Is "All the Gear, All the Time" a minority?

[rusty rider]

When I was 16 and immortal I laid my bike down on a black top country road with no one around and riding with out my hands on the handle bars. Front tire hit a chuck hole handle bars turned 90 degrees and slapped me down on the pavement like a mouse trap. I was wearing a brain bucket, t-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes and leather gloves. Amazingly I landed on top of the bike sliding down the road and throwing a rooster tail of sparks. I panicked put my hands down to try and slow the bike roasted my hands in less than a second, when I yanked my hands up my bare elbow touched the asphalt. You could see the bone in less than a second. Since that day I wear a jacket when I ride, it isn't leather but better than bare skin. I always wear gloves, jeans, and leather shoes or boots. This my not seem appropriate to many, but it is what I wear for protection.

I have always worn a brain bucket since I started riding. I personally don't care what someone else wears nor should they be concerned with what I wear.

[rayzuki]

with the increase in gas prices I am seeing more riders everyday. Almost everyone around here wears all their gear except some of the harley guys. Helmets are manditory in Oregon so everyone wears one. I have been seeing alot of scooter riders with t-shirts and shorts. To me harley, gz250, crotch rocket or scooter road rash is road rash. It doesn't matter what you fall off of. Myself, I won't even go down the street with out full gear.

[Orpheus]

Here in Arizona, I can somewhat understand the logic behind the reasons that people leave the house without all their gear, since you can overheat in just a few miles on a 120 degree day; I've personally experienced clouded judgement (stalled the bike for the first time in a LONG time and had trouble re-starting it) and weakness at the knees due to the heat a few weeks ago. I still wear the leather jacket and 3/4 helmet all the time (along with my everyday outfit of boots and jeans), but usually don't wear the gloves unless I'm planning on going over 45mph for extended periods of time. I'm sure that, for most of the people I see in sleeveless shirts and bandanas (and usually shorts and sandals for the sportbike crowd), it's more about "looking cool" rather than staying cool. Actually, the sportbikers around here are probably 2x more likely to wear a helmet than the cruiser crowd (who are usually the "midlife crisis" types), but still have on freaking shorts and sandals.

[2FIDY]

[quote="patrick_777
Who generalized classes of bikers?[/quote]

Let the immortal sport bike riders ride around in speedo shorts and flip flops..

Guess I was being too sensitive to this comment????? If so, I apologize.... to everyone.

[El Diablo]

I wear helmet and jacket all the time. I don't always wear gloves. I wear boots 95% of the time as I keep loafers at work to change into. When not in boots I am in leather Merrells but they are slip ons and don't give any ankle protection. I wear jeans when I am pleasure riding. For my commute to work I am in Khakis (spelling?) Commute is 4 miles on mostly back streets. I have some Kevlar chaps that I use for hunting that I think will do well for cooler weather.

[delgado3030]

I always wear a full helmet, boots, and gloves but usually shorts and a t-shirt. I tried wearing jeans and a jacket but got too hot. I maybe wearing the wrong things I don't know. Around here(Kalamazoo MI.) traffic is super light and speed limit around town is 35 mph. Visibility is pretty good around here; there are not a lot of hidden driveways so it is pretty hard to have somebody surprise you from pulling out of a lot. You would have to really not be paying attention.

I have yet to go on the highway but definitely plan on getting heavy jeans and an armored jacket before I do

[music man]

In the summer, usually only wear T-shirt, jeans, boots, gloves-(not the protective kind) and Always my trusty helmet. winter time leather jacket, and the rest of what I just said other than I wear a better set of gloves.


I know that I could be more protected, but like alot of people have said on here it is all about weighing risks, and in the summer here it is not uncommon for it to be 105 degrees and be like 75-90 percent humidity, and I just can't make myself put on anymore clothes. I know I will probably regret it when I have road rash all over my body but I also have to weigh the risk of a heat stroke sitting in traffic (not really jokin about that).


So like alot of people on here alot smarter than me have said you just have to weigh the risks and decide how much risk is worth it to ya. Just like riding a motorcycle to begin with.


Later :rawk:

P.S. I know I ramble alot sometimes, but usually somewhere in the course of it I usually get to the point.

[Badbob]

Let them laugh!

Road rash is treated the same as a burn. When they are in the hospital getting the dirt and gravel scrubbed out og their flesh with a brush and antiseptic they will not be laughing.

I've had road rash. I have lots of riding gear and wear it all the time.

[mr. softie]

Myself, I wear armor. I didn't used to. Before the days of mesh you had a choice in hot weather. Roast in leather or take your chances. I used to ride in a tee and jeans. Then I hit a round stone with my front tire at 55+ on some twisties. My 500 lb bike went flying one way and I went sliding 100 feet across the ROUGH blacktop before I wound up on the grass on the side of the road. Talk about a burning sensation! I left a skin skid mark. My hands, arms, back, legs, knees all were deeply abraded and bleeding. I had tried to roll and move about so as to keep from wearing down to the bone in any one spot. All the wounds had bits of stone embedded in them. My daughters who are 27 and 30 now still remember me screaming as the wounds were scrubbed.



This happened on a beautiful clear day with no traffic on a road I had ridden hundreds of times. I was in the hospital and then recovering for months at home. I still have scars 25 years later. The only thing that saved my face was my full face helmet. My tee and jeans were in ribbons. Now with mesh, I can wear armor and be cool at the same time. If I even think of riding without ATGATT I remember what it feels like to have a 40 grit sanding disk run over my skin... and I put it on, and enjoy the ride.

[patrick_777]

Originally Posted by mr. softie

Myself, I wear armor. I didn't used to. Before the days of mesh you had a choice in hot weather. Roast in leather or take your chances. I used to ride in a tee and jeans. Then I hit a round stone with my front tire at 55+ on some twisties. My 500 lb bike went flying one way and I went sliding 100 feet across the ROUGH blacktop before I wound up on the grass on the side of the road. Talk about a burning sensation! I left a skin skid mark. My hands, arms, back, legs, knees all were deeply abraded and bleeding. I had tried to roll and move about so as to keep from wearing down to the bone in any one spot. All the wounds had bits of stone embedded in them. My daughters who are 27 and 30 now still remember me screaming as the wounds were scrubbed.



This happened on a beautiful clear day with no traffic on a road I had ridden hundreds of times. I was in the hospital and then recovering for months at home. I still have scars 25 years later. The only thing that saved my face was my full face helmet. My tee and jeans were in ribbons. Now with mesh, I can wear armor and be cool at the same time. If I even think of riding without ATGATT I remember what it feels like to have a 40 grit sanding disk run over my skin... and I put it on, and enjoy the ride.

Thanks softie. Stories like that are what keep me putting my jacket, gloves, boots and FF helmet on every single time I ride.