Another "riding without gear" thread.....

[cowboyz]

After 2 freak accidents in 17 years I am a big fan of riding with gear.

Now that is out the way the point of this thread.

Yesterday I left my riding jacket in the car and the little woman goes to work before me and left with it still in the car. So I had to ride to work without it. Now I put on 3 jerseys cause I thought it might be cold. I was still freezing my arse off by the time I got into Palmerston. How can people ride without gear and still be comfortable? I can only imagine the uncomfort/freezing your balls off when riding with no helmet. Even open face helmets must pose the same problem?

[thehollowmen]

you need something windproof, with few holes

try gortex and or raincoats, or the PVC from your goth years...

[Motu]

When I started riding I just wore a light nylon jacket,no gloves and no helmet....it was colder back then too,as our suburb was surrounded by farm land and open areas.I remember my ears would burn as I warmed up...an open face was ok,cold is cold,wet is wet.

I used to work with an ex blocky,and was once complaining about cold hands - he said as an apprentice his boss used to make him beak the ice on top of a 44gal drum and plunge his hands in - they would be burning hot all day.

[beyond]

Yep, the old days aye. :)

Could only afford one of those Line 7 PVC jackets which was wind and waterproof, no liner, just plastic. Use to freeze going into work in heavy frosts with just jeans on as well. Gloves were pretty primitive back then as well. You would arrive at work after a 35km commute, your hands were dead. They would be plain white and you could whack them on something hard and not feel a thing. (Till later )


Not the best for control at all. Then the blood would start to come back into your fingers and hands. Oh hell. The pain. It was like someone smashed all your fingers with a hammer. That was the worst bit of all. Used to hang out for summer, real bad.

[bugjuice]

to me, riding without gear feels like driving without your seatbelt on.. just strange, and you know it's dangerous..

[scumdog]

After 2 freak accidents in 17 years I am a big fan of riding with gear.

Now that is out the way the point of this thread.

only imagine the uncomfort/freezing your balls off when riding with no helmet. Even open face helmets must pose the same problem?

No problem with open-face helmet - IF you have a snazzy neoprene skull mask!!
Even when wet it's warm (and you don't get a sun-burnt nose during the summer months either)

[Ixion]

,, I can only imagine the uncomfort/freezing your balls off when riding with no helmet. Even open face helmets must pose the same problem?

Uh, either your anatomy is most unusual or you are wearing your helmet in QUITE the wrong fashion. It is supposed to go on your HEAD. If your head is that near your balls, it can only mean that it is up your arse. In which case it will at least be warm :rofl:

[cowboyz]

comeon Ixion. Getting your head anywhere near your gonads is an art. You know you would if you could.

[Bonez]

If your head is that near your ballsAre'nt most males lil heads? As for sticking a helmet on it-well each to there own.......................

[Magua]

to me, riding without gear feels like driving without your seatbelt on.. just strange, and you know it's dangerous..

Same, I went for a ride a few weeks ago in just normal pants. Felt naked.

[Speedracer]

last year I drove from tokoroa to tauranga with a t-shirt and jeans.
It was so damn hot I did it to cool down. Seriously, even in the shade it was like an oven, and on the bike it was a nice temp at 100ks.

So yeah, maybe it was crazy BUT it was one of the best rides ever. :ride:

[cowboyz]

well coming from invercargill, 5 degrees is hot isn't it?

[BUNGY]

Know the feeling. Back when I had my scooter I only had a light jacket. Ok sometimes but on cold morning the wind went right through it. Now I have leathers and they are great at keeping me warm

[sunhuntin]

i ride without gear in the summer, but only around town. i also wear an open faced lid. lol. only downside to the lid is butterflies tend to make a mess.
and even in the winter, the most ill wear is jeans, and a few jackets. have tried tshirts recently, but the windchil got me fast.

[Oakie]

Uh, either your anatomy is most unusual or you are wearing your helmet in QUITE the wrong fashion. It is supposed to go on your HEAD. If your head is that near your balls, it can only mean that it is up your arse. In which case it will at least be warm :rofl:

Damn, Ixion got to this one first. I'll have to content myself with suggesting to Ixion that if Cowboyz head is near his balls it could also mean that his balls haven't dropped yet and that perhaps they're still up behind his ears.

[NC]

But it's kewl to wear no gear

[Street Gerbil]

Thanks but no thanks. I came this close to experiencing the joys of skin graft back in my pushbike days (saying hello to tarmac at 50 kph wearing full cordura is no fun but going down at the same speed in skintight lycra is a bitch). Like I said: no armor - no riding for me.

[terbang]

30 years ago there wasn't the choice of gear and we all compromised. I used to wear a swanndri over whatever shirt I was wearing and jeans. At one stage I had an old army trench coat that I used to wear on an old Kawasaki that I had. Both barely kept me warm and I often reverted to the old cardboard or newspaper stuffed up me jumper to keep the wind chill out (no good in the rain). Still have the evidence of a fairly nice embroidery job that was done on various points of my anatomy after touching chipseal through 3 or 4 layers of denim and wool that offered no resistance at all.. Thank god things have changed and our gear also protects us. I feel naked without it now..

[dawnrazor]

Just because you think your safer doesn't mean you are.

There is alot to be said for not having a safety net.

[Big Dave]

Just because you think your safer doesn't mean you are.

There is alot to be said for not having a safety net.

Yuh - why I generally prefer an open face and ride a naked bike.
95kph feels fast.

[Al]

I wear my leathers, even though the temp here in "rural" Darwin is 32º, someone asked me why I don't ride like the majority of bikers in the Territory (jeans, sneakers, T shirt) and my answer was that my heat threshold is a lot higher than my pain threshold!
Person wasn't too impressed with the answer...

Take care out there

Al

[gijoe1313]

So what do bikers here do when they want to pop out to the dairy? Armour up or do the dirty and just doss down in flip-flops and old sweat gear? At my stage, I prefer to ride in the full kit being a noob and all! :innocent:

[cowboyz]

if I am going up the dairy then I will wear whatever I am wearing and throw my touring jacket over top. I am not concerned at all at falling off. More concerned about being cold.

[HenryDorsetCase]

comeon Ixion. Getting your head anywhere near your gonads is an art. You know you would if you could.

seen "Shortbus" ?

its a movie on at the film festival.

[cowboyz]

no. why do you ask?

[cowboyz]

ok. just watched a trailer for shortbus online and I am still none the wiser.

[John Banks]

While I don't wear the full leggings and boots to go down to the store, I always ride with jacket and gloves.

I can live without feet, but there's no way I can live without my hands. :innocent:

[dawnrazor]

ALWAYS - The best helemt I can buy/afford NO EXCUSES, its my head and if it don't work then whats the point of having the rest working at all.

ALMOST ALWAYS - Jacket, for the back protector and other armour, but mainly for its weather defeating properties.

NEARLY ALWAYS - Boots, 'cus smashed ankles happen all to easily and take along time to heal.

PRACTICALLY ALWAYS - Jeans, at least when I'm commuting, 'cus changing is a pain and knowing I'm vunerable keeps me more alert.

NEVER WITHOUT - Class A Gloves, again NO EXCUSES for shit gloves, your hands are the first to suffer and are fragile bloody things.

As for just hopping on the bike on a beautiful day with only a lid, a T-Shirt, shorts and runners - yeah do it, its incredible how much more aware of the road, your bike and everything around you you'll be, just don't make a habit of it - skin graffs from your arse cheeks onto your arms is not a great look.