Harleys \ helmets..
Discussion
black-k1 said:
peteO said:
it'd be interesting to see pictures of peoples old helmets and leathers if they had any....
how have 2 piece leathers changed over the last 30 years?
My first 2 piece was from Hideout (then in Cambridge but still going now) and were made of goat skin. They looked like a current zip all around 2 piece touring leather suit but had little in the way of armour other than extra layers of leather on elbows hips and knees.how have 2 piece leathers changed over the last 30 years?
peteO said:
black-k1 said:
peteO said:
it'd be interesting to see pictures of peoples old helmets and leathers if they had any....
how have 2 piece leathers changed over the last 30 years?
My first 2 piece was from Hideout (then in Cambridge but still going now) and were made of goat skin. They looked like a current zip all around 2 piece touring leather suit but had little in the way of armour other than extra layers of leather on elbows hips and knees.how have 2 piece leathers changed over the last 30 years?
I had a BMW R100RS that would manage about 125mph for real, about 135mph on the clock.
I never crash tested my leathers but they were well put together (and were still being used 20 years later) so I have no reason to think they wouldn't do a good job if needed.
Stu R said:
Where I live helmets are optional. Quite liberating riding without a lid
Yep used to ride all the time without one in Texas. I didn't die in a ball of flames with my brain scattered across the scenery as an interesting accompaniment to my skin spread thinly on the tarmac.
The proper attire for a Harley, in it's native environment, seem to be a knackered old pair of piss stained jeans/jacket and a crappy bandana which you can soak in cold beer before you set off to the next bar on your pub crawl.
I am late to the topic...
Read the whole thing and have yet to read a holier then thou posting. It just looked like a interesting observation, although like many postings these things come around every summer.
However those offended by this discsussion why not just flipping 'not' click on this post and simply read about something else. Isn't exactly rocket science is it?
Read the whole thing and have yet to read a holier then thou posting. It just looked like a interesting observation, although like many postings these things come around every summer.
However those offended by this discsussion why not just flipping 'not' click on this post and simply read about something else. Isn't exactly rocket science is it?
Renn Sport said:
I am late to the topic...
Read the whole thing and have yet to read a holier then thou posting. It just looked like a interesting observation, although like many postings these things come around every summer.
However those offended by this discsussion why not just flipping 'not' click on this post and simply read about something else. Isn't exactly rocket science is it?
Someone being so offended by people being offended by a post on a thread they have to post to tell everyone how offended they are rather than add to the topic.Read the whole thing and have yet to read a holier then thou posting. It just looked like a interesting observation, although like many postings these things come around every summer.
However those offended by this discsussion why not just flipping 'not' click on this post and simply read about something else. Isn't exactly rocket science is it?
Oh the irony
Stu R said:
Quite liberating riding without a lid
Indeed it is, when I started riding (in Italy) helmets were optional and I often didn't wear one, especially in 40 degree traffic. I even crashed without one, obviously I was killed to death*.I never understand the arguments over what is and what isn't best, right or even legal. Why would anyone care what gear, or lack of, another rider wears?...
*I got better though
catso said:
Stu R said:
Quite liberating riding without a lid
Indeed it is, when I started riding (in Italy) helmets were optional and I often didn't wear one, especially in 40 degree traffic. I even crashed without one, obviously I was killed to death*.I never understand the arguments over what is and what isn't best, right or even legal. Why would anyone care what gear, or lack of, another rider wears?...
*I got better though
peteO said:
because being a minority we are under scrutiny. when people see the chav on his gixxer doing wheelies from the lights wearing a vest, shorts and sandles it reflects bad on us all!
Or if said chav dressed like you, people might think you're him. At least whilst he's dressed 'inappropriately' you can better distance yourself from him.Better still let him get on with it and hope that the law/Darwin catches up with him, there are always going to be dicks in every activity, life's too short to worry about how others present themselves...
catso said:
peteO said:
because being a minority we are under scrutiny. when people see the chav on his gixxer doing wheelies from the lights wearing a vest, shorts and sandles it reflects bad on us all!
Or if said chav dressed like you, people might think you're him. At least whilst he's dressed 'inappropriately' you can better distance yourself from him.Better still let him get on with it and hope that the law/Darwin catches up with him, there are always going to be dicks in every activity, life's too short to worry about how others present themselves...
HertsBiker said:
Got to be said an open face lid feels great. And scary. I may have to get one again. Life without risk is boring. Bikes are exciting, why be boring?
I'll be doing a couple of hundred miles wearing mine this weekend Keep looking at more modern design ones but I can't bring myself to replace the Davida!
Triumph Thruxton here. Fell in love with the look of the bike: an open-face helmet to suit with a kinda 'Bobba Fett' style face visor was the only choice for me, so minimal bee and wasp attack.
I'm not a fast rider and I'm not a particularly brave rider, but I found that doing my training with a full-face restricted my vision and movement and I was never comfortable.
I'm happy with my choice of helmet (always gloves, jacket, boots etc) and I guess we just pays our money and takes our choice. Each to their own.
I more despair when I'm at lights with a GSXRider with a full face but who is wearing shorts and no gloves. Where is your overall protection when you punt it down the road wearing beach clothes?
Whatever. It's all bloody good fun.
I'm not a fast rider and I'm not a particularly brave rider, but I found that doing my training with a full-face restricted my vision and movement and I was never comfortable.
I'm happy with my choice of helmet (always gloves, jacket, boots etc) and I guess we just pays our money and takes our choice. Each to their own.
I more despair when I'm at lights with a GSXRider with a full face but who is wearing shorts and no gloves. Where is your overall protection when you punt it down the road wearing beach clothes?
Whatever. It's all bloody good fun.
Well, the amount of bugs and crap across my visor and helmet front yesterday from my ride home yesterday alone, suggests for me, a full face is the way to go.
A helmet doesn't just protect agaisnt losing your face on tarmac/lorry/insert hard object of choice, but stone chips, wasps, birds, litter, rain, what ever.
I guess if you pootle down the shops on a scooter/Harley cautiously, enjoying the view, when the weathers nice, a full face might be too much for the risks involved, but only the other week, a stone chip hit my visor and f**king hell, it was like I'd been hit by a BB gun or something - fair shook me up.
I'd not ride in an open face helmet, and not just for the safety, but the protection of all the other crap it collects on the journey that would otherwise be mouth and eye bound.
A helmet doesn't just protect agaisnt losing your face on tarmac/lorry/insert hard object of choice, but stone chips, wasps, birds, litter, rain, what ever.
I guess if you pootle down the shops on a scooter/Harley cautiously, enjoying the view, when the weathers nice, a full face might be too much for the risks involved, but only the other week, a stone chip hit my visor and f**king hell, it was like I'd been hit by a BB gun or something - fair shook me up.
I'd not ride in an open face helmet, and not just for the safety, but the protection of all the other crap it collects on the journey that would otherwise be mouth and eye bound.
Jujuuk68 said:
Well, the amount of bugs and crap across my visor and helmet front yesterday from my ride home yesterday alone, suggests for me, a full face is the way to go.
A helmet doesn't just protect agaisnt losing your face on tarmac/lorry/insert hard object of choice, but stone chips, wasps, birds, litter, rain, what ever.
I guess if you pootle down the shops on a scooter/Harley cautiously, enjoying the view, when the weathers nice, a full face might be too much for the risks involved, but only the other week, a stone chip hit my visor and f**king hell, it was like I'd been hit by a BB gun or something - fair shook me up.
I'd not ride in an open face helmet, and not just for the safety, but the protection of all the other crap it collects on the journey that would otherwise be mouth and eye bound.
Never happened to me. Have had a few insect strikes but I can cope with that. A helmet doesn't just protect agaisnt losing your face on tarmac/lorry/insert hard object of choice, but stone chips, wasps, birds, litter, rain, what ever.
I guess if you pootle down the shops on a scooter/Harley cautiously, enjoying the view, when the weathers nice, a full face might be too much for the risks involved, but only the other week, a stone chip hit my visor and f**king hell, it was like I'd been hit by a BB gun or something - fair shook me up.
I'd not ride in an open face helmet, and not just for the safety, but the protection of all the other crap it collects on the journey that would otherwise be mouth and eye bound.
Not to say it won't happen, but in the 15 years I've been wearing one it's not happened so that's 15 years enjoyment I'd have missed out on (yes, I enjoy wearing an open faced lid more than a full faced one) if I'd followed that train of thought. Just checked with the old man, he's been wearing one on a bike since 1957 and it's not happened to him in that 57 years. Still, better be safe than sorry
A serious question here, not just stirring... Do folk who post similar to the above about protection from bees and wasps etc. carry the same thoughts into every activity they partake off? D.i.y. without ear defenders and safety glasses? Cut the grass in shorts but worry about stones, hawthorns being flicked at them? Chainsaw logs for the fire but need leather apron, gloves, ear defenders...
Just wondered if they approach all risk the same or if they consider motorcycling to be particularly hazardous?
Just wondered if they approach all risk the same or if they consider motorcycling to be particularly hazardous?
When I was 16yrs old I rode a Fizzy, the helmet law had not long been introduced and I wore an open face helmet as did the majority of riders.
As a consequence of riding in all weathers and seeing what racers wore, I bought a full face when I changed to a 250 Yamaha.
Not long after, I crashed and the chin bar sustained some major scrapes, along with losing a fair amount of leg skin from which the scars are still visible.
I will never ride in an open face helmet, if I had worn mine the day of the crash my face would have been ground into the tarmac like my knee and my already challenged looks ruined, it's not worth the risk to me YMMV.
I just wonder though if those open faces with a chin protector are any good as they seem like a good compromise for cruisers/adventurers.
As a consequence of riding in all weathers and seeing what racers wore, I bought a full face when I changed to a 250 Yamaha.
Not long after, I crashed and the chin bar sustained some major scrapes, along with losing a fair amount of leg skin from which the scars are still visible.
I will never ride in an open face helmet, if I had worn mine the day of the crash my face would have been ground into the tarmac like my knee and my already challenged looks ruined, it's not worth the risk to me YMMV.
I just wonder though if those open faces with a chin protector are any good as they seem like a good compromise for cruisers/adventurers.
I guess everythings relative...as a kid i used to muck around on field bikes down the disused railway with no helmet on. Since falling off a few times during my teens I soon realised the benefit of safety equipment and since wear all the gear all the time
My favourite helmet in recent years has been a Shark Evo 3, which is flip up and can be worn as a jet or full face. Its nice around town on hot days to have it open, but as soon as you are doing 40-50mph its too windy/noisy and way better with the chin bar/visor down at speed. It covers all bases for me, and gets used the most
On the other side of the coin, you can go on US based bike forums and still find long running debates on whether a helmet should be worn at all ....who needs all this safety kit? you should just try not to fall off....and it makes no difference anyway in a high speed accident hitting immovable objects you die anyway.....right...okaaayyyy ?
each to their own...wear what you like, learn by experience...or others experience might be easier.....
My favourite helmet in recent years has been a Shark Evo 3, which is flip up and can be worn as a jet or full face. Its nice around town on hot days to have it open, but as soon as you are doing 40-50mph its too windy/noisy and way better with the chin bar/visor down at speed. It covers all bases for me, and gets used the most
On the other side of the coin, you can go on US based bike forums and still find long running debates on whether a helmet should be worn at all ....who needs all this safety kit? you should just try not to fall off....and it makes no difference anyway in a high speed accident hitting immovable objects you die anyway.....right...okaaayyyy ?
each to their own...wear what you like, learn by experience...or others experience might be easier.....
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