Rider equipment, protective clothing and passenger rules
This domain covers what you wear and who you may carry. It is the easiest domain to score in - the answers are largely legal requirements and straightforward physics - but loose wording about helmets and passengers costs marks every session.
The helmet
A helmet is compulsory for rider and passenger in Denmark and must be approved and correctly fastened. Fit matters: it should grip the cheeks and forehead without pressure points, and the strap should be tight enough that the helmet cannot be rolled off forwards. Visor or goggles must be clean and unscratched; a scratched visor turns headlights into glare at night. Replace a helmet after a real impact - the shell may look fine while the liner is compressed.
Clothing
- Jacket and trousers in abrasion-resistant textile or leather, with armour at shoulders, elbows, hips and knees.
- Gloves and boots always; palms and ankles are the first things down in a slide.
- Back protector, high-visibility layer, earplugs against wind noise, waterproofs.
- Dress for the cold too: cold hands slow your reactions before you notice.
Carrying a passenger
- The machine must have a proper pillion seat and footrests. A passenger who cannot reach the footrests cannot legally be carried.
- The passenger needs their own approved helmet and should wear the same protective clothing as the rider.
- Sit astride, facing forward, feet on the pegs even when stopped, holding the rider's waist or a grab rail.
- Brief them before setting off: lean with the rider, do not put a foot down, keep hands and feet away from exhaust and wheels, stay still in slow corners.
Adjust for the extra weight: raise tyre pressures and rear preload as the handbook specifies, and expect longer braking distances, slower steering and a lighter front end.
Worked example
A friend asks for a lift home. You have a spare helmet a size too big and no second jacket. The correct answer is that the too-big helmet is not acceptable: a loose helmet can come off in a fall and will not protect as intended. Either find a correctly fitting approved helmet and proper clothing, or the ride does not happen.
Traps that cost marks
- Carrying a passenger with feet dangling or with no footrests.
- A helmet worn tilted back, or with the strap undone.
- Forgetting preload and tyre-pressure changes, then scraping the exhaust in a corner.
- Assuming a passenger will instinctively lean the right way - they will not.