Protective clothing

[lfmn16]

I realy don`t think that anyone would argue against the value of proper protective clothing

You've obviously never spent time on a Harley forum. I love my Harley, but some of the dumb-ass remarks I hear on Harley forums boggle the mind. If someone doesn't want to wear a helmet, just say so, but don't give me a line of BS about "when it's your time there is nothing you can do." eye carumba!!!

 

[plug]

I would like to tie you to my bumper and drag you down the road a bit.

Oh come on LAF tell us how you realy get your fun.

Anyone who thinks that I`m suggesting that riders should not wear protective gear have missread my post.

plug

 

[LAF]

I realy don`t think that anyone would argue against the value of proper protective clothing when riding but ATGATT will not make you invincible.

I guess I agree kinda. People that spout alphabet as the end to all injury wear me out. PPE is the last line of defense, not the front line. Riding sensibly for the conditions and your skill set with an awareness of things around you seems to be overlooked by alphabet spouting folks. Using your head for something other than a place to put your helmet is the best defense against injury, period. Wear gear or don't, it doesn't matter to me. I don't give anybody grief for either and expect the same courtesy. The bottom line is that riding a motorcycle is inherently dangerous, there's no way to totally remove the risks. Due to the MC's lack of stability and protection when things go south, you are very likely to get hurt. Riding gear can *reduce* the level of injury in such situations, but a sharp mind is the only thing that can really *prevent* the injury. There ain't no silver bullets.

JMHO YMMV

+1

When I got my first ride on an old 40 something Indian at the age of 8 or 9, lied to my Grandmother to do it, besides giving me "riding" instructions for being on the back, he also said "the day you throw your leg over a bike and don't respect it is the day you should stop riding".

I knew he meant a lot of things by that statement and I live by it. Mental state is where it all begins. And I agree 100%. We all have days where we are not really on. When I have those days I respect them and ride accordingly. Other days you are hitting every line and transitions are smooth and life is good.

However one should always ride within their ability's. But how do you know your ability's? Do you practice? Do you do parking lot low speed maneuvers just for fun? Do you engage your ABS just to know how it acts? Do you "explore" triple digit speeds in safe conditions? Do you do a pre ride inspection?

And while it begins with your brain, if it ends badly it is your equipment, practice, and gear that is there. To argue that gear makes no difference or that it will not lessen injury is insane.

And if you watch the races and see these guys sliding off bikes all the time, jump up and try and get the bike going again! Yes I know it is in controlled conditions but still.

As I said I respect everyone's choice as this is what makes our Country great, we have the right to make choices. But suggested, or implied, that gear does not save lives even in high speed crashes is just not accurate.

 

[Harald]

You guys have it all wrong. The Corona "wife beater" shirt is the safest riding gear. I read it on the internet, so it must be true:

ATGATT for real men

 

[LagerHead]

You guys have it all wrong. The Corona "wife beater" shirt is the safest riding gear. I read it on the internet, so it must be true:

ATGATT for real men

Man. If I had only read that a few days ago. I wonder how it fares in cold weather. My guess is that my new riding gear was a bad investment.

 

[Knifemaker]

I realy don`t think that anyone would argue against the value of proper protective clothing when riding but ATGATT will not make you invincible. Riding gear`s primary value is at moderate speeds but decreases dramaticaly as speeds rise and about the only thing that a fancy suit is going to do in a highspeed get off is keep all the body parts in one place. All that gear can give a rider sense of security that it can`t deliver.

plug.

Can't completely agreee with that. Although you are correct that nothing will make you invincable, your odds of surviving a "high speed get off" are dramaticly higher with the proper gear. I once saw a rider go down at 100 mph...he slid down the road, finally stopped, and then got up to look at his totaled bike. He suffered zero injuries.

Countless racers dump bikes at ridiculous speeds all the time and many walk away without a scratch. Of course there are those that do get hurt...but you can't say that wearing the right gear is useless over a certain speed.

True you may die or suffer life threating injuries even with the best gear...the key word there is "may". You can't pick your accident.

I don't preach to others about their choices, I dress to save my ass (or at least try to lessen the possible damage). And I admit to not always being fully ATGATT....I may wear jeans, sometime I will wear running shoes...I know the risks and it is my body...so I do not like taking crap from others about this myself.

( I do always wear a full face helmet, armored jacket and gloves)

KM

 

[frumby]

I'm originally from Maine (now PNW). No helmet law out there, and it amazes me at the number of riders who wear no gear at all. I saw a guy speeding on a gixxer. Flipflops, shorts, t-shirt, not even glasses on his face! He's probably not riding anymore, but that general lack of respect for the dangers involved is pretty wide spread. Something as simple as a rock thrown up hitting an unprotected face could cause an accident where you took a hit to the melon, or got road rash badly enough to cause infection etc.

I'm 100% for freedom of choice. I hate the big government poking its nose in everything, but if insurance rates (motorcycle, auto, and health) go up because people fail to take reasonable precautions (let's say at a minimum wearing a helmet) then my freedom is being reduced.

I guess the question is where do you draw the line?

I rode quite a while with helmet, gloves, jacket, but no lower body protection other than boots. I've decided I like my legs, and now wear pants. Feeling less invincible I guess! Thinking about more armor too. Won't make me ride faster than I already do though... I'm very aware that my pink ass is extremely vulnerable, and I expect any get-off to hurt!