Motorcycle Gear: How necessary?

[SirDeity]

It's obvious that a helmet is absolutely necessary and anyone not wearing one would be foolish, and that we can all generally agree that the more safety gear you wear, the better, right?

I'm trying to prioritize some safety gear, which is why I'm asking these questions. I understand that motorcycle pants are highly recommended, but I've decided not to get any of those right now and instead just to buy a full body suit at some later point when I'm planning to do long trips. I am currently planning to buy a motorcycle helmet, jacket, gloves, and shoes. But how necessary are the jacket, gloves and shoes? Could wearing a jacket mean the difference between life and death in an accident? Or are they mostly for appearance and to merely reduce the amount of road burn from sliding across the tar? In other words, would a jacket actually save your life or would it only protect your skin a bit longer than without wearing one?

What about motorcycle shoes/boots? I understand you put your feet down a lot, particularly when stopping. Is a good pair of motorcycle footwear going to protect your feet in an accident? Are they mainly for looks?

What about gloves? Obviously gloves aren't going to save your life, but if you hit the pavement, will they allow to stop faster by putting down your hands and will they actually keep all your fingers/skin intact? Or will they tear through in a split second like weighted jeans against the pavement at 50MPH? Are they really that effective at maintaining a firm grip on the handles?

Lastly, how recommended are tinted face shields for full-faced helmets during a clear, sunny day?


Thanks!

[kevin_stevens]

Put protective gear over any part of your body you are satisfied with the function and cosmetic appearance of.

KeS

[ekaphoto]

Helmet- Saves the brain/head

jacket- Saves the spine and internal organs

Gloves- Saves the hands. Severe injury can cause crippling to the point of no use. How often do you use your hands in everyday tasks like opening doors, shaving, typing etc etc.

Boots- Saves the feet. How often do you walk. Do you want to use a cane or even a wheelchair due to severe injury to your feet.

pants. Saves legs. You walk on your legs right?

As for road rash most people have no concept of what it really is like. Road rash can disfigure or cripple you. Infection can easly set in and you can die from that.

Saying all that its your body do what you want.

pavement will rip through jeans fast. Better than noting, but not by much. A second pair will not really help. Just get the safety gear. How much money did you spend on your bike? Yet you are not willing to spend a couple hundred dollrs on pants is not thinking through. How much will a hospitl stay cost you?

[jonkull]

Originally Posted by SirDeity

It's obvious that a helmet is absolutely necessary and anyone not wearing one would be foolish, and that we can all generally agree that the more safety gear you wear, the better, right?

Read this...

http://www.cmyoung.com/bikewreck.html#Caution

and this...

http://www.speedfreakinc.com/safety/...learned_2.html

Then answer your own question.

[Law Dawg (ret)]

Originally Posted by SirDeity

But how necessary are the jacket, gloves and shoes?

Not needed at all or desparately needed depending on fate.

Could wearing a jacket mean the difference between life and death in an accident?

If you don't ever crash badly, you'll be just fine. If you do well there goes that fickled finger of fate again.

What about motorcycle shoes/boots?

Barefoot is fine...if fate smiles upon you.


What about gloves?

Hey it's only your hands and what are they worth to you? Fate is once again the factor here and it could smile or frown upon you.

ATGATT is only as valuable as your skin and long term flexibility. Odds are that you may never even need it...or that you might need it desparately. You want to roll those dice? Go ahead, it's your skin.

I was wearing ATGATT on 4-16 when a cage took me out. Broken clavicle, bruised ribs, and a torn thumb nail. Not a single scrape otherwise...THAT made it worth every single penny spent. Now I'm going to take the insurance money and get improved gear. Actually finish purchasing the Motoport Kevlar. You do what you will. You sliding on pavement (leaving a sausage trail) in less than the best gear you can afford will not injure me in the slightest.

[zzkenoman]

have you formally taken a MSF class?

[SirDeity]

Wow, thanks for replies guys. Some of the responses seemed a little condescending but they were informative nonetheless. Thanks especially for the URLs of that guy in the accident. That was quite shocking too see. I'm definitely going to spend every penny I've got on the best gear I can find after reading your replies. I was already planning to get a helmet, shoes, jacket, and gloves, but I'll go ahead and add pants to the list so I'll be fully covered. I'd really like to avoid leather pants though... if I can find something that can offer a similar level of protection. Am I forgetting anything?

What type of gear is best though? Kevlar is probably second best after leather I would think... any advice? I should have about a $500.00 budget for this protective gear at the start of May and can buy even more in June. My bike only cost about $1,800.00 but I'm willing to spend about $1,000.00 altogether over the course of the next few months on good gear. Should I try to stretch my money to buy as much as possible at once or focus on the most expensive and best quality stuff and end up waiting until June to actually afford it all? I know that helmets should be DOT certified and Snell certified helmets are even better (from what I've read), but do jackets, gloves, shoes, and pants have a certification process too? What should I look for when shopping for protective gear? More specifically, what are the top 3 rated protective materials (examples: leather, kevlar, mesh, cortech) that'll protect you the most and last the longest before being ripped apart and leaving your skin to the mercy of the road? Are there even any materials that are proven as safe or protective as leather? Is a full body suit better than a two piece (jacket and pants)?

I could just continue looking this stuff up online with google but I figure there is more value in getting the advice from real living people with real experience. Not to mention this is more convenient and probably less biased information. I hope I'm not testing anyone's patience with all of my questions. If I am then just don't respond.


I've been doing most of my browsing for gear at leatherup.com. Do any of you have any other suggestions? I'm hoping to get some matching gear for my black and gray sports bike.

[SirDeity]

I haven't taken any classes yet. My class is scheduled for May 11th. I've never driven a bike before but there are about 7 of us now (all friends and classmates) from college that are all buying bikes and taking the course at the same time. It's the course where you take an exam at the end of the day and get your permit. I wanted to take the exam that lasts two days with an actual road exam following by a license, but the courses were full until like October which meant that I wouldn't have been able to do any biking this summer. I really have my heart set on actually learning to drive a bike this summer so the 1 day permit course that I'm currently signed up for will have to suffice. I never plan to drive a motorcycle at night (at least not this season) and I have no desire to have other's riding with me (especially after reading the story of the woman falling off the bike from the URL provided above) so I'm not concerned about having an actual license this summer. I'm going to take it as easy and be as careful as humanly possible without completely avoiding a bike altogether. I won't be riding without the company of my friends (who'll have their own bikes) for at least the first few weeks, so I won't be alone through the experience of learning to drive.

[SirDeity]

New Question: How many of you wear a safety cup while driving a motorcycle? A college classmate/friend of mine actually wrecked his bike with his girlfriend going about 60MPH on the highway with only a helmet, jacket, and gloves on... and he ended up getting his scrotum torn open and nearly losing his testes. I would think wearing a cup while leaning over on a sports bike would be really uncomfortable though. Hopefully a good pair of pants would suffice to protect from the ripping... but I don't know about a direct impact.

[bosozoku]

Originally Posted by SirDeity

New Question: How many of you wear a safety cup while driving a motorcycle? A college classmate/friend of mine actually wrecked his bike with his girlfriend going about 60MPH on the highway with only a helmet, jacket, and gloves on... and he ended up getting his scrotum torn open and nearly losing his testes. I would think wearing a cup while leaning over on a sports bike would be really uncomfortable though. Hopefully a good pair of pants would suffice to protect from the ripping... but I don't know about a direct impact.

So...you trying to say that said rider's scrotal injuries were enabled by his failure to wear pants?. What was worn in this instance...levis?...corduroy pants?....a kilt?...a thong?.

As to the cup-option: that's silly, and nothing, including the best ATGATT in the world, can prevent all injuries from any possible (and unlikely) source. Someone that paranoid of injury should've stayed in the womb.

This ain't nerfworld, is it Mark?.