**seasoned riders**
#12
04-18-2009 | 04:24 PM
Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 665
Likes: 0
From: North Yorkshire
Hi guys,
I just went riding today for almost 2 hrs., and I had so much fun, I also noticed this Harley group riding only with sleeveless shirts and I felt that I was too overdressed compared to them because I was wearing my leather jacket and my full face helmet while those riders were wearing those kind of shirts.
How good are these riders????
Is there really such thing as seasoned riders?
Thanks & have a safe ride!!
I just went riding today for almost 2 hrs., and I had so much fun, I also noticed this Harley group riding only with sleeveless shirts and I felt that I was too overdressed compared to them because I was wearing my leather jacket and my full face helmet while those riders were wearing those kind of shirts.
How good are these riders????
Is there really such thing as seasoned riders?
Thanks & have a safe ride!!
I won't knock someone for not wearing all the gear, freedom of choice, just not a choice I would make. Ride for yourself and ride safe
#13
04-18-2009 | 04:26 PM
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,364
Likes: 29
From: So Cal The Golden State
Sure there are seasoned riders! Those are the riders with the experience to control their bikes, make good judgement calls while riding, help others while on the road, obey the rules of the road and just all around good people!
What you are is just a guy working his way towards that! Dont' worry about what other people wear. Ride with the knowledge that in case of an accident...you will not have all the road rash they might have...Your noodle with usually be in one piece...and have the piece of mind your chances of surviving an accident has increased over the other guys you saw!
Now...before all the freedoms, liberties, and self rights guys try to go and flame me...HEAR ME NOW! I'm a Medic and a Nurse with more trauma time on the road and in the ER than I care to mention. A well protected rider with correct PPE will always come out of the same comparable incident than an unprotected riders 100% of the time! Now mind you...some incidents are not always survivable...but those that are...your PPE will save your A$$ and SKIN everytime! I've picked up too many "my right to ride without My PPE" guys off the road dead, near dead or without an skin left to the bone!
Now...I'm not saying it's gonna happen...'cause only the "Big Ranger in the Sky" can predict that! Nothing better than having the open air over your uncapped head or letting the wind rush past your body! But, FACTS be FACTS!
Now...Please FLAME me as well as ya can! And I'll tell ya from experience, you're wrong!
Ride Safe, Mike
What you are is just a guy working his way towards that! Dont' worry about what other people wear. Ride with the knowledge that in case of an accident...you will not have all the road rash they might have...Your noodle with usually be in one piece...and have the piece of mind your chances of surviving an accident has increased over the other guys you saw!
Now...before all the freedoms, liberties, and self rights guys try to go and flame me...HEAR ME NOW! I'm a Medic and a Nurse with more trauma time on the road and in the ER than I care to mention. A well protected rider with correct PPE will always come out of the same comparable incident than an unprotected riders 100% of the time! Now mind you...some incidents are not always survivable...but those that are...your PPE will save your A$$ and SKIN everytime! I've picked up too many "my right to ride without My PPE" guys off the road dead, near dead or without an skin left to the bone!
Now...I'm not saying it's gonna happen...'cause only the "Big Ranger in the Sky" can predict that! Nothing better than having the open air over your uncapped head or letting the wind rush past your body! But, FACTS be FACTS!
Now...Please FLAME me as well as ya can! And I'll tell ya from experience, you're wrong!
Ride Safe, Mike
Personal Protective Equipment Always (PPE).
Ride Safe
#15
04-18-2009 | 07:34 PM
I went down on February 28th this year. I got rear ended by another motorcycle on a blind turn (long story) I had a leather vest and a DOT half helmet on. The helmet saved my skull and brain a lot of pain and the vest saved my chest and shoulder a lot of road rash but my left arm got some pretty good. I spent 5 days in the ICU with a fractured spleen (thanks Anubisss for coming to see me) which no amount of PPE would have helped me with. I had an HD switch back jacket with me (one that turns into a mesh jacket with armor) and wasn't wearing it because I didn't think anything was going to happen. I can't say that I wont ever ride in a short sleeve shirt with my vest again, but it will probably be very rare. Everyone makes a decision as to the amount of gear they want to wear. Do what is comfortable to you and ignore what everyone else does.
#16
04-18-2009 | 08:02 PM
Road Master
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 969
Likes: 2
From: Canmore, AB
My Husband is a life long cyclist. As in bicycle. He celebrated his mid life crisis by getting a motorcycle and we've been riding for about 7 years. I trust him, he rides defencivaly and then last Oct we flirted with death. We blew a tube tire at speed, and without our quality leathers and full face helmets we wouldn't have survived our crash. The helmets were seriously grated, the foam liners imploded, the face shield was sliced and diced. Better it than my face, thank you. We bought new helmets and ordered up new leathers to replace the fabulous set cut off me by the emts.
When rough weather sailing we wear life jackets, when swimming we wear bathing suits, when snow skiing we wear gortex, when biking we wear leather.
When rough weather sailing we wear life jackets, when swimming we wear bathing suits, when snow skiing we wear gortex, when biking we wear leather.
#17
04-18-2009 | 08:25 PM
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 866
Likes: 1
From: FT BRAGG, NC
My Husband is a life long cyclist. As in bicycle. He celebrated his mid life crisis by getting a motorcycle and we've been riding for about 7 years. I trust him, he rides defencivaly and then last Oct we flirted with death. We blew a tube tire at speed, and without our quality leathers and full face helmets we wouldn't have survived our crash. The helmets were seriously grated, the foam liners imploded, the face shield was sliced and diced. Better it than my face, thank you. We bought new helmets and ordered up new leathers to replace the fabulous set cut off me by the emts.
When rough weather sailing we wear life jackets, when swimming we wear bathing suits, when snow skiing we wear gortex, when biking we wear leather.
When rough weather sailing we wear life jackets, when swimming we wear bathing suits, when snow skiing we wear gortex, when biking we wear leather.
Ride Safe, Mike
#18
04-18-2009 | 08:39 PM
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 4,475
Likes: 504
From: Raleigh NC
#19
04-18-2009 | 08:41 PM
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,345
Likes: 0
From: Metro Denver
"Much as I'd like to ride only with the 'muscle shirt'...my accident caused me to seriously re-think things! I now, also wear a helmet (3/4 helmet for most days and a full-face modular for cold/rain/hail type weather)."
"Best advice I ever got about riding, is to dress for the crash, not for the ride."
Amen to that. +1 here on gear. I had what could have been a nasty crash in November and ended up surfing the pavement at 70 mph on the freeway after being hit by a rear-end hit n run driver. I got up and walked away after having landed on the back of my head at 70 mph. I had full gear on at the time cuz of the colder weather at 1:00 AM and that's what saved me. I had only a small patch of road rash and even just that hurt like hell for about 3 weeks. Life was miserable for that whole 3 weeks cuz every move is agonizing, from sitting down, rolling over in bed, trying to wear a shirt on your back, etc. I cant even imagine head to toe road rash down to the bone like some have had cuz wearing a tshirt, etc.
Dress for the crash. Good gear can still be comfortable and it'll save you life or save you some major pain. Once you've had a serious crash at speed you tend to look at things a bit more seriously.
"Best advice I ever got about riding, is to dress for the crash, not for the ride."
Amen to that. +1 here on gear. I had what could have been a nasty crash in November and ended up surfing the pavement at 70 mph on the freeway after being hit by a rear-end hit n run driver. I got up and walked away after having landed on the back of my head at 70 mph. I had full gear on at the time cuz of the colder weather at 1:00 AM and that's what saved me. I had only a small patch of road rash and even just that hurt like hell for about 3 weeks. Life was miserable for that whole 3 weeks cuz every move is agonizing, from sitting down, rolling over in bed, trying to wear a shirt on your back, etc. I cant even imagine head to toe road rash down to the bone like some have had cuz wearing a tshirt, etc.
Dress for the crash. Good gear can still be comfortable and it'll save you life or save you some major pain. Once you've had a serious crash at speed you tend to look at things a bit more seriously.
While I was in the hospital, there were many nurses as well as Doctors who came to see me. While going down at 65mph is no trivial matter, the context of 'the accident' and what happened amazed them (and me) that I survived without a helmet on.
I still have the Gusset Jeans I was wearing that day. They're not wearable, but I felt that keeping them as a reminder of my good fortune was important for me.
For me, the days of riding unprepared are over. I don't plan to go down again, and pray that it never does happen, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
6 days to anniversary date !
#20
04-18-2009 | 08:41 PM
Banned
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,920
Likes: 6
Best advice I ever got about riding, is to dress for the crash, not for the ride. Now most of us don't wear full leathers all the time, so we accept an increased possibility of injury when we compromise on riding gear. I've worn sleeveless shirts and no helmet while barrelling down the freeway, and yes, its great at the time, but had something happened...i'm guessing i'd wish i had my leathers and helmet on.