Protective Gear Poll

HellsAngel

Helmet,jacket,pants,gloves and boots

On the very few days we get warm enough in Ireland, I like riding the bike out to say, Howth or Dun Laoighre just with a lid and t shirt and jeans !!!! I love to throw an eye at the poor ba$tard's stuck in their cages saying to themselves - I wish I was that guy.

Ok I know if I came off I would be getting skin grafts on my arms for months, but I cann't resist !!! Besides, most of the way I'm still in Dublin and so going 30mph. :cool:

I remember once riding through the Wicklow gap and seeing a guy coming the other way on a Cruiser bare chested just with a pair of shorts and WW2 German army type lid on him !!!!

JohnnyCrash

[Ok I know if I came off I would be getting skin grafts on my arms for months, but I cann't resist !!! Besides, most of the way I'm still in Dublin and so going 30mph. :cool:]
74% of motorcycle accidents occur in built up areas-RSA

Flyin Irishman

Helmet,jacket and boots

I always wear a helmet, jacket, and gloves. Sometimes I wear the boots too, and I tend to only wear the pants for long spins.

I know I should wear ATGATT, and I commend anyone who does, but I just cant in to the habit of gearing up fully, and being stuck in the gear all day, for a short trip. Plus my boots started to squeak and its really annoying! Any tips for that??


EDIT: Good idea for a thread btw

Dorsanty

Once the boots begin to squeak I tend to use Silicone, or Teflon, or WD40 in order of preference.

Depends where the squeak is of course but in all my past boots it's been at the ankle support torsion system.

seanybiker

Helmet,jacket,gloves and boots

JohnnyCrash wrote: »

Wont argue with that,but as another poster put it,if you go to the bother of protecting everything else,why not the two things that you are most likely to instinctively put out to break your fall if you should have one.Just strange is all.I'd rather to not like the feel of gloves on my hands than to not having skin on my hands to feel them:eek:

Don't even know what part of me slapped off the ground when I did crash. I just kept on losing gloves so in the end didn't bother. I know its gonna hurt like a muthal ****a getting a sleeve off but sure tis only meself that will feel it.

Cuddlesworth

HellsAngel wrote: »

Interesting. I'm the only so far who voted lid, jacket, gloves, pants but no boots.

The boots protect the ankles and the tendons at the back of the leg. If they go you will never walk again.

Reg'stoy

Commute across the M50 on a Yamaha Majesty and I would never consider getting on it without been covered head to toe. Bloke in work laughed at me the first time he saw me in the gear "it's only a fu**ing scooter" he said "the road is still as hard" was my reply.

Took lessons when I first got the scooter and the guy wouldn't even entertain me untill I had gotten full gear.

As some one said earlier on, 1000cc or 50cc the ground isn't choosey. I still can't fathom how someone would knowingly put on an open face helmet.

Pigeon Reaper

Reg'stoy wrote: »

I still can't fathom how someone would knowingly put on an open face helmet.

Maybe they're ugly and anything would be an improvement.

I've seen a few spills with people using gear and without. If people want/don't want to use gear thats fine by me, I'll treat them the same either way. Anyhow if we were sensible we probably wouldn't be on a bike in the first place.

CJhaughey

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

The boots protect the ankles and the tendons at the back of the leg. If they go you will never walk again.

or perhaps more importantly shift and brake.;)
Steel toecaps aren't really much better than a pair of leather hiking boots.
Proper boots have armour and padding, you don't have to look like a racetrack refugee but I would rather have a little armour than none.

JohnnyCrash

Taking a slide down the tarmac at 50 km/hr has been likened to jumping off a 2 storey building onto a cheese grater.

seanybiker

Helmet,jacket,gloves and boots

JohnnyCrash wrote: »

Taking a slide down the tarmac at 50 km/hr has been likened to jumping off a 2 storey building onto a cheese grater.

Sounds about right. I was lucky I had me boots on. Some gash in the toe guard. :0

unclebill98

I've and two falls in my time. I got told by my bro get the right gear after my first lesson with him. He took me on the road and I stupidly went out with no proper gear on. It rained and I got soaked. After that it was head to foot without the proper gear. It cost more than the bike!

First fall the trousers saved my leg, had to get the trouser cut off. I argued not to but one attempt later it was time to cut them off.

Second fall resulted in nothing more than ripped tendons and a cracked thumb bone. The proper gloves save my hand.

Cold or hot weather you gotta have the gear to make yourself feel comfy without sacrificing safety. I'd hate to be sitting here thinking "what if" I had of had the right gear on, would I have suffered less.

goldie fish

Have lost too much skin to gravel rash, and hopped helmetted head off the ground too often to take the chance.

Does a small bottle of holy water under the seat count as protective clothing?

seanybiker

Helmet,jacket,gloves and boots

goldie fish wrote: »

Have lost too much skin to gravel rash, and hopped helmetted head off the ground too often to take the chance.

Does a small bottle of holy water under the seat count as protective clothing?

Have the holy water meself. Mother is some woman for it even though I'm not religious.

Pique

Steel toecapped boots are more likely to amputate your toes for you than protect ya, I reckon.

Jacket, Gloves, Lid, Trousers and Boots.
Lid and Jacket are top quality.
Rest is Aldi/Lidl but better than nowt. Will upgrade as funds allow.

Alkers

Helmet,jacket,pants,gloves and boots

Tigger - what seperate armour do you wear under the gear? I wear a dainese lid, armoured dainese leather jacket, and gloves all the time. Most of the time I go to college I wear my boots and armoured draggin jeans unless a very long day I switch out for runners. If it's raining I'll wear cheap nitro waterproof armoured trousers and normal jeans underneath. If going for decent spin I have leather trousers and a knox back, chest and kidney protector. Could probably do with better gloves soon anyway, mine getting less warm and we're only about fifty euro. Any recommendations?

Tigger

Simona1986 wrote: »

Tigger - what seperate armour do you wear under the gear? I wear a dainese lid, armoured dainese leather jacket, and gloves all the time. Most of the time I go to college I wear my boots and armoured draggin jeans unless a very long day I switch out for runners. If it's raining I'll wear cheap nitro waterproof armoured trousers and normal jeans underneath. If going for decent spin I have leather trousers and a knox back, chest and kidney protector. Could probably do with better gloves soon anyway, mine getting less warm and we're only about fifty euro. Any recommendations?

i love this

http://www.championmotouk.com/product-info-mc.php?Knox-Aegis-Race-Back-Protector-With-Coccyx-pid1027.html

comfy totally flexaible and very strong

you have the back chest and kidney armour already so thats good

gloves are a matter of taste i like these for all year


http://www.getgeared.co.uk/HELD_2842_GORE-TEX_Shakal_Motorcycle_Glove?sc=16&category=141

and these for fast summer riding

http://www.getgeared.co.uk/ALPINESTARS_SP1_Sports_Motorcycle_Gloves_All_Black_2?sc=16&category=147



propper ce armour has hard shell soft shell

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/350/34741/ITEM/Teknic-Knox-Air-V2-Elbow-Knee-Armor.aspx

swap it for your foam in jacket /pants


boots are very important you need armoured boots
its abrasions to yer ankles and damage to yer feet that can be a real pain

i wear sidis

http://www.bikebandit.com/sidi-on-road-gore-tex-boots-2008?WT.mc_id=1484958&CAWELAID=338443049

above all don't crash

Alkers

Helmet,jacket,pants,gloves and boots

Thanks for that, that's the back protector I have but with the added chest protection, think it was a good bit cheaper than that from knox direct. Have decent boots but on the longer days for college they are a pain to walk around in and I've no where to store them so they get left at home sometimes. There's proper padding in my jacket and I put knox armour into my draggin jeans, must get some for the leather trousers and I'll be fairly well set.

galwaytt

Great idea for a thread btw.

...I'm just back from a spin around the Alps on the bike, and last Sunday it was......26 deg C. I nearly died from heatstroke, what with all the (Irish spec !) gear....

Mind you, in the eve, in the mountains, the temps plummeted by about 12 deg and I was glad then !

I did notice, though, that none of the locals were out without ALL of their gear, and the vast majority of it was all leather...........

...in particular I noticed a lot of people wearing kidney belts.

Mind you, doesn't stop this happening.........(on the way back to hotel, Sunday eve..........dunno how serious it was, but the ambulance's weren't speeding, and had no lights/sirens on.......... :eek: )







I'm putting up separate thread later on the spin and bike btw......

jayok

I'm pretty much an AGATT type. Full face helmet and full high-vis jacket to boot.

However, I don't have a back protector - hmmm.... must look into getting one.

Del2005

I'm nearly always AGATT, only time I don't wear the gear is if I've just done something on the bike, then it'll be lid/jacket/gloves, and I'm just taking it for a blast around the block to make sure it's OK.

Looking to pick up some CE full kevlar denims for short spins.

I've textile gear and my back protector is in the jacket, didn't get a separate back protector as there'd be a chance I'd not wear it so at least in the jacket I'll always have it.

lord lucan

Helmet,jacket and boots

I ride a Yamaha Xmax so it's Helmet,armoured jacket and gloves for me. Never wore boots or pants. Have a pair of luminous yellow waterproofs for wet weather.

Cuddlesworth

lord lucan wrote: »

Never wore boots or pants.

Do you think that because you drive a moped your legs and feet are immune to a long skid(or drag)? Because I regret to inform you, they are not.

lord lucan

Helmet,jacket and boots

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Do you think that because you drive a moped your legs and feet are immune to a long skid(or drag)? Because I regret to inform you, they are not.

Nope,not immune but from experience of having a couple of slides i found the fairing on the bike helped as it extends beyond the width of where my legs where and my feet stayed firmly planted on the platform. Sore arse was the worst i've had.

dewsbury

Life's not always black and white.

Sometimes I nip down to the local shops with nothing on but a helmet ... sometimes with my son on the back ...

madness??
Maybe, maybe not..

Consider:

1. What speed am I going? .. perhaps no quicker than a fast cyclist ...(I am better protected than a fast cyclist and more in control).

2. Another consideration is that I tend to ride slower and more cautiously .. when I have less protection on. If I have my full gear on ... perhaps I get an artificial sense of being invunerable

3. I find full face helmets more dangerous .. my peripheral vision is very restricted with one ...

...not black .. not white .... GREY !

honeybadger

Helmet,jacket and boots

helmet jacket gloves meself here ,,find boots and throusers over kill for short spins and going to the likes of tescos for the munchies and that but wear the throusers and boots when im on a long spin,,

seanybiker

Helmet,jacket,gloves and boots

One of the lads went up and down the road doing wheelies with slippers on one day. I went to move my bike one day in me socks and me leg nearly broke putting the bike into neutral.

JohnnyCrash

Life's not always black and white.

Sometimes I nip down to the local shops with nothing on but a helmet ... sometimes with my son on the back ...

madness??
Maybe, maybe not..

Consider:

1

dewsbury wrote: »

. What speed am I going? .. perhaps no quicker than a fast cyclist ...(I am better protected than a fast cyclist and more in control).

2. Another consideration is that I tend to ride slower and more cautiously .. when I have less protection on. If I have my full gear on ... perhaps I get an artificial sense of being invunerable!

Thats all fine and dandy if you were the only one on the roads.;)

3. I find full face helmets more dangerous .. my peripheral vision is very restricted with one ...

...not black .. not white .... GREY

CrazyRabbit

I'm surprised that there were votes for anything other than the last option. I feel soo vulnerable without full gear.

Dorsanty

I'm ATGATT, but I wasn't always. I was at the start of my biking life as my friends demanded it (former bikers themselves). Later I would decide based on what I wanted to do at my destination, how fast I thought I was going to travel, traffic, etc.

So my own reasons for ATGATT are,

Human instinct is to reach out with your hands to protect yourself in a fall, so without gloves you are going to potentially do horrible damage to something so important. No working hands in my opinion means you might as well skip on the helmet too. Non-motorbike related I've hurt different individual fingers from time to time and found myself unable to tie my shoe laces and such. So multiple skin grafts, missing digits, and nerve damage are out of the question if I can avoid it.

Of the accidents I've had, in each case before I left my home I stared at my full gear and thought 'Will I? Won't I?'. It takes like 6-7 minutes to get all the gear on and I'm lazy as hell. I miraculously went with the full gear on these occasions and they did the job (though the bike landing on my leg got in behind the shin armor and caused some serious bruising). Note: motorbike landing on person and bicycle landing on person are two very different things no matter the speed.

Anyway just my 2c. I don't preach to others and respect their choices but at the lights if people pull up with no gloves especially I shudder slightly.