Motocross Gear Guide
Motocross is a gnarly sport. High speed, engines running at extreme temperatures and obstacles that send you meters into the sky. It’s not case of IF you’re going to crash, rather WHEN and unfortunately the ground you land on isn’t made out of soft pillows.
All though there’s dangers that come with the sport we love, the thrill and adrenaline is what keeps us coming back for more and fortunately there is a lot of great protective gear out there that can limit, mitigate and erase injuries to make sure that the only thing you need to worry about is twisting that throttle.
So if you’re thinking of signing up to life behind bars here are some absolute essentials you’ll need before throwing a leg over the bike.
MX riders and racers alike absolutely need to wear Protective Gear - unlike being a kid at the BMX track where helmets aren’t ‘cool to wear’, having quality gear when you’re at the motocross track or trails can be the difference between dusting yourself off and hopping back on and leaving in an ambulance.
The protective gear you’ll need include:
A Motocross Helmet
The most essential piece of equipment needed to ride a motorcycle of any kind is a helmet, “no helmet, no ride”. Wearing a helmet protects your most vital organ, the brain - with extensive technology going into how to mitigate rotational forces to prevent concussions, head injuries and in extreme cases even death. These are an absolute must have.
Rigorous R&D testing goes into off road / dirt bike helmets to make them the most comfortable and safe piece of equipment possible. Helmet technology has rapidly evolved over recent years, with breakaway visors, MIPS, EPS liners and Outer constructions to make sure the most essential part of protective gear is as safe as possible.
The most important part to make sure your helmet works to its full potential is fitment, cause no matter how much money you spend or what safety features are included In the helmet you purchase, if it doesn’t fit on your noggin’ correctly you’ll be severely compromised. You want to make sure your helmet doesn’t wobble around on your head and that your cheeks are secure with a firm connection to the pads, so measuring up your head with our size guides on our website or coming in store and getting fitted up by our staff members will be the absolute best way to make sure that the helmet you pick is protecting that head of yours to its full potential. Our entire range of Off road Helmets are suited for riders that range from Racing Motocross all the way to the weekend warrior whose attacking the trails or having a family weekend at the track!
Motocross Boots
The next essential you’ll need before throwing a leg over your bike is Motocross Boots. Fast moving parts like chains, sprockets and wheels are all incredibly likely to attack those little appendages attached to your foot and that’s not even taking into consideration the hot components of a bike such as engines and exhausts that get a bit toasty if you’re stuck in a sticky situation.
The best way to protect your Feet/Ankles/Lower legs are with motocross boots. Literally built to make sure your lower limbs stay intact and safe, with ankle support, heat resistant materials, durable soles and functionality to make riding the bike an even better experience, boots are equally as important as an helmet and an absolute must have when it comes to motocross protective gear.
What are the types of motorcycle boots and what protection do they offer?
Before adding a set of the first boots you see to your cart and going bobs your uncle, it‘s important to know the types of boots on the market and which are suitable for motocross and which aren’t.
Road/Sports Bike racing and riding boots and shoes.
Road/Sports bike racing boots have the exact same idea behind them as motocross boots, their job is to protect your feet and ankles and make sure you have the best possible function and feel for performance. The difference with Road Boots are they are quite a bit smaller in size and materials used as the road isn’t throwing rocks the size of your fist into your shin and with them being more designed for rear set foot controls you’re less likely to have your foot stuck underneath the bike in a rut.
Motorcycle Adventure Boots:
Adventure boots are purpose built for comfort, long rides that go for 1000’s of kms and hours in the saddle. These guys are built around the same idea as motocross /off road boots, protecting you from dirt, debris and your feet/ankles from crashes whilst keeping them lightweight and extremely comfortable so you can wear them walking around and all day on the bike no matter the weather/conditions.
Motocross Boots:
Dirt bike boots are Built to protect your feet and lower legs from serious injury. Motocross is a fast pace sport, with ruts, rocks, and obstacles coming at you with speed. Motocross boots are your first line of defense when it comes to foot, ankle and lower leg protection so making sure you get boots that fit you and are comfy to wear are incredibly important.
Motocross Goggles:
Motocross goggles are an extremely necessary part of must have motocross protective gear and is a step that is always overlooked. Over looking goggles is all well and good until you can’t look at anything anymore cause you’ve copped roost from a 450 right to the cornea. Luckily motocross goggles are made with polycarbonate lenses, that protect those eyeballs of yours from dust, dirt, debris and roost and keep that 20/20 vision in tact.
Motocross Body Armour:
Body armour designed for motorcycle riding is made from hard thermoplastics resins and resilient foam liners designed to absorb the energy and shock of impact from a crash. Motorcycle armour prevents serious bodily injury including broken bones. Making sure you wear the right type of quality and good-fitting motorcycle body armour may protect you against impact in case of an accident, significantly reducing damage to the body. Hard shell body armour is also fantastic for protecting against roost, ensuring you come away from a day at track without bruises all over your chest.
Motocross Knee Guards & Knee Braces:
There are two types of knee protection, knee guards and knee braces. Motocross knee guards offer protection against direct impact, and they’re more affordable than knee braces. These make them a great piece of knee protection if you're just getting started.
Motocross knee braces, on the other hand, are designed to protect your knees not only from direct impact, but they’ll also protect your knees from moving in ways that they’re not designed to move. More Advanced riders run the risk of hyper flexing or hyperextending their knees. Wearing a set of knee braces, makes this a lot easier on the knees when they get stuck in sticky situations and get pulled in directions they’re not meant to go. Making sure knee braces fit perfectly to your knees is a huge part in making sure they work correctly and save your knees from injury, getting a professional to overlook the fitment of these before purchasing is always recommended so contacting AMA or coming in-store and asking a staff member is always going to be the best option.
Motocross Neck Braces and Neck Collars:
Neck braces and neck collars are designed to protect your neck. The premise of a neck braces is to redirect the force from your neck to the remainder of your body. Motocross neck braces will protect against direct impact as well as impacts from the sides, front and back causing hyperflexion or hyperextension injuries.
Fitting these guys up are the exact same as fitting up knee braces, getting a professional to overlook the fitment of the neck brace/neck collar before purchasing is always recommended so contacting AMA or coming in-store and asking a staff member is always going to be the best option when fitting these guys up.
Motocross Kidney Belts:
A motocross kidney belt is designed to keep your kidneys safe by limiting their movement. Although not extremely common to wear these days a kidney belt is a great bit of protective gear.
Taking heavy impacts from jumps, drop offs and crashes are huge on internal organs, especially kidneys as they move around when riding. Wrapping a kidney belt around your waist keeps them tight and secure with premium kidney belts even offering direct impact protection also. Copping a handlebar to the gut is never nice, so having that layer of protection there is always going to be a better outcome than if it wasn’t.
At the end of the day, Dirtbikes, Motocross and riding in general is the best thing in the world for people like us. To make sure you’re having the absolute best time possible, investing in Motocross gear and accessories that limit the chance of you getting seriously injured is an absolute must. No one wants to go home in the back of an ambulance and have their day, trip or adventure cut short. So get fitted up in the right protective gear and keep the good times rolling when you’re out on your dirt bike, cause that’s what it’s all about.
Not sure what gear is right for you? Check out our complete range of motocross gear and accessories here or come in-store and have a chat with our staff members who are always stoked to help out!