I found a 12pt deer once at 2:30am




$100 something is cheap for a motorcycle jacket. When I crashed, I had on boots, jeans, a Belstaff padded jacket, helmet, and some gloves. The jacket saved my shoulder, which is where I think I landed. There is a 2 inch scar on my left forearm from catching my arm on the antler as I was flying over top of the deer. It split wide open and I had to get it stitched shut. No jacket is going to do much for that one. Either way, I stitched the sleeve shut and put a pad over the part on the shoulder, and just kept wearing the jacket. The sleeve isn't quite as waterproof as it used to be, but I'm sure I could fix that if I really wanted with some thin rubber and come glue inside the sleeve. The helmet also had some pretty good scraped on it as well, so I definitely wouldn't have all of my face left if I wasn't wearing it. I don't think anything else was so much as scratched, which is amazing considering how far I tumbled.

Also, make sure if you're going to bother wearing gloves, make sure they fit right. Make sure they have a strap that will tighten them well around your wrist. One of my gloves went flying as I was tumbling around. I don't know at what point in the crash, but if you can pull it off without completely unstrapping it, it'll probably fall off when you crash.

That was the only serious one, aside from that I've probably fallen off my bike 5 other times in the first year or two of riding. Nothing major, but it happens. Taking a turn too fast in my neighborhood on a cold day before the tires warmed up. Not looking where I was going for a second and riding off the side of the road. You learn. I've also had a number of times of leaving the disc lock on my front wheel before I try to ride away. You get about 2 feet and then go straight to the ground.

I wear scorpion helmet, scorpion mesh jacket(has rain liner and winter liner that can be added for colder weather), Tourmaster textile overpants for when i don't wear jeans, Icon Leather gloves(short cuff) or Tourmaster textile gloves, and Alpinestar boots.  I don't find it annoying to where ATGATT and the only thing i will ever ride without is my overpants and only if i am wearing jeans which i know aren't the best but I can accept that. 

About a month ago when i was riding a bee flew up the sleeve of my jacket and stung me.  Wasn't very fun when i got to where i was going and saw the basterd still sitting in my wrist.

hmm back when i rode a scooter i crashed at 10mph, no gloves, heavy winter coat(for az), beanie. no road rash on my shoulder, however, took 2 weeks for the gravel rips to heal on my hands, 3 weeks before i could use my hand to brush my teeth, another year and a half to resume what i think is full motion, however it does hurt at full turn.

on the gs, had a murano pull out in front of me, over braked, went down on my left slid with $30 leather gloves, jeans, and a helmet. the 2sqin of road rash on my left knee is still healing 4 weeks later(jeans lasted 1/4 second at that point), wrist was sore for a couple of days, left heel still hurts, right foot which never touched the ground-a hard bump stuck out my foot about half an inch above a joint for 3 weeks. hips had bruising and scabbing without noticeable damage to jeans.

glad I had at a minimum jeans, above the ankle shoes(kept them on). and GLOVES. I allways ride in long pants(exhaust burns too ), gloves, and helmet. going to start wearing my leather jacket once it gets below 95, and looking to get a pair of mc shoes. with out minimum shoes, gloves, jeans, i would have had to go to the hospital for graphs.

minimum:
helmet
gloves
long pants/jeans
above ankle shoes(stupid me is violating this now).

Quote from: tt_four on September 23, 2009, 05:10:14 AM
I found a 12pt deer once at 2:30am

damnnnnn that looks BAD...  what did you do with the dead deer? i would have brought it home

Quote from: bassmechanicsz on September 23, 2009, 05:36:53 AM
I wear scorpion helmet, scorpion mesh jacket(has rain liner and winter liner that can be added for colder weather), Tourmaster textile overpants for when i don't wear jeans, Icon Leather gloves(short cuff) or Tourmaster textile gloves, and Alpinestar boots.  I don't find it annoying to where ATGATT and the only thing i will ever ride without is my overpants and only if i am wearing jeans which i know aren't the best but I can accept that. 

About a month ago when i was riding a bee flew up the sleeve of my jacket and stung me.  Wasn't very fun when i got to where i was going and saw the basterd still sitting in my wrist.

Hahahaa..

Quote from: tucsondude on September 24, 2009, 03:05:36 PM
hmm back when i rode a scooter i crashed at 10mph, no gloves, heavy winter coat(for az), beanie. no road rash on my shoulder, however, took 2 weeks for the gravel rips to heal on my hands, 3 weeks before i could use my hand to brush my teeth, another year and a half to resume what i think is full motion, however it does hurt at full turn.

on the gs, had a murano pull out in front of me, over braked, went down on my left slid with $30 leather gloves, jeans, and a helmet. the 2sqin of road rash on my left knee is still healing 4 weeks later(jeans lasted 1/4 second at that point), wrist was sore for a couple of days, left heel still hurts, right foot which never touched the ground-a hard bump stuck out my foot about half an inch above a joint for 3 weeks. hips had bruising and scabbing without noticeable damage to jeans.

glad I had at a minimum jeans, above the ankle shoes(kept them on). and GLOVES. I allways ride in long pants(exhaust burns too ), gloves, and helmet. going to start wearing my leather jacket once it gets below 95, and looking to get a pair of mc shoes. with out minimum shoes, gloves, jeans, i would have had to go to the hospital for graphs.

minimum:
helmet
gloves
long pants/jeans
above ankle shoes(stupid me is violating this now).

hey buddy how u doing? you dont think a good jacket should be included in that minimum list?

This is what exactly i wanted to know.. what is the bear minimum of riding a motorcycle safely.


I have a helmet
I can get gloves...
Shoes above ankle ... i will get that soon aswell
I usually wear jeans so no problem
I dont know what to do about the jacket though..

I am buying a cheap pair of mc shoes, that almost look like tennis, in a couple weeks( (tcx?)$100), pf flyers(sandlot) are what my feet got messed up in but atleast they stayed on.
buying a jacket is a must, however I do not own summer gear and a black leather jacket wont cut it in 110* weather, will be buying actual summer gear next spring.
If my jacket was not a gift i would have defiantly got one with armor built in(I consider kevlar reinforced, not armored).

Im a newb though and that is my personal minimum, lol. Owning a good jacket is a minimum, although i should wear it more i dont .

On the dirt Ive fallen about 450 thousand times 
On the road, twice 

Mine were on Harleys , once involving a dog that ran out on the road
and the other was oily stuff they use to spray railroad ties mixing
with water and hitting that stuf on the bike 

Dropped once---> Sitting on the side of the road talking to a friend of mine for
about and hour and I forgot I was on the bike. He reached over to shake my
hand and when I stepped over to shake----------------> Krunch !
The bike tipped over 

Quote from: scottpA_GS on September 22, 2009, 04:56:56 PM

You should do MUCH more research on here.

Most that post here are GEAR NAZIS!  manditory are: Helmet, Armored jacket, Boots, Gloves and Jeans (70% on here seem to have riding pants and wont even ride in jeans)... get yourself some good gear.. ESPECIALLY if you are new to riding.

Most say.. there are 2 types of riders... Those that have gone down and those that are going to go down..

GEAR UP! You are not in a car anymore 

There's a third type of rider...Those that are going to go down AGAIN!

I went down last Memorial Day.  My jacket protected my shoulder and my elbow (hairline fracture and bone chip).  My boots were steel toed and the top of the toes were gouged badly.  If I was wearing sneakers I'd have a broken foot.

-Porkchop

"Bare minimum" gear is the gear squids wear when they don't want their face to get smashed, drug, and chewed across the asphalt when they go down.  You are kidding yourself if you think that  bare minumums will save you from going to the ER after a crash and having nurses hold you down while the doctors are scrubbing your wounds with a scrub brush.  While it's good that you came to this site to get some more information, keep your eyes open and let the veterans guide you on what to do.  You'll appreciate it later when you have a few scratches after you crash versus someone racing you to a hospital in a helicopter/ambulance.

If you don't have money for good gear, just save up and buy what you can as soon as you can.  Remember, you're life is your priority! Invest in a godo armored jacket and gloves, and over-the-ankle boots.  You have a helmet so that's 1 step in the right direction.  Here's some sites to check out for gear with great pricing and customer service.

http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/

http://www.newenough.com

http://stores.sportbiketrackgear.com/StoreFront.bok

Yep just bit it myself on the track. Full 1 leather setup.   Was going about 60-70 on turn and decided to hit the dirt area...  high sided and got knocked out when i went down.    Gear saved me... but feels like i was used as a punching bag the next day.

My bike is now renamed Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. That my boy is the easiest most cheapest way to fix a crash. Leave it alone and just rename the bike. 

Well, you've gotten great answers already. I've had two injuries on my bike. The first was when I ran out of gas and thought I could hop off the bike and push to get more momentum.  put your kickstand down when you do that! I had on all of my gear with the exception of one piece. I was in a hurry to get to the Dr. office and slipped on shoes rather than boots. Guess what I injured. You betcha! Right ankle under left side under bike = three torn ligaments! My second incident I did not come off the bike but I was hit with a softball size piece of road debris! It caught me in my right shoulder the armor from my jacket took the brunt of the hit ( if I hadn't had a jacket on I probably woulda came off). It still hit hard enough that it seperated my shoulder OUCH!

So, I wear a Shoei RF-1000, either Cortech GX-AIR or my Joe Rocket Suzuki jacket (thanks GSTWINS), power trip leather gloves ($13 on newenough), Frank Thomas boots, and if the temp is below 90 my suzuki riding pants higher than 90 jeans (a calculated risk I'm willing to take).

Mary

I have been down four times, all of them my fault. One time was on a dirt road and I was just going way too fast on my old Honda Shadow. Once was on my CBR 600 where, once again, I was going WAY too fast and didnt see a patch of gravel on a twisty backroad. And the other two times were on my beloved GS, once in the rain and once in high-traffic conditions. Wear the gear, it will definitely save your ass if you make a mistake.

My jacket:  http://www.motogiya.com/product_images/Icon_Merc_Stage_3_Jacket/Icon_Merc_Stage_3_Jacket_Medium-qvuayE92G.jpg
It is very well ventilated and protective, but nothing is quite as durable as leather.

Armored vest: http://www.motorcycletoystore.com/sport/images/uploads/icon-vest.gif
This comes in handy on days that it is just too hot to wear a jacket. The only downside is that it leaves your arms/elbows uncovered, and these are places that tend to get scratched up the most. Not ideal for daily use.

My gloves: http://assets0.revzilla.com/product_images/0013/0514/Icon_Twenty-Niner_Gloves_Black_detail.jpg
These I have cut the fingers out of to make more comfortable. They have decent knuckle protection and the vents do an excellent job with ventilation.

My helmet is an HJC that came with the bike. I plan to replace it soon with a Sparx helmet.

I also use some plain old cowboy boots that have held up very well (I was wearing them all four times).

My two cents.

Quote from: redhenracing2 on September 25, 2009, 11:42:55 AM
I have been down four times, all of them my fault. One time was on a dirt road an...................................< snip >...................

You are a real rider ! 

Whenever somebody falls and actually takes responsibility for it instead of blaming it on
a "cager" or "dude in front of me", or the aways hilarious " I had to lay it down" doodz,  etc, etc,
it is a very rare occurrence that needs to be given props, to   

What I don't get props for admitting it too on the previous page? I guess I've only been down twice, but I thought that was a good thing lol.

Quote from: Bluesmudge on September 25, 2009, 04:35:45 PM
What I don't get props for admitting it too on the previous page? I guess I've only been down twice, but I thought that was a good thing lol.

My Bad !
We have enuff for a club.....
'2 falls - bIg BaLLs' 

Speaking from experience..... I walked away from two accidents in 2 years. 

You can find decent riding gear out there.  The $100 jacket...cheap price tag.  It's a lot cheaper than plastic surgery. 

http://motors.shop.ebay.com/Parts-Accessories-/6028/i.html?_nkw=icon&_catref=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m282&_rdc=1

I ride in Icon gear.  I bought the Motorhead jacket, The Superduty boots, and gloves. My girlfriend has armor too. And I got it all on ebay (everything sells on ebay). 

Anyone that says that riding gear is uncomfortable and not worth wearing, I will send them a picture of my reminders why to wear it.  I have scars up both arms & a scar over one eye from being STUPID.  Now you can't pay me to ride without.




my jacket

I started riding at 14 years old and am still at it 32 years later and I don't know how many times I have found myself sat in the road watching my bike slide off in to the distance. When I started riding I thought it was  cool to just use jeans and a cheap jacket and now I walk with a limp and have had to move to a warmer country as my broken bones hurt when it's cold, and in the UK that is all the time.
I now where as much body armour as I can carry. a top of the line shoie helmet, back protector armoured boots and gloves. When I go to the track I have a one piece IXS set of leathers and use supermoto boots, back protector and armoured gloves.
I crashed at around 75mph the last time I went to the track and litteraly did not have a bruise(my leathers look a little second hand though).
If you crash and don't hurt yourself you can carry on working to replace the stuff you wrecked, but if you are lying in a hospital bed you are not going to have any cash to fix your bike.
Andy

Quote from: scottpA_GS on September 22, 2009, 04:56:56 PMMost that post here are GEAR NAZIS!

I have to admit, I never saw the connection between 'mass genocide' and 'thinking protective gear is a good thing...'   


I don't like the 'two types of riders' thing and the assumptions it makes about street riding.  On the street, you dress for the crash, but you ride to avoid it, and there is no such thing as 'getting the crash over with,' like you have one crash assigned to you and you've done yourself a favor by having it.  It's true that a crash can be a 'wake-up call' about building your skill set and/or upgrading your gear, but it's a lot less painful and just as effective to have that call without crashing.

If you ride on dirt or on the track, an off tends to have less serious consequences (especially if you gear properly); push it in those places to increase your skill set, and then ride well within your skill set and awareness on the street.

I just bashed up my new (to me) GS500 on sunday.  got some rug burns from my pants, but I am a total gear nazi.  I was in full pants, jacket, helmet, golves, additional forearm/elbow protectors.  The whole gambit.  The only part I didnt have up armor on was my shins where I got my scrapes, so I will be getting that gear once I get my bike sorted out.

My gear is fine and you really cant tell I was down (other than my trashed forks and misc brackets and my scrapes  )

I am a believer in wearing the full gear and I now have proof