daveinva
New member
Given recent events, I didn't want to be "that guy" in other threads.
But, there still is a place for what I'm about to write, so I might as well go first:
No matter what you ride-- be it a two wheel motorcycle, a three wheel Spyder, a four wheel ATV, or a no-wheel sled-- there is value in wearing protective gear.
You never know what will happen, you never know when you will "depart" your vehicle and take a spill-- or worse. Even the best riders suffer bad luck (and I'll be the first to humbly acknowledge, I ain't always the best rider!
pps
Helmets, gloves, jackets, pants and boots with good impact and abrasion resistance can help keep you nice and together in the event of an accident. You may still be hurt, but you likely won't be hurt as bad as you otherwise would be. Avoiding broken bones and road rash and head injuries so you can survive, thrive, and get back on the road again ASAP... these are all good things, no?
Now, I won't say I'm 100% ATGATT. Oh, I always wear my helmet, jacket and gloves. But sometimes I've left the armored pants at home, and not every pair of riding boots I wear are equally protective.pps: But I *know* when I'm being lazy, which at least guilts me into not doing it as often.
I haven't told the story here at Spyderlovers before, but last October my beloved GF took a spill on her Vespa. Solo accident on a rural road, totalled the poor scoot. I was ahead of her on my Spyder, didn't see her fall down as I had already made the turn.
Those few minutes of not knowing what happened, then *knowing* what happened, then doubling back to find her lying in the road in horrible pain... yeah, those were some of the worst moments of my life.
Thankfully, she had her helmet on, an armored jacket, gloves and boots. She just had jeans on, however, no abrasion resistance, no armor, and her legs were banged up far more than they should have been. Even with her helmet on, the GF still suffered a concussion that required her to be ambulanced to the hospital for an overnight stay and observation.
Because of that concussion, she doesn't remember what happened. Best bet was she hit a bump, grabbed too much brake with the wheel turned, went down. Wasn't going more than 20 mph, but fast enough to hurt herself and total a $6000 scooter.
Bottom line: the gear saved her from something far worse. The gear saved ME-- and her parents, and her friends-- from something far worse!
All those days when she didn't want to wear the gear, when it was too hot, or too nice a day, or hey, it's only a scooter (or only a Spyder, or a bike ridden for decades, or a road traveled a thousand times before... sound familiar?), thankfully she ignored that voice in her head that day.
She's thankful she wore the gear. More selfishly, *I* am thankful she wore the gear. Sometimes it's that important-- maybe not for you, we are all free to make your own choices, and thank America for that. But it's often our loved ones who often have to live with our choices, who have to see us lying in pain in the road, or crying in a hospital bed, or something far worse than that.
So, to everyone: you are free to make your own decisions what gear you wear. But please, make informed decisions. Be aware how life can change in an instant, and how we can't always avoid the worst. We can, however, make choices to stack the odds in our favor, whether that's more rider training, lots of practice (and re-practice), minimizing distractions while riding, stopping for a break when you're tired or thirsty or drenched by rain or just plain unfocused, and yes, wearing gear to help protect ourselves and our loved ones when we or others make mistakes.
Be safe everyone... there's a lot of riding for us all to do! :doorag:
But, there still is a place for what I'm about to write, so I might as well go first:
No matter what you ride-- be it a two wheel motorcycle, a three wheel Spyder, a four wheel ATV, or a no-wheel sled-- there is value in wearing protective gear.
You never know what will happen, you never know when you will "depart" your vehicle and take a spill-- or worse. Even the best riders suffer bad luck (and I'll be the first to humbly acknowledge, I ain't always the best rider!
ppsHelmets, gloves, jackets, pants and boots with good impact and abrasion resistance can help keep you nice and together in the event of an accident. You may still be hurt, but you likely won't be hurt as bad as you otherwise would be. Avoiding broken bones and road rash and head injuries so you can survive, thrive, and get back on the road again ASAP... these are all good things, no?
Now, I won't say I'm 100% ATGATT. Oh, I always wear my helmet, jacket and gloves. But sometimes I've left the armored pants at home, and not every pair of riding boots I wear are equally protective.
pps: But I *know* when I'm being lazy, which at least guilts me into not doing it as often.I haven't told the story here at Spyderlovers before, but last October my beloved GF took a spill on her Vespa. Solo accident on a rural road, totalled the poor scoot. I was ahead of her on my Spyder, didn't see her fall down as I had already made the turn.
Those few minutes of not knowing what happened, then *knowing* what happened, then doubling back to find her lying in the road in horrible pain... yeah, those were some of the worst moments of my life.
Thankfully, she had her helmet on, an armored jacket, gloves and boots. She just had jeans on, however, no abrasion resistance, no armor, and her legs were banged up far more than they should have been. Even with her helmet on, the GF still suffered a concussion that required her to be ambulanced to the hospital for an overnight stay and observation.
Because of that concussion, she doesn't remember what happened. Best bet was she hit a bump, grabbed too much brake with the wheel turned, went down. Wasn't going more than 20 mph, but fast enough to hurt herself and total a $6000 scooter.
Bottom line: the gear saved her from something far worse. The gear saved ME-- and her parents, and her friends-- from something far worse!
All those days when she didn't want to wear the gear, when it was too hot, or too nice a day, or hey, it's only a scooter (or only a Spyder, or a bike ridden for decades, or a road traveled a thousand times before... sound familiar?), thankfully she ignored that voice in her head that day.
She's thankful she wore the gear. More selfishly, *I* am thankful she wore the gear. Sometimes it's that important-- maybe not for you, we are all free to make your own choices, and thank America for that. But it's often our loved ones who often have to live with our choices, who have to see us lying in pain in the road, or crying in a hospital bed, or something far worse than that.
So, to everyone: you are free to make your own decisions what gear you wear. But please, make informed decisions. Be aware how life can change in an instant, and how we can't always avoid the worst. We can, however, make choices to stack the odds in our favor, whether that's more rider training, lots of practice (and re-practice), minimizing distractions while riding, stopping for a break when you're tired or thirsty or drenched by rain or just plain unfocused, and yes, wearing gear to help protect ourselves and our loved ones when we or others make mistakes.
Be safe everyone... there's a lot of riding for us all to do! :doorag:
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