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General => Roadcraft => Topic started by: SgtShak on July 21, 2014, 11:00:52 PM
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How do you guys feel about this? When I started riding cruisers years ago, the idea was to look cool. As I graduated into more serious riding and read more publications, I really started to get into proper riding gear. Including Hi-Viz stuff. There is a tremendous amount of great riding gear available regardless of the climate where you live. My shop and closet is filled with a quality variety of jackets, helmets, gloves, pants, Kevlar jeans, shoes and boots. I wore these religiously when riding. Especially on my last bike which was a Connie 1400. Now that a scooter is my primary (and only for the time) bike, I find myself breaking my own rules more often than not. This, in my mind, really is stupid. I would have to assume that it would hurt just as much going down on a scooter as it would on my Connie. It would hurt even more knowing that I have all the proper gear at my finger tips. I ride my scoot a lot. Over 700 miles in it's first three weeks. Just that sometimes I feel like an idiot all suited up on a "scooter". I continue to live by the Hi-Viz rule but I think I bend the other rules too much too often. How do you guys ride?
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Now you want MY pict eh!
Street clothes. Hands/Knees/chin get skinned up so what. We're men!
It's too hot, and humid here for anything else but I always wear a condom.
Nothing else to offer here.
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6'3", 250 lb. guy in hi-viz yellow armored jacket and XXXXL HJC, on a 52" wheelbase, two-tone plastic scooter w/too much chrome 'crash bars' and big bug-eyed long stemmed mirrors in the land of long-necks and F-250 dualies. I just ordered my Sliders kevlar Mom-jeans and some new gloves.
It gets 100 degrees here. Humidity to match.
I put it on every ride.
At my age - I simply do not care what most folks think.
I pulled into my dealers lot the other day on the above scoot....I joked with a fellow climbing off his massive adventurer $30K BMW: "Can I park here in the 'motorcycles only' area, or will I get beat up?!"
He said, "I saw you coming. You look pretty cute on that thing."
"Cute?" I said, "That's the look I was after!"
Lay your gear out where you can get to it. Put any rain liners under your seat.
Put the proper stuff on ...you know what.
Last year the sales girl got fed up with me because none of the helmets she put on me fit (see above, my size!), and said, "It's only a scooter!"
I've spent a few hundred $ on my scooter stuff - and not one cent of it went back to that dealer.
We're too smart and too mature to care what the lady in the minivan behind us at the light is thinking.
Stig
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I totally agree with you. I have actually found that it is cooler to rider with a quality vented jacket than it is to ride with a "t" shirt. I have a pair of Draggin' jeans, Sarto Jeans and a pair of Icon. Our dimensions are a little off....I am 6'4" at 240lbs...BUT DAMN you got a big pumpkin!!!! Continue to be safe my friend.
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He said, "I saw you coming. You look pretty cute on that thing."
"Cute?" I said, "I don't think I'm your type." ;D :-*
Anyways,
6 foot 230lbs
full face helmet
tourmaster Transitions 3 jacket (hi vis)
Mechanix Wear Mpact3 Knuckle Protection Gloves (also have cortech DX2 gloves but pretty much gave them up cause they offered little more than sun protection.
No boots or over the ankle wear yet. Do hi top nike basketball shoes count?
No pants either (for the record zombie, I'm wearing pants just not armoured ones). I'm having a hard time reconsiling pants for the 20 minute rides I do back and forth to work. I'll spend half again as much time getting in/out of them as riding. I know, I know, ("ATG All The Time")
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I think we all find those exceptions....that's why we are able to ride as much as we do. Check out the closeouts at MOTORCYCLEGEAR.COM. When these guys run closeouts....they really are priced as closeouts. I picked up a pair of ICON Kevlar jeans which are normally $100+ for $60. Also scored a pair of riding shoes (sneakers) which were considered "slightly blemished" which are very comfortable, with protection and easy to walk around in when not riding. I have bought numerous items from them and have never been disappointed or found a better price
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I totally agree with you. I have actually found that it is cooler to rider with a quality vented jacket than it is to ride with a "t" shirt. I have a pair of Draggin' jeans, Sarto Jeans and a pair of Icon. Our dimensions are a little off....I am 6'4" at 240lbs...BUT DAMN you got a big pumpkin!!!! Continue to be safe my friend.
Hey, easy on the noggin remarks. I have a 'long oval' head....like the better toilet seats! (Kohler has been leaving messages on my phone, for promo work I think)
Remember,the bigger the head, the bigger the hat. Mark Twain said that. Or Dylan...
Stig
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I wear the same protective gear(full face helmet, jacket, boots, gloves) riding my Super8 scooter that I wore riding my Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle. The consequences of going down are the same regardless of what you happen to be riding or how far you're going.
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Foot ware.
When hits the fan the feet tend to come down.
(http://scooter-gimp.smugmug.com/MISC/i-sf9smB3/0/M/image-M.jpg)
Really IMO boots are up there with the hat.
Be Big,
AMAC
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I really wish I hadn't seen that.
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I really wish I hadn't seen that.
Sorry. It's easy to avoid.
Boots.
Be Big,
AMAC
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Foot ware.
When hits the fan the feet tend to come down.
(http://scooter-gimp.smugmug.com/MISC/i-sf9smB3/0/M/image-M.jpg)
Really IMO boots are up there with the hat.
Be Big,
AMAC
What??? No Flip-Flops like the crotch rocket riders ( with their beater T's and shorts) ??
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What??? No Flip-Flops like the crotch rocket riders ( with their beater T's and shorts) ??
Where I live it's the ones on Harleys that wear the flip flops, shorts and either no shirt or a tank top.
On my 250's (both scoots) I always wear full face helmet, armored jacket, leather Icon gloves (they are vented though), and boots. I don't wear the Kevlar pants, but I do wear jeans. I wish I could find those jeans that my mom used to buy when I was a kid from Sears, you know the ones that you could put on, get dragged behind a truck for 50 miles and the jeans wouldn't even get a hole in them. I think they were called 'tough skins'.
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I live in Florida. I've got the full face helmet on. Vented motorcycle jacket with a high vis vest over that. Waterproof boots with oil resistant soles. My riding gloves.
If you wreck going 30 miles an hour on a scoot, a pedal bike, a 1200cc monster, or your car the physics are the same. The better protected you are the more likely your going to get up and ride again.
ATTGAT is not a joke.
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Thanks for that BigMac! Now I remember what breakfast was.
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My daily attire: full-face helmet, sneakers, cargo shorts, jersey... under the seat is my rain gear...
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I'm playing catch up on past post, and thought this one was important.
When commuting or traveling at night I wear a full face modular helmet with a LED light in the pack, Armored riding jacket with a vertical reflective tstrip on the front and back, and depending on the weather (meaning not really in the summer) tough gloves, and over the ankle boots. Pants are jeans or cargo shorts.
When I passed my safety class my instructor who was a ATGATT rider and wore a full banna yellow riding suit, said he didn't care what people said about how he looked. Words couldn't hurt him. The road could.
Since getting my Downtown I'm considering a long-distance ride from Philadelphia to Ottawa Canada in September of 2016 to attend a week long conference and film festival. For that I'm thinking of getting some kevlar jeans and actual riding gloves.
There are ways of looking cool on a scooter. I've always liked the Corazzo style riding jackets.
https://www.corazzo.net (https://www.corazzo.net)
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Philli to Ottawa, what is that 600 miles, wear liners in Sept. it gets cool here, mornings and evenings wellcome to my town , de dee
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Not sure on the miles (yet) but it's about an 8-10 hour drive. I've done it for the past 15 or more years, but in a 12-15 passenger van driving college students, or in a car. A two wheel vehicle would be a first. My wife is from NE PA and I've lived in Syracuse so i really know the route and area.
Any good free parking spots in Ottawa? Not sure if the B&B I'm staying at will give me a parking deal or not.
-Wolf
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what is the address of your bed & breakfast,
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It's the Swiss Hotel. 89 Daly Ave. Otttawa. Real nice place.
-Wolf
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This summer I have a mesh jacket with padding, leather gloves (already tested on my spill last month.. did great) boots, full face helmet. In winter, ill get something warmer for the jacket, probably break out the old leather jacket. The Agility is the loud orange color. Jacket is off-white, and helmet is red.
I commute to work most days of the week on the scooter now, so ATGATT is not an option for me when it comes to trousers. That is not going to happen.
I agree in principle with ATGATT, but ultimately it does not always work in situations where the scooter is going to be more then a plaything or grocery getter. Looking at the images of thousands of people in Taiwan scooter commuting, you don't see them completely leathered up.
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This summer I have a mesh jacket with padding, leather gloves (already tested on my spill last month.. did great) boots, full face helmet. In winter, ill get something warmer for the jacket, probably break out the old leather jacket. The Agility is the loud orange color. Jacket is off-white, and helmet is red.
I commute to work most days of the week on the scooter now, so ATGATT is not an option for me when it comes to trousers. That is not going to happen.
I agree in principle with ATGATT, but ultimately it does not always work in situations where the scooter is going to be more then a plaything or grocery getter. Looking at the images of thousands of people in Taiwan scooter commuting, you don't see them completely leathered up.
For all intents and purposes I use my scoots as my daily ride in the Florida heat.
It takes only a little time to put the gear on and take it off. The hardest part is accumulating a ton of different "weight" gear for the weather.
AMAC
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I wish there was a Tshirt made of some tough material like Kevlar or[?] that had elbow armor, shoulder armor, back protection and say 3/4 length sleeves. I'd buy it in a heartbeat if it fit in my size. It's too damn hot to be wearing a coat when it's in the 90s. You might look like a lineman wearing it but wouldn't bother me at all.
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I wish there was a Tshirt made of some tough material like Kevlar or[?] that had elbow armor, shoulder armor, back protection and say 3/4 length sleeves. I'd buy it in a heartbeat if it fit in my size. It's too damn hot to be wearing a coat when it's in the 90s. You might look like a lineman wearing it but wouldn't bother me at all.
First Gear texmesh works for me....rode in it the other day ...heat index of 104....punched small air holes in the backs of light colored Icon leather gloves, removed the chin curtain and rear neck curtain from my Nolan helmet. Take streets with less stop lights - even if it increases your trip a little.
Or get a 50cc and hug the curbs.
Stig
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Or get a 50cc and hug the curbs.
Stig
White line riding.
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There are armored vest that are designed for the warmer months and climates.
http://www.cyclegear.com/motorcycle/Armor-Vest (http://www.cyclegear.com/motorcycle/Armor-Vest)
This one is only a $100, add tax (if applicable) and shipping,
http://www.cyclegear.com/SPEED-AND-STRENGTH-Live-By-The-Sword-Armored-Motorcycle-Vest (http://www.cyclegear.com/SPEED-AND-STRENGTH-Live-By-The-Sword-Armored-Motorcycle-Vest)
I say it comes down to the ride. I wear my armored jacket, or heavy leather jacket in cold weather, boots and gloves when I commute to work, at night, or if I'll be traveling on any road where the speed is 40 mph or higher. In the summer I wear a crappy t-shirt under my riding jacket, and my dress shirt is in my computer bag to change in when I get to work.
I have a parka, but I do my best to avoid riding on rainy days, or if the temperature is below freezing. Doesn't mean I haven't been caught in a shower, but I don't plan having rain gear on my bike. I need the space for other things. If the weather's bad I take a trains, or our car.
-Wolf
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The biggest worry for me is body joints, and hips.
Wrists and elbows are tied for most damage, fingers second, and hips a very close third. Knees, and ankles take up a solid fourth place.
I've broken my collar bone but no jacket on earth would have stopped that.
What I'm getting at is I can not see the value in a complete armored jacket. Same for pants that protect your thighs, and shins.
If I were completely naked, and had to choose what to protect, it would be the parts I have listed, and hurt over, and over again. Track days... sure. Race weekends where speeds will be insane... sure.
Riding to the store for rolling papers, and porn mags... not so much
Riding armor reminds me of my daughter. She came home one day with a hickey on her neck. Putting on my best "daddy" face I asked where she got that?
"I was running up the stairs, and Jen tripped me from behind". Now I've fallen up, down, over, and across stairs but NEVER ONCE landed neck first.
not to sound ignorant or falsely brave but knee pads, wrist pads, gloves, elbow, and hip pads are all I feel you need. Those, and a good pair of boots.
If riding sucks that day? You're ready for hockey or kung fu.
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Great suggestions Zombie. Perfect gear for hot weather too. I'd throw in a helmet for good measure. I'm looking at some Kevlar jeans with armor add ons for the hips and knees. May get them next year for a long trip I'm planing.
-Wolf
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Head and spinal cord first.
Everything else is fixable/replaceable.
AMAC