Newbies and UoA riders - this is aimed at you!!

[madbikeboy]

The last time I wore an open faced helmet on the road, I left my front teeth lodged in the bonnet of a Vauxhall Viva. I also obtained a great scar on my upper lip and a broken jaw. Speed at impact would have been 40km/h at most. It could have been much worse, I faceplanted a relatively benign and flat area.

Buy a Flip Up Helmet - it will do anything your Open Face will, and your face will love you for it...

Umm, I'm going to get abused for this I'm sure, but I wouldn't ride a scooter without a full faced lid. Aside from hitting the deck and sliding to a halt on your face, there is also the very real danger from stones thrown up from trucks. I have replaced a couple of visors (which are way thinker than any sunnies you've ever seen) from stones hitting at motorway speeds.

Buy a full face, fixed helmet... I know, I know ATGATT preaching...

[Oscar]

Umm, I'm going to get abused for this I'm sure, but I wouldn't ride a scooter without a full faced lid. Aside from hitting the deck and sliding to a halt on your face, there is also the very real danger from stones thrown up from trucks. I have replaced a couple of visors (which are way thinker than any sunnies you've ever seen) from stones hitting at motorway speeds.

Buy a full face, fixed helmet... I know, I know ATGATT preaching...

I was just saying to someone, on the day I crashed, I can clearly remember thinking how cool I looked with my Aviator Sunglasses and Bell Open Face.

That was twenty odd years ago and I still have a beard/mo to cover the scar.

I've even taken to wearing a full face offroad (it's not like I'm getting any prettier...)

[ital916]

Oh deary me, here comes the smc crusade and the open face debate. Yes I have an open face helmet but you have to have a look at the whol picture, I also have a full face helmet, armoured cordura pants, draggin jeans, armoured riding boots, winter gloves, leather race gloves, a back protector, two different riding jackets, one sports orientated and one one winter orientated and a high vis vest. Depending on day, distance and what I will be doing off the bike I mix and match to suit. In fact most of the smc pales in what I ride in...to quote what a friend said "drider..you wear the most fucking gear of any biker I've ever seen".

So don't go throwing the attgatt argument at me. On some days I choose to wear an open face with goggle *which are purpose built for that helmet and have been tested against a variety of objects haha* that is my choice. The difference being I have weighed up the odds and made a calculated decision.

[Oscar]

Oh deary me, here comes the smc crusade and the open face debate. Yes I have an open face helmet but you have to have a look at the whol picture, I also have a full face helmet, armoured cordura pants, draggin jeans, armoured riding boots, winter gloves, leather race gloves, a back protector, two different riding jackets, one sports orientated and one one winter orientated and a high vis vest. Depending on day, distance and what I will be doing off the bike I mix and match to suit. In fact most of the smc pales in what I ride in...to quote what a friend said "drider..you wear the most fucking gear of any biker I've ever seen".

So don't go throwing the attgatt argument at me. On some days I choose to wear an open face with goggle *which are purpose built for that helmet and have been tested against a variety of objects haha* that is my choice. The difference being I have weighed up the odds and made a calculated decision.

I doubt that this can be called a debate, as generally debates involve a sharing of ideas and experiences and you appear to have made up your mind.

I was offering advice based on experience gained the hard way, at about your age (assuming that your username contains your birth date).

Your response tends to suggest that you are a least as stupid and pigheaded as I was at your age, so I won't bother to argue with you, aside from saying I hope your education is not as painful as mine.

[ital916]

I doubt that this can be called a debate, as generally debates involve a sharing of ideas and experiences and you appear to have made up your mind.

I was offering advice based on experience gained the hard way, at about your age (assuming that your username contains your birth date).

Your response tends to suggest that you are a least as stupid and pigheaded as I was at your age, so I won't bother to argue with you, aside from saying I hope your education is not as painful as mine.

Haha, I'm trying not to be too pigheaded in my youth.

[madbikeboy]

Haha, I'm trying not to be too pigheaded in my youth.

It's a biological predisposition - we males need to work things out for ourselves and learn the hard (and painful) way. Seriously, I've lost friends; this sport that we're all addicted to can have serious consequences, and I'm amazed I've lived this long.

In a perfect world, we'd ban cars and turn all streets into race tracks - my aura of invincibility would be more than an aura, and I'd actually be able to dance well enough to pick up chicks. But, I can't, it isn't, and the streets only ever closed in Monaco.

[madbikeboy]

I doubt that this can be called a debate, as generally debates involve a sharing of ideas and experiences and you appear to have made up your mind.

I was offering advice based on experience gained the hard way, at about your age (assuming that your username contains your birth date).

Your response tends to suggest that you are a least as stupid and pigheaded as I was at your age, so I won't bother to argue with you, aside from saying I hope your education is not as painful as mine.

Do your bones ache? Mine do. During winter, I can recall ever bone that I've broken, not from memory since the concussions have reduced that, but instead from the bits of me that ache or don't work so well anymore. I hate dislocations and compund fractures the most. I'm getting arthirtis in my fingers (broken each and every one), and I'm 35.

[Tank]

I'm getting arthirtis in my fingers (broken each and every one), and I'm 35.

Wank slower.

[Ixion]

Run-in of said 350cc is going well. However, several wheel lofting moments have occured due to the insane clutch and powerband, and it has a somewhat scary tendancy to tank slapper

Yeah, they do that. That too. Is why we luvs them so

a friend said "drider..you wear the most fucking gear of any biker I've ever seen".

Yeah. He does an all. At Kaiaua I thought there was an extra person at the table, it was just all his gear occupying a chair! Sometimes y'wonder (given that he's a smallish bloke) whether he's actually in there at all, or if his gear has gone for a ride on its own.

[Oscar]

Do your bones ache? Mine do. During winter, I can recall ever bone that I've broken, not from memory since the concussions have reduced that, but instead from the bits of me that ache or don't work so well anymore. I hate dislocations and compund fractures the most. I'm getting arthirtis in my fingers (broken each and every one), and I'm 35.

Unfortunately, in my yoof, I combined off road motorcycles and cricket.
All of my fingers were busted at least once, along with various other bones.

Yep, things ache, and I limp in cold weather.

Still, it was fun at the time...

[madbikeboy]

Insane power of a 350?

I'm at a lost for words.

[madbikeboy]

Unfortunately, in my yoof, I combined off road motorcycles and cricket.
All of my fingers were busted at least once, along with various other bones.

Yep, things ache, and I limp in cold weather.

Still, it was fun at the time...

Yeah, but as I grow older, and end up in more pain, I find myself questioning the fun I had at the time. Except this one time, at Uni, I was in Wellington and I met these two chicks, and after drinking with them all night, they go into the kitchen to make me coffee, and they're in there for like 20 minutes. Then they come out, and the kitchen must have been really warm, because they came out naked. On the hotter of the two chicks was wearing a strap on, and the two of them gave me a really interesting show. And then...

I miss being young... Sigh.

[xwhatsit]

Insane power of a 350?

I'm at a lost for words.

It's one of these. At least, this is the way I think he should re-do the bodywork if it falls off its stand.

[madbikeboy]

It's one of these. At least, this is the way I think he should re-do the bodywork if it falls off its stand.

Now that is a gorgeous piece of kit. I know why it's scary fast - it has a single pot caliper on the front, my mountain bike has more stopping power.

[MarkH]

The last time I wore an open faced helmet on the road, I left my front teeth lodged in the bonnet of a Vauxhall Viva. I also obtained a great scar on my upper lip and a broken jaw. Speed at impact would have been 40km/h at most. It could have been much worse, I faceplanted a relatively benign and flat area.

I think every rider is entitled to make their own decision as to what level of gear they need to wear.

However, things that make me cringe are riders with:
an open face helmet (exposed jaw)
shorts (bare legs)
t-shirt (bare arms)
sneakers or worse (jandals - *shudder*)
bare hands (yikes)

My main helmet is a flip face Nolon N103 in plain white - decent quality helmet with high visibility. I always wear gloves, boots, leather jacket and currently Draggin' Jeans (I will buy some kind of armoured pants for next winter). I don't consider what I wear to be overkill - in fact I think I have got myself the bare minimum (I have no hard armour in legs or back).

I agree with the original post - the guys not wearing the minimum gear should wake up and gear up! Those that ignore the advice and get themselves some painful road rash - well you've been told, you made your decision, you have to live with it.