Rider Protection for newer rider

[C&C]

Mesh jacket and overpants here; being in South Carolina we have more hot than cold, so mesh it is, in adddition to, full face, gloves and a good boot is what I wear. Seeing its the winter season now, I add the liner to the mesh jacket, electric gloves for the hands and a scarf when the temps really get low.

 

[juniorfjr]

I'll be a fly in the ointment. I'm most of the gear most of the time, Hell I even occasionally drive without a seatbelt. I will strip down as far as draggin jeans, mesh jacket, mesh gloves and 3/4 helmet. But I've also got the overpants, coat, boots, etc., and wear it more than not.

I mean, just getting on these things is an inherent risk. Of course, getting into a bath is also.

I've seen guys that wouldn't get on the bike without the gear, but will dump a load at the casino. Hell, its all a gamble.

Just a slightly different opinion.

 

[Aasland]

Some of you tougher guys will call me a pansy, but one of the reasons I have adopted the ATGATT philosophy is that I love my wife and would not want her married to a vegetable, or have to go through the agony of getting "that phone call". She rides too, and when she does a long solo trip or takes a few more minutes than I expect to appear around the corner I just left, I get worried. I can imagine it's the same for her.

All but two of my riding friends have children and that plays a role in how they approach the risk of riding. Their wives haven't demanded that they stop riding, and I suspect a big part of that is that they take their safety seriously, (which shows). It takes a certain kind of selfishness to say "To hell will my family, I'm gonna look cool and do what's convenient and comfortable!"

One of the things I've learned over the years is that we all measure risk differently. juniorfjr's comment regarding gambling, or rolivnar's comparison of hours of comfort vs. potentially seconds of actually needing the gear underscores that. It is the rider who decides what the cost of the risk is, and how and how much they want to mitigate.

That being said .. wearing the right gear is a quick way to help reduce injury, but the best thing is to avoid those situations in the first place. Sure, there's not much you can do about deer jumping in front of you or someone running you over, but about half of all motorcycle deaths are single-vehicle accidents caused by a lack of skill and knowledge. In my opinion, the single most effective safety measure a rider can take is to improve their skills by taking a riding class. They'll learn to stop in a shorter distance, manage traction, and become more aware of traffic conditions. These are the skills that will have the biggest impact on safety ... not whether we wear a helmet (despite the media focusing on that when reporting on motorcycle accidents).

 

[ScottyUSN]

I wear Olympia Gear in all seasons except dead summer Then down to the light mesh with armor.

I'm ready to upgrade from military issue boots to riding boots soon.

My opinion of the Olympia gear is it's quality at a value. It's been compared by some as "Stich at half the price". When closed up it keeps you dry (Although I have not ridden in an all out down pour). The level of Hi-Viz can be nauseating. The insulation liners in both the pants and the top do not get installed until it gets down to low 30's.

I went to the local BMW stealership to try the Olympia stuff on, then went on to Motogearoutlet.com and saved a bunch off the cost to purchase (Mary is great to talk with).

I've been getting lazy about wearing my riding pants. This thread jogged my memory of the importance along with the desire to buy some riding boots.

Thanks All!

 

[James Burleigh]

The biggest issue with wearing a lot of gear is APPEARANCE.

Dude, you nailed it! If you don't look cool, don't wear it. And high-viz yellow is definitely not cool. There'd better be some thick-freakin fog or torrential rain before I put my high-viz green vest on!

But here's another important tip: full-face helmets with smoky visors let you flirt with younger women (or boys, depending on, you know, whether you're a boy or a girl and your corresponding, uh, preference). When I'm commuting on a nice day, going up the middle of slow-and-go cars on the freeway, I like to slow and give the wavy-finger wave to babeloneouses in convertible sports cars.

Uncool: :clown2:

Cool (note strap for back protector; also wearing Bohn armor under jeans): :dirol:

 

[Checkswrecks]

Gear?

We don't need no steenkin gear.

We're MEN *

We gots to be able to show how COOOL we is!

* Well, 'ceptin fur Barb, MEM, Tyler, the FJRChix, Deb,.........

 

[dcarver]

I ride most every day. Lots of exposure. Rain or shine. I know that, odds are, some moment in time I'll find my ass sliding down the road. Not if, but when, that day happens, I really hope I have all my body armor on (CyclePort + full helmet + gloves) and not the one time I decided to ride in Levis, tshirt and half helmet. Although I do have about 130k in that gear riding a Harley. Lucky, I guess.

Wow, Hans, your knight looks kind of . . . girly

Now, MINE . . .

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

:rofl: Great one Mike, hey, were you thinking of BustaNut?

 

[James Burleigh]

Wow, Hans, your knight looks kind of . . . girly

Now, MINE . . .

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Oh my! :blink:

 

[reecebike]

I like to wear wifebeatter shirt shorts & flip floops! OH yeah no under wear!!!

 

[Silver Penguin]

What do you guys typically wear when you ride? Any suggestions on how 'geared up' to get when a guy rides? How do you handle 100 degree temps, in your gear, riding in town? Just handle it?

Even before Andy's accident, we were both ATGATT kinda folks but even more so now, having seen how the gear saved his skin and maybe his life. Typically I will wear;

Full face helmet

Olympica jacket w/wo liner

Armored pants, either mesh or lined depending on the temperature.

Riding boots

Armored gloves.

When I bought my little Honda, the salesman mentioned how easy it was to ride, and how you don't need to waste time putting on all the gear just to run to the store, on a bike like that.

Apparently asphalt is more forgiving for short trips on small bikes?

I've been asked more than once, especially in the summer, why I wear all that stuff. 'I'm allergic to black top. It brings me out in a rash'.

 

[SacramentoMike]

OK, here's my SERIOUS reply. For any kind of distance, I wear everything. Cycleport suit is top of the line IMO. I do have a good sturdy leather jacket that's great in the winter--such as we get here--and I wear it with all the rest of the gear.

OTOH, I admit, there are some compromises. For example, for just a run in town, errands, etc., I'll have on a pair of riding "jeans"-type pants with leather/kevlar inserts in the knees and hip/butt area. I suppose they'd help--some--if they had to. In the worst of the heat, I wear a lighter-weight mesh jacket for short rides, too. And I wear a modular ("flip-up") helmet, that many will swear is a death trap for your head. I don't believe that, myself, and it's MUCH more comfortable to ride in--or stop in, especially in the heat. I don't have $200 super-armored gloves, or the very last word in boots. Somebody sells jackets with air bags that inflate instantly in a crash. I don't have one of those either.

But the one time I crashed, I was wearing all my gear. Almost. Very hot day in Montana, heading to NAFO in '08. I'd lost my mesh gloves at a camping stop. Riding in everything BUT my hot leather gloves when I took my rock dive. Worst injuries? My hands, what else? Both all scraped and cut up, one knuckle still oddly lumpy. Only other injuries were bruises. Lots of bruises. Lesson learned.

So you decide how much of a risk you want to take and you live with the results. Like whether to ride a motorcycle, how fast you want to go, how much safety you want to try to guarantee. Good luck with the choice and the results.

 

[Medic Man]

Yes speaking as a Paramedic......WEARING ALL YOUR GEAR, ALL THE TIME WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU GO DOWN!!!!! I wear olympia gear with aerostich leather gloves.. for a helment I wear an Arai with one of the things so your head doesn't sweat and get your helment all nasty....Be safe out there!

RIDE AS YOU ARE INVISIBLE!!!!!!

 

[MT home]

Standard riding apparel:

New Arai full face helmet (2009)

old Aerostich Darien jacket (faded red/pink), with spine protector (1999)

old Aerostich Darien pants, with hip pads (1999)

Sidi Canyon boots

gauntlet gloves, with Kevlar layer in palms

ANSI class II hi-viz rain overjacket in serious rain

insulating layers to suit the ambient temps

I live in a fairly small town in a low population density state, but there are lots of deer all over Montana.

I feel pretty vulnerable/exposed in anything less. I'm willing to ride (literally) one block from my house to the motorcycle garage with only a helmet and gloves as protection, on rare occasion.

Mark C.

 

[FJRK]

I'm not a fan of Fieldsheer stuff, it's made out of some Poly stuff that is basically plastic which can melt under the friction heat of sliding down the pavement (and melt to your skin),

Had no idea. Shit, there went several hundred bucks for both my wife and I.

 

[Bungie]

Had no idea. Shit, there went several hundred bucks for both my wife and I.

Most textile, and that includes jeans, will melt to your skin in a bad slide. But you really got to get a good slide going for that to happen. My buddy melted his two fingers together in a 80mph slide and that was skin on skin! (not pretty by the way)

I've seen guys with burns off of leather as well. The difference is, leather won't try to laminate itself to your skin. Its a trade off. The benefits of textile (lightweight, cleanability, color, etc) over absolute protection.

 

[exskibum]

I live in a fairly small town in a low population density state, but there are lots of deer all over Montana.

Last June, on the Monday afternoon after leaving CFR in Nakusp, BC, we were arriving in Helena from the north for the evening. GF on back, madmike2 maybe 15 minutes ahead of us. I was wearing full gear, including my Shoei RF1000 with a 2 week old blue iridium shield, not a scratch on it.

Whatever freeway that was, in the slow lane was a truck and flatbed trailer with a backhoe on it, and I was in the lane just to the inside of it, maybe doing 55 mph and getting close to our exit. I saw the bounding rock (that had apparently come off the trailer or backhoe) an instant before it hit my face shield between the bridge of my nose and my left eye. It cleared the retracted stock wind screen and made first contact with a loud "crack" sound on my face shield. No way I had time to even move my head, and when I stopped at the motel a few minutes later, I discovered that it must have been a sharp pointed rock, judging from the gouge it took out of the new shield. Even before I inspected that gouge, though, I knew that if I'd caught that rock where it would have hit me in the face, it would have taken me off the bike and put both of us down on the roadway. Instead, all I got was a momentary start and a gouge in a new $60 shield. Money well spent!

 

[Bungie]

Even before I inspected that gouge, though, I knew that if I'd caught that rock where it would have hit me in the face, it would have taken me off the bike and put both of us down on the roadway. Instead, all I got was a momentary start and a gouge in a new $60 shield. Money well spent!

Sudbury is a mining town, specifically, Nickel. Back in the day, they used trains to haul the slurry (unprocessed crushed rock bearing nickel). Nowadays, they truck it through every available route through town (40 ton trucks every 2.5 minutes = destroyed roads) to deliver it to the smelter. The byproduct of the refining is whats known as slag. Think 'solidified molten rock'. Theirs literally mountains of the shit around here. Well they do use it for road beds and the like so theirs always somebody hauling it somewhere.

Incident 1:

I had just had new tires mounted on my Kawi Mean Streak and was driving it home from the dealer when an oncoming slurry truck picked up a golf ball size slag stone and 'FIRED' it directly at me. I only had time to slam my eyes shut. I heard it crack off the bike instead of me. PHEW dodged one. Got home and inspected the bike. It hit the mirror. Oddly enough the glass was intact, but this is what the stainless steel side of the mirror looked like:

You can imagine what that would have done to my pretty self had I bean wearing a beanie... nevermind it just missing my hand directly below it.

Incident 2:

I just put my brand new CalSci on my FJR. Perhaps a week earlier. Heading south on a 2 lane. Approaching a construction zone around a sweeping left hand corner. Oncoming overloaded dump truck doing perhaps 50km/h over the speed limit. Honestly, my first thought was that it was gonna tip over directly in my path. Instead of tipping, the driver skillfully unloaded a bunch of slag mid turn. Imagine my utter joy to not one or two, but HUNDREDS of golf ball to hard ball sized chunks of slag bouncing down the highway directly in front of me.

I heard one hit somewhere. I thought for sure I had lost a headlight lens or something. Inspecting the bike one hit the bottom edge of my new windshield taking a HUGE chunk out of it.

FACK!

So whats this got to do with anything. Shit happens and wearing a skidoo visor on a bike to prevent fogging is DUMB. They aren't rated for projectiles like this!

 

[Imp]

I went down 2 years ago. Was hit from behind. I was going 80 mph and he was 120mph. Had on a Shoe Full face that did not get a scratch on it, a Field Shier Jacket that did not hold up to the abrasion of the road, jeans that did not shred, Combat Touring boots that saved my ankles (but the metal clips where ground down). That day I did not wear gloves (it was the only day I did not wear them in my 20 years of riding) due to 100 degr temps. Yes fingertips grow back ,but after some time . I now have a RC suit , gloves , boots, was well as my helmet. I walked away with a shattered wrist, skin mi ssing from both wrists and my left flank, the other was not that lucky. I wish he would have invested in some gear. If you buy good great you might spend $2,000 but it will be cheaper that the $25,000 medial bill you could be faced with.

 

[Fred W]

In summer I ride in jeans, a mesh jacket and a 3/4 helmet as I find being comfortable for hours helps remove the necessity to be well protected for only potential seconds.

Wow. I'm not following this logic at all. :blink:

Let me turn that around to say: I think that being inconvenienced with having to suit-up and mildly uncomfortable when it's warm out is far better than the prospect of wearing ugly skin grafts all over my body (or worse) for the rest of my life (due to those potential seconds).

YMMV

 

[Silver Penguin]

If you buy good great you might spend $2,000 but it will be cheaper that the $25,000 medial bill you could be faced with.

Can't reinforce the above statement enough. Sure, you're going to be hot in the summer (but you're going to be protected from dehydration and sunstroke more than the guy in the wife-beater) BUT those few seconds of sliding down the road, turning your baby soft skin into ground beef will make it worth it.

As I mentioned earlier, Andy had a really bad get-off some time ago. He was wearing all the gear. His skin was intact. That meant that he could have the four major surgeries to stablize the fractures, within a week of the accident. If his skin had been burned off, the surgeon would have had to do external fixation until the skin healed. Think of a structure created with an erector-set. wrapped around your arms/legs with pins drilled into the bone. The fixator stays in place until the skin is healed and then the fractures can be safely, surgically repaired. Of course, an infection of the healing skin is a high possibility. Gross but true. Wearing the gear will minimize the injury and the time spent in the hospital.