What Gear Is Needed and Is ATGATT Really Necessary?

[2y4life]

As I venture into the world of riding motorcycles, I have come to the realization that while most riders are north of 30, a large majority of them still have the mentality of a teenager or young, young adult and that is not meant as an insult to any rider in particular but rather a truth and realization that must be said and I will explain my comment.

When we were in our teens and early 20s, we all have a sense of invincibility, that no matter what we do, we will be okay. Maybe we can blame it on testosterone, friends, or maybe the lack of foresight; so and so did it and he's fine so I'll be fine or worse yet, well just because it happened to him doesn't mean it will happen to me, I'll be extra careful. If only it was that easy as we've all come to find out, we didn't know what we thought we knew in our teen years and early 20s. How does that relate to the comment about a large majority of bikers having the same mentality as this kids? The mere fact that they/we think it won't happen to us or if we are extra careful, it'll be fine if we ride without all of our gear or the proper gear. The point is, a mature mind realizes that riding bikes is simply a more dangerous hobby and activity than say, riding a car. A mature rider assesses these risks and accepts them but at the same time, a mature rider will take the proper precautions to prevent this from happening while realizing that an accident on a bike will likely happen once in their lifetime if they continue to ride. Therefore, a mature rider will ALWAYS be properly geared up, ready for the fun but also ready for the possible and likely consequences of what will happen in the event of a crash or fall.

Now what gear is needed?

First off, what is the most important part of your entire body? I hope everyone said their head so if it is your head, you need the right protection to keep your head safe in the event that an accident occurs (this particular sentence is also relevant and true regarding your other head as well ^_^). Buy a helmet, be it a $75 helmet or an $800 helmet, find what your budget it and buy the best helmet you can buy. Studies have shown that there many helmets in the $100 range that protect your head just as well as some of the $200-$400 helmets so buying an expensive helmet is not really necessary although some of the more expensive helmets will come with perks such as additional ventilation to keep your helmet from fogging up, extra cushion, removable foam, and even bluetooth capabilities. While we are talking helmets, I feel the need to also address the different types of helmets available on the market: 1/2 helmets that cover just the top half of your head, the 3/4 helmets that cover the frontal part of your skull to the back of your head, and the full face helmet. I would definitely recommend the full-face helmet for one simple reason; go wear a 1/2 helmet and then do a running face first dive baseball-style making sure your head and face makes contact with the ground and tell me how helmet protected your nose, mouth, eyes, and chin? I hope that image is enough to help you make the right decision when purchasing a helmet. Oh yes, make sure it FITS and fits snugly.

With our helmets out of the way, we will talk about protecting the largest organ in our body which would be our skin. Our skin covers and "protects" us from head to toe although I use the term protect very loosely as we've all seen how well our skin protects us from minor things like paper cuts or even scraped knees and elbows. So to better protect our skin, we need at least another layer of true protection and jeans will not be suffice which I will address below.

For our upper body, we should all buy a jacket that is enforced with armor in all the right places and that would be at least in the back, shoulder, and elbow areas. Motorcycle jackets come in three different forms: Leather, textile, and mesh and I have listed them based on their abrasion protection level, too. Leather will best protect your skin in the event of a fall, then textile, and lastly, mesh. There is evidence some the higher quality textile jackets protect nearly as well as leather and those lined with kevlar protect on par with leather but unlike leather, can rarely be used again after a fall. Mesh will keep you the coolest and is ideal in the warmest of climates but do not provide the level of protection anywhere near leather nor textile. Regardless of what you choose, make sure the jacket FITS and is a bit snug. A jacket that allows for alot of movement means if you happen to fall and slide, the "protection" will also slide as well.

Onto pants and this is arguably the most ignored and oft-forgotten gear that will be touched upon today. Many riders on the road choose to forgo proper leg gear when riding motorcycles, often wearing jeans and worse yet, shorts. Jeans do not constitute proper leg gear nor does it really provide much protect in the event of a fall. Much like jackets and helmets, there are many different types of pants ranging from $75 to hundreds of dollars if not thousands. You have pants available in leather, textile and reinforced jeans and their protection level is in that order. Again, leather will provide you the most abrasion protection in the event of a fall with textile falling in right behind leather and reinforced jeans at a distant third. Like jackets, you will have to buy what you can afford and what FITS you best. One last thing, proper motorcycle pants will also have armor in the knees as well as padded protection in the outer thigh area.

From the time we started to walk until now, our hands have always been our first line of defense. We instinctively throw our hands out to protect us when we fall. I use the term instinctively because we don't even have to think about putting our hands in front of us as we brace for a fall, we simply do it; it is automatically wired into our brain. Knowing what we know about our hands and falling, it would be very short-sighted not to buy quality protection gloves for our hands. There are simply way too many kinds of gloves to cover but I will state the very basics of what is proper motorcycle glove should have or do. Gloves should cover your entire hand from palm to fingertips, have a wrist strap to keep your gloves secured on your hand, the palm should be leather which will protect your palm best, there should be some type of protection for your knuckles and they must FIT right. That covers the bare minimum of a proper motorcycle glove.

Last but not least, we have our feet. You know, those two things we need to walk, get on and off a bike, as well as changing gears and using the rear brakes. Our feet are slightly important, too, right? So why is it we see people riding in tennis shoes, let alone sandals? Do you want missing toes, broken ankles, and missing flesh? If not, keep those tennies at home and those sandals even further away. Motorcycle shoes and boots arguably come in the widest variety of all gear as you can get shoes/boots that look like tennis shoes, high tops, leather hiking boots, calf level boots, to full blown racing boots that cover your entire calf. Much like gloves, I will state the very basics of what a proper motorcycle boot/shoe should have or do. They should cover your entire foot AND ankle, which takes those that look like tennis shoes out of the equation. They should be very stable with additional protection along the ankle, the toes should have additional protection such as steel toes or additional armor, and they must FIT right.

Notice with every piece of motorcycle gear, I ended with something along the lines of "they must FIT right"? That is just as important as the protection it gives you because you need to feel comfortable in it and it must become one with your body.

The final thing I will touch upon, as promised, is the issue of jeans. While most riders will wear helmets, willingly or begrudgingly, along with a proper jacket, gloves, and boots, most just simply wear a pair of jeans thinking jeans are durable enough and will provide enough protection in the event of a fall. Again, how old are we? Are we 3 year old toddlers going at a speed of 1/2 MPH? If you are a man, then you know what it's like to be a young boy with holes in your jeans from crawling around on the floor. If you are a woman, you have likely seen your brother or son or nephew with holes in their jeans at the knees. Think about it, if you can wear holes in your jeans from crawling around on your knees, how in the world are those same jeans going to protect you when you are going at 20-80 miles per hour? None of us were crawling at those speeds as kids and certainly not now. I'm sure some of you are thinking "The only reason I was able to wear out my jeans was because they were a year or two old" and again, that is often a way we try to justify our dumb and, rather, stupid decisions. I will leave but one more illustration in your mind and you decide if jeans will protect you even if you are just going to the market or gas station and will not surpass 35MPH.

Go find your newest, most expensive pair of jeans. Put them on and do your little dance to prove that they are on and they work. Now go outside to the street and make sure there are no cars in sight. Now sprint as fast as you can down your street (most of us who are athletic and in shape might be able to hit 12-15mph max) and then do your best baseball slide or soccer slide tackle. Then come back and tell me how much skin and blood was lost in your "I'm not going far or fast so it will protect me good enough" jeans. If you cannot carry out this experiment and do not have enough faith to even try doing this, how the heck do you have faith in your jeans protecting you when you are going at 2-3 times that speed let alone going 5-6 times that speed?

If you are on this forum, you are definitely a rider, especially of the GS500 variety and I would love to meet some of you one day and ride together but the only way that is even remotely possible is if you protect yourself long enough for us to meet. So please, if you have not done so already, go out and buy all the proper and correct gear to keep yourself as safe as we possibly can. As riders, we cannot control what the cars, bikes, and other vehicles do around us but we can control the amount of protection we give ourselves so give yourself the absolute best chance to survive with everything in tact. ATGATT and ride on fellas

[Big Rich]

Wow. I have to admit, I didn't read all of that.

[ace50]

I agree whole heartedly but I often ride with just jeans. I prefer cooler weather as I at least can wear my chaps.
I do have Bohn Armor and some Kevlar lined jeans. Just don't wear that much.

[DoktoroKiu]

I wear full mesh gear (Drafter pants and jacket from Scorpion) which clock in at about $230 or so from Revzilla.  I got an aftermarket back armor insert, the highest protection gloves, boots, and a decent helmet as well.  I've ridden in 90+ weather wearing this gear with jeans under the pants in full sun and high humidity.  When I'm moving I'm perfectly cool, and when I'm not I man the frak up and deal with a little bit of discomfort.  I actually find that the pants insulate me from the heat of the engine and exhaust.  There are people riding in 100° plus heat in mesh gear and they can handle it - so can you.

Also, I wouldn't want to see what kind of wreck it would take to eat through my mesh jacket.  The only reason I'd don anything more is for less friendly weather.

I'm also a 20-something if that means anything.

[cbrfxr67]

I mean,...

[Alan_nc]

It's not what gear is NEEDED but what RESULTS are we O.K. with.

We have all seen the OSHA equipped cowboy and the bubble boy.  Neither one are probably how we want to live our lives.  When most of us were young no one thought of wearing a helmet on a bicycle or usually not even a motorcycle.  You can't protect yourself from life...things are going to happen.

In 55 years of riding I've been hit twice by cars.  Both times I've had a helmet on.  Both times the helmet had quite a bit of damage...so I would not be here if I hadn't been wearing one.  I was not wearing any additional gear (I am not saying this was good).  I have scars from both incidents.

I now wear either a mesh jacket with armor or in colder weather a standard motorcycle jacket with armor.  Jackets are whatever that dayglow/neon color is.  Always wear helmet, gloves, boots.  Have a good set of mesh pants with armor but I'm not real good about wearing them.

It's a tough call:  Balance a 5 minute trip to the store or a good 5 minutes to gear up and then the trip to the store.  That's why my truck gets more use than it should.

[Suzuki Stevo]

You can wear as little as you want, the trick is not to crash, I have been riding since 1968 and every time I ended up in the hospital I did it to myself, when I ride home from work today I will be wearing a T shirt and cutoffs, it's a risk I am willing to take, I havent had a bike even fall over in the drive way since '77 (no crashes since '77 is what I'm saying)

Yes you can get taken out by a car...but prsonally, it hasn't happened to me yet and I have been my own worst enemy as far as going down.

[DoktoroKiu]

@Alan_nc

That is correct, it is more about results than what is actually needed.  Wearing just a helmet bumps the odds quite a bit more in your favor than a jacket does, but that statistical fact won't make it any easier to wipe your bum when you don't have any skin left on your hands (or your bum).  There definitely are those who wear no gear because they accept the higher risk of death or injury, and I can respect, accept, and even understand their decision, but there are plenty more who just think they are never going to crash because they are a "natural" or some other bull$hit line of thinking.  I was up to third gear and doing contersteering turns in my first 30-minute parking lot lesson and I aced the MSF tests, but I don't think I'm anywhere near "natural" enough to avoid everything or to not make an irrecoverable mistake.

I can definitely agree that the pants are the hardest part.  I can slip on my boots, jacket, and helmet in the time it takes me to just put the pants on and get my keys, phone, and wallet situated.  They also make me stick out the most since most other riders just wear jeans, and they are the most uncomfortable piece when you are at your destination.  I think once I am a more established rider I will invest in a few pairs of nice Kevlar riding jeans and some external knee armor.  For now I'm unwilling to pay more than I paid for my mesh pants for each pair of unarmored riding jeans.

[sledge]

As I venture into the world of riding motorcycles, I have come to the realization that while most riders are north of 30, a large majority of them still have the mentality of a teenager or young, young adult

I am not sure who you were aiming that epic at. I appreciate that whoever you directed towards it was with good intentions but.......... after reading this far I fell on the floor laughing and gave up.

[fraze11]

First off, what is the most important part of your entire body?

My wiener?

[sledge]

First off, what is the most important part of your entire body?

My wiener?

Hahahahaha

Let me guess......you must be under 30 

[Suzuki Stevo]

First off, what is the most important part of your entire body?

My wiener?

Hahahahaha

Let me guess......you must be under 30 

Almost 60, I am sooooo glad my wanger is doing less of the thinking 

[Suzuki Stevo]

If I had to choose between leather head to toe...but no gloves or gloves but no leather head to toe, I would always choose gloves, the first thing everyone does when they go down is try and protect themselves with their hands. A sturdy pair of gloves and a helmet are the absolute bare minimum.

[JAS6377]

Also, I wouldn't want to see what kind of wreck it would take to eat through my mesh jacket.

No more than 30 mph, left shoulder and back:



I was wearing jeans and now have no nerve endings on a quarter-sized patch on my left knee. I now have a leather jacket, and am in the market for riding pants, once my budget permits.

[sledge]

once my budget permits.

I think that about sums it up, people tend to buy the best of what they can afford. Myself included

I think we would all like a nice new Arai Corsair V RC, a set of fitted leathers, some Sidi crossfires and a pair of Falco podiums. But that lot wont leave much change from $6k......so where do you draw the line 

[gsJack]

.......................The point is, a mature mind realizes that riding bikes is simply a more dangerous hobby and activity than say, riding a car. A mature rider assesses these risks and accepts them but at the same time, a mature rider will take the proper precautions to prevent this from happening while realizing that an accident on a bike will likely happen once in their lifetime if they continue to ride. Therefore, a mature rider will ALWAYS be properly geared up, ready for the fun but also ready for the possible and likely consequences of what will happen in the event of a crash or fall..............................

I rode for 15 years with short pants and a tee shirt in hot weather and wore jeans and a leather jacket with slip on boots in cooler weather and a lot more underneath on cold winter days.  Wore an open face helmet summers and a full face winters for the cold.

Got a bit more safety conscience the last 15 years and wore a full face or flip face helmet year around and armored riding jackets, mesh ones in the summer and heavier ones in the winter and jeans year around.  I did go back to an open face helmet with build in shield a couple years ago.  My head will only turn half as far as it once did and I still have excellent peripheral vision so an open face gives me a better view to the side than a full face does now.

So I guess I was still very immature when I started riding about 30 years ago at age 52?  When I was 70 I was racing thru the mountain twisties like a kid of 17 but I have slowed way down over the last few years and am finally acting my  age.  Have I finally matured?

Not knocking safety gear it is important, more important to some than others, but I still think the most important safety gear is riding smarts.

[GS4me]

Wow!  You could have done some pretty good riding in the time it took to type all of that! 

Seriously.  I'm 46 and I've thought the same way since I was 16.    Currently:

* Full face helmet,
* Various Pairs of Gloves. Leather, Mesh etc.
* Boots: Puma Brutale's and Puma GP 1000's for the feet. 
* Icon Overloard TYPE 1 Textile Jacket with D30 armor,
* Icon Field Armor Vest and Xelement Vests (for various occasions when I want to wear them) - Sometimes even UNDER my Overlord Jacket when I go on certain highways with "Massive amounts of crazy drivers",
* Xelement Mesh Jacket w/ Armor upgraded to D3O armor.
* Joe Rocket Ballistic Pants (5 pairs); "Plain", Armored, Rain Pants etc"
* Fieldsheer Ballistic Pants (2) - The Un-Armored Pair, Which I wear UNDER my jeans - when I want that "laid back Jeans Look".

* Icon Overlord Leather Pants - (Including 1 brand new pair that I've never worn - Too Big!!!) . 

P.s. Could anyone use a $300+ pair of Size 38, Brand New ICON Overlord Leather Pants for $175 shipped before I Ebay them??


So as you can see,  I like my gear.  It's not "SUPER EXPENSIVE GEAR" but It's decent gear.

Paranoid?  Some may say that.  Gear costs more than some people spend on their bikes but (to me) it's worth it.

I don't "Fault" people for not wearing helmets and gear.  Some of my friends don't - and they don't hassle me for wearing gear.  We've lost some friends along the way. We're all adults. We make our own decisions and we live with them.  Just my .02 


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[Suzuki Stevo]

I can definitely agree that the pants are the hardest part.  I can slip on my boots, jacket, and helmet in the time it takes me to just put the pants on and get my keys, phone, and wallet situated.  They also make me stick out the most since most other riders just wear jeans, and they are the most uncomfortable piece when you are at your destination.  I think once I am a more established rider I will invest in a few pairs of nice Kevlar riding jeans and some external knee armor.  For now I'm unwilling to pay more than I paid for my mesh pants for each pair of unarmored riding jeans.

I have both leather and textile over pants with full length zippers on the legs, I get to work, take them off and leave them on the bike (hard luggage) I go into the building in my cutoffs. The trick is to have the full length zippers on the legs, you get where you're going and you can get them off without taking off your boots 

Having a place to put your gear, is as important as wearing it. If you want to integrate motorcycles into a lifestyle you need a place for your gear on the bike locked, otherwise you get to your destination and have to keep all of your gear with you. Hard Luggage and full length zippers opened up a whole new level of riding convenience for me 

[ace50]

Good on ya to all who wear your gear.
Been riding (sometimes very aggressively) for about 5 years. Only one mishap under 10 MPH. My fault. My buddy slowed down abruptly after pulling out of gas station, I put on front brake at the same time my wheel slightly turned, just happened to get to the double yellow in the road and after just passing through a little water in parking lot. I went down like I hit oil!
Had all my gear on including Kevlar jeans and ALL my gear had some damage afterwards. Broken collar bone, tweaked my knee and ankle. After an hour with ice on shoulder we rode home nearly 100 miles.

Wear your damn gear!

[ace50]