Picture this familiar scene: you're riding along your favorite twisty back road. You've been riding with your buddies for hours and you're way deep in the thick of it, 30 minutes at least from the closest fire department or medical facility. You reach a part of the ride that is technical, twisty and trafficless and your buddy (who's been on your rear tire for that past twenty minutes) decides he's tired of looking at your arse all day and it's time to make a pass. Problem is, he should have done this 10 minutes ago on that long straight and you watch as he blips by you and proceeds to skid off the road, onto the shoulder and down.
How many times has this happened, whether in your party, or another party? The more miles you get under your belt, the more experience you gain, the more stories you'll have or hear of crashes, accidents and calamities.
And a very similar story can be told for off-road. You're out enjoying the trail, deep in the woods on some goat trail. One minute you're having fun, the next you're looking for a fellow rider down a ravine. It happens all the time.
Yet, as a rule, most motorcyclists don't carry basic first aid kits when they ride, in spite of the fact that we participate in an enormously dangerous activity where personal injury is so utterly commonplace as to be almost cliche. It's an interesting phenomena and very similar to the "I don't plan on crashing" mentality we hear from riders who don't want to invest or wear quality protective clothing like gloves, boots and a leather jacket or suit.
For your own good, or the good of your fellow riders, carrying a well-equiped first aid kit with you, either strapped to your bike, inside a tank bag or saddle bag, or in a backpack should absolutely become part of your pre-ride checklist when getting ready to set off on your adventure, whether that be a short or long trip.
From providing CPR, to stopping the flow of blood on an open wound, to disinfecting scrapes and cuts, or pain killing, having a first aid kit on hand can mean your crew, or a stranger you encounter on the road, can get back up and continue riding. It could also be a life or limb saver in those grave circumstances where an ambulance can take 30 to 40 minutes to arrive. Or it could just be that you're able to give some extra bit of care and comfort to some one in pain as they wait for the EMTs to arrive.
Motostrano has collected some well-rounded portable first aid kits that are recommended for motorcyclists. Most of our kits have been packaged for their focus on medical supplies that most any motorcyclist can typically use after an incident on a motorcycle, either to help themselves or a fellow rider. Some of our kits have been packaged for the long haul- long distance trekking and touring. Others are designed for tour leaders or guides of mid to large size groups on multi-day tours.
Your typical home or camping first aid kit will be stocked with items not necessarily geared towards the kind of injuries and pain relief a motorcyclist might need. For instance, no matter how slow you may be, you can probably out run a mosquito or snake, so we don't include bug or snake bite supplies in our kits... but, our kits will feature eye cleaning solutions for when that bug gets in your flight path and lands in your eye.
Each kit has been selected for its portability and you can choose a kit that suits the type of bike you have, the type of trips you do, the terrain you'll cover, the type of luggage you own, how much weight or bulk for which you have room.
We have also tried to focus on kits that will fit well inside specific sets of bike luggage we offer for sale. Ideally, you'll want a first aid kit that you won't need to remember to bring. It also helps to be able to find it quickly when you need it. If the kit can be stored permanently to your bike so much the better. It should also be stored securely and protected from the elements of rain, intense heat and damaging sun rays.
You'll want to have a kit that you can easily remove from the bike and carry to where the injured rider is, so make sure you store the kit inside some type of portable carry bag that can be taken out of your luggage and used for a mobile assist.
Our motorcycle first aid kits are ideal for street riders, long distance touring, off-road, trail riders, commuters, atv, snowmobile and watercraft.
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