As the old saying goes, there are two types of riders: Those who have crashed, and those who will crash. If your card hasn’t been pulled yet, we’re happy for you, but please take our word for it: Crashing in the best motorcycle gear is a much more enjoyable (if colliding with asphalt can ever be described as enjoyable) experience than hitting the pavement in jeans and Converse.
In a perfect world we’d all be riding around in full leathers every time we hit the road. But they’re hot, uncomfortable, and exceedingly difficult to use the restroom in (once again, speaking from experience here). The reasonable compromise is casual riding gear, but not all motorcycle gear is made equal.
Safe gear doesn’t have to be uncomfortable, though (or unsightly, for that matter), but you’ve got to know where to look if you want motorcycle gear that looks and feels as well as it protects. The good news is if you’re reading this, you’re already in the right place. Here are our top recommendations to save your skin from head to toe.
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1. Scorpion EXO-R1 Air Helmet
Moto-GP is widely considered the highest form of motorcycle racing in the world. As such, its riders wear the highest quality helmets on the planet. Under normal circumstances, a Moto GP replica helmet would set us mere mortals back well over $1,000, but the Scorpion EXO-R1 Air is not a normal helmet. For under $500, anyone can take home the very same helmet Yamaha Factory racer Fabio Quartararo wore to his 2021 championship win. We particularly appreciate the EXO-R1’s “AirFit” inflation system. It lets you dial in the perfect air-cushioned fit one pump at a time, not unlike a certain iconic pair of Reebok sneakers…