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

[bigwonton]

After spending a good deal of time this holiday weekend riding around town, I've noticed that the "All The Gear, All The Time" group of riders is definitely in the minority.

I do realize riding is all about how much risk you are willing to accept and I'm not here to tell anybody how to ride, but I've been noticing alot of stuff that just seems downright foolhardy and/or dangerous.

There was one instance of a couple where the passenger was sitting on top of a jacket. The arms of the jacket were just flapping around. I shudder to think what would happen if that jacket got sucked into the spokes.

Then there was the family that was riding down the highway at 65+MPH. Mom and Dad on their HD's with the kids. No face protection/goggles on mom. She had her head cranked at an angle, but how she could see clearly at 65 MPH is beyond me. Kids were wearing helmets, but that was about it. Short sleeves, shorts and sandals completed the rest of their riding outfit.

After having seen severe road rash, I don't think that's a risk I'm willing to take...

[primal]

I think its part ignorance, part an attempt to fit the "biker" mold, and part "it can't happen to me." Unfortunately, I think a large portion of those bikers who don't wear proper safety gear probably don't survive a crash and later change their ways.

The only piece of safety gear I'm lacking is armored pants. And its not because I'm not willing to pay for them. I'm just a big boy (with a short inseam) and its hard enough trying to find regular jeans to fit me. The local shops are also crap as far as apparel is concerned. I'd be pretty much forced to order online (which would be fine if I were easier to fit).

[LilNinja77]

Yes we are a minority.........few and far between normally. I'd say 90% of the riders near me are all "fair weather" riders. They only ride in the warmer months, and only if the weather is clear and sunny. This past fall and winter, I literally could count the number of fellow riders I saw on the roads with my fingers........for the entire span of Nov-Feb.. All of the morons that come out in the warmth seem to absolutely refuse to wear anything more than a helmet, and most often even that is only a skid-lid. Well, there are the wanna-be racers who buy expensive Suomy helmets and Dianese jackets.......and then ride in sneakers and shorts....... :??: :??: :??: None of the cruiser riders here wear anything more than a helmet, except for the very few all year Harley guys who have to wear gear in the winter so they won't freeze. It's only in the winter that I don't feel like the oddball for wearing gear, when I actually see the other riders out.

Everyone I ride with adhere to ATGATT as best they can, and I personally won't leave the driveway without my full set of riding gear on. I've got full leather and full textile, some of it I got at super-bargain prices, some of it at full retail.....all of it was worth every penny. I came to realize some time ago that I couldn't care less what the other riders on the road are wearing/aren't wearing. If they are comfortable with their skin being shredded and ground off in to the pavement, well, it's just not my cup 'O' tea. Sure, when I pull up somewhere and I'm the ONLY rider wearing real gear, I get laughed at........but I'm laughing right back at each and every one of them.

Trying to look "cool" while riding is a self-defeating practice, image is only for riders who stay on long straight roads.
Ride safe

[davtnn]

All a matter of choice of course ...BUT those not having experience with the texture of the road at a good speed really have no appreciation for what it can do..personally i have dumped a bike a few times and know ROAD = HARD and rough. I also Know my own skills and can estimate the skills of the auto drivers and it all adds up to putting as much as you can between the road and you. Let the immortal sport bike riders ride around in speedo shorts and flip flops..

Try Diamond Gusset jeans for motorcycle riders (they have a web site )... cut and reinforced just were we need them ..

[patrick_777]

Originally Posted by LilNinja77

Sure, when I pull up somewhere and I'm the ONLY rider wearing real gear, I get laughed at........but I'm laughing right back at each and every one of them.

Have you actually been laughed at for wearing gear? I can't imagine the type of d-bag it takes to laugh at someone for wanting to be safe.

Originally Posted by LilNinja77

Trying to look "cool" while riding is a self-defeating practice, image is only for riders who stay on long straight roads.

I agree with everything LN said here. The idea that looking cool is a little opposite in my (and probably many of yours) mind. The fully geared-out rider, IMO, looks much cooler than a dumbass with a tank and flip-flops on...

And yes, even in a vet-vest with war patches all over it, if they aren't wearing much more than jeans and a head-hankey, they haven't learned much from all of their past "experiences".

To answer the initial post, around here, all-gear is definitely in the minority. OK doesn't have helmet laws, so literally 1 out of about 30 cruiser riders wears anything more than jeans, gloves and glasses. The sport riders tend to scale up though, being an upper-class sleeper town here, they afford and most of them cruise in full-face helmets and a nice, armored jacket. I spent about 4 hours last weekend cruising around counting the number of sport-bike riders in full gear (helmet, jacket, pants, boots, gloves) and got to 15 before I quit. This was after about 30-40 bikes total across town. The cruiser riders were MUCH worse off. I actually saw only 1 that was in full gear (not counting myself, natch) and only 5 or 6 that had helmets, gloves and jeans on, but the major majority of them wore next to nothing. So much bare skin showing, they should just flail it off themselves and preserve it for when they WILL need it in the near future.

In a moment of confession, I went out this afternoon (100 degrees) a block down the street to get my cat some food and I went in a pair of knee-length shorts and a t-shirt. I wore boots and a helmet with my gloves though. It wasn't that bad, but I understand exactly what my jacket really does for me in the scorching heat. It keeps the sun OFF of my SKIN. Just those 20 minutes on the road, and I came back almost sunburned on my arms. AND it keeps me cooler by circulating the air closer around me then the great convection oven of the outside wind does.

[Water Warrior 2]

ATGATT is the only way I can ride. I could ride in jeans and a T-shirt but I can't. Before any ride I pick out the gear for the day and put it on. The older I get the more I value life because I have less left every day. Even a low speed get off or minor bump can hurt without gear if you fall. What value do we put on our health, welfare and quality of life. Dressing up is easier than healing up. Different levels of dress are up to the individual and the amount of risk they are willing to take. It is all about freedom of choice in the end.

[2FIDY]

I went down @ 60mph, w/ a t-shirt, jeans, and a full face, about 13 years ago. I ground a 3" long flat spot on the chin guard, rashed my elbow, and had some muscle protruding through what used to be skin on my left hip. I haven't ridden without my gear since. I was VERY lucky that I didn't hit the bumper that went over my head. It was attached to the car of the old lady that had just pulled out in front of me. At least I think it was an older lady, SHE DIDN'T STOP! Wear your gear. Get laughed at. Know that you are doing the right thing! (And for those who care, or those who like to generalize classes of bikers, the IMMORTAL SPORTBIKE RIDERS that were previously referred to in this thread are [at least in the places I have ridden] just as likely to be properly clad to ride safely as the cruisers are).

[LilNinja77]

Patrick777------yes, I was being serious about getting laughed at for wearing my gear, in fact, it's happened quite a few times at various locations. Both the cruiser and sportbike crowd have laughed at me for it, and of course there has been more than the fair share of non-riders who point and laugh (parking lots are mean places :blush: )

Here's the laundry list of A-holes who apparently think wearing riding gear is funny :
Harley riders
Harley passengers
Metric cruiser riders
Wanna-be racers on sportbikes they have no control over
cage drivers who are blasting the AC while I sit in the humidity/heat
cage drivers who are blasting the heat while I sit in the cold
rednecks in big trucks
wanna-be gangsters in whatever bling'd out bass-machine they happen to be in
high school kids sitting on the bus

.........I think you get the picture. I'd say 95% of the time, all the negativity is in the summer/warmer months, no one seems to want trouble in the winter. I don't know what ever happened to "ride your own ride". About the only group that seem to enjoy my full gear are the little kids who always make the "pull a wheelie" motion to me as I ride by......and of course they don't like the gear for the right reasons. They just like it 'cause I look like a racer with all my leathers on. Actually, some of the non-idiot sportbike guys and non-moron cruiser guys do give me a little respect for riding all year with full gear, only because they are the few other riders here that also do the same.

On another note, how pissed off would this make you? I went to Wal-Mart Saturday (yes, July 4th and I went to the Chinese base-camp) to pick up some shotgun shells, and when I came out to get back on the Ninja there were 3........yep, count'em, 3 shopping carts in the parking space I was in. Only one was touching the motorcycle, but I mean really, what the hell?!?!?! I hate Suffolk VA :cuss:

Sorry for the little rant,
Ride safe

[patrick_777]

Originally Posted by 2FIDY

(And for those who care, or those who like to generalize classes of bikers, the IMMORTAL SPORTBIKE RIDERS that were previously referred to in this thread are [at least in the places I have ridden] just as likely to be properly clad to ride safely as the cruisers are).

Who generalized classes of bikers?

[Doug577]

The other day I saw a rider with no gear (shorts, T-shirt) and a small child on the back (w/ helmet only) holding on for dear life. It's one thing for the rider to have no gear, but...

Seriously, I've just seen pictures of road rash and heard a few stories. ATGATT for me. My skin is awfully important to me.