when I rode from gunnerside to reeth, i wished I had been on foot. what an absolute visual treat. I have often considered, and suffered at the consequence of lycra. Only real difference is any protection restricts movement and increases effort . But does seem crazy in comparison. The biggest thing in my mind is coming off at over 100mph, with the possibility of another vehicle being involved. Its only my opinion, but I consider moto riders who have flesh on show as retards. nothing less.
I’ll be up there next week on the Grouse moor it’s such a privilege to be able to access those moors and get paid as well !
As each KSI incident now costs the tax payer over £1 million, incidents where people weren't wearing adequate clothing should be charged to the victim (if they survive).
Who determines adequate? You? Me? The law? The law says that you must wear a helmet. Should smokers or ex-smokers also pay fro their treatment, what about fat people? How about parents paying for for kids hospital treatments because they chose to have kids? How about all bikers paying for any accident costs because they choose to ride dangerous motorcycles?
Just cus some lump likes buggers and pie or some pikey likes fags doesn't make riding a motorcycle in shots ok.
These threads are pretty constant on UK forums but no where else that I have seen. Riding a bike in the UK inclement weather means you are much more likely to fall off than southern Europe and the warmer states of the US so it makes sense to wear more safety gear. I dont understand why so many people feel its such a shocker that people riding in hot places wear less gear; they are way way less likely to fall off. People in Italy simply dont ride bikes in the wet, they have no interest in it at all. I'd take a guess that Southern France is much the same @Bob T ? As soon as the temperatures get down to 10 degrees like this weekend you can watch the constant facebook posts of guys that have come off at trackdays because the slicks or even hypersports road tyres like Supercorsas are not getting up to operating temperatures. I can clock 30mph or more going to the shops on my skateboard in a set of jeans or shorts, it's not clever but it's a calculated risk and I'm not about to start wearing leathers. I might add that I wear full safety gear almost everywhere because I like to give it some beans but if I was popping out for a coffee I'd be in shorts and flip flops!
2 sides to every story. Smokers more than pay for their treatment, in fact if we were encouraged to smoke then HMRC would raise a lot more money they could waste on other things. All your questions point towards individual responsibility rather than the state picking up the tab. As with most things there are pros and cons on both sides of the argument. I favour a basic state provison but if I choose to ride , fly, sail, wrestle crocodiles etc I`ll happily pay extra on insurance to cover my hobbies. If you pay taxes you pay for your, or your kids treatment. Free at point of use is no more free than when you take a beer from the fridge having bought it a week ago.
Sorry but you live by the sword and die by the sword ... sorry to be a bit blunt but u are sure asking for it if you wear anything except the correct gear ... even when it was really hot im still wearing a leather jacket jeans and my work boots and leaver gloves .. boy it was a killer but in the event of a tumble id have half a chance ...
Aside from a helmet a matter of personal choice under current legislation. However, personally I would never dream of riding in anything less than proper biking kit. Yes, I get hot on warm days and when on tour in the summer, a price worth paying IHO. Least protective I would consider these days being Rokker jeans and a vented armoured jacket with gloves and short boots. Some may even wince at that... It's a balance I'm happy with. Amongst other bits of kit I have full leathers and a few pairs of longer boots with shin protection that get worn when it's a bit cooler but the comfort/protection balance means I choose better air flow. Just back from Lisbon Portugal where most riders I saw where dressed more for the beach than for the road. Made me wince a little but given the low 30ºCs temperatures I can sort of understand it for day-in, day-out riding. Especially around the city.
For you correct gear is leather jacket , jeans and work boots, some might say that is not the correct gear and you are asking for it. We all have to make our own decisions about what we feel is right. I remember reading an article decades ago when ABS became common on cars. The article stated that a lot of people crashed their ABS equipped cars because they presumed the ABS would get them out of trouble. Maybe wearing all the gear has a similar effect ? I`m pretty sure if I was riding around in shorts I`d feel a lot more vulnerable than in full leathers and would ride more carefully.
Here we go again, correct gear, proper biking kit, according to who? Should I ride in what someone else considers correct or proper? Surely the law gives us a basic minimum, (helmet and gloves here), but aside from that each individual is free to choose what they wear in addition to that.
