Motorcycling Advice

Buy the right gear before you get on your motorcycle.

You need:

• An approved helmet that fits securely. Replace it if you think it is damaged. A white or brightly coloured helmet can help you be seen.
• Good clothing – and that means jackets, trousers and boots. The best is CE marked and can protect you from getting hurt if you come off. It should be fluorescent during the day and reflective at night.
• Clothing which also protects you properly from the weather will not just make you feel more comfortable, it will also allow you to focus more on your riding.

Make sure your visor is not dirty or scratched and remember not to wear a tinted visor or goggles at night.

While all motorcycle helmets for sale in the UK must satisfy minimum legal requirements, laboratory tests have shown that there are real differences in the safety performance of motorcycle helmets available.

To try to address this issue, ‘The Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme’ (SHARP) was set up in 2007 by the Department for Transport to enable riders to more easily select a helmet which matches their needs.

SHARP will provide consumers with an independent assessment of the safety performance of helmets sold in the UK. The SHARP Rating reflects the performance of each helmet model following a series of advanced tests in the SHARP laboratory and will rate helmets from 1-5 stars.

The SHARP website also gives riders advice and information on choosing a helmet and includes demonstrations of how the SHARP tests are carried out and how to make sure a helmet fits properly.

SHARP research has shown that up to 50 motorcyclists’ lives could be saved every year if everyone wore a helmet that scores highly in the SHARP testing system.

Visit SHARP website