Thoughts on recent observations

[dantama]

Originally Posted by schoeney

I ride a vtwin but dress like a crotch rocketer (full face Scorpion helmet and Frank Thomas bright yellow/white textile jacket w/armor) 90% of the time. Not for the look but just improving the safety factor. My full face stays pretty cool even in the heat...but when it is real hot I will leave the shield up and slip on some shades...don't like those bees and bugs in my eyes.

It would be interesting to hear what any of you have to say about modular helmets....I thought about one but they seem so bulky when the lower part is on the up position. But maybe I could get used to it.

.

I do the same thing, ride with a full face, shield up, and sun glasses. I'm of the claustrophobic type, but I got used to riding with a full face as long as the shield is up.

My full face is also a modular. I never use the modular part. I bought it so that it would be easier to stop and take pictures. Instead of taking the helmet off, I could just raise it.

I found it too bulky to be worth doing, so I never do.

[cactusjack]

This morning on my way to work, a dude on a crotch rocket roared past me doing about 65 in a 45 zone. Not too unusual, happens all the time. However I noticed this guy was wearing a full-face helmet, Joe Rocket armored jacket, gloves, shorts and Teva(?) sandals. I guess he's half-safe.

No earth-shattering assertion here, but what we wear is usually dictated by our specific environments. I don't wear a lot of protective gear because of the heat. I would never wear shorts when riding. In the "winter", a leather jacket and chaps keeps me pretty warm. It seldom rains, so being impervious to rain is not a priority as it might be in Oregon or Vancouver, or Wales.

I don't begrudge anybody who chooses safety, visibility, or even practicality over tradition, style, or "what looks cool". I do try to be protected when I ride, whenever possible. I just don't spend much time going out of my way to do it.

Maybe I'm lazy, stupid, a thrillseeker, or just plain don't care. I dunno.

[tkd]

Interesting points raised by all. I'm going to share some insight that was given by my MSF instructor who was also a police motor instructor. This particular gentleman was a big proponent of gear that balanced between the proper protection and price. I'll give some examples.

Helmets. All helmets sold in the United States are tested to the D.O.T. standards. If they pass that, then they are certified to provide the minimum necessary required impact protection. Snell is an additional certification that is not necessary but not a bad thing. Supposedly, 1/2, 3/4, full, or any kind of helmet that is DOT approved will provide the necessary IMPACT protection be it $600 or $19. The difference between the helmet styles is more a function of abrasion protection and jaw protecton (a broken jaw and road rash theoretically won't kill you). For extra money, you also have potentially more comfort.

Gloves. More expensive is not always better. For example. He brought in 2 pairs of leather riding gloves. Asked us all to examine them and tell us which was the more expensive and "dedicated" riding glove. He had taken the tags off. 6 out of 7 people chose the cheap glove. Price difference. $99 for the "name brand" and $8.95 for the leather gloves from Mills Fleet Farm. Other than the brand name, they were virtually identical. (yes there are some gloves that have obvious differences).

Mesh jackets. In the eyes of our instructor, brand again was the least of his concerns. He did the same thing with 2 mesh Jackets. The mesh weave was virtually identical in pattern and the material was the same and both had CE approved removable armor. Other than a few minor cosmetic differences the jackets were extremely similar. Again, the name brand was $199 while the other was from ebay/motodirect at $68.

Raingear was another example. The brand "Froggtogs" was used. Very nice lightweight breathable gear. At the dealership, a very similar suit was $99. Online, the same suit was $69 direct from the manufacturer and didn't say "motorcycle rainsuit.

My point is that gear is expensive, but sometimes, if you look past the labels, you can get good riding gear without paying the outrageous prices. I'm sure there are some things in gear that are worth paying for, but it does pay to shop around and remember, the word "motorcycle" is usually worth about 30%.



A couple of sights that are good and in no particular order

www.sportsmansguide.com
www.motodirect.com
www.ebay.com
www.froggtoggs.com

As for me, I wear a full face and until I can get around to ordering a mesh, I sufferin my leather. If I wear a 1/2, my contacts dry out even with glasses or a face shield. I have only ridden around the block a few times without a lid and I love the feeling, but if I can't handle the air in my eyes at 15mph, 65 isn't an option.

The one thing I do wish I had is better leg protection. Jeans aren't that great, but it's all I have right now.

I hope this gives y'all another peice of info to mull around.

Originally Posted by Dan Lund

I do the same thing, ride with a full face, shield up, and sun glasses. I'm of the claustrophobic type, but I got used to riding with a full face as long as the shield is up.

My full face is also a modular. I never use the modular part. I bought it so that it would be easier to stop and take pictures. Instead of taking the helmet off, I could just raise it.

I found it too bulky to be worth doing, so I never do.

I wear the modular almost exclusively now..... face shield up with sunglasses unless raining.....

I keep the modular up in town...

I feel weird with the half helmet now..... and gave up riding with just a vest (except when it's 100 degrees I give in) ...

Comfort vs safety...... who knows what's right anymore..... :-/

[dantama]

More thoughts.

We are all tribal by nature. It's in our genes. Therefore almost all of us pick a tribe and try to fit in.

Even the non-motorcycling clothes you wear are all about fitting into a certain tribe. Think you just happen to wear golf shirts and dock shoes? Not a chance, you may not be aware of it, but you chose it for a reason, or there was a reason that it appealed to you. That's the tribe you want to be part of. That is why we are so uncomfortable when we have to wear something that isn't our image. We don't feel part of the tribe anymore, and we don't like it.

There are exceptions to everything of course, but if you value being so damn individualistic that you aren't one of those needing to be part of a tribe, you would probably be personality disordered and diagnosed with SCHIZOTYPAL personality disorder.

So the Golding and BMW crowd want to be part of their tribe, and tend to look the way the tribe looks. After seeing Nicos bike at the Rally, I'm not sure what tribe he's trying to be in :) :)

I dress a certain way at work, to look like I'm part of the Mental Health Profession's tribe. I do a different one at church for that tribe, etc.

Looking at pictures from the other Rallies, the Nomad tribe has a fairly homogeneous look, but with a little more latitude than the Harley tribe.

I've always found the dichotomy between the Harley crowd's self-professed individualism, and their near identical tribal dress to be a bit strange. Get all the way to the 1%'rs who are so individualistic that they don't have to play by societies rules, and they are the most identical in tribal gear. I'll have to think on why those super individualistic types need to conform so bad?

"After seeing Nico's bike at the Rally, I'm not sure what tribe he's trying to be in :) :)"


I dance to the beat of my own rhythm..... Thank God. ;)











What tribe is this guy in???



Answer:

[msharrelson]

These are some very interesting observations. I know I get some strange looks from Harley riders here in NC. Up until this week... I was a daily commuter on my Classic. I have a Joe Rocket mesh jacket and I wear chaps, gloves and a full face modular helmet. I also purchased the Cruiserworks boots. I am a new rider only 4 years now and I value Safety over comfort. So when we had those 100 degree days and I was commuting on our Beltline to and from work I would get some strange looks. Of course they were coming from people with a half helmet some with shorts and flipflops. I don't like to be uncomfortable, but the thoughts of the road rash or the hard impact without armor does not sound appealing to me. My friend and riding partner that rides a Concourse wears a full face and no other gear. I have rubbed off on him some because he now owns a good jacket but yet still doesn't hardly wear it. He has been riding for 20 years or more and has met the pavement before. If there is one thing I have learned from my short time riding, Everyone does what they want to do. What works for them. I don't look bad at or pass judgement on someone because they only wear a half helmet and nothing else. I just know that I don't want to take that risk.

I like that post about the tribe's. As I was reading it I could visually see exactly what you were describing. Then it hit me that sure enough I follow suit.

Michael
'04 1600 Classic

[socwkbiker]

What is it with people wearing flip flops, sandals, slippers or going barefoot???? I just don't get it. Can someone explain this to me? Don't they care about getting a solid grip on the ground when they put their foot down? Or an accident of some sort?

[schoeney]

Doc,

Being one that wears bright clothing I believe it is more noticeable. When I am driving my car I know I notice the riders that wear bright colors or even just white quicker than dark colors. especially around dusk. So I figured I am a typical driver (but way more aware of bikes) so I decided to wear bright colors as much as possible.

[cactusjack]

I will not ride wearing my work shoes. The soles are smooth and don't have enough "bite" to hold that big mutha up if she starts to tip, and they have no ankle support. I tried it once and just about lost her. I carry my work shoes in my trunk and wear a pair of boots, then change shoes at the office.

[scion0]

Originally Posted by cactusjack

Have you tried http://www.newenough.com? they have some smokin' deals on nice riding gear and they offer superb customer service. I got my Powertrip mesh jacket from them, and a lot of others here have bought from them too.

Thanks! I'll keep an eye on that site and see what I can find.

[scion0]

Originally Posted by Dan Lund

More thoughts.

...

There are exceptions to everything of course, but if you value being so damn individualistic that you aren't one of those needing to be part of a tribe, you would probably be personality disordered and diagnosed with SCHIZOTYPAL personality disorder.


Looking at pictures from the other Rallies, the Nomad tribe has a fairly homogeneous look, but with a little more latitude than the Harley tribe.

I've always found the dichotomy between the Harley crowd's self-professed individualism, and their near identical tribal dress to be a bit strange. Get all the way to the 1%'rs who are so individualistic that they don't have to play by societies rules, and they are the most identical in tribal gear. I'll have to think on why those super individualistic types need to conform so bad?

Exactly! +1

[Yellow Jacket]

Originally Posted by Doc (Lonewolf)

hey you guys that do wear high vis colors do you feel you really get noticed more(safety speaking)?? i wear black leather jacket when cold, nothing when hot(most months in TX), was thinking more visibility more safety. Like the Airglide 2 high vis yellow jacket since I was wanting a flow thur type textile jacket. All of tourmaster are good but no high vis color I seen. Any comments would be helpfull. Thx guys.

I really don't know for sure if drivers notice me more because of my hi-viz yellow suit and yellow helmet. (I also have a headlight modulator flashing the headlight. I had a pedestrian today tell me at a stop light that my headlight was going off and on and I had a guy in front of me in a convertible once who was glaring at me in his mirror the entire time I was behind him.) I do know that when I see other motorcycles and the riders are wearing bright colors they do stand out easier to me.

I do agree with the statement made about lights, the more the better. I plan to add more and as many lights as I can to both the front and the back. I wonder if I could get one of those school bus white strobe lights? Just need more money to do it!

P.S. I think Dan is right on the money about tribes! Whether we realize it or not we are all in some sort of tribe. Man, when I was in competitive shooting sports you should have seen the outfits I wore! Looked exactly like the other guys doing it too.

[gghost]

Wife and I have First Gear armored mesh jackets from New Enough. I run a leather jacket/chaps in cold weather...wife stays home by the fire

[racinchef]

I've got two black leather jackets for riding and one is heavy w/a zip in liner that I keep in my left saddlebag along with a pair of chaps. In my other saddlebag is a much lighter jacket with the liner removed. The jacket has mesh that I can expose by unzipping a few zippers. It also has some body armor protection. I wear the heavy jacket and chaps in the cooler weather (below 65F) and I can tolerate the lighter jacket up to about 80F. After that I ride in my shirtsleeves. I always wear leather gloves though. I have deerskin gauntlets that I wear with the jackets and a pair of regular leather gloves without. I always wear work boots and if I expect wet weather I wear my goretex boots. I also have goretex gaiters that cover my legs below the knees, but I would only pack those for a multi-day trip. I use the gaiters in my winter work to keep snow out of my boots and thus my feet dry and warm. I just cannot get myself to put on a doorag though. I would feel too much like a wannabe, but that is my own personal thing. I always wear a helmet too. I will probably get a modular helmet, but that would be more for snowmobiling in the winter season. I will get a simple bubbleshield for my shorty helmet just to have on the bike for when I find myself out in the dark. That way I won't get smacked on the neck by some gargantuan moth on the interstate like the last time