What is it with some bikers?
Discussion
Grant's post got me thinking....Lovely bike, all keen to get out there...etc. How many blokes have I seen on quality bikes, no expense spared, wearing jeans, trainers and sometimes no gloves......Who lets them out like this? Anyone on here a regualar "casual dresser"?
Amazes me...perhaps I'm just getting old?
Cheers.
Amazes me...perhaps I'm just getting old?
Cheers.
I'll never go out with the full kit, as my view is the day i do if i stack it i'm not just looking at a bent bike but i'd be looking at skin grafts etc.
TBH some people just buy the bike for the speed and don't really think about the safety aspect, i never get involved though as it's their choice
TBH some people just buy the bike for the speed and don't really think about the safety aspect, i never get involved though as it's their choice
I it occasionally in London but I moved to Auckland, NZ, last November and the amount of riders on all varieties of bikes wearing shorts, T-shirts and flip-flops is astounding. I get funny looks off many bikers here for wearing protective gear.
A guy where I'm working is about to lose a leg after coming off his Harley at speed wearing shorts and sandals!!
A guy where I'm working is about to lose a leg after coming off his Harley at speed wearing shorts and sandals!!
Silent1 said:
I'll never go out with the full kit, as my view is the day i do if i stack it i'm not just looking at a bent bike but i'd be looking at skin grafts etc.
I always used to say that, then one Christmas (yes Christmas) day I had to go out on the bike, I busted the zip on my jacket and thought "I`ll be ok, I`m only nipping out for a bit". So I donned all my biking gear minus the jacket and 2 weeks later I was signing myself out of hospital. Poxy bloody rabbit.
There is a saying that goes something like ‘Be careful what you wish for as it might come true’! With the ‘Nanny State’ as it is at the moment it is only one small step from where we are now to compulsion on full leathers, boots gloves etc. From there it is only one small step to banning bikes completely ‘for our own good’! If others want to ride in shorts and tee shirts, that is their choice.
Every time you ‘push the envelope’ on a bike you are risking a crash which may result in injury or even death. Some push the risk envelope of top speed, others with how quickly they can get around corners. Still more with how far they can go on one wheel and some do it by riding without leathers. Why are some risks ‘right’ and others ‘wrong’?
Every time you ‘push the envelope’ on a bike you are risking a crash which may result in injury or even death. Some push the risk envelope of top speed, others with how quickly they can get around corners. Still more with how far they can go on one wheel and some do it by riding without leathers. Why are some risks ‘right’ and others ‘wrong’?
black-k1 said:
There is a saying that goes something like ‘Be careful what you wish for as it might come true’! With the ‘Nanny State’ as it is at the moment it is only one small step from where we are now to compulsion on full leathers, boots gloves etc. From there it is only one small step to banning bikes completely ‘for our own good’! If others want to ride in shorts and tee shirts, that is their choice.
Every time you ‘push the envelope’ on a bike you are risking a crash which may result in injury or even death. Some push the risk envelope of top speed, others with how quickly they can get around corners. Still more with how far they can go on one wheel and some do it by riding without leathers. Why are some risks ‘right’ and others ‘wrong’?
Every time you ‘push the envelope’ on a bike you are risking a crash which may result in injury or even death. Some push the risk envelope of top speed, others with how quickly they can get around corners. Still more with how far they can go on one wheel and some do it by riding without leathers. Why are some risks ‘right’ and others ‘wrong’?
David, I never said any risks were right or wrong. I'm suggesting that riding without the proper gear is a risk I'm not prepared to take, and I can't understand why anyone else would be prepared to take this risk. We all know the dangers of riding, so wouldn't common sense tell you to minimise those risks? We all make a decision (consious or not)to minimise those risks by NOT riding like lunatics at 100% of the bikes ability all of the time(Mad Dave excluded!. I don't think it's got anything to do with a nanny state, although I agree with your point on it.
Nick, strange as it may sound, its worth doing every so often, if only to reset the risk-meter we all carry in our heads. I'm not suggesting a rideout in flip flops, but a quick pootle around the block to dry out the brakes after a scrub down with minimal gear gets the "risk compensation" that the full get-up gives you very very clear in your head. Only do short ones though, otherwise the red mist descends 
I know for a fact I go for moves in the leathers that I think twice about in textiles and for moves in the textiles that I wouldnt dream of in jeans.
And Dave does have a valid point about Government control - after all, if 99% of bikers "publicly support the Nanny State", how could we ever argue our ability to manage personal risk properly?
I know for a fact I go for moves in the leathers that I think twice about in textiles and for moves in the textiles that I wouldnt dream of in jeans.
And Dave does have a valid point about Government control - after all, if 99% of bikers "publicly support the Nanny State", how could we ever argue our ability to manage personal risk properly?
chilli said:
David, I never said any risks were right or wrong. I'm suggesting that riding without the proper gear is a risk I'm not prepared to take, and I can't understand why anyone else would be prepared to take this risk. We all know the dangers of riding, so wouldn't common sense tell you to minimise those risks? We all make a decision (consious or not)to minimise those risks by NOT riding like lunatics at 100% of the bikes ability all of the time(Mad Dave excluded!. I don't think it's got anything to do with a nanny state, although I agree with your point on it.
My concern is that there are a great number of bikers who are reasonably vocal in their criticism of those riding without protective clothing. This vocalisation can easily be interpreted as support for compulsion on the wearing of leathers, boots, gloves etc. As I said before, it is only one small step….
We all have to be careful of who/what we criticise with regards taking risks and seeking enjoyment. A HUGE part of the attraction of motorcycling to many people is the element of risk and the adrenalin buzz that is obtained from it. Riding without protective clothing is just one part of that.
Often (sweeping generalisation coming here!) those doing the criticising are the same people who will be ‘getting their knee down’ on every other bend, riding their latest ‘crotch rocket’ to the limiter in every gear and generally treating the road like their own personal race track. Do we also need to protect these people from themselves?
The other thing to remember is that if you push the risk barrier using the bikes performance and then get it wrong, there is a serious likelihood you will put (probably innocent) third parties at risk. If you ride without protective clothing, the only one who will suffer should the risk ‘not pay off’ is you!
Nick, I am not having a go at you personally but, reading the general tone of the responses to this and other threads like it, I think many people need to ‘be careful what they wish for ….’!
chilli said:
David,
No probs, all taken on board...and I agree with a lot you say. However, I can't change my opinion that it's a stupid thing to do.. I know, I know, I take other risks but not this one.....I just wouldn't do it though, and tut everytime I see someone in casual gear!
No probs, all taken on board...and I agree with a lot you say. However, I can't change my opinion that it's a stupid thing to do.. I know, I know, I take other risks but not this one.....I just wouldn't do it though, and tut everytime I see someone in casual gear!
Nick – entry for your ‘to do’ list. Try riding through slow moving traffic in a Mediterranean town in August. - Your opinion of always riding with full protective clothing might well change. (And it’ll be part of a great holiday!
)This question rears its head every year. As K1 alludes, it is one of the last examples of personal responsibility.
I might spin out 10 miles on the bike in jeans but I'm very conscious I am in jeans and TBH, I don't feel comfortable. I find I slip around too much and the wind goes straight through them. On my 25 mile commute I always tog up with armoured textiles.
If you come off a bike at any speed and hit anything solid you are a gonner regardless of what you're wearing, so maybe this safety gear can give you too much confidence??? [A talking point, rather than my own opinion]
I might spin out 10 miles on the bike in jeans but I'm very conscious I am in jeans and TBH, I don't feel comfortable. I find I slip around too much and the wind goes straight through them. On my 25 mile commute I always tog up with armoured textiles.
If you come off a bike at any speed and hit anything solid you are a gonner regardless of what you're wearing, so maybe this safety gear can give you too much confidence??? [A talking point, rather than my own opinion]
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