MORE and more people on motorbikes and scooters seem to be riding around Bolton in ordinary clothes.

Yet as local 19-year-old rider Liam Brennan discovered, the right protective gear can prevent serious injury.

He was knocked from his motorbike and dragged 800 yards by car thieves towing a caravan and, in spite of being trapped under the caravan for half an hour, was saved from serious injury by the special boots and protective clothing he was wearing.

The boots, in particular, proved vital. As Liam says: “If I had been wearing trainers it (his foot) would have just snapped.”

This cautionary tale proves that investing in the right gear may be the best investment a rider ever makes.