GEARING UP: Protecting Your Most Important Tools
You’ve got your tool pouch packed with all the essentials for your motorcycle, and your tool box overflowing in your garage, but don’t forget about your most important tools - you use them every day, all day long, at home, at work, and when riding your motorcycle - your hands. It’s crucial that you take care of them, and part of doing that means investing in the right pair of gloves and handguards for your type of riding. But how do you know which gloves to choose and why? And what can handguards do for you? To find out the answers we spoke with Powersports industry leader, Tim Calhoun, and a designer at Barkbuster Handguards.
Image: Tim Calhoun
Motorcycle Gloves
Seems simple, but actually your choice of glove can in fact have a consequential impact on hand protection. In this case, cotton work gloves are just not going to cut it. But, when you’re contemplating which gloves to choose there are many different things to consider. For instance, what style of riding do you do? What material is the best for your application? Do you need gloves with armor? Can gloves really protect your hands in crashes and when you go down? To get the answers to these questions and more, Jim talks to Tim Calhoun, a veteran industry leader in Powersports with over 30 years of experience.
Tim Calhoun is the Vice President of Sales at Quin Design and is an elected board member of the Motorcycle Industry Council.
Images: Tim Calhoun
Handguards
For the adventurous rider, handguards can pretty much fall under the required gear category. They not only provide good protection for your hands from tree branches, brush, terrain, rocks and the cold, if you happen to go down, the can also protect your switches and levers. To find out more about handguards and why riders should consider them, we talked to Matthew Phillpott who is responsible for many of the designs at the Barkbusters factory.
BARKBUSTERS HANDGUARDS are made in Australia by Rideworx Pty Ltd, providing hand and lever protection for motorcycles, adventure bikes, motocross, scooters and ATVs around the world since 1984.
Image: Hippo Hands
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