Motocross Kit

Motocross Kit Guide – What do you need?

The most important part of your kit is the motocross crash helmet. By law you have to wear a crash helmet if you ride a motorbike on the road, off road it is just as important. The crash helmet is designed to absorb some of the impact if your head hits or is hit by an object. When choosing a crash helmet, always buy the best one you can, as it may save your life one day. As a general rule when choosing a crash helmet, make sure it fits you correctly. You do not want it to big that your head twists around in it, or so small it is uncomfortable to wear. Crash helmets are now being designed to be as light and as strong as possible. The lighter the helmet, the less strain on your neck, and the less fatigue. Do not buy a second hand helmet, as you do not know if it has been damaged or not. If it has had a hard impact before, its probably no good. Its better to be safe than sorry.

Alongside the helmet is your motocross goggles. These will protect your eyes if a stone, or any other flying object, gets in your way. You want to be as safe as possible. If a flying piece of debris get into one of your eyes, it could temporally blind you and cause you to crash. Goggles are available in a wide variety, now even with holographic lenses. There are different lenses available for different riding conditions, clear being the most common for all types of riding conditions.

Standard, as you may guess, is just standard goggles, with no vision clearing system built in. Tear-off goggles have sheets of film attached onto the lenses, and when you get mud onto your goggles, you simply have to pull one of the Tear-Offs away, giving you clear vision. Roll-Offs work in a similar way to Tear-Offs, except instead of sheets of film, you have one continuous roll of film, and when you get muddy goggles, you simply pull a cord attached to the goggles, which drags a clear bit of film across your goggles, clearing your vision. The film is kept in a canister on the right hand side of the goggles, and when you roll off another bit of the film, it rolls into a canister on the left hand side of the goggles, keeping it out of the way.

You will need a good pair of motocross boots if you wish to ride motocross. Your feet can take a battering, and you want them surrounded by tough stuff. There’s lots of different makes and models of boots, but they can be just as, if not more expensive than your crash helmet. They should last a long while though, and you’ll be glad of them keeping your feet safe. They are not the most comfortable footwear you will ever buy, they will be very stiff for the first couple of weeks, but they will become more comfortable. You may be able to find some cheaper used boots that are in good condition. Although they are cheaper, still make sure that they fit correctly, and they do not leak and that they fasten as they should do. You don’t want to be buying another pair a week later.

It may be a good or a bad thing but motocross clothing is becoming very fashionable. There are different makes and models of the clothing, varying in price and design, but they all now a days look very nice. Different manufacturers make the clothing out of different material, and also have different cuts and sizes. Find the clothing that matches your bike and you like, and you can’t go far wrong. All makes are designed for motocross, and therefore there is not a “budget” make as such. From time to time we have older stock that we will be selling at discounted price. If you don’t mind this, this is a very cost effective way of getting your clothing.

Motocross gloves are different to normal gloves, they are strong in the places where they are most likely to wear.

Body armour is there to stop stones and other objects thrown up from other riders hitting your chest. Make sure the armour you buy fits and fastens correctly. There are many different types of armour, just pick the type you like, making sure it covers your upper body as much as possible with restricting your movement. It will save a lot of bruises.

You will also need a kidney belt whilst riding, it supports your lower back and stops your insides being shock about to much. As with everything else there’s a wide choice, some are bigger than others although they are the same waist size, and you should try it on with your body armour, to make sure that they do not interfere with each other.

To protect your knees whilst motocrossing, invest in some knee pads. Most makes cover the shins, so if you bang your leg it minimises injury.

As well as knee pads, you can buy elbow pads. Make sure that they are not to tight, as this will constrict the blood flow in your arms. Also make sure they fit under your shirt as well. Elbow pads can protect your elbows if you fall off.