I doubt that anyone but your mother, and maybe your significant other, give a rat's *** what you, or for that matter what any experienced rider wears.
respectfully, I wholeheartedly disagree. I need to look no further than any motorcycle forum to find many who want to tell me and everyone eles what to wear. I need look no further than the many organizations that lobby for laws against motorcycle freedoms and what we can and can't wear. I need look no further than current laws. Now, are all these bad? perhaps not, but to the point: There are many, from every angle preaching, legislating or enforcing what we wear on our bikes.
I do care about what young folks do and would like to encourage them to take an aggressive defensive approach to their riding.
certainly agree, but not limited to young ..especially on this forum where the average age seems to be about 85(?)
although some folks (as you imply) see the gear as a way to just be aggressive rather than to be aggressive about being defensive.
Your characterization of me is completely inaccurate. Please show me where I imply "gear as being a way to just be aggressive". No way Jose. If you can, I'll quickly apologize and change my wording.
Every year we lose one or two young people from our community to motorcycle accidents. Usually ATGATT wouldn't help them much because they die on a crotch rocket while coming out of a rural area at 75 mph into an urban area where the speed limit transitions from 55 mph to maybe 30 mph. A car driven by distracted folks turns left in front of them, oblivious to their trajectory.
much the same here, but different worlds also. Every day (this time of year) our sierra hospitals and morgues are frequented by banged up and dead riders. I get to see this 'live" everyday in our local hospitals. Certainly none of us want this, and any age is the wrong age, but here it is more older folks who are just not riding smart that account for the majority. The young, seem much better equipped for the dangers of our mountain roads than under skilled old guys. (just the way it is). I'm sure it very much varies by region.
By relating our personal stories and our support for defensive tactics, we hope that a young person who has not yet formed habits will choose defensive habits.
Good on ya if you think your successful here. me thinks wasted breath that could be better spent. perhaps i'm cynical as the ATGATT nazis (as I call them) are not the best riders I know. The best riders I know ride smart and set examples by not stacking it up. They, rather than preach, set the example in the saddle. I can't say that for the safety Nazis.Perhaps you feel young folks will learn from reading the mistakes of others on motorcycle forums. Me thinks they learn on the roads and track by following the examples of success, and when it comes to safety, success means not stacking it up. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I doubt it.
...and what if someone's 'ride' is: Hair on fire, no gear, drunk, double yellow with a bad attitude? Do we still say "Ride your own ride"?
Hello no!! and it shows the hypocrisy.
When i hear someone tell me to ride my own ride I cynically think: "They want me to ride like them ..but I don't ride like them, I'm much safer". And this is often validated because usually within a second after they say "Ride your own ride" they start giving a safety lecture on how they ride. LOL
Its really hard to extrapolate the anecdotes about why ATGATT is something proposed by NAZIs into something that will benefit any young person.
I liken the safety nazi's to the soup nazi on Seinfeld. It makes me laugh. Funny in their unwavering personal agenda and IMO a funny parallel, nothing more meant from it than that.
We probably agree more than disagree on much. After years of safety threads, I'm pretty quick to (attempt) to challenge the landslide of dialogue regarding safety gear. Moto-bikes are great fun and IMO those who want to share and expose others to the fun can best do it by setting safe examples on the road/track and in the saddle. Not by insulting, criticizing or even philosophical dialogue.
Respectfully, ridin' his own ride in Reno ...john
)—i.e., having thinking, reflecting minds. Animals just do stuff without thinking (reflecting) on what they do.
