How/when/why did you go ATGATT?

[Effervescent]

In a recent thread, The Honorable Russel Bynum details his personal reasoning(s) behind each of his choices in safety gear:

 

"I was wearing street clothes and a half-helmet when I bought the RT. I switched to a full-face after I caught a bee on the cheek at 80mph.

 

I bought motorcycle boots because Lisa was giving me crap about getting a shifter mark on my dress shoes.

 

I bought a FirstGear 2-piece Suit (Kilimanjaro) because it was winter and I was cold on my commute. I really only wore it when it was cold.

 

Then Kris crashed up in Utah at relatively low speed. That night, he posted pictures of his torn-up gear (FirstGear Kilimanjaro). For some reason, that really struck a chord with me, and I starting wearing the suit on every ride.

 

Then I got a Joe Rocket Phoenix jacket because the Kilimanjaro didn't breath very well and was incredibly hot in the summertime.

 

Then I got tired of carrying all that crap around everywhere, and bought the 1-piece Roadcrafter.

 

I arrived at those choices on my own, with input from my fellow riders, of course. No amount of preaching and chest-thumping would have changed my mind any sooner"

 

I found this very interesting.

 

Here's how I came about it:

 

Helmet: from my first ride I want/felt I need a "race" helmet. Full face Shoei, then Arais, now Arais and/or Schuberth

 

Gloves: from first ride I wanted/felt I need leather full glove. Currenty using Held Steves. BMW summer air gloves in summer.

 

Jacket: started off with a Hein Gericke Paris/Dakar. Then got a Air-Tech (remember them!?!) for the summer. That was in the 1989 when almost no-one was using leathers/mesh in the NY summers. Now I do armored perf'ed Vanson in the summer/JR Ballistics with double armor in early fall/early spring, Roadcrafter one-piece with Bohn kelvar/carbon back protection in late spring/late fall/winter. Added to all this, Bohn's underjacket tri-armor in everything but heat of August summer.

 

Pants: rode in jeans and cotton slacks for YEARS. Couldn't ring myself to ride in leather pants (bad Village People memories). Didn't get wise to overpants until maybe 2 years ago. Now I have triple the knee armor in my Alter Egos and retro-fitted Aerostich hip ads in them. Finally, got over my pork-pride-phobia and got perf'ed Traveler Vanson jeans with GP armor. I always knew jeans wouldn't do me much good but somehow didn't do a thing about it until recently.

 

Reflective Vest: from early on I used my old man's 100% 3M running vest over my jacket at nights. Still have and use one.

 

Boots: took me QUITE a while to get on board. YEARS of sneakers. Probably having bikes w/o luggage didn't help matters. Just started with boots about 3 years ago. After stopping at that ZX-14 fatality I posted about. I went with Sidi Corsa (race boots) for ankle support.

 

Torso protection: grabbed that Tippery Horse Riding vest for supreme protection. Still figuring out the best way to utilize it though.

 

First Aid Kit: never even thought about it. Postings here got me to buy and pack one this week.

 

Finally, I'm not sure how to verbalize it exactly but there's something about being a BMW rider..playing that role...on some level...that helps me protect myself/use hand signals, don dorky looking safety gear.

 

Cliff notes: I was always pretty good with gear. Embraced safety gear, as a concept, from day one. However...stopping at a motorcycle fatality (and the positive peer pressure here) is what really got me to up my game.

 

How's about you?

 

-Eff

[rdfrantz]

I'm so happy you asked for contrasting opinions rather than only for ways to harden a position about wearing protective riding gear all the time.

 

Really, I don't know why - for any one person much less so many vocal people - there's an apparent need for sustenance of the perspective that full protective gear should be worn all the time. I assume it because of some doubt that's harbored that cannot, or at least is not yet shed. I figure that if folks were really comfortable in their opinion, and the choices they make in manifestation of that opinion, they'd be much more quiet about that opinion; It seems their discomfort urges consolation.

 

So, it seems to me that such opinion must be, or seem to be, under attack. Or, that the holder harbors some intrinsic doubt about a component of that opinion: They don't feel they have some fact straight... or something like that.

 

I'd help if I could. Mostly because I tire of the effect of the non-debate on the subject (Even when contrasting opinions are shared, no true Debating takes place, only harder and harder statements of opinions).

 

I'm beginning to accept that - in fact - "some" doubt about the efficacy of ATGATT does exist... on both sides of the question. I just am not certain what the doubt is. That's because those of the ATGATT camp never mention they might have at least the seeds of doubt. Instead, they keep eliciting more/new reasons why they are so right, and they'll only get that from other "non-doubters" of their own camp.

 

 

I do not mind people practicing ATGATT. I just don't want it practiced in my face.

 

That's probably not for the reason you might have in mind: a false attribution.

 

The true reason is, as long as someone is asserting something, she's drawn her own attention to that thing... and away from other things. The result is she may cause that in others too: Her fireworks make us look at her... instead of the road.

 

I'm a well known proponent of Riding Understanding, and Riding Skill based in it. I know that gear can moderate injuries... that are moderateable. It does nothing about injuries that are not moderatable by gear.

 

Better Riding does.

 

Well, it doesn't moderate injuries that are moderatable: It prevents injuries that are preventable.

 

ATGATT is a myth when adopted internally as a "Way to be Safe." It is not. It is a way to be... "less injured". And no more "safe" from injury.

 

I hate myths.

 

ATGATT is often the mythological talisman used to fool a Rider into a sense of Safety.

 

None of us are Safe out there.

 

I'd really like for us not to be using one myth to create another: ATGATT => Safety.

 

Good Riding creates safe Moments. I'm wanting many more of those moments, rather than only the apparency of those which are afforded by wearing "the stuff those guys will accept that I'm a "responsible" guy like them if I wear it."

 

OK, OK, OK, OK. ATGATT is Responsible. Just not very.

 

 

Best wishes.

[steve.foote]

I started out as a "dedicated" cruiser type complete with jeans, tee shirt, fingerless gloves, stupid beanie cap and work boots. Funny, but looking back I felt the need to protect my feet (guess everything else was expendable).

 

Anyway, my riding buddies used to chide me about the beanie cap, but I wouldn't listen. Even after several close calls with insects and tumbling pebbles, I wouldn't even consider face protection (I wore glasses, so I had the important stuff covered). Fast forward about 6k miles and a chance encounter on Congress street.

 

While having lunch during a nice ride an the hot pizza joint downtown Savannah, we noticed a blind guy feeling around our bikes. A couple of us went to inquire, and found that he had heard us ride up and wanted to check the bikes out. Well, we were all to excited to talk motorcycles and eventually the conversation revealed that he used to ride, T-boned a car in an intersection and crushed his face during the crash.

 

The injuries cost him his eyesight and months of recovery. Guess what? Yep, he was wearing one of those stupid beanie caps. Man, did I feel like a dumbshit! That was the last ride with the beanie cap. It went straight into the garbage when I got home, and I went out and bought an HJC Symax flip-face helmet.

 

Then came a Joe Rocket jacket, and real gloves. Then a BMW Airflow suit followed by a Savannah II suit. Better Boots, better gloves, etc.

 

Today it's the best I can find. Hell, my medical deductible is more than all of my gear combined. It's really a no-brainer when you really think about.

 

I recently bought a 400cc dirt bike, and bought all new Thor Core gear complete with MX boots, Arai MX helmet, upper-body armor and knee braces. The gear cost half as much as the bike. But, if it keeps my thrill-seeking ass out of the emergency room just once, it will have been worth every penny.

 

We all make our own choices. Like I often say, "Some learn from experience, some never recover from it." I never want to be that guy with a crushed face, just because I was too hardheaded to wear a decent helmet.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

ATGATT (if you can call what I wear ATGATT) kinda crept up on me. Or at least it did after I bought my RT.

 

When I was a kid, my dad's only requirements for riding along with him were jeans, some kinda non-sandal shoes and an open-face helmet. No gloves, no jacket (unless it was chilly out), nothing particularly armored or abrasion-resistant anywhere on your body ('cept for the helmet). When I graduated high school ('88) and got my MC endorsement, I began piloting the bike, wearing the same sort of gear. Dad sold the bike after a couple more years, and I didn't do much riding after that.

 

Fast forward to April '99, when I picked up my RT and rode it home from Morton's in VA. I was wearing a FF Shoei, cheap Joe Rocket Stingray gloves, and a Joe Rocket Ballistic jacket and overpants. And hiking boots (bought good waterproof Alpinestars after I got home). Early on in that first season I realized the overpants were going to be a PITA (and warm), so I made it my policy to just wear plain old jeans, except when I was on a road trip somewhere.

 

In May of '00, my GF and I rode to CA and back. We bought Draggin' Jeans for the trip. We opted for the JR overpants when weather permitted, but when it was stinkin' hot out we went with just the DJ's. But we always wore the rest of the stuff: gloves, FF helmet, jacket, boots. Continued to wear DJ's on my legs whenever riding after that.

 

In spring '01, I upgraded to Olympia gloves with a velcro wrist strap and kevlar/CF knuckle armor. Nowadays, whenever I have a mental image of the back of a human hand slamming into pavement, I cringe at the thought of not having hard knuckle armor. Now I won't go back.

 

In spring '02, I took a step forward - and what some will regard as a step backward. Forward: I added knee armor to my DJ's. Backward?: I bought a Joe Rocket Phoenix jacket. Now the knee armor is always in the DJ's when I ride.

 

In spring '03, I added hip armor to the DJ's. I went through a few iterations, but now have DJ's that are an inch larger than normal waist size (to accomodate the hip armor), and a couple of inches longer in the legs (to get the kevlar properly positioned over the knees with the armor in place). The result is a funny fit - lots of extra material in the thighs - but the abrasion protection and body armor seems to all be where it most needs to be.

 

Nowadays it's exceedingly rare that I ride for any sort of distance without all of this stuff. Once from the Torrey Days Inn to the Diablo Cafe (helmet, shorts, Tshirt, sandals), a couple of times around the block at home to warm up for a TB sync (same thing), and once back in June to go 1/2 mile from the hotel to dinner at the Un (shorts, Tshirt, sandals, NO helmet). Those are the only occasions that come to mind; I feel extremely, uncomfortably vulnerable/fragile without all of that stuff.

 

Stupid, ain't it? As has been noted, once I put on all this stuff, I'll eagerly wear away my chicken strips weaving through Deal's Gap or break the sound barrier screaming through southern Utah, both feats arguably more dangerous than a 1/4-mile slow ride to dinner. Go figure.

[xoomerite]

I always wore a helmet, 3/4, but it was a start. I started with a top tier leather jacket. No armor, just the jacket. I don't know that anyone thought about armor on the street in 1973. Gloves, too. Nothing special, just leather motorcycle gloves. Reinforcement would come later.

 

Along about 1979, I went down in downtown Beaumont, TX. I hit a puddle of antifreeze in an intersection while turning. I never saw it; and the front wheel washed out instantly. The pavement chewed a decent strawberry in the elbow of my jacket, and the lick to the street left a respectable scrape in my helmet. Other than sore muscles in my back, I was unscathed. The helmet got replaced. Some Kiwi fixed the jacket up nicely.

 

The frame-mounted fairing saved the bike from more damage than just the engine case cracking on the CB750F.

 

I stopped riding in 1990, because of other doings in my life.

 

When I started by in June of this year, I had 12 years of full time EMS behind me. Knowing that good gear can make injuries less, I went with the full face helmet, Olympia jacket and pants with armor, Held winter and summer gloves and BMW rain gloves. I would move up to motorcycle boots, but finding them in my size has proven a task yet to master.

 

ATGATT is the same a seat belts and air bags in cars, lessening the injuries. I have been to the car and motorcycle wrecks that were unsurvivable in any circumstance.

 

I have a friend who wears the beanie helmet and gloves as his only "gear"; another with just the full face helmet. These are their choices.

 

There are choices. I went to a wreck the other day when a fellow washed out the front end of his big Yamaha. He slid down the pavement on his forearms, peeling all the skin down to the muscle fascia. A painful, debilitating injury that will likely leave nothing more than scars and unhappy memories, after it all heals. His sister said he had top quality leather motorcycle jacket, but wouldn't wear it.

 

I meet a lot of harley riders on my travels, most of them wearing nothing in the way of gear. Sometimes, they ask about my gear. I just answer their questions. I don't preach. We are all adults here. Generally, we just talk about riding motorcycles and where we are going.

 

I hope that I never find out how well or poorly my gear works. I have been hit head-on, hit from behind, and skidded down in a puddle of antifreeze. That is enough experience for me.

 

Chris

[GelStra]

I bought the FF helmet, gloves, and jacket before I even picked up the bike. Bought the overpants at a co-worker's suggestion as I mentioned I was cold wearing dress slacks to work. Fernando filled me in on the benefits of the armor. Boots were last after I read the previously mentioned study about the frequency of ankle and foot protection. I've always had self-preservation as a top priority.

[tallman]

When I first saw how effective it could be.

[squints]

I have always worn the FF helmet but I got back in to motorcyles after my son was born and realized that I was responsible for not only myself but my wife and a newborn also. If I get laid up for some reason it would put a serious strain on the household budget. I could do better but I absolutly cringe when I see shorts, sandles and a tanktop used in conjunction with a bike. plus I'm setting a good example for my son now 7 that rides on the bike with me quite often as well as his own quad and TTR50E.

[Urban Surfer]

It's very simple. When you drive your cage, when do you wear your seat belt? People at work see me put my motoport kevlar gear on and ask where the hell are you going? Home I tell them.

[Tony_K]

As soon as I started riding sportbikes back in the early 90's FF helmet, thick leather jacket any weather, leather gloves but with jeans and mil boots.

 

Saved my hide 3 times! 4 actually. The RT has got me wanting different types of gear now though. Like textile stuff. I'm not sure why as I really always was a leather type. Also thinking about a flip helmet. Maybe it's due to the longer rides and more social attitude surrounding this crowd.

 

I like being suited up. I just feel better about it especially after skipping along on the ground.

[Boffin]

My father raced motorcycles and he insisted I wore a helmet, it was a cork and fibreglass hemet with a leather harness.

 

At the time I grew up in the UK, it was the end of the Mods vs Rockers years (Mods rode Scooters and wore sharp clothing. Rockers rode Bikes and wore black Leather jackets and jeans). Our village was a 'Rocker' village so the leather motorcycle jacket was essential. The helmet was by this time compulsory and I had moved onto a Cromwell open face helmet. The gloves came because of the English weather. It was too darned cold and wet without them. The boots were military boots - part of the 'Rocker' uniform, finished off by oil-soaked jeans.

 

After a friend smashed the chin bar of his full face helmet I ditched the open face in favour of a Bell full face.

 

I moved to leather trousers when I joined the RAF and was riding long-distances every weekend to see the girl who has been my wife these past 29 years. The extra warmth was the deciding factor.

 

Over the years the black two-piece leather changed to red armoured one piece (which seems to have shrunk over the last few years ).

 

I got fed up with having to stop to don and doff rain gear, so I moved into Codura - waterproof, armoured and comfortable. My first fabric gear was Triumph branded and did its job well in a get-off. Later I moved to BMW Phase 3 gear - a great 3-season suit which I bought for a tour to Spain, where it excelled, surviving a lowside on a roundabout with a lightly polished knee. My Daytona boots took the weight of the RT with my foot twisted below the bike. Without the boots I would have suffered a serious injury - with them I got a sprain.

 

My gear today is a Caberg Justisimo helmet (I change them every three years), a Frank Thomas winter jacket, BMW phase 3 summer jacket, BMW Streetguard trousers - a streetguard jacket may join them in the summer and Alt-Berg boots.

 

Alt-Berg are hand-made quality boots that cost half what Daytona factory made boots cost. They made me a pair of custom fit (large calfs) Continental Tourer boots, with added waterproof membrane for just £30 over list.

 

So basically, I got into ATTGAT by following fashion, then from experience.

 

Andy

[Francois_Dumas]

I practice MOTSMOTT... which is legally approved, bearable, sensible and as comfortable as possible. IMHO of course

 

Greetings,

Francois

[wrestleantares]

Like a lot of people I did not start off with ATGATT.

 

I started off with - well nothing. Jeans and a t-shirt.

 

It was a Yamaha 650 that my father and I rebuilt and I rode the piss out of it as a dirt bike.

 

At the time we owned about 80 acres and had access to much more.

 

I wore no helmet, no gloves, and no sleeves (unless it was cold). I hit speeds up to 70 mph on some of the better dirt roads. In other words I was a accident waiting to happen.

 

I never had one on the motorcycle (other than a few lowsides which didn't even scare me (Boy I was young and dumb).

 

My conviction to wear gear came from my ten-speed. I used to ride 60+ miles a day. Any way, I was riding along the road and was passed. Another car was coming the other way and the guy passing me pulled back into the lane too quick and caught my front wheel. My bike went right and I kept going straight. I bounced on the road, and slid for I don't know how far.

 

I got up and my shirt was gone from one side, and I had a fast developing lump on my head. In other words nothing serious. There were threads of my shirt on the pavement, but my skin was intact.

 

I decided not to push my luck, and have been pretty conscientous about gear ever since.

 

If I could just get myself to ALWAYS wear protective pants I'd be 100%.

[Albert]

Dick,

That's probably the most thoughtful response I've seen on the subject.

Thanks,

[Paul Mihalka]

I got into wearing full riding gear very early as I got into road racing within one year of starting to ride. That meant full leathers, boots, gloves, and a half helmet. After I had it for racing, I found it more comfortable for every day riding than jeans and a flapping shirt. ATTGATT has different levels for different riders amd for the same rider at different times. The most common bike accident damage is road rash and I HATE it, so I'm pretty much covered for it all the time.

But Dick Frantz is right. Preventing a accident is always better than being well dressed for it. OTOH $hit happens

[Effervescent]

I'm so happy you asked for contrasting opinions rather than only for ways to harden a position about wearing protective riding gear all the time.

 

rdfrantz, I see your point. I suppose I should have started off saying "For those of us who ATGATT..talk to me about the process that brought you there".

 

I set the thread up in a way that seems "loaded".

 

-Eff

[AdventurePoser]

Quite the picture... , but to be honest with you, I don't always do ATTGATT. Sure, it's probably the smartest thing to do, but hey, riding a motorcycle on So Cal freeways isn't the smartest thing either!

 

Sometimes I do wear it all-sometimes risk management of given conditions demands it; dark, rainy, etc, etc. But sometimes I like to feel freer, and during those times it's a FF helmet, gloves, light boots and levis for me.

 

With paragliding it is the same. When I started flying I always wore long pants, long shirt, heavier helmet, etc, etc, and was glad I did. Gradually I got more experienced and I started making personal decisions relative to comfort vs. degree of safety. Now, when it's hot, I wear shorts, a sun protective shirt,and light boots. Sure, if I crash I'm probably gonna get banged up more than if I wore ATGATT, but my flying will be more comfortable, and maybe that makes it safer too. Who knows?

 

One other observation: paraglider pilots are very much like motorcyclists, I believe. They are also gadget and accessory lovers. Yet on the hill, there is no pressure to go ATGATT. Pilots seems to understand that this is personal decision based on the conditions and amount of risk accepted. No one moralizes or feels compelled to inflict their own views on any other pilot.

 

Who knows? Maybe this is Darwinism at work?

 

Steve

[Kinsley]

While having lunch during a nice ride an the hot pizza joint downtown Savannah, we noticed a blind guy feeling around our bikes. A couple of us went to inquire, and found that he had heard us ride up and wanted to check the bikes out. Well, we were all to excited to talk motorcycles and eventually the conversation revealed that he used to ride, T-boned a car in an intersection and crushed his face during the crash.

 

The injuries cost him his eyesight and months of recovery. Guess what? Yep, he was wearing one of those stupid beanie caps. Man, did I feel like a dumbshit! That was the last ride with the beanie cap. It went straight into the garbage when I got home, and I went out and bought an HJC Symax flip-face helmet.

 

Wow Steve, If you had already been a member this board, I would have sworn you had been set up by David, StretchMark and "that" crowd Good lesson to learn the easy way, huh?

 

I basically wore the "Terminator" look plus a beanie to have the appearance of being legal since I couldn't legally use a shotgun like Arnold. Knowing I was not quite as tough as my hero's image, I also rode less aggressively until I realized what a bike and rider could do in a well-trained operator's hands. I can see why cruiser types don’t feel the need for the amount of protection most of us wear since they rarely allow themselves to ride at a level where they feel danger (it’s like going down the road in a dump truck). The unexpected may catch them and they will pay the price at that time.

 

I would be comfortable riding at 50% of my ability with less gear if for instance I just wanted to gas the bikes up or go 20 miles to see a friend, but when I go for the day I know I will want to ride at 80% on technical roads, so I prepare for the unexpected.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

I started out with nothing more than a 3/4 helmet, didn't even have gloves.

When it got cold, I moved up to a leather jacket and some roper type gloves.

Spent a couple of years with a bike as my only transportation and only wore 'gear' when it got cold.

 

Went through a 'biker' phase for a few years when it was just a beanie helmet, boots (engineer style) and gloves from which I cut the fingers.

 

Went down a few times and lost some skin and broke some bones. In the mean time, I got into drag racing which required full leathers, gloves, boots and a full face helmet. Discoverd it wasn't much less comfortable than my regular riding gear and more or less wore that stuff all the time, I had graduated from the biker stuff by then.

 

Pants always varied from my leathers to jeans depending on how hot it was more than anything. Finally figured out that the leathers actually kept engine heat off better than jeans.

 

Fast forward a couple or 20 years or so, add to it a variety of clothing.

 

What I wear now depends on circumstance. My 4.4 mile commute on city streets in the morning and evening finds me in business casual attire with a helmet and gloves and little more. Ditto trips to the store for groceries and the like.

 

On weekend rides, I'll add my Airflow jacket and, if the ride is more than a couple hundred miles, the matching pants. Oxtar Matrix boots fill it out and that is my basic touring setup.

 

Longer distances, extended rides, often find me in my one piece 'Stitch as the versatility can't be beat. It's too damn hot in the summer and too cold in the winter but, I don't have to pack the rain suit so I can find room for the Gerbings stuff and I'm used to sweating a bit.

 

It is silly of me, really. I am at the highest risk on that 4.4 mile commute and I wear the least gear. My long rides tend to be highway or freeway and I'm probably at least risk but wearing the most gear. I recently (9 months worth) lost enough weight to fit into my Vanson leathers again so they will probably get added to the mix once it cools down around here in a couple of months.

 

I pretty much subscribe to what Dick mentioned earlier in this thread. I depend on riding skill and my ability to read traffic to keep me as safe as possible on two wheels. The worst injuries I ever sustained was when I was in full gear and the lightest, in terms of damage to my body, I was wearing almost no gear.

 

No logic to it. Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you.

[Timmer]

I started out with a 3/4 Bell Helmet, some leather gloves, jeans and boots, but not much else. Did that for at least 8-9 years. Finally broke down, put the wife to work and was able to afford a leather jacket and a full face helmet. Rode with leather jacket, jeans, boots, and full face helmet for the next 25 years.

In 2002 with the purchase of my R1150RT I upgraded to the Savannah II jacket and pants, more from a comfort standpoint

than a safety concern.

 

Funny though, now if I run into town with just a leather jacket and jeans, I feel exposed. Can't explain it, but the feeling is there. 25 years of riding in leather jackets and jeans didn't stick and now feels unsafe. Go figure.

[MrHondamatic]

I started out with a blue metalflake open face helmet and bubble shield, leather jacket, jeans, and boots. For a while I even had a half helmet during my Harley fling. Later while riding the Honda, I decided a half helmet from H-D looked rather stupid, plus the straps caught all kinds of air which made noise and I was about to go deaf, so I went full face.

 

Then one hot summer day, with my jacket secured on the luggage rack, I had an encounter with a stray piece of vinyl siding laying in the street. My turning front wheel didn't appreciate it, so down we went at low speed, scraping some skin off my elbow in the process. It was at that point I bought a Joe Rocket for hot weather. Turns out I use it with the rain liner for cool weather as well.

 

I'm still riding in jeans, but plan on buying some type of overpants before spring. Like others, I now feel naked without the Joe Rocket on and do feel the need for more protection on the bottom half.

[Dinkee]

I have never been on a motorcycle without ATGATT. I can't imagine not being geared-up. I recently had a nightmare that Joel and I were riding (together on his bike) without gear. It truly was a nightmare and while we were negotiating some twisties, I awakened myself when I shouted: "we don't have gear on!"

Since then, I've gone a bit overboard with the ATGATT thing. Some might not understand.

Those who have negotiated Utah 12 will understand. (This shot was taken outside Boulder after I piloted our motorhome between Bryce Canyon and Boulder. What an incredible drive! And no, I didn't hold up a single motorcyclist on their way to Torrey... I promise)

All kidding aside,

To each his own. People have different comfort levels and different skill levels. People ride in different environments and I won't tell an adult to gear-up as I wouldn't want anyone to tell me to get on a bike without protection.

Take care, be well and ride safely.

[ahpd1992]

I too agree that ATGATT is a personal decision. I personally wear a FF and 3/4 helmet and different types of jackets depending on the weather. I find that I usually have a lot more safety gear on the 98% of the riders in the Chicago area. When I ride with the HD crowd I get funny looks for having a helmet on and when Im with the sport bikes squids I get looks for not begin in full race leathers. Either way I feel safe and comfortable, which in the end is half the battle.

[divakitty]

I had gear before I had a bike. I occasionally ride as a passenger on leikam's bikes so it was very set in my head before I started to ride about minimal precautions and ideal preventative measures, because I took my cues from him.

 

I am sure some of it is hockey conditioning, too. You don't get on the ice for a practice, a game, or sticktime, without appropriate gear. That's a hard and fast rule. Even during free skate, most of the players dress out. It's just become part of being on the ice for most of us. Hockey's a dangerous game, and people get hurt. Does everyone? No, of course not. But the more you play and the longer you play and the higher a level you play, the likelihood is raised. If appropriate gear minimizes or prevents an injury, and keeps you on the ice and able to play, there's no reason not to. I feel similarly about riding. For me, if there's a way to minimize or prevent injuries, and stay on the road, riding how and where and how much I'd like to, why not?

 

It's psychological, too. Just like gearing up in my goalie equipment gets my head in the game, putting on riding gear gets my focus where I need it to work on riding well. Plus, I'd feel naked without my stuff! I had a small, private, momentary panic attack when the instructor at my MSF course frowned on jackets. I got his point, about the heat, etc, and I went with his opinion over my sense of comfort (big mistake, never again) but, I am sure my insecurities coming from not being appropriately dressed (in my estimation) contributed to not performing well. I don't want to hit the ground in a tshirt if my option is a well-made jacket with armor or some padding, even at 20 mph. Or 10!

 

It's this stubborn thing I have about when and where pain is recreational and when it just isn't.

[GaryIF]

When I learned to ride, it was on a Hodaka dirt bike in high school. If you know the bike, you can pretty much peg my age. The gear worn? Whatever I had on - shorts, t-shirt, sneakers, whatever. My re-interest in riding began with an in-law who's a doctor. Somehow, without being overbearing but being ever so subtle and persuasive, he gave me religion on courses, books, training, more training, and riding gear.

 

A few years ago, I had a minor mishap, going down due to rider error. Some damage to the bike; none to me thanks to ATGATT.

 

Newbies see me suit up before a ride and say things like, "yuk, aren't you really not and sweaty in that thing?" To which I say, "sweat's far more comfortable than a skin graft or worse."

 

It ain't the end-all, be-all of safety, just one more measure in my favor that I'll take any day of the week. It's also a highly personal decision.

[SageRider]

I have always worn full face helmet, gloves, and boots. Until sliding out in a freeway cloverleaf onramp, I had always gotten away (since the 70s) with t-shirt and jeans. This included being broadsided, lowsiding on a mountain road, and getting knocked of a bike while lane splitting. In the onramp incident, I was wearing a FirstGear Kilimanjaro jacket, summer gloves, jeans,helmets, and boots. When the bike lowsided, my knee was thrown out and momentarily contacted the road. Instant road rash! The bike then did a partial highside, ejecting both myself and my wife parallel to the ground. I contacted my left hand on the inside of the wrist first. Next point of contact was face shield and shoulder of jacket. Instant road rash from where the summer glove's elastic mesh provided zero protection. No other injuries or road rash received. Deciding I really liked having skin, I now always ride with full gauntlet leather gloves, motorcycle specific riding boots, a riding suit (Motoport or BMW currently). On the rare short trips where jeans are more suitable, I wear Draggin Jeans or equivalent.

A lot of my "gearing up" has also been driven by aging and getting more conservative. All through my teens and twenties, I was literally immortal. I proved it many times! Unfortunatally I did not pay my immortality taxes one day and went head to head with a bus. A real wake-up call!

[NoHeat]

One year ago, before I started riding, I took the MSF BRC. Before the class began, I had already bought full gear, after reading about it on forums like this. I wouldn't have known what motorcycle gear was like, or the value of wearing it, if I hadn't read online forums.

 

The first day of BRC, I left the armored jacket and pants in the truck. I succumbed to the pressure of dressing like everyone else, which at an MSF course means streetclothes that cover your legs and arms, plus any kind of gloves and shoes that cover the anklebone.

 

That first day, somebody in the class low-sided at 10 mph, and then lay on the parking lot for a good long while while the teachers tended to him. He had bruised his shoulder badly, but nothing more. Suddenly, riding in a parking lot didn't seem all that harmless.

 

Next day, I was back at the class with all the gear on. People stared. During a break in the class, a fellow student with a HD logo on every visible item he wore told me that I looked like a kid in a snowsuit.

 

Never ridden without it since.