All the gear all the time

[Tom MLC]

Allow me to introduce a mystery rider. A man of vast experience, with many years and many, many miles of road time. Despite his level of experience, our mystery rider had a mishap.

35MPH in a tight right hand curve on a twisty backroad. Everything under control, until he hits a patch of gravel. Then WHOOPS! Just like that, he is kissing pavement.

Needless to say, our hero was able to walk away. Grateful for the fact that he believes in ATGATT. All The Gear All The Time. His wife is very grateful, too.

Now don't you think there is a lesson to be learned here? I know I'm ready to re-think my riding attire.

By the way. Have you identified our mystery man? I'm sure he will be along shortly to tell his side of the story.









...more pics, next post

[Tom MLC]

A few more pics

[tkent02]

Allow me to introduce a mystery rider.

Good thing he wears the gear, this little scratch probably would have been the end of him otherwise.

[bonanzadave]

Thank God for ATGATT ! Now hows the Bike ?

[jbs80106]

Wow!

That bit o'road rash on his arm, UNDER his jacket makes me rethink wearing t-shirt under my jacket. I pretty much wear the windproof/waterproof liner in my mesh jacket all the time anyway, and t-shirts leave my arms sweaty/clammy under the jacket, but a long sleeve t-shirt absorbs the sweat and might (thoughts?) give protection against 'jacket rash'....assuming that rash was really the jacket/skin rubbing together.....

[salty_monk]

Glad this is the only damage... looks like Gloves with knuckle protectors are the only other thing that would have made any difference.

Seems like the fright turned his beard grey though...

And to think I was thinking an open face might be nice for cruising the beach the other day.....

I recently upgraded my riding to work attire from jeans to some kevlar riding jeans, glad I did.

Bruce - hope the aches go away quickly - I was hit by a car once on a training run on a mountain bike some years ago, fine at the time but really tired & achey the week after. Take some Ibuprofen if those knuckles are swollen.

Sure Beth & the gang are giving you plenty of love...

Dan

[crapwacker]

Quick question, I think i know the answer, but when a helmet touches ground, it's time to start shopping, right? my mishap last week left me shaken and sore, and I lost a turn signal, but nothing serious because of my gear.

[salty_monk]

Yep - really should replace it even if you just drop it.

Some of the better makes offer an inspection service free or nearly free of charge with a crash replacement discount if they write it off. They use Ultrasound to test it.

Always wondered if they actually do test them or if they write them all off...

[steve murdoch]

That bit o'road rash on his arm, UNDER his jacket makes me rethink wearing t-shirt under my jacket. I pretty much wear the windproof/waterproof liner in my mesh jacket all the time anyway, and t-shirts leave my arms sweaty/clammy under the jacket, but a long sleeve t-shirt absorbs the sweat and might (thoughts?) give protection against 'jacket rash'....assuming that rash was really the jacket/skin rubbing together.....

I know some of the Joe Rocket jackets have straps/snaps on the sleeves to prevent wind flap but also to keep the armor in the right place on your arm if you need to use it. The armor might have just rotated out of the way in the crash.
Glad to see you came out relatively unscathed, Tom.
An oldie but a goodie..."dress for the slide, not the ride"

[don_gibb6512]

Quick question, I think i know the answer, but when a helmet touches ground, it's time to start shopping, right? my mishap last week left me shaken and sore, and I lost a turn signal, but nothing serious because of my gear.

A drop from the table isn't enough to cause any serious damage but when it's a recovery from a crash, then yes. The helmet did it's duty, time to retire it and buy another one.

Glad he was wearing the gear. I stopped by a local gathering hole last night and all eyes were on me while I stripped off the bright green jacket, over pants, helmet and gloves. There were other helmets and jackets but I didn't see anyone with the entire suit. That rash on his knee could have been a lot worse if he only had jeans on.

Don

[BeerMonger]

I need pants, I only wear denim. What's cheap and good and online? I'm a canuck.

[Dogma]

Have a look at riding pants at newenough.com. Not sure what the shipping situation is to Canada... Same as anyhting else, I suppose. I like my mesh pants over shorts. Cooler than denim, but protected. Susceptible to mesh-rash, apparently.

My mesh overpants don't do a good job of holding the knee armor in place. Pants not meant to go over other clothes can have a better fit and do a better job on that. My solution was to take the knee armor out and put in some cheap motocross armor that straps directly to my leg. It definitely stays where it needs to be, offers more protection around the knee, and covers the shin too. Warmer though. Still cooler than denim.

[Tom MLC]

I need pants, I only wear denim. What's cheap and good and online? I'm a canuck.

Cheap...is not good. Sorry. You'll get your money's worth when it does it's job.

If newenough.com doesn't work for you (because of the shipping), try the next motorcycle show in your area. The bigger shows always have vendors with racks of gear. Looks for closeouts.

[DMorris]

Thanks for sharing, mystery man!

I've only had one serious accident on a bike and that was years ago. (1976)
I was not wearing any safety gear ( but I was only a few blocks from home!!??)

It is amazing the damage the human body can cause to a 69 Pontiac Catalina wagon. The one I connected with was towed from the scene, I am told.

I can say that it doesn't hurt, at least at the moment of impact. Hurts like hell very soon though - like when they pulled the chrome trim strip out of my knee. Within a couple of days, I could stretch my glasses wide enough to sort of get them on my face. I still have the scars, some of the stiffness and, on occasion, I still get a little piece of gravel from the right side of my face or from my shoulder.

It happened in a parking lot and I NEVER SAW IT COMING!!!

Each of us gets to decide what 'all the gear' means but I firmly believe in ATGATT.

[renobruce]

Glad to see you came out relatively unscathed, Tom.

Actually, the mystery man is me.

As Tom said, just cruising along at a good pace, leaning into a tight right turn. My speed was good, angle was good, not going too fast or using the brakes. I didn't even see the gravel... it was the same color as the road. I was down in an instant without any warning. I hit hard onto my right side. I remember feeling the impact on my head. I think I slid with the bike for a bit, then it flipped over and went one way and I went the other. My right arm was between the road and my ribs when I hit. My arm is a little sore but my ribs hurt alot. I little bump on my head, and my left hand at the base of my thumb swelled up alot, but is getting better. I think that injury is from the left handlebar smaking it hard.

Yesterday I felt like I was hit by a car. Today I feel like I was hit by a train. Lots of body aches and a sore rib cage, but I'm otherwise just fine. Had I not had good gear on, I'm sure I'd be extremely messed up. All I had on under my pants and jacket were swimming trunks and a tee shirt. And yes, the small bit of rash is from friction, not road rash. My jacket didn't rip, it just got scuffed. So all my gear did it's job just like it was designed to.

I hope by Tom posting this that at least just one more person goes out and gets ALL the gear including some pants. I don't think jeans would have held up, and I KNOW my legs would at least be more sore if I hadn't had the padding. Please, folks...ATGATT!!! If not for you, do it for your family.

Oh, and the bike will be just fine. The crash guards I installed just a few weeks before did their job, too. They took the brunt of the damage and I broke the front master cylinder and brake handle, bent the bars a little bit, put a hole in the gauges, and got a scuff on my header. But she fired right up afterward and will be back in tip top shape in no time.