What u ride/what u wear

[pnaberhaus]

I went for a rain-shortened ride yesterday, and in that brief time, some of the biker stereotypes manifested themselves. To wit, as I was riding my '89 GS, in full-face helmet, alpinestar jacket, gloves and jeans (it was cloudy, around 64 degrees), I observed the following.
A guy on red sportbike absolutely BLEW by me, dressed in jeans, t-shirt and no helmet Shortly after that, I approached a H-D from the rear as he was ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum-ing along. (Actually, the noise a H-D makes reminds me of the sound of a "wet" fart) , but mc sounds are the topic for another thread. Anyway, since I was by myself, I thot I'd ride behind this Harley for a few miles and observe. First off, neither rider nor passenger had on helmets(no surprise there). The GIB (girl-in-back) had really long hair that I'm sure would take hours to untangle when they finally stopped riding. No helmets, but absolutely HUGH boots, with soles and heels so thick, that I don't know how you'd feel the brake and shift controls through them. But I guess it didn't matter, since those shoes spent most of their time on these massive floor boards that came perilously close to the ground every time the bike went through a corner at even a modest rate of speed. I hope the H-D couple had ear plugs 'cause after about 5-10 minutes the sound of those straight pipes was beginning to wear on me, and I had a helmet on. Anyway, it's kinda fun to watch how we all, myself included, put on our own, little suit of "feathers" to define who we (think) we are....sport rider, cruiser, bad-boy biker, squid, tourer, etc.

[Egaeus]

ATGATT.  I even have pants.  I've seen squids around here in nothing but shorts and flip-flops. 

[galahs]

Flip flops?


Depends on how far I'm riding to what I wear.


Sometimes I ride in a T-Shirt (often a high visibility one) if its a real short trip.

Othertimes its the full jacket and dragon jeans.


I always wear my helmet, gloves and enclosed shoes.

[3imo]

I just bought a new jacket. with all the protection in the world.  

I believe in " to each his own" but IMO no gear is just plain stupid.  I have a few "squid scars" on my elbows and knees that will never go away. from a low speed wreck in which I had decided that I was too cool to use my jacket and jeans.

Two kids later, "cool" just don't cut it. I'd rather my kids HAVE an uncool daddy than have HAD a cool father.

BTW some cruisers have a (unfounded) theory that cruisers are safer simply because they tend to cruise and not hot rod their bikes.  
I say its unfounded because yeah your less likely to wreck but a wreck is an accident and you never know when something will come up. It is just as easy to die on a cruiser as a sportbike.

Again "To each his own"  I don't mean to preach. I just feel a bit more "knowing" now that I have a few chunks of flesh removed by the asphalt.

[calamari]

new rider here.

I would have to be on some kind of drugs to ride the bike without helmet, jacket & gloves (and some type of boots). that's my minimum.
I have only 'riden' without protection when I'm moving the bike around to lube the chain, change the oil, etc.

[Egaeus]

Flip flops?

AKA thong sandals.

I didn't say they were smart....

[Wrecent_Wryder]

[4

[TadMC]

x

[annguyen1981]

during the colder weather, gloves help keep feeling in your fingers.

[Egaeus]

why do you guys ride with gloves?  

Here's a good reason:

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=20659.0

[badguy]

I have a question.

I ride with helmet, jacket, jeans, but why do you guys ride with gloves? 

Not that I think its a bad idea or anything, but the way you all say it, it sounds like it's almost required for you to ride.

Just asking

Why do you ride with a helmet and jacket?  I feel that my hands are worth protecting just as much as my other body parts.  If I lost the use of my hands, I wouldn't be able to do almost everything I need/love to do.

[galahs]

I feel that keeping my hands operatable after a crash is of high importance.

The first thing you do in a crash is reach out with your hands to braace yourself for the fall.

[My Name Is Dave]

And gloves help get a better grip on the bars. But more importantly, they protect from road debris. Go in your front yard and have your brother throw rocks at your hands. It hurts. Imagine that at 70 mph!

I can't imagine riding with no gloves. But do what you want...

[pnaberhaus]

I haven't seen this issue yet, but I understand that the May publication of SQUID & WHEELIE features a comparison of  the top ten flip-flops for the street (I think a Wal-Mart brand finished 1st). It also polls readers for their top pics for ER nurses around the country, and has an in-depth article on how to get the "most" out of your tires, titled "Just cuz your 'skins are dry-rotted and square doesn't mean ya can't wheelie!" The classifieds are chock-full of deals on splintered fairings, dented tanks, bent handlebars, broken headlights, etc. Interesting though, there are no adverisements for leather apparrel or helmets.  

[Alphamazing]

why do you guys ride with gloves? 

Here's a good reason:

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=20659.0

The big chunk of scar tissue left over from that still bothers me to this day. Not painful or anything, just annoying. The lack of feeling there is disheartening too. It also just looks nasty with a big lump of discolored skin.

And I was wearing gloves at the time, too...

[Egaeus]

I was wearing gloves at the time, too...

Yeah, I know.  Thanks to you, I'm definitely looking for all-leather summer gloves. 

[pnaberhaus]

TadMC,

Why do I wear gloves. Cuz I look "bad" Seriously though, all the above stated reasons are why we wear gloves. Once you get in the habit with the gear you wear(helmet, protective jacket and/or pants, boots, gloves), you'll kinda feel "nekid" without them.

[Wrecent_Wryder]

4d

[Alphamazing]

TadMC,

Why do I wear gloves. Cuz I look "bad" Seriously though, all the above stated reasons are why we wear gloves. Once you get in the habit with the gear you wear(helmet, protective jacket and/or pants, boots, gloves), you'll kinda feel "nekid" without them.

It's true. I rode a few blocks with my girlfriend on the back without my helmet on (she was wearing it. I value her life over mine) and couldn't for the life of me understand how the hell guys ride without a helmet on. The windblast in my eyes made me damn near blind, and getting pelted by rocks from the cars in front of me wasn't exactly pleasant either.

[RVertigo]

Totally...  I find it really hard to ride without a helmet, boots, and gloves...  The Jacket doesn't affect my ability to ride, bit I wear it for warmth and safety.