Safety Gear

[Bob Denman]

In the summer I wear shorts, sneakers and a T-shirt.:firstplace:
I dont even wear underwear cause I like that cooling sensation. :thumbup:

I don't own a full face helmet because they give a false sense of safety.
I have investigated many motorcycle accidents and never encountered a single case where armor saved the rider more then a road rash.

My armor is....
A. Stay within the speed limit.
B. Don't drink and ride.
C. Stay away from other MCs.
D. Don't ride at night.
E. Always give the other vehicle the right of way.
F. Keep your middle finger to yourself.
G. Don't assume everyone sees you.
H. Only ride as fast as your skills allow. (the biggest accident causer)

My Missus thinks that you're the GREATEST! :bowdown:
But you have to remember: she's a transplant patient...

 

[Pirate looks at --]

My Missus thinks that you're the GREATEST! :bowdown:
But you have to remember: she's a transplant patient...

Nice!:roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:

 

[Bob Denman]

I have no problem with letting folks choose their own level of personal responsibility. :thumbup:
As long as they realize the full implications of those choices. nojoke

 

[Pirate looks at --]

Yep, bad decisions, means more organs for the rest of us! But do people that make such bad decisions sign up to be donors??:yikes:

 

[Roadster Renovations]

I'm sure that my wife will want to go ATGATT if she ever rydes again. Experience is a pretty hard teacher sometimes, but like someone else said, it's a personal choice. Stuff can happen at any time, from out of nowhere. On the way home from the hospital yesterday, a young lady got on the the 4 lane frontage road, no turn signal, never looked once, and cut across all four lanes at once. If I hadn't braked, she would have put me and the Daytona right into the guard rail at 50mph. Then she had the audacity to tell me *I* was number one.
Idiot cagers never cease to amaze me.

 

[wyliec]

Sorry Idaho, I know where you are coming from, but I can’t agree with that perspective.
If you are involved in a serious car accident, and are killed or seriously injured, your family may be faced with financial disaster and the cost of your care will be paid by others....

Do you have a moral right to impose your choice to ride a machine that (regardless of how you are dressed), will give you far less chance of survival or receiving a serious injury than a motor car, on those who do not have a say in that choice? Where do you draw the line?:dontknow:

Poorly phrased, but hopefully you get my point

Pete

That's a tough one to answer. I'm kept busy by both auto and motorcycle accident victims/patients in rehab, and don't give it a second thought; there's no time for that, and I'd drive myself nuts just thinking about it.

 

[Bob Denman]

But it's keeping you gainfully employed, and off of the streets! :2thumbs:

 

[Chiisai]

ATGATT

From a female point of view:

I LOVE it that my riding partner is ATGATT (2018 Honda Goldwing-DCT). This tells me that he is wanting the best results out of a crash, should or when it happens. It tells me that he cares about himself enough to want to live (or minimize his injuries). It also tells me that he cares about me and how I will adjust to devastating effects after a life altering crash he is in.

I am ATGATT for the same reasons. We are a team, partners and we care about everything that happens to the other. I would never impose my own preference on him as far as his riding gear, but thankfully I didn't have to worry about that because he was already ATGATT when we got together. This is one of the things that gave me confidence in riding along side of him.

Being a female, there is yet another good reason to wear safety gear. A testimony from an ER nurse. A young woman brought into the ER with multiple injuries from a motorcycle accident. She was the co-rider; neither she nor her riding partner were wearing safety gear. He in jeans and a tee shirt, she in a tank top and shorts. No mention to what the man's injuries were, but the beautiful young woman received an instant and complete mastectomy. Can you imagine how terrible that must have been for her and for him (if he lived), to know that in most cases this could have been avoided.

Yes, I am ATGATT. On the days when the temperature is 105 or higher and we are on the motorcycles, we are still ATGATT. I admit I might be a little more comfortable without my safety gear, but then I think, how uncomfortable I would be in the hospital hooked up to plastic tubes, multiple patches of painful road rash or even worse, on a ventilator.

 

[Bob Denman]

Yes, I am ATGATT. On the days when the temperature is 105 or higher and we are on the motorcycles, we are still ATGATT. I admit I might be a little more comfortable without my safety gear, but then I think, how uncomfortable I would be in the hospital hooked up to plastic tubes, multiple patches of painful road rash or even worse, on a ventilator.

:clap: Amen! :2thumbs:
If you think that the gear is uncomfortable: think about how much fun healing might be! :yikes:

 

[rodentrancher]

A couple of notes, from personal experience:

- Road rash is really unpleasant, tends to get infected, leaves ugly scars, and is well worth avoiding. I'm lucky mine was limited to my legs - I'm living proof of why you want to wear abrasion-resistant pants as well as a jacket, and not just blue jeans.

- Slide face-down across the asphalt just once, and you will realize that full face helmets are well worth the minor additional weight and discomfort. I wish I still had the Polaroid I took of my old Bell Star after my accident (boy, does that statement date me!)

 

[Pirate looks at --]

From a female point of view:

I LOVE it that my riding partner is ATGATT (2018 Honda Goldwing-DCT). This tells me that he is wanting the best results out of a crash, should or when it happens. It tells me that he cares about himself enough to want to live (or minimize his injuries). It also tells me that he cares about me and how I will adjust to devastating effects after a life altering crash he is in.

I am ATGATT for the same reasons. We are a team, partners and we care about everything that happens to the other. I would never impose my own preference on him as far as his riding gear, but thankfully I didn't have to worry about that because he was already ATGATT when we got together. This is one of the things that gave me confidence in riding along side of him.

Being a female, there is yet another good reason to wear safety gear. A testimony from an ER nurse. A young woman brought into the ER with multiple injuries from a motorcycle accident. She was the co-rider; neither she nor her riding partner were wearing safety gear. He in jeans and a tee shirt, she in a tank top and shorts. No mention to what the man's injuries were, but the beautiful young woman received an instant and complete mastectomy. Can you imagine how terrible that must have been for her and for him (if he lived), to know that in most cases this could have been avoided.

Yes, I am ATGATT. On the days when the temperature is 105 or higher and we are on the motorcycles, we are still ATGATT. I admit I might be a little more comfortable without my safety gear, but then I think, how uncomfortable I would be in the hospital hooked up to plastic tubes, multiple patches of painful road rash or even worse, on a ventilator.

Very well stated, and something my wife could have written on the choice factor. We just believe that you do what you can to avoid causing yourself pain and suffering, but also how much pain we could cause our partner to have to deal with a catastrophe like this!

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Sorry Idaho, I know where you are coming from, but I can’t agree with that perspective.
If you are involved in a serious car accident, and are killed or seriously injured, your family may be faced with financial disaster and the cost of your care will be paid by others....

Do you have a moral right to impose your choice to ride a machine that (regardless of how you are dressed), will give you far less chance of survival or receiving a serious injury than a motor car, on those who do not have a say in that choice? Where do you draw the line?:dontknow:

Poorly phrased, but hopefully you get my point

Pete

I say you draw the line at whatever level of protection is known to be effective and easy to use. For car drivers and passengers that would be seat belt use, and child restraint seats. For m/c riders, at least a helmet and crash jacket. For skydivers, an emergency chute. For balloonists, equipment in top notch condition, and so forth. When it comes to acting safely, if a person doesn't at least "pick the low hanging fruit" then they are being selfish and concerned only, or mostly, about their own welfare.

Engage in whatever activity enhances your life, just don't needlessly tempt fate.

I'm of the mind that states who don't require helmet use ought to make something like $50000 a mandatory deductible for medical insurance policies for people who crash and are not wearing a helmet.

 

[Peteoz]

That's a tough one to answer. I'm kept busy by both auto and motorcycle accident victims/patients in rehab, and don't give it a second thought; there's no time for that, and I'd drive myself nuts just thinking about it.

You’re excused from thinking about it, Wylie.......and I DO wear ATGNATT, with the only exceptions being either visiting the newsagent on Sunday morning or the beach (both are less than a mile away, on 30mph, lightly trafficked roads. ......having conducted a full risk assessment :thumbup:
(ATGNATT) = all the gear nearly all the time :thumbup:

Pete

 

[Peteoz]

I say you draw the line at whatever level of protection is known to be effective and easy to use. For car drivers and passengers that would be seat belt use, and child restraint seats. For m/c riders, at least a helmet and crash jacket. For skydivers, an emergency chute. For balloonists, equipment in top notch condition, and so forth. When it comes to acting safely, if a person doesn't at least "pick the low hanging fruit" then they are being selfish and concerned only, or mostly, about their own welfare.

Engage in whatever activity enhances your life, just don't needlessly tempt fate.

I'm of the mind that states who don't require helmet use ought to make something like $50000 a mandatory deductible for medical insurance policies for people who crash and are not wearing a helmet.

Yeah, we are pretty much in agreement, Idaho. You have to hope that those who choose to dress “lightly” have indeed contemplated all the scenarios mentioned before they make that decision. I’m sure many of them haven’t, and may need that pointed out in the hope it sinks in. However, if they have made that call after looking at all the for and againsts, I am not going to chastise/criticise them in any way.

Pete

 

[Road-Kill]

What is your level fun vs safety?

I don't care what adventurist activity you are involved in.
You all ask yourself the ultimate question... safety.
Are you willing to risk safety for pleasure?

There are lots of harmful activities out there that people get involved in that give them pleasure (to name a few):
1. Smoking. Cancer (many of my friends are dead because of this one)
2. Over eating. Tons of diseases. (ditto on this one too)
3. Mountain Climbing. Gravity.
4. Skydiving. Gravity.
5. Prescription and illegal drug abusers. Tons of diseases. (even the President is calling it an opioid epidemic)

Motorcycle fatalities are WAY down the list of what is harming people.
I'll bet many on this thread probably at least smoke and are obese.
I'll stick with my T-shirt, shorts and sneaker attire and we'll see who meets their maker first.
Damn hypocrites.

 

[Chiisai]

I don't care what adventurist activity you are involved in.
You all ask yourself the ultimate question.....safety.
Are you willing to risk safety for pleasure?

There are lots of harmful activities out there that people get involved in that give them pleasure (to name a few)…..
1. Smoking. Cancer (many of my friends are dead because of this one)
2. Over eating. Tons of diseases. (ditto on this one too)
3. Mountain Climbing. Gravity.
4. Skydiving. Gravity.
5. Prescription and illegal drug abusers. Tons of diseases. (even the President is calling it an opioid epidemic)

Motorcycle fatalities are WAY down the list of what is harming people.
I'll bet many on this thread probably at least smoke and are obese.
I'll stick with my T-shirt, shorts and sneaker attire and we'll see who meets their maker first.
Damn hypocrites.

I tend to agree with you Roadkill and that is why what you wear to get your pleasure from motorcycling is your choice to make, except where you live or ride to, but even then, you have to assess the risks you may encounter.
I recently moved to Missouri from Oklahoma. Oklahoma has no helmet law. Missouri does. I have always worn a helmet simply because I feel that if I have a crash or go down, my head is likely to hit something. However, maybe there are times when I would like to not have on a helmet on. There are 2 cases of when I would have left my helmet off but was told it was against the law. Both happened here in Missouri. I have an extremely small head for an adult. I cannot find a helmet to fit. None of the adult helmets will fit my head, not even an XXS. I have battled this ever since I have been on motorcycles (since the age of 9). I have to line my helmets with quilting batting to "fill in" the top of the helmet and then the helmet just sits on top of my head. Not a good fit and definitely not very safe. One day when I was coming back from Tennessee but had crossed the line into Missouri, my helmet began to "move around" on my head and my head began to itch so bad that I was crying. But because I was in Missouri I could not take my helmet off. I had to stop numerous times before getting home to "rearrange" the inside of the helmet so that it was not moving, but the itching was constant. If I ever work on my spyder or change out the tires or do anything in my garage that would necessitate taking it for a spin around the block to test something, I have to put on a helmet. I was not used to being mandated to wear a helmet. If I needed to take off my helmet in my home state of Oklahoma, it was very reassuring to know that whatever the reason I had to not have my helmet on at that point in time, I would not be cited for it.

Recently I got a little more creative with my helmet situation. I ordered a small youth helmet. I have only found one company that has an open face youth helmet. I cannot wear a youth modular helmet as they are shaped different from my head that they prevent me from being able to talk (maybe somethings that could be a blessing ); the sides are pushed so tight against my jaws that it is excruciating painful. Even the youth's small open face helmet is not a perfect fit and I had to modify the insides again with quilting batting, cut holes in the Styrofoam to house my Sena speakers and then cut holes in the lining where my ears are so that I could hear sounds from the speakers. With all the modifications I did to the new helmet, I still have some hair itching because the open face youth helmets do not have a ventilation system. But at least now I can ride my Spyder in somewhat comfort and know in a crash that my helmet will stay on my head.

Incidentally, I have never smoked, do not over eat (I weigh 105 lbs.), exercise daily, don't climb mountains or skydive or take illegal substances. I am not addicted to any drugs or alcohol. I have done all that I can to try to avoid cancer and most terminal diseases. I visit 3 doctors every six months, have yearly mammograms and do what the doctors tell me. I do have 2 autoimmune diseases (genetic-arthritis and hashimotos thyroiditis). I take my prescribed non addictive medications daily and try to avoid the damages that sun creates by wearing SPF 100 sunscreen.

We all aren't hypocrites. I would just say that I wish you God's healing mercies when and if you need it and to keep doing what makes you happy.

 

[Bob Denman]

Since I sell insurance: my perspective is a bit different...
But as a result of what i've seen: I'll "dress for the slide; and not for the ride!"

 

[Pirate looks at --]

I don't care what adventurist activity you are involved in.
You all ask yourself the ultimate question.....safety.
Are you willing to risk safety for pleasure?

There are lots of harmful activities out there that people get involved in that give them pleasure (to name a few)…..
1. Smoking. Cancer (many of my friends are dead because of this one)
2. Over eating. Tons of diseases. (ditto on this one too)
3. Mountain Climbing. Gravity.
4. Skydiving. Gravity.
5. Prescription and illegal drug abusers. Tons of diseases. (even the President is calling it an opioid epidemic)

Motorcycle fatalities are WAY down the list of what is harming people.
I'll bet many on this thread probably at least smoke and are obese.
I'll stick with my T-shirt, shorts and sneaker attire and we'll see who meets their maker first.
Damn hypocrites.

Have another cigarette and a donut while you're at it!

 

[SPECTACUALR SPIDERMAN]

I don't care what adventurist activity you are involved in.
You all ask yourself the ultimate question.....safety.
Are you willing to risk safety for pleasure?

There are lots of harmful activities out there that people get involved in that give them pleasure (to name a few)…..
1. Smoking. Cancer (many of my friends are dead because of this one)
2. Over eating. Tons of diseases. (ditto on this one too)
3. Mountain Climbing. Gravity.
4. Skydiving. Gravity.
5. Prescription and illegal drug abusers. Tons of diseases. (even the President is calling it an opioid epidemic)

Motorcycle fatalities are WAY down the list of what is harming people.
I'll bet many on this thread probably at least smoke and are obese.
I'll stick with my T-shirt, shorts and sneaker attire and we'll see who meets their maker first.
Damn hypocrites.

got no problem with what you are saying but i do have this question: who pays financially if you are wrong?
i believe it will be taxpayers.

 

[Lew L]

ATGATT

Close to being on topic:

Coming home from the dermatologist this morning, I passed a couple on a Harley. Both in shorts and tank tops, light shoes and minimal helmets. No gloves :yikes: .... I did pass them at light speed though (on the V-max ya know). I'm in full gear :joke: and I have NO false sense of protection because I wear a full helmet, jacket with padding, boots, gloves (with extra leather on the palms and knuckles). Even hearing protection. I ride for the slide - not the look.

Lew L