Concern over poor protective clothing

[Redstar]

ride your bike without the basic protective gear is like sex without a condom risky! but there has to be a formula of speed divided by the square root of gear?

like a moped on the beach = nil
R1 on a track = 10

so then sports bike on a morotway = 5 and so on

risk is a matter of situation and enviroment speed and speed

I think you ride to the limits of your gear not to the limits of your bike?

dam it I never thought I would talk safety since Cold kiwi told me off

[jrandom]

Originally posted by Redstar
ride your bike without the basic protective gear is like sex without a condom risky!

Doesn't feel quite as good, though, although some might argue the point

[PZR]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by kiwistorm
[B]

[font=Arial][size=2]Short of posting disturbing pictures of what happens to people wearing a rain coat, sneakers and an old helmet. I would just like to urge any KB rider, perhaps the newer riders more so, to not take the lazy or cheap route when it comes to what you wear on a bike.

I think that the huge input to this thread shows how important good safety gear is to people. There wil always be those who choose to not invest in their own protection (look at the USA with none or limited helmet laws) but the reality is that if you come off, (and there are not many who have ridden a bike any distance who have not come off) then (and here's that word again) "inevitably" if you come off you will suffer some damage.
Me, I choose to minimise it as much as I can with the best I can afford. I wear leather gloves becuase I know if I come off and have the time to react that my normal human reaction to falling is to put my hands out to protect myself. I do not have training to overcome this natural human instinct. I wear leather pants with padding because my legs will scrape along the ground and leather still has the lowest drag coeffeciant of all currently available protective clothing matrerials (i.e. cordura etc) This means that leather slides better over tarseal than other fabrics with hopefully less damage to me underneath.

Boy those cows know a thing or two do'nt they? Don't see many on bikes though?Guess they can find helmets to go over their horns.

I wear a cordura jacket as it is a comprimise over the leather in that it is more water proof and does not soak up water like leather does. It also has some armour though I plan on a back protector soon. I wear good bike boots to keep out the cold and water and also am aware there are shit loads of small bones in my feet so I want to give them good protection.

It hurts to much if I fall of and I don't like pain. Thats me done!!




Is this one of the longest threads ever?

[Coldkiwi]

"*Thats lowest coefficient of friction*  coughed the anally retentive engineer"

 

[Marmoot]

somebody forgot the mention of "luck" or "badluck" in the equation

[MikeL]

Redstar wrote that riding without good protective gear is like sex without a condom: risky. I think that's an excellent analogy. Naked is nicer, and there will always be some who prefer to take what they think of as a calculated risk in full awareness of the possible consequences. Perhaps they have some naive belief in "luck". I'm not a psychologist but I think there are probably subconscious factors at work here, with a self-destructive self-hating impulse lurking in some murky depths of the psyche.
With all due respect to those who genuinely belief it's their right to be irresponsible, because they're only harming themselves, they are wrong, stupid and immature. Wrong because others suffer when we hurt or kill ourselves, stupid because they haven't calculated the risk properly, and immature because like children they can only see the immediate cost, not the benefit (hell, if I didn't spend all that money on leathers/boots/gloves etc., I could afford a louder pipe or a new paint job).

Here endeth the sermon. Today's hymn is
["Nearer My God to Thee"]

[Coldkiwi]

on that analogy.. as for 'nicer': I enjoy my riding a whole lot less if I'm in jeans and normal shoes (I've only ever ridden 500m to my old work when I was a real lazy arse with no leather jacket on). So its really a whole lot nicer for me to go riding when I know I'm well protected. I enjoy myself more because I can push a little harder with a little more confidence that the aftermath of cocking something up (or someone else cocking it up) isn't quite so severe.

And I can sit at the lights and think 'well, if that stupid cow rams me from behind in her brand new $200,000 UAV that she can't drive and I get doused in petrol from my ruptured tank, at least I won't get massive 3rd degree burns cause i have full leathers on'. thats NICE.

 

[Kwaka-Kid]

just for the fun of argueing: ill be laughing when you cant get out of them fast enuf and do burn! whilst i will have shed my clothes standing proud in hte middle of the street... errr, or somthing like that

but anyways, i think what redstar, and then even more so what mike went on to say is right.  they are the best bits of text ive seen in this thread.. mostly because im immature and find the word sex amusing.. hahaha! no but really, (god i love being a kiddie ) to be honest i think after reading what mikeL had to say ive changed im willing to accept being wrong and jump from the fun side of immaturity to the serious(ly boring) side of adulthood (if not in age or speach, at least in protective clothing/thinking) hehe.  no no, that last bit was rather serious - and dont worry about going on about still being able to have fun when ur old and sensible.. i believe you

[Coldkiwi]

Now all we want to see is KK donning proper gear on his commute (incl clear visors at night) and hell will have completely freezed over! (I'm looking forward to the cold weather KK!)

[Big Dog]

Originally posted by Kwaka-Kid
just for the fun of argueing: ill be laughing when you cant get out of them fast enuf and do burn! whilst i will have shed my clothes standing proud in hte middle of the street... errr, or somthing like that :

What kindy hasn't got as far as stop drop and roll with you yet?
lmao

[RiceBurner]

Originally posted by Coldkiwi
"*Thats lowest coefficient of friction*  coughed the anally retentive engineer"

 

I'd say that's a moot point - certainly leather has the best WEAR rate of those materials generally used in bike clothing.

[Marmoot]

Originally posted by RiceBurner
I'd say that's a moot

Somebody called for me?

[Big Dog]

Originally posted by RiceBurner
I'd say that's a moot point - certainly leather has the best WEAR rate of those materials generally used in bike clothing.

And I dear say many of us opt for the comfort of codura for comfort knowing full well it will require replacement more often than leather.

I do because it means I kcan wear it in all weathers

[RiceBurner]

Originally posted by Big Dog
And I dear say many of us opt for the comfort of codura for comfort knowing full well it will require replacement more often than leather.

I do because it means I kcan wear it in all weathers

True - I wear a Cordura jacket cos it's comfier than Leather and waterproof. - but I don't scrimp on the armour.

[curious george]

Just to add to the thread, we have all forgotten the second most important reason for wearing leathers!

Chicks love leathers!

I was at the pub with co-workers after work, and all the girls had to come and feel the leathers!

-Unless it was my sharp chiselled physique, rugged good looks, and irrestable charm.......ROFL. Those who know me will know what I am talking about......*sigh*

Anyway, KK are you taking note?