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General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Stig / Major Tom on July 08, 2017, 11:25:52 PM
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At an intersection this morning I saw 2 old guys on HD's, one old guy on what looked like a Burgman 200 and one young fellow riding a new sport bike.
What made me smile was the young fellow on the sport bike - he was wearing a helmet, gloves and a jacket - and had a quiet stock pipe. Good for him.
The three old guys weren't wearing any gear, whatsoever - and the scooter guy had on shorts.
(https://s17.postimg.org/9yi98k4q7/P1010454.jpg)
Stig
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See a crotch rocket today.The helmit was nice to see.but shorts and a short sleve shirt . Has raod rash all over it.
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25% ? Sounds about right. The majority of the riders I see aren't wearing any gear other than a helmet.
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here in Iowa we don't have a helmet law...so guess what? Probably see 7 out of 10 bikes with no helmets...on Harleys it's probably more like 9/10 without a helmet or even any gear at all. My 7 year old points out all the 'crazy' people riding with no gear when we're in the car.
I can't imagine what it's like to get hit in the face with some of our large, hard bugs while riding...gotta hurt...
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When I was younger I had no fear.
I did survive to be older but I'm still at the back of the class.
redk
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I did survive to be older but I'm still at the back of the class.
Short Bus for Life.
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mjr, I did get one, the other day...
(http://imgur.com/a/QdlSB)
Actually pretty excited about it...
Nah, doesn't remind me of waiting on the corner each morning...
Reminds me of an Imperial Walker ! lol
(https://images.csmonitor.com/csmarchives/2011/04/0419-star-wars-at-at-walker.jpg?alias=standard_600x400)
redk
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When I began riding at 18 on my Yamaha Catalina parallel twin 250 in Huntington Beach in 68 almost no one wore helmets or protective gear. Geez, don't even know if they even made much back in those days. My first crash was on Balboa Island in Newport Beach going around a curve a little too hot chasing some girls in a pickup and highsided into a field. I was wearing a leather jacket, not the motorcycle version but a button up dress type jacket that saved my shoulder as the coat was shredded. After I finished sliding across the grass I looked up to see a large boulder only several feet from my head. No helmet then.
My second and last crash was coming through an intersection in Newport Beach and the left turning driver didn't yield and I could feel his bumper brush up against my jeans. I was so angry I chased this guy down to the next intersection and I was going to yank him out of his car and beat the crap out of him (I've since become a very calm individual). Got going a little too fast down the street to catch up with him and locked the brakes up on my 2nd and all time favorite; Honda 305 Scrambler. How this happened I'll never know but I fell onto the bike sliding towards this dude's rear bumper as I'm screaming, "go go", flailing my arms to get him to move before I run up under his car. He pulls away as I slide through the intersection and pick up the bike and ride off with nary a scratch and a broken headlight and bent brake lever. Man O Man, was I a lucky son of a gun and again no gear or helmet.
These days though, it's ATGATT.....well most of the time. I do wear a Nolan modular, gloves, boots and textile jacket always and riding pants on long rides. Still like to ride in jeans though. Maybe I"ll get it all together some day.
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"...screaming, go,go..." [emoji1] [emoji1] [emoji1] [emoji106]
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I wear a helmet, but here in Florida I would be more concerned about a heat stroke with all the other gear.
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In the summer time temperatures go up to around 35°c (95F) so 99% of riders wear only a helmet and maybe kidney belt. I know it's not wise riding without proper gear, but I think the heat would make me do some pretty stupid things in the city being all kitted up.
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It gets 100s in the summer.. and in city driving it gets worst! I use a summer jacket mostly meshed:. It gets hot but i can live with it. 2 yrs ago i had an accident and that same summer jacket saved my shoulder and elbow. So not using a jacket is a no option!
Helmets... law enforces the use here. But many ppl dont even tie them to the chin or use them over their forehead and not to many full face good helmets arround.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170722/2eb3f53dbe94b6bac114210f9a44df60.jpg)
Thats a common thing you see every day!
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I've ridden in 118 degree temp once in Big Bend some years back on my Burgman 400. If anyone has ever ridden there you know there's no trees and therefore no shade. When we finally reached the Rio Grande there was a covered picnic area. One of the guys had brought a small watermelon and we were never happier to get out of the sun and get some refreshment. One of the things that helped me was an evaporative cooling vest. They're terrific in dry heat climates but worthless in humidity. Some of my Goldwing buddies have an ice water cooling vest that pumps ice water in a loop from a cooler thru the vest and say they work great. Even in triple digets I would never ride without my mesh jacket as direct sun on flesh is actually hotter than wearing a jacket. The body cools itself through sweating and the faster the body dries out, one loses the benefits of perspiration cooling and is in danger of heat stroke. Wearing a textile jacket in high heat is really a smart thing to do guys.
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A friend once told me about a biking holiday in Spain. Great roads, lovely weather...then they decided to tackle the traffic of Barcelona. He had rivers of sweat running down bits of his body that had never seen sweat before. He nearly passed out several times before he realised he was dehydrated. Meanwhile, all the car drivers had the aircon cranked up, sipping cold drinks from their cupholders.
Thankfully, the extreme heat is not something I'll ever have to deal with.
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Yep, I remember the first 50 yards of a ride in a mesh jacket on a hot day. Amazing!
So, with the proper jacket - proved to myself that I can ride a scooter across a spectrum of nearly 100 degrees.
Stig
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As a matter of fact, just yesterday I saw a guy on a Buddy 125 riding along in traffic wearing a bicycle helmet and shorts w/flip-flops. Oregon is a must wear helmet state so he'll get tagged some day. I was thinking though that his bike beanie might actually be better protection than those barely DOT blitzkrieg helmets that the chopper guys wear.
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It's hot here in Texas but I try to stay protected...
Open face helmet with a peak
Mesh jacket
Deerskin gloves...deerskin is WAY cooler than other leathers or synthetics
Jeans
Tennies
Slow and go traffic is the worst when it's hot and that's where scooters really shine over bikes...
Upright riding position keeps you off your wrists
Auto tranny is a blessing
Motor location and body panels keep the engine heat at bay
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It's hot here in Texas but I try to stay protected...Slow and go traffic is the worst when it's hot and that's where scooters really shine over bikes...Upright riding position keeps you off your wrists...Auto tranny is a blessing...Motor location and body panels keep the engine heat at bay.
We experience the same thing here in the Boise valley...many days over 100 during our summer, but riding the scooter is still much better for all the reasons you listed. At least we don't have much humidity here (typically 10-20%), which is a real saving grace.
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We experience the same thing here in the Boise valley...many days over 100 during our summer, but riding the scooter is still much better for all the reasons you listed. At least we don't have much humidity here (typically 10-20%), which is a real saving grace.
Boise - dry air??
I thought the only time the rain stopped was so the fog could roll in ?
Wait...maybe I'm thinking of Oregon.
Idaho Oregon....same thing to mid-westerners. North west, someplace.
You have taters, we have corn. Same diff - starch.
Stig
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I ride to work especially during the summer when I'm not taking the kid to school. I'll go with a helmet and gloves and even a jacket, but beyond that no.
I think the focus of either ATGATT or full blown flip flop squid kind of helps keep riding on two wheel smostly a hobby in the US. If you look at people going to work on scooters in Taiwan, they're not in full leathers and kevlar jeans.
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Boise - dry air??
I thought the only time the rain stopped was so the fog could roll in ?
Wait...maybe I'm thinking of Oregon.
Idaho Oregon....same thing to mid-westerners. North west, someplace.
You have taters, we have corn. Same diff - starch.
Stig
It's confusing to us, too, Stig. Idaho is really many different states in one:
1) OreIda - SW Idaho and eastern Oregon. Very dry and desert-ish.
2) North Utah - eastern Idaho with direct links to the whole SLC area.
3) IdaWashaho - northern panhandle area that identifies more with eastern Washington than with lower Idaho.
4) The Great Unknown - the whole central part of the state, inhabited mostly by pine trees, bears, elk, deer, and other wildlife that only see humans when they go to the river for a drink.
See, it's really quite easy. Of course, out West here we find that all the midwest states kind of blur together into one big conglomerate. ;D
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Yep, drove thru Taderville a few weeks ago heading from Oregon to Utah on 84. Yep, hot-n-dry. Just the way taders love it.
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The seasons and weather set the tone a lot. When commuting I always wear my armored riding jacket, gloves (no matter what) and full face helmet. In the summer, because we're on heatwave number 7 I may wear shorts, or jeans if the AC is cranked on where I'm teaching, and sneakers too. On the hot days I also have to bring a change of shirts cause I'm slathered in sweat when I arrive (even at 7 am in the morning - it's the humidity that gets you.), and I arrive early to have some time to get cleaned up and change.
If I have to teach in more than one place I may not wear the jacket whenI get on my bike again if it's a jaunt across town. I know, it's risky, but I often won't have time to wash up and change when I get to the next school. It's ride, park and run to my class. I'm super vigilant then, but crossing my fingers all the way too. Love riding in the Fall, late Winter and early Spring when I can be fully kitted out.
Nothin's better than feeling like an armored badass.
- Wolf
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Yep, drove thru Taderville a few weeks ago heading from Oregon to Utah on 84. Yep, hot-n-dry. Just the way taders love it.
Unfortunately, that's about all most people will see of Idaho - the dry desert yuckness. So many beautiful areas to the north, but you have to get off that stupid slab (I-84). Almost as if the road engineers said, "Let's find the most desolate, god-forsaken area of Idaho and put the road there."
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Nothin's better than feeling like an armored badass.
- Wolf
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scooter larper! lol ;D
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Dan is a lucky fellow !
redk