for your knees.

CTi knee braces (pictured right) are at the top of the heap as far as protective motocross gear goes, the level of protection and fit is top notch but they're very expensive, then again, so's a knee reconstruction.

If you have some knee guards it's a bit of an eye opener to actually have a good look at them. You'll probably see plenty of scratches and nicks in the plastic, that's what your kneecaps would look like if you didn't have them!

Kidney Belt and Body Armour

A kidney belt isn't quite a must have bit of motocross gear but they do save your back and kidneys from a lot of the impact and jarring that you receive when you're belting around a rough motocross track for a few hours.

Some body armour suits incorporate a kidney belt, chest protector and shoulder pads. These types of armour are usually worn under your jersey and are made from padded material. The body armour that is worn outside of your jersey is commonly made from a hard plastic and usually has bicep and shoulder protectors attached also.


They offer protection from falls as well as protection from roost and rocks thrown up by the bikes in front of you (Why are you behind? You should be in front!) You can save yourself a few dollars buying secondhand body armour, this is a good idea if you're 'team mum and dad' and you're trying to keep kids in gear as they grow. Just have a good look at any items offered for sale to make sure that straps and buckles etc. aren't worn and broken.

Riding Pants/Jersey/Gloves

Whizbang riding gear is probably one of the least important items on your motocross gear list as far as functionality and protection goes but it's the definitely the most important if you're out there on the track desperately pretending to look like you know what you're doing.

What sort of gear you get here is usually dependent on your budget but there's a few things to keep in mind. Look for pants that have some sort of durable material (usually Kevlar) on the inside of the knee.

This area cops a hiding not only from rubbing as you grip the bike with your knees but also from your knee guards inside your pants rubbing as well. A lot of the pants on the market are made from a nylon composite material which is pretty tough, dries quickly when wet and is resistant to tearing.

My personal preference for jerseys is the nylon type because, like the pants, they dry quickly when wet and are resistant to tears. They also tend to slide on the ground better if you crash on a dry, hardpack track. What can happen, depending on which way you hit the ground, is that your sleeves or the waist of your jersey can ride up, leaving all that tender skin to be abraded away.

Things to look for in a pair of gloves are, firstly, a good fit. Put them on and make your hand the shape that they would be if you were holding onto your handlebars, make sure they feel comfortable in that position. Be aware of any seams on the inside of the glove that may rub on your fingers, particularly in between your fingers.

Look to make sure they don't bunch up in your palm with your hand curled also. When wearing gloves don't have the wristband too tight, you want them done up to keep mud and dirt out but not too tight that they restrict the flow of blood into your hands. Beware the dreaded arm pump!

Getting yourself a complete set of motocross gear can be a gradual process, not everyone has the cash to get it all at once but there are certain bits that are more important than others. Get these first and the rest when you can.

What You Need To Know When Choosing A Dirt Bike Helmet.

Safety Standards

Before you start looking for dirt bike helmets, you should be aware of different safety standards that apply in different parts of the world.
In the United States, the applicable standard is the Department of Transportation (DOT), in Europe it's the ECE 22.05 which is the standard in over 50 countries, in Britain it's the British Standard (BS) and here in Australia helmets have to be Australian Standards certified.

The Snell Memorial Foundation does helmet testing worldwide and is considered to be the leading standard in helmet safety so the Snell rating of a helmet should be the one to consider.
Certified dirt bike helmets will have a sticker on the rear of the shell saying which standard they conform to.

Features

Consider what features you think are important when deciding what type of dirt bike helmet to buy.

Different helmets will have different features such as venting, weight (particularly important if you're going to be wearing the helmet for long events ie; enduro or cross country events instead of shorter events like motocross), appearance and price. You should spend the most you can afford on your helmet, after all it's a pretty important piece of gear.

Does the helmet have a removable liner? These are very convenient for washing, there's nothing worse than a manky smelling helmet!
What is the construction of the helmet shell? There are all sorts of constructions on the market now, carbon fiber/kevlar, fibreglass shells and composite fibre shells.

Just a little tip that I learnt the hard way, some helmets will come with either plastic or metal visor mounting screws. Use the plastic screws so that in the event of a get off, the screws shear off and don't destroy the visor.

Probably not much of an issue for most of you out there unless it happens to be a custom painted helmet with a custom painted visor. I couldn't buy one of those off the shelf....

Different brand helmets have different size eyeports, Arnette and Scott goggles seem to have bigger frames than other brand goggles so make sure your goggles can comfortably fit in the eyeport of the helmet.

Fit

Your new dirt bike helmet should fit uniformly on your head and not feel tight in any one area. Bear in mind that the liner will compact a little after you first start wearing it so if it feels just a little too tight when you first try it, it will probably end up just right.

Push the helmet back and forward on your head, it should wrinkle your brow when pushed forward and should not slide back on your head when pushed backwards.

Different people have different shaped heads so some dirt bike helmets will fit better than others.

Arai won't sell helmets online or through mail order, it's their company policy to only sell their helmets face to face so that a qualified salesperson can help with the fitting.

You can make some great savings if you buy online but if possible go to a motorbike shop and try on some helmets and decide what suits you best.

Need Some New Motocross Goggles?

Buying a new pair of motocross goggles isn't rocket science. They're basically there to keep lumps of dirt and rocks from getting wedged in your eyeholes. There's four things you need to consider when looking at motocross goggles -

- Vision
- Fit
- Durability/Quality
- Tear off/Roll off system Vision

If possible take your helmet with you when trying on some dirt bike goggles. Do the goggles give you good peripheral vision? Does the top of the frame get in the way when you've got your head down while you're looking forward?

Fit

A good pair of motocross goggles should fit nicely against your face and the frame of the goggles need to fit into the eyeport of your helmet. Check that the foam is thick enough and feels comfortable against your skin. Some have multi layered foam with a soft towelling layer which is supposed to draw sweat away and stop that annoying droplet of sweat running down the inside of the lens.

The goggles should stay put on your head and not slide down and pinch your nose.

Durability/Quality

You're going to be annoyed if you fork out the best part of a hundred bucks for a pair of dirt bike goggles and they look like crap after two or three rides.
Ask what type of goggles your riding buddies use and what they think of them, you'll get a much more straight up answer than listening to the marketing hype of the companies that make the dirt bike goggles.
Look for finishing touches like whether the strap has silicone beading to stop it slipping on your helmet.

Tear off/Roll off system.

This probably isn't much off a factor if you're trail riding but if you're racing you'll need some sort of tear off/roll off system. Tear offs work well for motocross because of the shorter time you're racing but if you're doing longer events like enduros or cross country then roll offs are probably the better choice as a roll of film will last a long time.
What sort of vision system do the goggles you're considering use?

Like I said earlier, choosing motocross goggles isn't rocket science, mostly it can come down to looks and how much money you've got in your pocket.

Scott goggles have been around for a long time and Scott were actually the first company to make goggles specifically for motocross back in 1970. I've had quite a few pairs of Scott goggles and never had a problem with them.

Spy goggles have been in the motocross market for a few years now. Some of the biggest names in American motocross wear Spy goggles. I was wearing Spy goggles for a couple of seasons and although I don't think they were as high a quality as Scott goggles, they're a decent product.


Smith goggles are very popular here in Australia amongst enduro and cross country riders. I've never had much to do with them myself but because of their high quality roll off systems and innovations like fan forced goggle ventilation systems (I'm not sure how well they work!), Smith goggles have a big share among the top companies that manufacture dirt bike goggles.

Dragon goggles have been popular in snowboarding and their sunglasses are a big player in the surf market but they've only been in the motocross goggles market for a few years. They've been spending plenty of sponsorship dollars here in Australia with some of the country's top MX riders wearing Dragon goggles.

Motor Cross Boot

What sort of mechanical protection does the boot offer? Look for protection for your shins, toes and ankles. Most boots will have hard plastic shields in these areas. They may also have a steel plate or hard plastic that curves up over the front of the boot to protect your toes. These guards will save your feet and lower legs from impacts from rocks etc. as well as contact with other bikes.

I've seen a rider have his leg dragged over the top of the back wheel of another bike and wedged down against the swingarm, the rider of the bike didn't know what the resistance was and was trying to accelerate away wih the wheel spinning against the downed riders leg. He got himself untangled eventually but not before it made a real mess of his boot. Better his boot then his leg though..


Do the boots have a replaceable sole bed? Alpine Stars, amongst other manufacturers, have this feature, once the section in front of the heel wears from the footpegs, particularly on the left boot from pivoting over and under the gear lever, you can remove the worn section and screw and glue a new one in.

Are the buckles easy to use? Do they seem durable? You're obviously not going to know until you use the boots yourself but you can ask other riders who wear the same dirt bike boots what they think of them or do some research online and find out some opinions from forums etc.

That also applies when deciding what brand of motocross boots to buy, decide on a dollar figure that you'll spend and do some research to find what boot has the best features and track record. Most of the different manufacturers have a range of boots, from cheap all the way up to their most expensive.

The first pair of motocross boots that I ever owned were made by AXO, I didn't have any complaints about them but when they wore out I bought a pair of Alpine Stars and will never buy any different again. I like Alpine Stars for the quality of finish and also for their excellent durability, I do some horrible things to mine like wash them in bike wash detergent (that's frowned on apparently!) but they still come up looking good.

Oil your boots regularly to look after the leather and also to help waterproof them. There is a slight catch here though, don't oil them too often or the leather will get too soft and you'll lose a lot of protection against twisting your ankle because the boot becomes too flexible.

A good quality pair of motocross boots should last a reasonable amount of time, just remember to take good care of them (no washing them in bike wash!), they have to survive some pretty horrid conditions.

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