Great Gift Ideas For The Motorcycle Enthusiast

Edit: Updated for the 2016 Holiday Season…

As someone who has been riding for the last 5 years, I find myself giving motorcycle gift ideas to my family for my birthday, Father’s Day, or Christmas. As my family doesn’t know much about riding, they often struggle with finding me a gift for my motorcycle hobby.

If you are looking for gift ideas for the motorcycle enthusiast in your life, especially if they have recently started riding, I’m hoping this guide will give you some ideas.

One additional update If you are looking for the ultimate Christmas gift.

Gift Ideas For the Motorcycle Enthusiast

Riding Gear

Every safe rider wears the appropriate gear (helmet, gloves, jacket, & boots).  The possibilities are quite endless here in each of these categories.

Helmets

Buying a helmet can be a little difficult, and can be a very personal decision. There are basic choices to make like color and design, but there’s also a matter of safety items that need to be considered like noise control, visibility, and especially head size. A good helmet is not cheap, and some top line helmets can cost you upwards of $600 – $700. You can also buy helmets as cheap as $100 – $200, and some of these have a very good safety rating.

For these reasons, I would avoid buying a helmet as a gift, unless you’ve done the appropriate research. If the rider in your life has a somewhat narrow head size (like me), I would recommend the Bell RS-1 helmet. I recently received this as a Christmas gift (after I suggested it), and did hours and hours of research before I finally settled on it. You can purchase this from Amazon, where you’ll find prices anywhere from $179 – $450 (based upon size, color, & design).

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Be sure to read my review of the Bell RS-1 if you are serious about looking at this helmet.

Another great gift idea for the helmet is a visor, it’s a less costly option.  Lot’s of styles to choose from, and you can find more information here on Bell Visor’s.

Gloves

All motorcyclists need a quality set of gloves for riding. These not only protect your hands in case of a fall, but also provide protection from the wind, stones, and the occasional flying bugs. As with the helmets, there are many choices to choose from. There are leather gloves, textile gloves, gloves with armor in the knuckles, and mesh gloves for hot weather riding.

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Balaclava

If you’re looking for some cold weather gear, how about a Balaclava. This is sort of a ski mask set up that you can wear under a helmet to protect the face from that brutal wind chill.

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Jackets

Similar to gloves, a riding jacket will not only protect your from the elements, but also protects you in case you should fall. A good riding jacket will also contain armor in the elbows and back that provides additional protection in a fall. Jackets come in leather as well as textile, can be waterproof or water resistant, and you can get mesh jackets for the hot summer months.

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Boots

A good riding boot will protect a riders ankles and provide sure footing on the road when stopped. Look for a boot that has a solid rubber bottom as this gives the best traction on pavement. Boots come in a variety of styles, from street to racing to off-road styles. Be sure to get the proper boot that matches the riding style of your gift recipient.

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Clothing

What motorcycle enthusiast doesn’t like to show of their love of motorcycles, especially the brand of their choosing. Whether it be branded gear from Harley Davidson, Triumph (my personal favorite), BMW, or any of the Japanese models.

Simply refine your search on Amazon for the appropriate brand you are looking for. You can start by searching here for Motorcycle Shirts.

Sunglasses

Every motorcyclist needs a pair of motorcycle sunglasses when they ride. A decent pair of sunglasses will have a shatterproof lens that will protect the eyes from flying things while riding. There is a wide variety of styles and lens to choose from, and this can be a good option for a reasonably priced gift.

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GoPro Camera & Accessories

The newest craze amongst motorcyclists is recording their ride so they can post the video to YouTube. One of the coolest cameras on the market right now is by GoPro.

There are also a number of accessories you can purchase for the camera that will mount it on your helmet, on your chest, or even the bike itself.

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Customizations

Most riders love to customize their bike, and the gift possibilities are endless here provided you know what they are looking to do.  Options to purchase exhaust, mirrors, seats, and more are all available for purchase on Amazon.

Be forewarned, this is a tricky area and unless you know exactly what it is your gift recipient is planning on doing with their bike, you may be better off just purchasing a gift certificate that will let them buy what they want.

These are just a few gift ideas for the motorcycle enthusiast in your life, and Amazon has pretty much anything you could think of purchasing.