Protection/Safety Gear

[upperdeane]

After my recent little quad accident on Sundays ride (where I found myself looking at the underside of my quad in a hedge), i've started thinking about protecting myself a little better.

What do you guys wear to protect yourself ... do you wear back protectors, have hand guards fitted for example ... suggestions welcome.

[secret solo]

You can buy enduro jackets like the one i had on with basic shoulder and elbow padding. you can also wear full body armour which can come as a all in one suit which you wear under your jacket.
Hand guards protect your hands from getting whipped by branches and may protest your levers from being snapped in the event of a roll.
The down side to some, supposedly ,is that your hands may get jammed in them when flying over the bars resulting in a hand injury that you may not have got without guards.
Some guards seem flexible so would bend whereas others have solid frame.
You have learnt how you can come off in ruts and due to this experience may never fall for it again.
Its not very often you come off on a quad and once experienced and riding at speed its debatable how much protection armour will give if you did come off.

[Raptorman]

I have had a couple of falls one no big deal more damage to the quad then me but the second one did shake me up a bit chipped bone in collar bone (according to x ray)
I have just brought the enduro 2 piece with some amour and padding 2 reasons one is more protection second the winter coming on first outing last sunday and we know what happened there.

I think the more you use the quad the better you become and as long as you dont go mental you may have a few bangs but overall become more 'stable'
my recomendation is invest in some form of protection dont just use your old jeans and jacket i have now got to get use to wearing mx boots

[RED PRED]

all valuable and good advice, now where would i get a pink riding suit

[catmandoes]

Maybe it also depends on your style of riding. If your racing, or a rapid rider you need to protect for the unexpected. Im quite a casual rider, think carefully about the line im going to take and tend to approach challenging terrain slowly and with caution. I tend to wear biker trousers and jacket which have basic pads in the appropriate places but i would hardly call it armour.

For me the most important protection is a good pair of boot and gloves and of course a helmet.

In summer im often in T-shirt and Jeans.

If your into racing and jumping, its a totally different type of riding for which choice of protection is critical.

Like the others said, now you have fallen foul of a rut once, you'll have learnt a lot and are unlikely to make the same mistake fequently.

[NJK]

I have a body armour suit, MX boots, gloves and MX jeans I also have hand guards but not the rap around ones, they can be bad news. In my opinion protection is a must, after all we can't predict when we are going to have an accident. The Dirt bike Show is coming up soon Gary it would be a good idea to go and try some gear on up there.

[upperdeane]

Is this the Dirt Bike Show you refer to (Dec 6-8) ?

http://www.dirtbikeshow.co.uk/

[NJK]

Yes Gary there will be loads of gear there, its just a matter of get there early and have a good choice of items. Or leave it until the end of the show and see what deals you can make.