Best kit for sportsbike riding | From club racing to pub cruising, MCN have got you covered

There’s lots of kit out there for sportsbike riders, from one-piece leather suits and FIM helmets to riding jeans and casual-style boots. Top-end sportsbike kit is some of the most expensive around and at the bottom end of the market it can be difficult to know what to trust.

MCN’s expert used bike buying guides

• Kawasaki Ninjas from £1500
• Superbikes with racing pedigree
• Old-school sportsbikes

Whatever form of clothing you’re looking for, you should always check the safety ratings; SHARP stars for helmets and CE ratings for jackets and trousers, boots and gloves and don’t forget to check the armour ratings as these are often listed separately from the abrasion resistance ratings.

Here are some of the best bits of sportsbike kit we’ve tested recently, and they’re a good place to start your search. You can also find our list of the best sportsbike tyres here.

Helmets

Sports helmets normally have a relatively high-mounted visor aperture, as you may find yourself with your chin forward and your head back, looking up through the visor while in that tuck. You are also likely to get a lot of colour and pattern choices with sports style helmets as race replica designs are quite popular. Some sportsbike helmets will also have various types of fins or spoilers toward the rear of the helmet to provide additional aerodynamic abilities, and they look pretty cool too.

Related: Top motorcycle leathers

Jackets

Jackets are shorter than those designed for adventure riding, so that they don’t ruck up when you’re leant forward over the tank to the clip on bars. They tend to have a more form fitting design to allow more aerodynamics, some will have a race hump to further increase this. This in turn means there are less pockets usually and so a rucksack or leg bag may be an option if you need to carry more items with you. There are both leather and textile options, generally leather offers a higher abrasion resistance but textile can offer versatility with ventilation, waterproofing and machine washability that a leather jacket may struggle to offer.

One Piece Suits

One Piece motorcycle leathers tend to be more relevant to the type of rider who likes to ride hard and partake in track day outings. This being due to the additional safety they provide as there isn’t the possibility of separation in the event of an off. They are less popular for the more casual sportsbike rider due to the impracticality of them off the bike.

Jeans and Trousers

You’re likely to want to pair your sport jacket with a pair of protective trousers. Whether you chose a matching pair of leathers with knee sliders or a more relaxed pair of reinforced jeans is probably going to depend on your personal preference and riding style. Once again leathers tend to offer a higher protection level however the textile options are equally as good if you are not going to be riding knee down.

Boots

Unlike other motorcycle boots, sportsbike boots tend to be designed with the track in mind, with the ultimate safety at the forefront of their purpose. This style of boot will often include features like Rigid shin guards, toe sliders and ankle protection to help reduce the risk of injury in the unfortunate event of a crash. These boots will often have ventilation solutions to help keep the rider comfortable and focused.

Gloves

There aren’t a huge number of differences between sports gloves and any other motorcycle glove, they tend to be made of hard-wearing leather with a higher level of knuckle and finger protection. They may also have a palm slider and a joint between the last two fingers for added protection. You will likely find that most race focused gloves have a gauntlet style cuff to ensure your wrists are kept safe. Freedom of movement and good feel is also important in this type of glove to help reduce the chance of an incident.

Earplugs

Earplugs are another piece of kit to consider, protecting your hearing against wind noise and loud exhausts is important. Getting a pair that fit comfortably is important as you do not want the distraction of irritating earplugs getting in the way of your windy roads or track ride. There are lots of options available but the thing to look for is the SNR (single number rating), this is the level of noise reduction offered by the earplugs. The higher the number the more effective they are. This is also backed up by a CE approval of EN352-2, this is the PPE certification for hearing.

Tyres

Tyres are an important thing to consider for your bike, there are several different types depending on which motorcycle you have chosen . It is also important to consider the type of riding that you do, track-day tyres are going to perform differently to a sporty road tyre. We have put together a short list of some of our sportsbike tyre picks. For more information have a look at our sportsbike tyres page or choosing the best motorcycle tyres for you.

What makes sportsbike kit different?

Just like getting the right kit for retro bikes, for example, is all about making sure you are protected and look right on your ride, it’s the same for sportsbikes – perhaps even more so.

You may be riding more quickly on a sportsbike or you could even be tackling the odd trackday, so getting the right kit is key to making sure you stay protected and are as comfortable as possible.

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