What's with the lack of gear?

[breakaway]

Recently, on the way to uni (Mt Eden Rd / Symonds St / Queen St) I've see heaps of riders on 250s not wearing CRITICAL bits of kit like gloves. Everytime when I'm crossing Queen streets, I see bikers pulled up to the lights without jackets or gloves.

No Jacket? .... that's not on.
No Gloves? That's just stupid.

What's gonna happen to your hands when you come off? You will instinctually put them out to break your fall.

I never used to see stuff like this earlier (In winter - Anyone see a connection here?)

What's with the large influx of squids off late? One of these munters on a VTR or similar, without gloves / jacket tried to race me even.

Pull your heads in before something bad happens to you. I know it seems like it won't happen to you, but you WILL come off. Not a matter of if, but when and how hard. Some cager will not see you, or you'll hit a manhole cover in the wet. I personally used to believe It would 'never happen to me'. Next thing I knew I was sliding down the road with my bike falling down a 2m bank. I walked away from it with nothing more than a few bruises and a scratch on my elbow - all because I was wearing gear. See photos.

Sort your shit out kids, before you end up dead or worse.

[pzkpfw]

Not just 250's but scooters too.

Feaks me out.

[0arbreaka]

I did see a guy riding a recent R1 the other day with no gear apart from a helmet, it even looked as though he was wearing jandals.

[Blue Bandito]

I couldn't agree more.

A wise man once told me "dress for the accident not the ride"

Here's something to think about. Try diving onto the road while running as fast as you can in shorts and a tee shirt.

Who would be stupid enough to do that?

Even 50kph is a lot faster than most of us can run so if you have an accident without wearing proper gear it's gunna hurt.

[beyond]

Dumb arses.

I've said it heaps as well. Run as fast as you can on a standard chip road and throw yourself up in the air coming down on your knees and elbows and hands.

No one in their right mind would do that but they take the chance of doing it at heaps more the speed where they are going to slide for seconds.

Each second sliding down a chip road will take 5mm of skin and muscle from off the bod. Now we all know there isn't 5mm of skin and muscle covering knees, elbows and hands, so what's next. Welcome to the bone grinder

[klyong82]

I once saw a short chick riding a 2005 R1. She was wearing a casual red designers leather jacket (no padding) and three quarter jeans with sort of ballet shoes. Tried following her but she was so fast heading down Mt Eden Road.

2 or 3 days ago when I was riding with Breakaway headed for the motorway for a lunch ride we saw someone riding a bike and the pillion had a helmet but not the rider on Symond St. I just dont think that was wise.....

[James Deuce]

Don't forget that speed kills you!

Oooo, no gear. The Humanity!

Won't someone think of the children!

[sprag]

Coming back from a meeting heading north just before new market saw a guy (heading towards greenlane) in a t-shirt and 3/4 jeans and tennis shoes, all he had was a helmet.
He was on some sports bike but did not see what type, must have been doing about 90 - 100ks as he was keeping up with the other traffic.

Just bloody mad if you ask me.

[davereid]

Yeah. We should make all that gear compulsory like helmets.
And we should make bikers wear pink fluro jackets so we can see them.
And we should restrict their top speed to 50 km/hr for their own safety.
And should should ban all motorbikes except trikes, cos the two wheeled ones are too unstable.
And we should ban motorbikes cos they are just too dangerous.

Or we could just live and let live !

Edit.. before I get a page of moans from the safety experts I say wear your gear all the time, but be aware that motorcycles are much more dangerous than cars. The decision to ride a bike made you 31 times more likely to die than driving a volvo. The quality of your helmet and gear changes those odds only a little....

[swbarnett]

Or we could just live and let live.

Exactly, who are they going to hurt when they come off? Themselves. The pain is theirs so the decision is also theirs. Respect their right to that decision. Stop trying to run everyone else's life for them. Next thing you'll be telling me I can't ride a motorcycle at all because of how dangerous it is (or climb a mountain, bungee jump, skydive, ...)

This does not mean that I don't agree with you. Anybody riding without the gear is asking for trouble in my book, but they have a right to ask.

[0arbreaka]

Oh, but it is our taxes which pay for the months in which they spend in hospital getting skin grafts or other forms of surgery.

[davereid]

Oh, but it is our taxes which pay for the months in which they spend in hospital getting skin grafts or other forms of surgery.

Yeah thats why we should just ban bloody motorbikes.

[0arbreaka]

So your saying we should ban alcohol as well?, due to the amount of deaths and injuries that causes each year as well, what about cigarettes? last I heard they caused more deaths than motobikes could have.

[davereid]

No, you were the one who wanted to ban stuff cos it was dangerous not me !

[swbarnett]

Oh, but it is our taxes which pay for the months in which they spend in hospital getting skin grafts or other forms of surgery.

I used to think like you until it occurred to me that this very argument leads to the banning of anything that has the slightest possibility of costing the taxpayer a cent. What price freedom?

Remember that what is considered stupid today was considered perfectly acceptable yesterday.

Try to educate if you will but I will never support legislation that enforces particular behaviour in regards to personal safety (where the safety of others is concerned is a different matter). For example, Even though I wouldn't drive/ride without one I would like to see the removal of the seatbelt/helmet laws. It's my choice based on my own judgement. I will gladly contribute tax money to ensure that our society remains free. Really, the only inalienable right we have is the right to be stupid i.e. human.