Finding holiday gifts for bikers isn’t always easy if you don’t ride yourself. As South Carolina motorcycle accident attorneys who also ride, we have some great ideas for you from Motorcycle Superstore.

Helmets

Bell Revolver Helmet

This sleek, lightweight helmet comes in a variety of colors and has a button to move the chin bar, in addition to a sunshade and ventilation system. With a five-year warranty, an aerodynamic design, and an antifog and antiscratch shield, this helmet will quickly become a favorite.

Image above of the Bell Revolver Helmet, taken from Motorcycle-Superstore.com.

HJC IS-33 Helmet

This helmet is a bit more rounded in design than the Bell helmet and has a large eye port for expanded visibility. It’s adjustable, and SilverCool™ technology allows heat and moisture to flow out of the helmet.

Protective Gear

Speed and Strength Hell ‘n Back Jacket

With a water-resistant frame and waterproof liner, this protective jacket is the one you want on misty days. Thermoplastic shoulder protectors and C.E. approved elbow protectors make this jacket a good choice for riding anywhere. Fully adjustable for every rider, the Hell ‘n Back jacket has controlled ventilation and hydration systems.

Image above of the Speed and Strength Hell ‘n Back Jacket, taken from Motorcycle-Superstore.com.

Tour Master Venture Pants

These lightweight pants have a Carbolex shell with polyester knee panels for the ultimate in comfort and strength. The exterior is waterproof yet breathable, and the seat reduces slipping while the accordion panels at the waist and knees increase flexibility. Reflective materials and piping increase visibility at night.

Miscellaneous gear and stocking stuffers

MotoCentric Mototrek Sport Saddlebags

These easy-to-mount saddlebags are roomy and functional and pair perfectly with other MotoCentric Mototrek bags. With quick-opening zippers, scratch resistant pads, rain covers, carrying handles, and a lifetime warranty, your biker will love these saddlebags.

River Road Taos Cold Weather Gloves

All leather, waterproof gloves protect the hands from rain, cold, wind, and abrasion. With Thinsulate™ insulation for warmth and a rubber shield wiper on the left glove, these are the perfect gift for any biker.

Image above of River Road Taos Cold Weather Gloves, taken from Motorcycle-Superstore.com.

Schampa Warmskin Balaclava

With flat seams to prevent pressure lines, this balaclava gives a skintight fit while wicking moisture from the face, keeping the user warm and dry. It can be used alone or with any type of helmet.

What’s the best biker gift you’ve ever received?

Men’s Perforated Full-Finger Gloves: These Harley-Davidson® perforated leather gloves are not only attractive, but they’re also supercomfortable and a great motorcycle accessory to have during long road trips.

Image above taken from the Harley-Davidson® website. Product can be purchased on website.

The Cruz Tools Roadtech H3 Tool Kit: Complete with “the top-grade PowerDrive™ combination wrenches, an adjustable wrench, locking pliers, LED flashlight, tire gauge, hex and Torx keys, screwdriver and more,” this tool kit is the ultimate Father’s Day gift.

Image above taken from motorcycle-superstore.com. Product can be purchased on website.

The Rapid Transit The Stack LT Motorcycle Tank Bag: Equipped with a magnetic mounting system, the 2-in-1 Rapid Transit The Stack LT Motorcycle Tank Bag is ideal for leisurely motorcycle trips. The bag features some great compartments for cell phone and eye wear storage.

Image above taken from BikeBandit.com. Product can be purchased online.

Motorcycle T-Shirt: For the dad who has every motorcycle accessory you can think of, why not get him a shirt he’ll love?

Screen grab above taken from Zazzle.com. Product can be purchased online.

MotoCentric Centrek 1 PC Rain Suit: Keep your dad safe on the roads with the MotoCentric Centrek 1PC Rain Suit. Great for rainy weather conditions, this one-piece rain suit keeps motorcyclists comfortable and dry. The suit is also equipped with reflective pieces for greater driver visibility.

Image above taken from motorcycle-superstore.com. Product can be purchased online.

What are you getting your dad this Father’s Day?

Gear-Up:

Image taken from the Motorcycle Superstore website

**Image to the right taken from the Motorcycle Superstore website.

Seeing and being seen are bigger concerns than traction.

The key element in being able to enjoy a day riding in the rain is good rain gear. These days virtually all rain-suits from

reputable motorcycle-accessory firms will keep you dry in a torrent. The factors that set some apart are ease of entry, conspicuous colors, and comfort.

There is nothing like a hard, biting rainstorm to convince someone of the advantage of a full-coverage helmet. Rain drops can hurt at 65 mph, so you want your face covered. You may also not want the dark lenses of your sun glasses. A full-coverage face-shield on an open-face helmet will block the rain drops, but lets more water get onto your face and drip down the inside of the shield of a full-face helmet.

Staying comfortable is important. Furthermore, if you get wet and cold, fatigue erodes that mental edge you need to stay ahead of the traffic around you.

Stick Like Glue:

Once you have dressed for the rain, you have only two motorcycle safety issues to confront: traction and vision. Traction seems to be the primary concern for most riders, usually because they aren’t sure how much grip they have available. While some surfaces–metal fixtures such as manhole covers and bridge gratings, painted areas, and places where built-up oil and grease have not washed off–become much slipperier when wet, you can actually call on a surprising amount of traction on clean asphalt or concrete.

How much? The easiest way to test traction is to feel for it with your rear brake.

Assuming you know how much deceleration you can develop on dry pavement before the rear tire breaks loose, you have a gauge of what’s available if you repeat the test when the road is wet. This also assumes that you have a reasonable amount (say 3/16 of an inch) of tread depth. If you do this at moderate speeds on a flat, straight road, it won’t become a thrill ride. Avoid locking up the rear wheel on a steeply crowned road, where it will tend to slide downhill and out of line.

You also can do a couple of things to improve traction. Premium aftermarket tires are virtually certain to give better wet-road grip than original-equipment tires. Also, a slight increase in tire pressure also improves the wet-weather traction of any tire. Increasing your tire pressure by five p.s.i. or less helps to cut through the film of water and prevent hydroplaning. Just don’t take that to mean you can venture out on bald tires with a bit more air in them.

Some situations should be confronted with extreme caution. Railroad tracks are extremely dangerous when wet.  The standard advice is to try to cross railroad or other metal tracks at a right angle, even in the dry. When they are wet, this is imperative.

Otherwise, you risk having the tire slip into the groove alongside the track, which will immediately ruin your whole day.

Other large metal road surfaces or metal sections running parallel to your direction of travel — some expansion joints, for example — are equally hazardous and should be approached cautiously and upright. A thin strip of metal can usually be crossed while leaned over mildly; tires slip then catch again after crossing. However, a large metal surface such as a bridge grate, a manhole cover or a cattle guard, may permit the tire to slip too much to recover traction. Painted surfaces can be almost as slippery as metal.

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