Ok,
I know this is a touchy subject for alot of people. How many people here ride with gear? When you wear gear, do you wear full gear?

Me and most of my friends wear gear 100% of the time. Even here in hot FL. I will always have a helmet, gloves, boots, jacket, and jeans on. I'd rather be alittle warm then in pain. If i'm just riding the bike around the neigborhood or something like that i'll at least have a helmet and gloves on. I'll never go out on the street with no gear. How about everyone else?

 

I wear a helmet always and try to wear jeans at the least....but I usually wear jeans, motorcycle boots ( Icon boots that look like heavy duty work boots) I have some jackets, Mesh for the hot weather and Textile for the cooler stuff, gloves and I have a few helmets ( 3 Arai's)
I also have a scooter, 2000 Derbi Scooter and wear the helmet and shoes, pants..

 

Not 100% all the time. If I'm riding around town just running errands I'll wear helmet, gloves, and long pants minimum. If I shoot up to the mountains (only an hour from here - it's great!) then I'll put on the full gear.

My thinking behind this - Even though most accidents occur at 35mph or less at intersections, I seriously doubt the extra padding from a jacket and body armour will protect me from the impact of a Caddy or Lexus slamming into me. I would rather be comfortable in town and stay more alert to my surroundings while trying to avoid collisions.

On the other hand, if I'm out to ride - I mean really ride hard - the extra protection helps me ride more confidently, and in turn, better. The most likely accident on days like this will be of my own fault and will involve my body sliding accross pavement, rock - and if I'm really unlucky down the side of a cliff. In my opinion the extra padding comes in handy for scenarios where road rash is the enemy.

Disclaimer: But that's just my opinion. It's probably best to wear 100% all the time.

 

I always wear my helmet and long pants. I try to wear my Icon Jacket whenever I can but when it gets too hot I just wear a tshirt. I'm in the process of deciding on a new pair gloves I want... I think I'm leaning towards the Alpinestars SP-1 right now. Any suggestions?

 

Helmet, jacket (Joe Rocket Ballistic), gloves (Rhyno), jeans. Always. Even for a short ride to run errands.

I don't have boots, but want to get some this winter. I need new gloves too, my current ones are coming apart again and I don't know if I feel like getting them restitched.

It isn't so much the impact of something hitting you, as much as it is the road rash if/when you slide across the pavement.

It is really personal preference and I'm not trying to push my opinion on anyone. But that said, I would like to see everyone live to ride another day!

 

When communting and riding around town:
-Helmet, Alpinestars gloves, Venom air-flo jacket (GP armor), Roam boots

When riding the twisties with my buddies:
-Helmet, Full one-piece Alpinestars leathers, SMX-3 boots, back protector and GP Plus gloves (full gauntlet)

Cold Weather:
-Helmet, Alpinestars Lead Jacket (GP armor), Lead pants (GP armor), SMX-3 boots, Jet Road Gore-Tex gloves

I don't care how hot it is I would rather sweat than bleed anyday of the week. I have gone down before and if it wasn't for the helmet, armor in my pants and jacket I would have no elbows or knees right now and a reconstructed chin and nose. The one day you go down without your helmet and gear is the day you wish you would have put it on. It happens to the best of us. Majority of motorcycle accidents are survivable if you wear at least a helmet. Yeah, skin grafting sucks but at least your head is safe. Just my 2.5 cents.

QuiK

 

And when it comes to a helmet, I always remember an Ad I saw years ago.....


"If you've got a $25 head, buy a $25 helmet." [sm=lol.gif]

i've worn an Arai for over 10 years.

 

A good friend of mine gave me some words of wisedom years ago and I always try and stick by it. Dress for the crash, not the ride. It makes sence if you think about it too. I have had two friends of mine wreck in the past few weeks. Neither of them would be here to this day if they hadn't had gear on. One accident was the riders fault and the other was a car's fault. Neither could have been prevented. Sure they still got hurt, but at least thay are alive. I always wear jeans, a HJC AC 11 helmet, a joe rocket phoenix jacket, joe rocket phoenix gloves, and Icon super duty boots. I'm currently shopping around for a good cool weather jacket and gloves. I have a joe rocket meteor that works great in the cold weather, but it's too big (3xl). If anyone is interested in buying it, I need that money to get me a cold weather jacket that fits.

 

Sounds like everyone here wears at least basic gear, which is good. Here is a page I look at, everytime I think about getting on the bike with no gear. It totally makes me rethink that decision. Warning, there are some graphic pics on the page, but I think it's good for people to see. I usually try and share this with new riders. http://www.cmyoung.com/bikewreck.html

 

I have seen some horrific sh#t and that rates right up there. The other day I saw pictures of a teenager on a Hayabusa who had been doing 160 down a 45 mph parkway and a car pulled out in front of the bike. You can only imagine the carnage. The kid lived because he had a helmet on.

QuiK