The Protective Gear Poll

**Motu** · 12th January 2004, 21:43

Originally Posted by wkid_one

PMPL - I haven't seen much leather shrink on a cow/deer etc.......me thinks it may not be the leathers that are shrinking but............

I always thought leather stretched with age and use?

I think it's the Australian cows,but I can't afford a new set of leathers these days,so I'll never find out if New Zealand cows shrink in 2 planes or only in one plane like those wierd Aussie ones.

**georgedubyabush** · 12th January 2004, 22:28

Originally Posted by wkid_one

PMPL - I haven't seen much leather shrink on a cow/deer etc.......me thinks it may not be the leathers that are shrinking but............

I always thought leather stretched with age and use?

You dont see many 20 year old cows around though. Come to think of it older cows do have a 'shrunken' look to them. wtf?. I really need to get some sleep.

**Jackrat** · 12th January 2004, 23:22

If any of you lot are cheap like me go to your local Protector safty shop.
You can get black Riggers gloves with a light weight yet warm liner.
They were $15.00 when I bought my last pair and have lasted five years so far.

**Slim** · 12th January 2004, 23:35

It's been many years since I hopped on the bike without full protection.

I remember when ACC replaced motorcycle gear after accidents: they payed full replacement cost on an old Nolan helmet, so I put the money towards a new Shoei helmet. No abusement of the system from me though - I told them the age of the thing & the cheque just showed up for $350! They even repaired the damage to the borrowed Dainese 2-piece leathers I had on during the accident (the ambulance officers weren't given any chance to cut them off!)

**matthewt** · 13th January 2004, 00:22

My comment on this is that jeans aren't going to protect you. Even the kevlar lined jeans won't help you on a half-decent slide. They may quote how many feet/yards/meters you can be dragged behind a truck in them but that is usually on a runway with a smooth surface. I ripped the knees out of my kevlar reinforced jeans in seconds on one of the main South Island roads and have the knees to prove it.

Also, full face helmets are a must (not just in winter). I'd be glad to send a JPG of my helmet after a crash which quite clearly shows what would happen if you had an open face helmet.

At the end of the day it's up to the individual how much protection they want.

**KATWYN** · 13th January 2004, 07:44

Originally Posted by SPman

Better to have $2000 worth of gear on a $2000 motorbike, than no gear on a $4000 bike, methinks!

Exactly. that is true

**Hitcher** · 13th January 2004, 07:54

Under the Shoei XR900 I always wear earplugs -- the reusable, corded, plastic grommet type from NZ Safety.
Gloves: Orina summerweight, Alpinestars winterweight (both brilliant gloves)
Boots: Daytona Goretex (my best-ever gear purchase -- these are fantastic boots)
Jacket: Leather when fine; Cordura if it's wet.
Trousers: Leather or Draggins when fine, Cordura if wet.

**What?** · 13th January 2004, 07:57

My leather pants have shrunk.

**Hitcher** · 13th January 2004, 08:10

Originally Posted by What?

My leather pants have shrunk.

Sounds a bit like my wetsuit...

**MrMelon** · 13th January 2004, 08:14

I always wear my Draggin Jeans, leather gloves, sidi boots, and cordura jacket when I go out on the bike.. even if it's just around the block. I get the feeling these jeans won't protect me all that much in a spill, so I should probably try and find some armour I can stick in there.

if I'm going for a big ride I'll wear my leathers, but they seem like a bit of a hassle to get on for riding around town.

**Coldkiwi** · 13th January 2004, 08:28

Originally Posted by MrMelon

but they seem like a bit of a hassle to get on for riding around town.

so is getting a blood transfusion! I wear the one piece suit every where now. more comfy than anything else too besides having armour in all the right places (yet to get a back protector but I know I should). Keep my stiffer W2 race boots for longer rides but the Stylmartin yukons are good for everyday. Gloves a must and I can count the number of rides i've had in jeans on 2 hands.

Putting all that gear on is less of a hassle the more you do it. I can suit up three times as fast as my fiancee when we go out for a ride because i practice at least twice a day! (no car ya see so I have little choice)

**jrandom** · 13th January 2004, 08:40

Ho hum. Orina cordura and CE armour zip-together jacket and pants, leather boots (can't afford proper MX/racing boots... sniff...), light Teknic gloves for summer, heavy waterproof Spidi gloves for winter, never leave home without 'em.

Have been known to ride up to the shops from work in shorts and shirt... bad jrandom! It's just so bloody hot atm

Never get on bike without gloves, though - for some reason the thought of grated-up hands scares me worse than any other bit (bar head, of course, but that's what the helmet's for). Tripped and fell while going for an early-morning run a while back, put hands out when falling - very hurty. Owwwww. And I can't have been going more than 12kph or so at the time.

**James Deuce** · 13th January 2004, 10:05

Originally Posted by Coldkiwi

so is getting a blood transfusion!

Hear Hear!

Its a myth that grazes never killed anyone. You skin is your biggest organ (keep the Beavis and Butthead chuckles to yourselves lads!) and significant damage to large area of your skin is potentially fatal. The body reacts agressively to skin damage to stop you leaking fluids and to prevent wound infections. However excessive damage to a large area of skin, say 30% of your surface area (buttocks, backs of thigh, feet, and forearms - quite easy to do at 100km/h with no protective gear on) would overwhelm the repair response.

The body needs fluid to drive this response so other systems that need fluid have to go without. It can't repair that damage quickly enough so you also lose a lot of fluid while the attempt is made. In the meantime bacteria and dirt is getting in causing infection and interupting the healing process. You go into shock and your eloctrolytes (sodium and potassium) get out of balance so the body's electrochemical processes are compromised. This can lead to heart attacks.

A blood transfusion is necessary to offset the loss of blood and fluid and you can get diseases from unscreened blood. One that isn't screened for is Hepatitis C and this will take 20 years off your life if you catch it.

The damage itself is actually a friction burn and we all know what these look like when they heal. You'll also need skin grafts to fix some of the worst damage, but you have to wait until the burns have healed as much as they will. Then they take skin off some other part your body and stick it over the top fo the exposed flesh and hope it takes. Then you have another part of your body that has to heal.

The best you can hope for is broken bones as these are designed to break to prevent damage to soft tissues. Soft tissue (tendons, ligaments, muscle) doesn't repair itself well where bones do. Even surgical intervention, which is quite successful with boney injuries, isn't a guarantee of a fully functioning repair in the case of soft tissues.

Just put the gear on guys. When you are 20 gathering scars can be shrugged off pretty easily, but by 40 those scars will be painful all the time, and at 70 they'll be debilitating. Break bones (well except your skull and spine if at all possible) by all means, but try to avoid damaging your soft bits.

Jim2

**Drunken Monkey** · 13th January 2004, 10:12

Originally Posted by Hitcher

Sounds a bit like my wetsuit...

Yes - 'tis a scientifically proven fact that wetsutis and motorcycle leathers shrink in the closet over winter...something to do with the cool air....no, that wasn't it...I think it's all the pies and lack of exercise...