As riders, we're constantly inundated with the best mods, accessories, and gear. And we love these things—don't get us wrong. But there's a niche in the market that is often overlooked: gear that makes riding safer. Gear that prevents accidents from happening in the first place. Motorcycle tech that makes riding safer in the first place.
Traditional Motorcycle Safety Gear
You absolutely should invest in quality motorcycle safety gear: your helmet, jacket, pants, gloves, and boots. And don't skimp on quality here either. If you find yourself in an accident, you absolutely want to be protected from the pavement and other vehicles on the road.
Looking for a helmet? We teamed up with Chaseon2wheels for his 2026 Helmet Reviews series, check it out right here.
But we're here to talk about an often overlooked category of motorcycle tech and gear that focuses on mitigating the risk of being involved in an accident, rather than what happens after an accident has occurred.
Motorcycle Tech And Gear That Makes Riding Safer
This ranges from things you can add on to your setup after you ride to bike-specific options.
Anti-Lock Braking Systems (A.B.S.)
The first bike to see an ABS system was the BMW K100 series—in 1988. Those units weighed north of 20 pounds, and technology has advanced significantly since then.
A.B.S. functions by modulating pressure applied by the brakes to prevent your wheels from locking up, which is especially handy on slippery surfaces. If you've ever been braking and then rode over a manhole cover, you might know what we're talking about.
In Europe, A.B.S. has become mandatory on all new bikes over 125cc, and more and more production bikes in the United States are being offered year after year with A.B.S.
Traction Control
Similarly to the aforementioned A.B.S., traction control functions in a similar way by modulating power and fuel delivery to keep traction while you're accelerating. Often intertwined with A.B.S. units, traction control helps minimize the loss of control while you're accelerating on slippery surfaces as opposed to braking.
If you're riding a bike with A.B.S. and traction control—you're already set up for accident prevention when it comes to power delivery, cornering, and braking safely.
Now, let's get into motorcycle safety gear that isn't attached to your ride.
High-Visibility Riding Gear
If they can't see you, they can't see you. A study by the British Medicine Journal found that riders wearing high-visibility riding gear had a 37% lower risk of crash-related injury, which is a massive number.
By drawing attention to yourself through bright colors and reflective apparel, you're making it significantly easier for drivers to see you before they run into you, rather than realizing after.
Smart Helmet Lights: Brake Free
Our favorite NHTSA study to throw at you is when they discovered that center high-mounted stop lamps on cars offered a 35% percent reduction in rear-impact crashes of all types. That is, like the above figure in our previous section, a massive number.
Drivers are accustomed to watching for brake lights in front of them as they see them on cars, rather than scanning downward for motorcycle tail lights. Beyond that, they've been conditioned to respond to illuminated brake lights before registering that a vehicle in front of them (be it a car or a bike) is slowing down. As the vast majority of vehicles on the road nowadays are equipped with automatic transmissions, engine braking is less and less common.
Brake Free is the solution to that problem. A seriously smart piece of motorcycle safety technology, Brake Free detects any kind of reduction in speed: regular braking, emergency braking, and engine braking—illuminating to let drivers behind you know you're slowing down.
Don't miss your chance to reduce your risk of getting rear-ended and reinvest in your safety with Brake Free.
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