Riding a motorcycle you're not familiar with and not wearing safety equipment, especially a helmet can be very dangerous.

Safety experts say that creates a kind of double jeopardy for motorcycle riders. As sales manager at Barnett Harley Davidson, George Tourk knows a thing or two about motorcycles.

He said in a car, you have four wheels to keep everything in balance, and the steel and glass that surround you provide some protection, but on a motorcycle it's all up to the rider's skills and precautions.

"If you're going to let your buddy ride a bike he's not familiar and he's never ridden a bike before, don't let him do it," said Tourk. "On two wheels, you have to be balanced and you have to know your bike inside and out. You have to know how it handles in corners and turns, how it performs, the power, the brakes. Everything."

Tourk also said too many riders underestimate the importance of safety equipment, like leather jackets and pants to provide some protection to the body.

Tourk said riders will usually survive bruises and broken bones but head injuries are another story, they are what kill most motorcyclists.

That's why, he said, a good quality helmet is a rider's most important piece of safety equipment.

"A head injury is you know, that’s where the brains are, the mechanics are up here. Tells everything what to do. You get hit real hard or you become brain dead a lot of times and there's no help for us," he said.

Tourk also recommends a motorcycle safety course to learn how to properly handle your bike and protect yourself.

El Paso Community College provides these courses, and also Barnett Harley Davidson in Las Cruces.