This paper summarises very briefly some aspects of trauma to motorcyclists. Three collision types are discussed, the frontal non-ejected type, the frontal ejected type and the deflected type of crash configuration. These represent the great majority of real world accidents. The optimization of the motion path of the driver is shown to be a potential means of diminishing injury exposures coupled with knee pads and energy absorbing fairings. The provision of such fairings appears to offer the most obvious advance in the medium term, but the absence of biomechanical knowledge and appropriate surrogates for the lower limbs presents a problem for the development and assessment of such designs. The high frequency of shallow angle glancing impacts suggests that leg protection is a worthwhile aim but the crash bars currently available are not effective under many circumstances. Some recommendations are made about future research priorities.