How do you dress for a ride?

[Peteoz]

Z1R Solaris Modular helmet with the inside retractable sun visor in white...

Don’t you find the white sun visor tends to block your view, RykerRider?

Pete

[RykerRider1959]

Don’t you find the white sun visor tends to block your view, RykerRider?

Pete

lol...

[hut1]

Always: helmet (usually modular), gloves, long sleeves (mostly vented textile jacket), long pants (jeans or armored over-pants if cool enough), over the ankle boots.

I'm a fair-weather ryder, so I usually don't have to worry about being too hot, too cold or too wet.

[Northofthesix]

I'm ATGATT having experienced totalling one of my prior 2 wheel bikes (greasy spot in light rain) with full gear and a few cracked ribs and shoulder, and having the recent experience of watching a good friend and riding buddy of mine forced off the highway by a SUV at 110kph onto a soft shoulder on his Harley.... he was fully geared and walked away with only minor bruising from what would have been sandpapered skin. I realize we are safer on Spyders than 2 wheels.... but with advancements in mesh gear, no matter how hot, I would rather have that extra margin in case of my, or someone else's error. You do what makes sense to you

[Yabbadabbadoo]

I'm mostly ATGATT. But the other day it was hot and I just had to go a few miles down to Home Depot and pick up some wasp killer spray. So I hopped on the bike with just boots, jeans and a t-shirt, and my helmet. I actually felt pretty uncomfortably naked without my mesh jacket. I'll wear the jacket next time.

[Grayson]

I'm a newbie waiting on my Ryker, wondering about this issue. A full face helmet, gloves, and hi-vis armored mesh jacket were my first gear purchases for it. I agree with an earlier poster who said in regards to high vid gear, people that don't recognize motorcycles shouldn't be driving. But we live in the world that "is," not the one that "should be."

Pants and boots are what I'm less sure about. When people are saying "jeans and boots," are you talking special motorcycle jeans and boots, or plain? I'm not too confident in regular jeans holding up well. I ordered a pair of motorcycle pants...would absolutely advise buying those in person if possible. They are HUGE, but it's either that or too small that I could find in stock. At least the waist is adjustable.

For boots I currently own a pair of Reebok, one 6" side zip and one 8" regular.

I'll be riding in mostly rural areas, with some town driving mixed in, especially if I ride it to work. I'd say deer are my #1 hazard.

[ARtraveler]

I'm a newbie waiting on my Ryker, wondering about this issue. A full face helmet, gloves, and hi-vis armored mesh jacket were my first gear purchases for it. I agree with an earlier poster who said in regards to high vid gear, people that don't recognize motorcycles shouldn't be driving. But we live in the world that "is," not the one that "should be."

Pants and boots are what I'm less sure about. When people are saying "jeans and boots," are you talking special motorcycle jeans and boots, or plain? I'm not too confident in regular jeans holding up well. I ordered a pair of motorcycle pants...would absolutely advise buying those in person if possible. They are HUGE, but it's either that or too small that I could find in stock. At least the waist is adjustable.

For boots I currently own a pair of Reebok, one 6" side zip and one 8" regular.

I'll be riding in mostly rural areas, with some town driving mixed in, especially if I ride it to work. I'd say deer are my #1 hazard.

I own two pair of "kevlar" lined pants. They are more expensive than jeans, supposed to hold up better than regular jeans. They are heavy to wear. When I was in Alaska, I wore them all the time. I have yet to wear them in Arkansas. It's just to hot in summer. I also have a pair of standard leather chaps. They become my "winter" overpants.

Deer can be a nemisis. I try not to drive around dusk. So far, I have not had any encounters with them. If you hit a deer at speed, that is not going to be good, regardless of what you are wearing.

I have posted once or twice in this thread concerning safety. It's up to the driver as to "how much" to wear. Just don't go buck naked. The mosquitoes can be fierce.

Sounds good on your boots. I have some six inchers also. Nice to wear once in awhile.

[Schreckftw]

I was on a trip 4 years ago in Vermont on my GS 1200. We got caught in a heavy rain and I pulled out my rain gear my wife packed. She apparently thought my hunting camo rain gear would be nice. So here I am in the pouring rain in nowhere Vermont wearing camo heading down back roads. That was the worst I ever stressed out about what I was wearing.

[KnurledNut]

I'm a proponent of ATGATT, however, I'd be lying if I didn't take short journeys in the neighborhood to get away from the family for a short-short.

Florida is hell in the heat. I wear a armored mesh jacket, bike boots, gloves, and a half-helmet. Yeah, I know. Still not doing a full helmet. Way too many claustrophobia issues.

[RickWB]

I have a hi-vis, armored mesh jacket, riding boots, gloves, modular helmet and jeans, I wear this gear even in hot weather.

I was riding with a group a couple of weeks ago, and two of the riders had the Helight Turtle airbag vest. One review by a rider who crashed his Spyder. These vest are expensive, but ...

https://helitemoto.com/new-category/ Look at July 29, 2016

[UtahPete]

Maybe we need a new category and acronym; MOTGMOTT (Most of the gear most of the time)

[Lew L]

MOTGMOTT (Most of the gear most of the time)

Ever since the hopped up ZX-11------- Clean undies

[milryder]

I have a hi-vis, armored mesh jacket, riding boots, gloves, modular helmet and jeans, I wear this gear even in hot weather.

I was riding with a group a couple of weeks ago, and two of the riders had the Helight Turtle airbag vest. One review by a rider who crashed his Spyder. These vest are expensive, but ...

https://helitemoto.com/new-category/ Look at July 29, 2016

I was midway through a 2300 mile trip to AZ in June and struck a deer outside Pagosa Springs, CO. Fortunately the deer jumped (according to witnesses behind me) just before I would have struck him dead center and took off the right front stock mirror and bent the throttle handle bending it slightly and making the throttle sticky for 1300 more miles. I was wearing my Alpinestar Tech Air 5 vest which I bought mainly because of deer in my area and elsewhere. Because there was no frontal impact nor fall off the bike the vest did not have to deploy. I was sure glad I had the vest on under my mesh jacket. The Helites are good too - all one has to do is read rider reports of accidents while wearing a vest.

[KnurledNut]

Living within spitting distance of Daytona, the gear, or lack of, would blow your mind.

[sledmaster]

I've hit five deer in just over 300,000 miles behind handlebars so, on average, I hit a deer every 60,000 to 65,000 miles. To be clear, four were on a snowmobile, one was on a dual sport bike, zero on a Spyder. The last one (dual sport bike) was pretty bad, broke 18 ribs (ten broken on the left side, eight of them in two places) with six titanium plates installed to hold them together. Could not lay down in a bed for 105 days. This was just over three years ago and I am finally starting to feel 90+%. This was with wearing a Tek Vest protective vest and Klim gear with D30 reactive padding on the back, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees. Destroyed my 509 carbon fiber helmet. Was doing 45 mph on a narrow gravel minimum maintenance road, deer jumped out into the left side of the bike so I hit it with my body and went down hard. Got a helicopter ride outa that one. Trauma team told me the protective gear saved my life. Period. They all wanted to see the gear. So yes, ATGATT. It's not if, but when, IMO.

[UtahPete]

I've hit five deer in just over 300,000 miles behind handlebars so, on average, I hit a deer every 60,000 to 65,000 miles. To be clear, four were on a snowmobile, one was on a dual sport bike, zero on a Spyder.

The last one (dual sport bike) was pretty bad, broke 18 ribs (ten broken on the left side, eight of them in two places) with six titanium plates installed to hold them together. Could not lay down in a bed for 105 days. This was just over three years ago and I am finally starting to feel 90+%. This was with wearing a Tek Vest protective vest and Klim gear with D30 reactive padding on the back, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees. Destroyed my 509 carbon fiber helmet.

Was doing 45 mph on a narrow gravel minimum maintenance road, deer jumped out into the left side of the bike so I hit it with my body and went down hard. Got a helicopter ride outa that one. Trauma team told me the protective gear saved my life. Period. They all wanted to see the gear. So yes, ATGATT. It's not if, but when, IMO.

Just to be clear, none of these incidents occurred while riding a road bike on a paved road. Is that right?

[sledmaster]

Correct.

[remus]

It's time people stopped tyring to convince others that what they wear is the only safe and right thing to wear. Riding is in part about risk management and the amount of risk you are willing to accept. People that wear no protective gear are willing to accept more risk then those of us that wear atgatt. Stop trying to create dissention on what people wear.

[vito1943]

I'm not sure why anyone would ask what others wear to ride, unless it is to self justify wearing less than full gear all the time. What I wear only affects me, not other riders, and I will admit that sometimes I am more diligent than other times in "dressing for the slide and not the ride". The Klim mesh textile jacket that I bought a few years ago, however, is one of the best compromises that I have found to both protect me to some degree and yet allow enough air flow so as to not roast on a summer day. When it gets colder its obviously easier to wear full gear, which for me means leather chaps over my jeans since I have yet to be able to buy armored motorcycle pants that fit me properly (too short and with too big a waist for my height). But I always wear a helmet, whether modular or 3/4, always wear gloves (sometimes lightweight, fingerless leather gloves) and ALMOST always were long sleeves if not wearing my jacket.

I've only had one crash in my 35 years or so of riding, and I was wearing a non-armored leather jacket and suffered several broken ribs which led to injuries that almost killed me, and kept me from riding for about two years. I still wear that same leather jacket from time to time, but as I started this comment, that affects me and not you.

[UtahPete]

Riding is in part about risk management and the amount of risk you are willing to accept. People that wear no protective gear are willing to accept more risk then those of us that wear atgatt.

True.

[ARtraveler]

From a moderator:

The OP asked the question "How do you dress for a ride?"

This subject has always been a "hot button" topic and the opinions are very strong from most people.

If you have read all or most of the thread, you see the answers to the OP question are all over the place. We all got a good education about what is called ATGATT (all the gear, all the time) and those that don't go with it for varying reasons. Full gear to buck naked (watch out for the mosquitos) was the range.

And then we have the many who chimed in with what will happen if you don't dress ATGATT. A few of those were kind of over the top and we had to delete them.

Opinions are fine, but when people started attacking others, getting way off topic, etc. then the site rules are going to be enforced. Bottom line: it is one's personal choice, and how much risk they are willing to take. A lot of us are set in our ways. Those who are trying to "convert" someone to their idea through scare tactics are on a losing quest: IMO of course.