Riding Gear?

We have all heard the quip; "Dress for the slide, not the ride." What does everyone actually practice?

Are you more lax depending upon where/when you will be riding?
Do you always wear an abrasion resistant jacket? Long sleeves?
What type of helmet?
Anyone wear motorcycle pants, and not just rain pants.
Any armor?

You see all types on the road; the cruiser/ Harley Crowd seem to have their leathers; sometimes just a vest, or T's. The Crotch Rocket crowd I have seen in all extremes; from shirtless, shorts and tennis shoes; sometimes with passengers in flip-flops; to full armored gear head to toe. I live adjacent to a state that I am in nearly daily that does not have a helmet law. Less than half of the riders I see on the road wear helmets.

This seems like a more mature crowd here. Just wondering how everyone honestly dresses for the ride?
Please don't chastise anyone for not utilizing the prescribed apparel.
.

 

Always full face helmet, safety toe work boots(haven't been able to afford any motorcycle specific boots yet), long pants usually work pants or jeans, leather gloves, and either a leather jacket, armored mesh jacket, or if it's real real hot and humid and I'm just going across town I have just gone in a t shirt but still everything else

 

Atgatt

 

It is rare that I do not wear (as in if I am going 5 minutes away on 30 mph roads, and even then I usually put it all on) an abrasion resistant jacket, my old combat boots, and jeans or dress pants when I am riding to work, leather gloves or vented leather gloves depending on weather, and full face helmet (the chin is the most common place to land in an accident). I think of it like I think of health insurance. I hope to never need it, but I will be really glad I have it if there is a problem.

 

Full faced DOT/SNELL helmet, leather jacket, leather gloves, leather boots and heavy (firehose material) pants - leather chaps when colder out. - All of this whether going around the block or going 300 miles.

Ironic, my boss drove into the parking lot this morning on her moped. My first words - no helmet? She - "I just live up the hill - I know that i should". She is truly a wonderful person (questionable manager ) would hate for anything bad to happen.

 

Full faced helmet, jeans/khakis, leather jacket, leather gloves and work boots. I only occasionally go without the jacket, like when it's really hot and I'm just going around the block. Gloves are hit and miss. Always a helmet and boots though. I tried shifting it bare foot once just moving it across the street and it was pretty uncomfortable. Newer bikes must shift a lot easier, no way I'd wear just flip flops on mine.

 

Full face helmet, leather gloves, jeans, mesh jacket, work boots. I didn't wear the jacket a couple times when I was just riding in neighborhood on full residential streets (25 mph). My jacket has elbow/shoulder armor and can accommodate back armor too, but I do not have.

When I decide to ride out on highways, I will probably look into an overpant or some other more substantial leg protection.

 

Full face dot Snell helm, leather motorcycle gloves, anti abrasion fabric jacket with elbow and back armour, jeans, ankle protected leather boots with sturdy oil resist sole. I don't even get on the bike without my gear. Except for the helmet and gloves, I put those on as the bike warms up.

 

ATGATT, and I advise any new rider friends and co-workers the same. For about $500 you can get entry level ballistic nylon gear, plus boots, helmet and gloves that will save your skin. I made the decision to ride fully geared up in 2010 when I got my Seca back on the road. A little over a year later, I went down at 50 mph, sliding at least 150 ft. The total damage was that my overpants were shredded (jeans underneath unharmed), boots popped some seams, and I sprained my wrist. Maybe $300 in gear replacement, $150 copay for the xray and $200 in parts to get the Seca back on the road <-- much cheaper than skin grafts.

Add summer jackets, ventilated boots/pants, pack rain gear, good full face helmet. Anything to keep you wearing the gear everytime you ride. And I always have extra gear for my passengers too. I wouldn't want to be better off than them in an accident simply because I had the right gear

 

What's all this, then?

 

From your motorcycle safety course

"All the gear all the time"

 

Not from my MSF course... We must do it differently in Canada. We were taught the concept, but no acronym.

 

Always full face helmet, jacket with armour, gloves, and boots. The one thing I cheat on is 'just' wearing regular jeans instead of armoured pants or kevlar-lined jeans (I have both, but can't say I always wear it). A buddy hit a deer a while ago and went for a slide in regular jeans and they shredded - painful road rash on his knees and hips. So I know that I shouldn't skimp there either.

 

full face helmet had 3/4 but now I have a new face to protect. Leather gloves always
3 jackets leather,mesh and heavy canvas type matrial, leather boots. Heavy denim.
always on even from garage to top of driveway 75 feet away.

many years ago i slide down the road in a tee shirt and shoei full face shirt was gone skin was gon hand still full of gravel and a spot on the back of the helmet the size of a baseball scraped flat could have been my scalp an skull

 

In Canada they just advise you to try and land in a snowbank.

 

I ride to work 5 days a week. I'm wearing your typical technician uniform, cotton t-shirt, cotton button up short shirt sleeve, poly slacks, Chuck Taylor Street Hiker boots, and a 3/4 bucket. If I ever go down, I'm going to be a meat crayon.

I do own 3 armored coats, armored jeans (pads on knees, Kevlar on the hips, rump, and knees, armored gloves, steel toed boots, and a full faced helmet. I'm just foolish and rarely wear them.

 

MOTGMOTT

 

If I'm just making a quick in town run Ill just slip my sneakers on instead of lacing up boots for 25mph. Otherwise full face helmet,jeans, armored textile jacket, leather work boots, and gloves( depending on the heat)

 

Always: Full face proper helmet. Always.
Footwear: Steel toed work boots, though in the summer that goes to steel toed work shoes below the ankle. But always sturdy, leather, steel toe/sole work shoes, as that's basically the only footwear I own other than sandals.
Pants: Jeans normally, occasionally track pants or (*gasp*) shorts if it's stupid hot out (such as recently).
Gloves: Heavy duty work gloves. Always.
Shirt: Whatever I'm wearing.
Jacket: If it's not stupid hot, a jacket. Whatever I wear when not on a bike, but I don't own a motorcycle jacket.

If I wasn't poor, this would be upgraded to a proper motorcycle jacket and gloves, without a doubt. My work boots are absolutely good enough for riding, so there's no need there.

A good full face helmet, without a doubt, 100% of the time. My first motorcycle accident saw me slamming my face into a Jetta, breaking the chin guard on the helmet, and my 120kph slide involved a lot of sliding on my face too. Road rash on arms/legs I don't care about, but I like having lips and a nose. Also, bees. Full face helmet always.

However.... "You can get basic gear for $500" - $500 represents basically all of my discretionary spending for half of a year. My kids would be right pissed that they didn't get to do anything else that summer Also, when you're 6'4", 300lbs, used gear is basically impossible to find and new gear is extra expensive. $500 is decidedly nontrivial for me.

I've been in a few major motorcycle accidents over the decades in this sort of gear. Had road rash, certainly, but there's ways to manage that: Don't slide too much on any one part of you. Sounds silly, but served me well enough lowsiding and sliding at 120kph - ended up with my jeans basically not existing anymore, the backs of my gloves gone, and some decidedly uncomfortable road rash on my thigh, the backs of my fore arms, and butt... but not skin grafts or anything. And being Canadian, medical care is free, so there's that

 

This is a major part of it for me too. It's one thing when you ride as a hobby, occasionally, another when you're commuting to work every single day. I wear on my ride to and from work what I'll be wearing at work. Thankfully, my work does involve a fair amount of safety gear, so that's good =)

 

Assume " Most of the gear most of the time"?

Being a newbie it's scary

Although I'm already really comfortable, I keep thinking "Man if I laid down right now...'

 

"Motorcyclist on the ground must only think topically"
I might have just made that up.

 

Ding Ding Ding--- and we have a winner!!

You're not a newbie anymore