Every real biker should invest in these essential items.

Once you get into motorcycles, you will quickly realize just how vast the aftermarket really is. Some of the stuff is downright ridiculous, some fun but ultimately unnecessary, and some truly useful.

Out of the useful items, there is only a handful that are necessary items, some things are pretty obvious; a helmet is the most basic form of protection on a motorcycle. Other safety items are also essential and there are a few things that we will also need on a bike that we might not need if we were driving a car, which is basically a rolling storage unit for some people, a bike has a bit less, well, room.

This is not nearly as straightforward an item as you might think, in fact, it still causes debate in some parts of the world where people will insist on fabricating excuses not to wear one.

A helmet is as essential as a seatbelt in a car, with that in mind, there is also a wide variety of choices in style and level of protection. Ultimately a helmet needs to fit right, there are several guides for this, and it needs to have at the very least been ECE certified (which has recently been updated, unlike the DOT).

If you are doing most of your riding off-road, feel free to ignore this entry, but you should at least consider some form of chest protection.

Again, style is subjective here, but the most important thing for a jacket is the climate you will ride in most of the time. A breathable mesh jacket is essential for hotter climates, cooler climates may allow for leather or more weatherproof jackets.

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Footwear is often overlooked, it will certainly depend on what type of riding you will be doing, but even simply riding a scooter as a commuter will necessitate some form of dedicated riding shoe.

Boots are always going to be the safest and best option, they are not necessarily the most comfortable or breathable. There are several different types of riding shoes, but if they are also not within budget you can buy some shoes with a high ankle at the bare minimum.

If you are riding off-road, gloves are pretty basic and affordable. Gloves for street use come in a far wider variety, each with their own specific set of pros and cons.

Leather gloves offer excellent protection but are not the most breathable or comfortable, if you live in a hot climate mesh gloves are going to be the way forward, and if you are brave enough to ride in snow consider cross-shopping snowmobile gloves/mits (usually cheaper).

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Anyone who owns a bike has a bag, it is arguably the second most essential item after the helmet because even those just using a bike as a commuter will have one.

Not all bags are made equal either, there is actually a big market for dedicated motorcycle bags, but unless you own a sportbike those are not really necessary either. You just really need something that has a clasp of some sort up front to stop the bag from flopping around in the wind (yes, the dorky kind).

A pretty big upgrade to the bag will be some form of luggage, motorcycle luggage can range in price rather drastically, but it all depends on your needs.

A simple tank or tail bag is affordable and will handle all the commuting necessities, if you are going to be doing a lot of touring you might consider some saddlebags.

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Although some helmets provide drop-down visors, most don’t, and even those that do are often not well-made, and the mechanism invariably adds weight to the helmet.

Anyone who already needs to wear prescription glasses will know the right frame will slide neatly into a helmet, some helmets even come with a provision for this built-in. Riding around with an open half-face helmet is pleasant, but if you choose the right glasses, you can easily use them with a full-face helmet too.

OEM toolkits are usually bare-bones at best, they will simply give you the bare minimum for emergency situations. The best bet will be to put together your own kit that fills some of the gaps in the OEM kit.

It is always important to go over your bike and find what essentials are missing, in some cases a space-saving multi-tool will suffice. Just never replace your toolkit with a multi-tool, it should always be viewed as a supplementary item.

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Although this has become a little more controversial for some, as modern smartphones don’t gel all that well with all the vibrations, there are a couple of ways to work around the issue.

If you simply must have your new phone doing the leg work, there are a couple of companies that make expensive dampers for the mounts. Alternatively, use an old phone and make a hotspot with the new phone that is safely stowed away in your pocket/bag/luggage. Or just buy a navigation tool…

Is this an essential item to take with you? No. Is it an essential item for all motorcycle riders? Most certainly, yes!

It is one of those things that actually lives up to its reputation, from cleaning chains to keeping things lubed, it is one of the first things you should buy if you own a motorcycle.

Luke Zietsman is an all out automotive enthusiast based in The Philippines. If it has two or four wheels he has either owned it, researched about it or dreamed about it.