| Author | Message | ||
     Fltwistygirl |
Totally unscientific observation...17 out of 20 riders observed while piloting my sisters SUV today (don't ask) in the 6-1-2 were not wearing gloves. Why? Is it a good feeling to have bugs hit your knuckles? When you fall, and have road rash, do you like having to ask others to update your facebook status and to help you with personal hygiene? Really? Sigh. | ||
| Ratbuell |
People. Don't. Think. There's the answer. Period. Besides...that velcro wrist strap is HAARRD to put on EEVERRRRY TIIIIMMEEEE...waaaaaahhhhh. Go Darwin  | ||
| Yjsrule |
Last time I was in Ohio I'd say at least 15 of 20 weren't wearing helmets. People aren't real bright.  | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Ergh. I love teaching up here, but this is reason enough why the class should be mandatory and why I love the technology of the Spyder. Not perfect but it protects us from ourselves. People learn in different ways. Road rash should not be one of them. | ||
| Froggy |
Yours have a velcro strap? Mine are self adjusting. It is great with the inflatable helmet cheek pads and electric auto tinting visor | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Froggy, u rock! Some people (most) are not patient enough to deal with velcro. It is so UNSOPHISTICATED. Me...I am totally ok with slo-tek. People-just cover the parts that matter! Is that so tough? | ||
| Ratbuell |
That's the problem. NOTHING matters as much as the "image". It's a freakin' fashion show. Period. | ||
| Discochris |
I feel oddly naked riding without gloves. I'm not a total ATGATT nazi. (I don't wear my riding pants to work). I never ride without a jacket, gloves, or helmet though. It just seems weird to not wear gloves. | ||
| Dynasport |
Same for me. The bike doesn't feel right to me without gloves on. | ||
| Ronmold |
I've noticed the same thing recently in the Twin Cities and don't get it. And as far as image there's some great looking gloves out there and not that expensive either. With the number of deer (big brown rats!) around the MPLS 'burbs, even in the daytime, you have to be ready for evasive action. My son dropped his cruiser recently, a slow low-side, scared him ****less (quote), but he walked away unharmed! Wears his gear, even in the Phoenix inferno. | ||
| Pontlee77 |
if you get rain at 80klms/h it's like small stones hitting you | ||
| Hughlysses |
I always think that if you go down on your bike, you MIGHT be able to avoid hitting your head, and you MIGHT be OK without boots or riding pants, but you ARE going to put your hands out when you hit the asphalt no matter what. I never ride without gloves. Oh yea, I just got a new pair of Held "Air" (summer) gloves for Father's Day yesterday! | ||
| 4_pete_sake |
I agreed with many of the above.... the grips feel so weird without gloves.....when i move it around the garage, driveway.... etc.... it just feels so strange.... sweaty grips don't seem safe in any way shape or form..... as a nurse = ATGATT..... especially boots.... so many broken ankles.... best $300 bucks I ever spent.... first and only $300 pair of shoes/boots i own.... but I am no fashionista .... | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
"I always think that if you go down on your bike, you MIGHT be able to avoid hitting your head, and you MIGHT be OK without boots or riding pants, but you ARE going to put your hands out when you hit the asphalt no matter what." I feel the same way. When I have the "why wear gloves, and full-fingered ones, not shorties" discussion, I bring up the point of what did you do with your hands when you were a kid and fell, maybe even when you were just running down the sidewalk, tripped then went down? Skinned those hands up pretty good, didn't ya? Why do you think your body's reaction is going to be any different when you fall off a motorcycle? When my buddy crashed his harley in February, he was wearing gloves, but they were crappy, non-velcroed and rode up, leaving his hand unprotected. Road rashed his hand pretty good. Lucky for him, his wife is a nurse and didn't mind "helping" him while he healed. And he figured he was only doing about 40 when he crashed. "I just got a new pair of Held "Air" (summer) gloves for Father's Day yesterday!"  The best Mother's Day gifts are motorcycle gear. My family knows that stuff will get used and be appreciated! "With the number of deer (big brown rats!) around the MPLS 'burbs, even in the daytime" It is scary, Ronmold. They are unpredictable and never seem to travel alone. Each of the students in my experienced class last weekend had a deer story to tell. I've seen many carcasses on the roads in the week I've been here, what a yucky reminder. Another reason to gear up properly, every time. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I never wore gloves until I became an MSF instructor about 5 years ago. Got used to wearing them and now feel naked without them. I wear just plain old cowhide leather gloves and get ribbed once in a while about wearing work gloves. I really like that my gloves keep the burning rays of the sun off my hands. Sure, they'll certainly help in that .001 chance that I wreck but the other .999 of the time they'll keep the melanoma at bay. | ||
| Lloydxt |
Go Darwin +1 | ||
| Rwcfrank |
Dont dress to ride, dress to crash. ATGATT | ||
| 7873jake |
My brother got off his bike at speed (low-ish) a few years ago with a pair of gloves that didn't have a cuff and I remember that bony prominence on his wrist just being all chewed up and taking forever to heal. It was the one area between jacket cuff and glove cuff that wasn't covered. I read somewhere (here?) to always carry a second pair of gloves as a J.I.C. If your departure from the bike isn't catastrophic and the bike can be ridden home, usually your primary gloves are trashed and your back-ups will give you protection to get to your destination (your garage or repair shop). Ronmold: In the past 5 years, any deer strikes that our fleet of semis have encountered have been in the MPLS area or north of Chicago. Every time, without fail. Two years ago, we had a deer strike coming out of the MPLS area headed to Chicago and got down between Alpine Valley and Great Lakes and had a second strike on the same truck. Big brown rats indeed. (Message edited by 7873jake on June 18, 2011) (Message edited by 7873jake on June 18, 2011) | ||
| Andymnelson |
what gets me is that I have seen probably a dozen or so sport bike riders not wearing a helmet but riding with it strapped to the back seat or helmet lock. What the heck?? Did their mommies make them wear the helmets when they left home and the took them off around the block or what? | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
one of my fav's  | ||
| Hangetsu |
That's a great pic Wolfridgerider. That guy's the classic example of the helmetless rider - other than cruiser and full dresser riders. Do these boneheads really think their farings and built-in hard cases are going to protect them in a crash? I also always have to laugh when I see the 20 something macho-meathead on his blinged out liter-class sportbike, cruising down the interstate at 80, cargo shorts, t-shirt tucked through his belt loop, coooool sunglasses, and backward facing fitted baseball cap on his head. Do they really think it won't happen to them? | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
"what gets me is that I have seen probably a dozen or so sport bike riders not wearing a helmet but riding with it strapped to the back seat or helmet lock. What the heck?? Did their mommies make them wear the helmets when they left home and the took them off around the block or what?" I posed this question to a twenty something sport bike riding student in Florida. His response: "My friends and I keep an extra helmet on the bike in case we pick up some underage hot chicks who want to come for a ride." | ||
| Ronmold |
Jake, how bad do deer mess-up a Freightliner's bumper? | ||
| 7873jake |
Sometimes, they badly bend a chrome bumper or side steps like the one in the picture below (but leave the saddle tanks all covered in guts). Other times, they'll jump at the last minute, get some altitude and take out the grill, headllight(s), sometimes a fender. Here's a truck-versus-cow outside of Midland, TX last year. The cow caused damage to the steering linkage somehow locking the wheel and the truck plowed through the median, across opposite lanes and came to rest on its side in the pasture across the interstate. That's how far 70,000 #'s of ~60mph momentum will carry   (Message edited by 7873jake on June 18, 2011) (Message edited by 7873jake on June 18, 2011) | ||
| H2opatrol |
A helmet messes up frosted and heavily gelled hair, a riding jacket covers up the gold chains and ultra-cool MMA t-shirt, riding pants wont fit over cargo shorts and get tangled up in sandals. And gloves..... well chicks just plain don't dig 'em? As for the spare helmet, it gives that, "I could be safe but I'm way to bada$$ for that" look everyone's going for. | ||
| Tootal |
Personally I wear gloves because I like wearing gloves and it's my choice because I live in the USA. Land of the FREE! Do I wear ATGATT. NO! My choice. Do I wear a helmet all the time. NO! My choice. Helmet laws and seatbelt laws all chip away our freedoms just a little at a time. Our founding father's warned us about governments growing too large and controlling our lives and I'm afraid we have reached that point and I'm sick of it! You want to wear ATGATT then go for it. I won't stop you, it's YOUR choice. I won't berate you for doing so, it's what YOU want! JUST DON'T TREAD ON ME! It's all a matter of principle and freedom. | ||
| Stillonit |
i say to each his own.i don't want big brother looking over my shoulder telling me what and what not to do. i wear my gear 85% helmet and gloves 100%,,, Don't give up one inch. my hats err helmets off to the many people that flood the capital every time there is a new try for the helmet law here in Illinois.Personal decision should be left up to yourself. stupid as some of those decision are. but I do believe mandatory safety requirement until your an adult. then game on | ||
| Dride |
I always wear my helmet, gloves, boots, Kevlar pants, and Teknic jacket in the 6-1-2. You go down just one time, and you learn... I have also had about 30 junebug collisions this summer (thanks for the protection full face helmet)! I am all about personal freedoms, but strongly believe kids under 18 need to wear helmets on motorcycles. Tank tops and flip flops are not proper motorcycle attire. For the rest of us, laws of Darwinism apply. I am always amazed how many times people do not *see* me. Barricade Orange bike, fluorescent yellow jacket, goofy icon helmet, and its like I'm not even there. Deer I can excuse, humans not so much... | ||
| Svh |
Helmet, gloves, jeans at least and riding jacket are the minimum for me to get on the bike. Any of those missing I feel awkward. Rode a friends motorcycle up and down the block last month and I was in T-shirt and no helmet and it fealt very strange. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
"A helmet messes up frosted and heavily gelled hair" Worked with a guy at Riders Edge who was extremely concerned with image (I know, shocking!). He would pull up on his immaculate bike, turn it and the radio off, dismount, remove his helmet (which he wore about one out of four times), grab his hairbrush, run it thru his hair, then check his head/hair out in his mirror. The helmet thing was his choice, but his primping cracked me up. He did, however, always wear gloves. |
