How much gear do you see OTHERS wearing?

[Werehusky]

Around DFW no one ever seems to wear gear other than a helmet. It seems like I'm all alone haha.

Stunt crowd is really popular here.

[Validioxus]

Not nearly enough.
Everyone has at least helmets because it's required by law. And also gloves too because their hands probably sweat. (Probably not motorcycle specific).

I rarely see all that + jackets/pants/boots.

I see Helmet + Gloves about 50% of the time, Helmet + Jacket + Gloves 40%
and ATGATT about 10%

I'll bump it up to 11% when I get my license in a few weeks

[Sailariel]

I just got a catalog in the mail--DuluthTrading.com. Thet advertise jeans made of Fire Hose (Their Trade Mark) They claim that these jeans are exceptionally comfortable and soft at the same time being very abrasion resistant. They cost $44.50. They also have a jacket to match. They claim that this product is good for MC riding. Has

[tapdiggy]

Originally Posted by Werehusky

Around DFW no one ever seems to wear gear other than a helmet. It seems like I'm all alone haha.

Stunt crowd is really popular here.

That's why I like Icon's philosophy on gear. Make it look good first, and be adequately protective. That way, the fashion-conscious types will buy gear instead of riding about or "stunting" in a t-shirt and designer jeans.

Now they just gotta figure out how to appeal to us pariahs who ride dual-sports and adventure bikes, but don't wear full Aerostitch suits.

[pooter]

Always see a helmet on here in CA since it's the law. Typically gloves too, unless it's a Harley Usually some sort of jacket too since I'm in San Francisco and it doesn't really get that hot anyways. Unless of course we're talking Harleys again, in which case they're also too cool for jackets.

[drumm3r9]

Originally Posted by Kitdog

Yea there is no helmet law here, so I don't see them that often, more often on the freeway but in town, thats kinda rare.

Hey kit,
I live in Silver City about 4 hours south of you by Las cruces......the gear the guys have around here is ridiculous.....cutoff shirts, sunglasses and shorts....the end. all the time. I rarely even see a helmet being worn.

[jApOrMs]

Originally Posted by backinthesaddleagain

I was going to mention the smell would be good. On my CBR the undertail exhaust makes my jacket smell like gas/exhaust. Grammatically speaking I guess the inside of your helmet smelled like her vs your helmet smelling like her insides. LOL.

or maybe his grammar is correct

[Flow]

In Memphis (just moved) I've seen cruiser riders with acorn tops, t-shirts, pants and tennies shoes; nothing else. The sportbike riders are all your stereotypical squids, complete with sandals. One I talked with recently never used his front brake because he "always got the rear end up on my bicycle with the front."

[MikeCG23]

I cruise the streets of SLC, Utah and its very unusual to see someone in full gear (helmet, boots, jacket, gloves, pants). I see A LOT of people riding without helmets, I mean A LOT! I don't have much room to talk because I work in a warehouse (UPS) so when I ride my bike to work, Monday through Friday, I am in a sleeveless and shorts, if it's hot. I have yet to get boots and an actual riding jacket with padding, BUT I refuse to ride without my helmet and gloves. Even just jumping on my bike to move it in my driveway feels deathly wrong without my helmet! I feel a lot better with my thick leather jacket and pants on. I prefer to ride with all the gear I have considering I look like a bad a$$, but if it's too hot I just can't do it.

[bman]

Ever since I started pondering the idea of buying a Motorcycle I have looked at all the riders around here to just observe and wow... I live in a no helmet required state. It is amazing the amount of people that just wear a bandanna or nothing at all. Then most just wearing some sunglasses. It is crazy and really scary. My family is absolutely against me getting a motorcycle because my mom is a nurse and sees all these idiots that don't wear gear coming into the hospital she works at and how they look. I am like thanks guys.. wear a freakin helmet geesh..lol

[wvninja]

I could care less what other people wear .. its their choice and their lives. Nothing I can do about it, can't fix stupid.

[CC Cowboy]

I live in a HOT state. Hot girls, hot bikes, hot weather, and hot tempers. Helmets are not required. I find there is a close relationship between intelligence and gear. It doesn't matter what type of bike you ride whether you wear gear, it's more your level of intelligence and education. This also seems to determine how you ride.

What I find to be more important is skill of rider. If a rider has all the gear and can't ride worth a shyt they are more dangerous (and more likely to crash) than the rider with no gear but can ride the wheels off the bike (and I'm not talking stunting or squidly behavior but a great rider).

I find myself having to follow sportbikes, with girls in bikinis as passengers, to make sure they ride safely.

[Cali619]

on occasion I will ride naked with just helmet.

[Tofergstaff]

In michigan we have the helmet law... So pretty much during the summer i see the sportsbikes around town with just helmet, tee, shorts, and tennis shoes... Crusiers... I'm not even going to go there... but Me and my friends ride in Helmets, Jackets, Gloves, Jeans, Riding Boots/Shoes (sometimes tennis shoes )

[Blackwidow]

this morning on my way to work, i saw two sport bike riders going the opposite direction on the freeway, both were wearing helmets and no gear. i really fear for those guys.

[KTRacing38]

Most of my riding is on the track, so it's full get up then. Road trips - full gear. I usually feel like an alien visiting another planet when riding in the states... most of the 2 wheels peeps I meet are wearing no gear, not even helmets.

Dirt biking on the trails - most people wear proper gear.

My scooter... that's another story... I used to wear full gear... not it's just a helmet, gloves, jeans and jacket. I did ride it once this summer in shorts, tank top and flip flops. It felt very uncomfortable!

K.

[mikesova]

I also live in MI and rarely see ATGATT. Cruisers wear half helmets and dress like pirates, sportbikes wear fullface and wear normal clothing. Generally when I'm leaving town (35MPH +) I do ATGATT. Textile jacket, textile pants, leather boots, leather gloves, fullface. If I'm running errands around town and I don't feel like riding my bicycle, I'll just throw on my helmet.

[highpsiguy]

I strongly believe in eye protection when I ride

I wonder if this is where they got the motorcycle riding frog from?

Link to original page on YouTube.

[BIGT94z]

Around here is mostly full face helemet, gloves, t shirt and shorts. Here lately when I ride I have been wearing kauki shorts with my jacket, helemet, and gloves.
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[vet415]

We ride with a pretty large circle of folks, and the majority are pretty much geared up. Around here, you see a little bit of everything, from shorts, wife-beater and flip flops, to black leather vests with the club insignia on the back to full gear. To each their own. As said before, the dumb*$$ that is geared up with his teenage girlfriend on the back with shorts and t shirt on needs to be beat..............i digress

[edbro]

Hardly any in NJ, can't blame them though, the elbow pads in the leather jackets make it difficult to fist pump.

[capt_bugaloo]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

I find there is a close relationship between intelligence and gear. It doesn't matter what type of bike you ride whether you wear gear, it's more your level of intelligence and education.

+1

I find myself having to follow sportbikes, with girls in bikinis as passengers, to make sure they ride safely.

+2

[AndyRavag3]

I see quite a few bikers in proper gear here, though its alot colder here in the UK and especially as I go to uni in Scotland xD

No girls riding around in bikinis on the back lol

[JMcDonald]

No offense to anyone, but I see "calculated risk" in the same way I see people saying "I can start on a 600 because I can respect the power."

Even at 25mph you will move across a good 30-40 feet of pavement before stopping. Without at least kevlar-lined pants (along with everything else), that is going to remove some skin. A friend of mine lowsided a few weeks ago, going probably 35ish mph. He was wearing jeans along with the rest of his gear, which actually did hold up mildly well, but he still has a few painful, pussy wounds down his leg (all in places that would have been covored by my knee armor or kevlar panels). He also limped for a few days while the bruises on his knee healed.

Even at 25mph you can be hurled 6 feet into the air over someone's hood and land strait on your knee cap or your ankle.

"Calculating" the pain, recovery time, and expense of those injuries, none of those risks even come close to being outweighed by the minor inconvenience of taking a few extra minutes to get dressed, the expense of buying a $100-on-sale mesh jacket for the hot days (which, as stated, is really like wearing a long-sleeved shirt), or the slight discomfort of wearing a little more protection.

I am not telling anyone to do anything, I am not on a high horse, and I won't even say I wear everything all the time (though I do wear more than I think about 97% of you :P). What you do is up to you. But saying these are "calculated" decisions is an inaccurate justification for what we all know know isn't the most logical choice.

Don't base your decisions on the odds, base them on the stakes.

*edit*

But, be safe and have fun!

[Havok]

me i ride with everything but pants as i have not found a pair i like yet. I see mix but mostly stunt riders or wanabe stunt riders with a helmet and an icon chest/back thing. Which is good for slow speed parking lot stunts but these chuckle heads are on the freeways in and out of traffic all on gsxr's HD guys the norm for them half helmet and vest. There are a decent amount of sport riders in full gear and you can tell they are the ones that can really handle there bikes.

[Godzilla35]

I just saw someone at my school UCSD, who has the same color blue 08 ninja250R as me...

T-shirt, shorts... and dangling messenger bag....

WOW... squid.
and that's coming from a noob.

[shaun2891]

its just bloody ridiculous. how can you not where a helmet????
all states over here its required by law and i dont understand how anywhere hasnt brought the law in.

[drowe531]

There are a few states around me that don't require a helmet. Its crazy to see people pulled over at the state line to take their helmet off. Makes no sense to me but to each his own

[Ytse Frobozz]

Originally Posted by drowe531

There are a few states around me that don't require a helmet. Its crazy to see people pulled over at the state line to take their helmet off. Makes no sense to me but to each his own

It does boggle the mind that you would take off a helmet that you've already got to carry around with you... why not carry it on your head? They should have cubby holes at the state liquor store where you can check your helmet, and then you can pick it up before heading back to MA!

I see the full range of gear or lack thereof. More when it's cold and less when it's hot. I can't say I'm not guilty of it myself sometimes. As far as percentages go, I'd say easily less than 50% are helmet/jacket/gloves/boots/pants/etc. on a nice day.

[tjkamper]

Not enough. I seam to be the only one who wears a Power Ranger Outfit up here.

[Miss Daisy]

In the UK helmets are compulsary. I wear full leathers, helmet, gloves and boots every time I ride and have just brought a back protector. The roads are very busy in the UK and I don't want to become a statistic! I do see riders wearing t-shirts, jeans and trainers in the summer but they are taking a risk of having no skin left if they come off on the road.

[backinthesaddleagain]

Was out of town on biz with some coworkers. Coworker tells me she went for a ride on the back of a HD. I asked how did that happen? She says they went to a biker bar and some guy gave her a ride. My response is "in your dress, you are nuts."

But the response I didn't give (yet) is - you are in a strange city, in a bar, have been drinking, and you take a ride on the back of a stranger's bike who probably has been drinking also. At this point ATGATT is so far down the list. Don't want to preach to her. Definitely piss poor judgement, and probably a one time event, but part of me wants to point this out, other part of me says its not my place to.
Comments???

[LegB4Wicket]

As the weather turns colder and the riding conditions deteriorate, it's only the more serious riders who are still out in my neck of the woods.

Most riders are wearing full gear and the beanie helmet lot have began their winter hibernation.

It's the best time of the year!

[tapdiggy]

These past two weeks have been steadily colder each day in Maine, and I am only seeing "young bucks" and "old hands" out riding. Lots of denim and leather jackets on the older crowd. Lots of queezy looks on the younger faces.

[JMcDonald]

I never understood when people decide what MOTORCYCLE gear to wear based on TEMPERATURE. It's like, that helmet is designed to protect you from the road, not the cold. Even if the cold is still gone, the pavement is still quite there.

[Havok]

Originally Posted by backinthesaddleagain

Was out of town on biz with some coworkers. Coworker tells me she went for a ride on the back of a HD. I asked how did that happen? She says they went to a biker bar and some guy gave her a ride. My response is "in your dress, you are nuts."

But the response I didn't give (yet) is - you are in a strange city, in a bar, have been drinking, and you take a ride on the back of a stranger's bike who probably has been drinking also. At this point ATGATT is so far down the list. Don't want to preach to her. Definitely piss poor judgement, and probably a one time event, but part of me wants to point this out, other part of me says its not my place to.
Comments???

Offer her a ride on your bike. That is what she is getting at. She likes you and was flirting with you. What she did was risky and dangerous and told you about it because she knows you ride and was trying to show you she is I to it.

Just my 2 cents.
What ever you do do t blast her, you can tell her you did not like it that it was risky behavior and it made you concerned just don't be mean or talk down to her about it.

[Flow]

A guy who works at my local headshop rides an R6 and wears a helmet. I guess that's better than nothing as that's all the gear he's got. This is the first time I've seen a sportbike rider wearing gear in Memphis.

Originally Posted by Havok

just don't be mean or talk down to her about it.

Of course, the fun thing to do would be to be mean and talk down to her about it.

[backinthesaddleagain]

Originally Posted by backinthesaddleagain

Quote:
Originally Posted by backinthesaddleagain
Was out of town on biz with some coworkers. Coworker tells me she went for a ride on the back of a HD. I asked how did that happen? She says they went to a biker bar and some guy gave her a ride. My response is "in your dress, you are nuts."

But the response I didn't give (yet) is - you are in a strange city, in a bar, have been drinking, and you take a ride on the back of a stranger's bike who probably has been drinking also. At this point ATGATT is so far down the list. Don't want to preach to her. Definitely piss poor judgement, and probably a one time event, but part of me wants to point this out, other part of me says its not my place to.
Comments???

Offer her a ride on your bike. That is what she is getting at. She likes you and was flirting with you. What she did was risky and dangerous and told you about it because she knows you ride and was trying to show you she is I to it.

Just my 2 cents.
What ever you do do t blast her, you can tell her you did not like it that it was risky behavior and it made you concerned just don't be mean or talk down to her about it.

I don't think she was flirting - just that she knows I have a bike and was just letting me know she went for a ride on one. Dont think my wife would be wanting me to give her a ride!! Just think it was poor judgement, and any number of things could have gone wrong.

[bonbon76]

I’m a true believer in gear, but those who aren’t and live in the "no helmet law" states and don’t wear a helmet: Don’t you get rocks off the face and bugs in your eyes and mouth??? I have rocks bounce off my shield ALL the time and its covered with dead bugs. I just can’t imagine its enjoyable to ride at all without a helmet?.?.?

[LazinCajun]

Not to mention things like weather and wind drying out your eyes, etc. I don't get it either :shrug: