Biker clothing & accessories

Biker clothing and accessories are items of clothing and equipment designed especially for motorcycle riders. Motorcycle clothing provides bikers with protection in the event of an accident, whilst also being comfortable, functional, and adept at keeping the worst of the weather at bay. A typical motorcycling outfit includes a helmet, gloves, boots, a jacket and jeans.

Motorcycle helmets

Helmets are an essential piece of riding gear - and a legal requirement at all times when riding a motorcycle on public roads in the UK. If you're a learner motorcyclist, it's most probably going to be the first bit of gear you buy.

Helmets are designed to protect the riders head in the event of an accident, and are also essential in keeping your face and eyes safe from anything that might be thrown up from the road. A helmet will also prevent insect strikes, which can be remarkably painful at speed.

Motorcycle helmets come in a variety of styles and designs including full face, open face, and modular (flip-front) helmets. A standard full face helmet is the most commonly seen on UK roads, and best suited to our road conditions - althought the flexibility of the modular lid, combined with improvements in their design and performance has led to a growth in popularity for British bikers.

Motorcycle gloves

Motorcycle gloves are an essential piece of riding gear. Designed to protect the riders hand in a crash, a motorbike glove also needs to keep your hands suitably shielded from a wide variety of weather conditions.

In addition to protection, a motorcycle glove will allow good sensitivity or "feel" on your bike's controls. Because the two most important functions on your bike are controlled by the hands - i.e. throttle and front brake, it's really important that a glove doesn't get in the way of being to ride with maximum control.

Most motorcycle gloves will feature some form of hard armour, reinforced padding and other protective features, but this can vary according to the type of glove and the intented season of use.

There's a huge array of gloves to choose from today - including short gloves, heated motorcycle gloves, race gloves, waterproof and winter gloves.

Leather is still the material of choice when prioritising protection - but as well as leather, motorbike gloves are are often constructed using hard wearing and protective materials, or a mix of leather and textile.

Motorcycle boots

Another essential piece of kit in every riders wardrobe, bike boots are designed to protect your feet in an accident.

Motorcycle boots will need to offer sufficient impact, torsion and abrasion protection to your feet and lower leg, whilst also allowing sufficient movement and feel when changing gear or braking.

If that wasn't enough, your motorcycle boots will also need to shrug off everything the British weather and roads can throw at them, and be comfortable both on and off the bike (allowing for relatively easy walking).

There's a big range of boots available on the market to cater for all riding styles and weather requirements - from Sidi race boots with toe sliders, waterproof & touring boots, adventure boots, and urban/short/casual boots (although do remember that the latter probably won't offer as much protection in the event of a crash).

Motorcycle jackets and jeans

Like all the above items of motorcycle clothing, motorbike jackets and jeans are designed to offer protection from the elements, whilst protecting your body in the event of an accident.

Broadly speaking, jackets and jeans can be split into two camps - leather or textile. Generally speaking, leather suits are most commonly used in decent weather conditions, on track, and when out riding for the sheer pleasure of it and with pace.

Textile suits on the other hand are super versatile if the weather is changing a lot, if you're using your bike daily, or maybe on a tour. If leather gets wet, it's going to take ages to dry out again - and there's a much higher chance you'll get cold on the bike. Textile suits will typically be fully waterproof and able to cope with a wide range of riding temperatures.

Bikers can and do of course mix and match - with the split typically being a textile jacket and leather jeans. It's one of my favourite combinations, giving the flexibility and ease of use of the textile jacket up top with leather trousers on the bottom half. Slight inclement weather or light rain doesn't trouble leather bottoms so much, especially on a faired bike - but if the weather turns, you can just pull on a pair of lightweight waterproof over trousers like Richa's popular Rain Warrior trouser.

Biker clothing & accessories

Once you're fully sorted with all your motorcycle clothing needs, you're going to need to do a bit of shopping to make sure your pride and joy is kept in tip top condition, and shop for the right biker accessories.

Whether you decide to tackle some elements of motorcycle maintainance yourself or go fully serviced at a motorcycle mechanic, you're still going to need some accessories for cleaning, storage, and basic maintainance - such as chain lubrication or keeping your battery charged.

It's also always worth investing in some good quality motorcycle security. No-one wants the hassle, tears, and expense of having their bike stolen - but you could also save money on your motorcycle insurance with the right security products.

Maybe you're going touring and need a full Givi hard luggage set, want to add some extra comfort, navigation, or even just a bit of bling!

Whatever motorcycle accessory you're looking for, Sportsbikeshop can help. If you're looking for a massive selection of biker clothing and accessories from one of the best online motorcycle gear shops (that's also properly based in the UK!), look no further than Sportsbikeshop.co.uk