Motorcycle Gumbies

[F5 Dave]

We’ve all seen them & we cringe as they pass. Who are they & what is their mission? Usually on some old semi cruiser, sitting right back on the pillion seat. PVC jacket, Milk bottle bottom glasses, Half face helmet so you can see their gorky look.

Where do they find these old helmets? Polstars with the ‘safety crack’ in them

(remember them? They were supposed to sacrificially split in an accident, heaven help you if you knocked your head twice & no other manufacturer thought it was a good idea)

Plastic half visor (I mean where do you find one of those?) & for the truly tragic they have one of those chin cups on the helmet strap like a comic army sergeant.

They are getting rarer these days (being breed out of existence?) but one trundled past on an XS650 or something or other today.

What is their evil plan?

[Oscar]

The off-road version rides a ratty old Xr200 or KDX with a gutted muffler, snapped of rear fender (wheelies gone wrong), whilst wearing an open face helmet with no peak, a bush shirt and gumboots.

[Hitcher]

What is their evil plan?

To torment the likes of your good self!

We each have our own demons, with its own metaphor. Gumbies on bikes is clearly yours...

[Mongoose]

The off-road version rides a ratty old Xr200 or KDX with a gutted muffler, snapped of rear fender (wheelies gone wrong), whilst wearing an open face helmet with no peak, a bush shirt and gumboots.

, YES YOU, that has just discribed about half of the southerns best trailies They breed em tough in these parts, safety

[Oscar]

, YES YOU, that has just discribed about half of the southerns best trailies They breed em tough in these parts, safety

They're not restricted to banjo picking country by any means...


We had a one turn up to the Raglan Enduro. Rat CR250, good helmet and gumboots on his feet...we gently explained to them that ambition was all very well, but attempting a National A-Grade Enduro (particularly one with a rep. like Raglan) as your first event was probably over-reaching...he helped us instead (and had a great time).

[Motu]

We used to wear firemans gum boots for trials,stopped water getting in,but if the water was too deep they held water pretty well too! They may have had steel toe caps and shanks,but shit,I wouldn't think about in now - yuk!!!! There's a guy round here who rides a black Dhama with a white open face and the biggest half visor I've ever seen,it's huge - out there like a Previa windscreen...I reckon if he tilted his head back he'd loop the bike!

I helped lay out a mountain bike race once,and was goffer around the course on my trials bike - one local clown entered on his BMX wearing toe capped work boots...you could hear him coming on the downhills,he took a more direct route than the other riders!

[NC]

I haven't seen one of those wowsers for a while.

[Velox]

Well I can proudly say that if it's absolutely pouring down I wear my gumboots on the bike. I don't have a car so I have to survive with soaking boots for the rest of the week if I don't. Not nice. I think it's great - keeps me amused as I ride along. I once bought some of those rubber overboots to go over your bike boots which was the biggest waste of money I've ever experienced. So hard to get them on and when they are on they look like big pointy elephant turds with sawdust on the bottom.

[Mongoose]

Well I can proudly say that if it's absolutely pouring down I wear my gumboots on the bike. I don't have a car so I have to survive with soaking boots for the rest of the week if I don't. Not nice. I think it's great - keeps me amused as I ride along. I once bought some of those rubber overboots to go over your bike boots which was the biggest waste of money I've ever experienced. So hard to get them on and when they are on they look like big pointy elephant turds with sawdust on the bottom.

The secret to them rubber overboots is to put a plastic grocery bag over your boot first, the rubber one just slips on then. Great things for long distance touring in the wet

[F5 Dave]

From a protection point of view gumboots provide as much as sandals. No ankle support, no arch of foot support & when rubber hits the ground it is likely to grip & be pulled off (as easy as it went on).

NC30 chick: What is a scenic route? We did it on the grass by the beach near a gravel road, but a car drove by & we got all embarrassed.

[Oscar]

We used to wear firemans gum boots for trials,stopped water getting in,but if the water was too deep they held water pretty well too! They may have had steel toe caps and shanks,but shit,I wouldn't think about in now - yuk!!!! There's a guy round here who rides a black Dhama with a white open face and the biggest half visor I've ever seen,it's huge - out there like a Previa windscreen...I reckon if he tilted his head back he'd loop the bike!

I helped lay out a mountain bike race once,and was goffer around the course on my trials bike - one local clown entered on his BMX wearing toe capped work boots...you could hear him coming on the downhills,he took a more direct route than the other riders!

Yeah, I remeber when you could get away wid gummies and no helmet in trials...not a good look for speed events though. I was in the A&E ward once with a guy whose foot had been dragged under his footpeg by a stump...his AXO's had saved most of the bones in his foot, but the ankle was a mess.

[marty]

They are getting rarer these days (being breed out of existence?) but one trundled past on an XS650 or something or other today.

What is their evil plan?

hope it wasn't one of the XS650 riders on here.....

[F5 Dave]

You’re right, they might be onto us that we’ve rumbled them.

Nah, this guy looked like he was pre keyboard capable.

[vifferman]

Key... bored...

Up there

[Dodgyiti]

I was wearing gumboots back in the day, when some bastard slammed me into the median barrier for 80-100 metres. My gummy left a cool black skiddy for 5o meters until it wore right through, then ouch, so they are not a good idea, take it from someone who knows.