Alittle Rant Here...

Hello everyone,

Firstly, I don't want to offend anyone in this statement as I think some stereotypes will be used.

As some of you know, I went south to Montana, USA for a vacation last week. [rant] It seemed as though everywhere I look people couldn't get the riding gear thing through their head. One extreme to the other. I would see a couple riding (Alot of pillion passangers down there) their cruiser in full leathers, boots, and gloves. But they are not wearing helmets!? So if they go down atleast they will have a nice corpse? What is with that? Then the other end of the spectrum. A sportbike rider that is wearing a good full-face helmet in sneakers, shorts, and a short sleeve t-shirt...?! Not once, did I see a rider with the full deal. I will stick up for the sport bike crowd and say they were better than the cruiser. So odd that you see a guy on his bike with his helmet strapped to the tail section. I don't know what they are thinking, my analogy of a helmet is that it's your seatbelt. Now, I don't think this is just prominent in the USA, it just seemed that since they don't have a law for lids it's seems even worse. I know many people up in Canada don't wear proper gear. Me and my friends included at times, but this was bad.... [/rant]

Mitch

The only people who do it are the ones who've never fallen off without the right gear on. Once they do, they usually learn. If they survive/ever return to biking.

For most people the odds are so small that they'll have an accident whilst not wearing the right gear, they take the risk and they get away with it. Just like the guys who seem to know it's safe to overtake on blind bends, or weave in and out of rush hour traffic at 100mph+ because they "know" what the other drivers/riders are thinking

They'll learn...

[Supervox]

I guess that's just one of the reasons, according to a friend of mine who's an ER nurse in Florida, that in hospitals throughout the US, bikers are referred to as 'Organ Donors' !!

Originally Posted by MitchC

So odd that you see a guy on his bike with his helmet strapped to the tail section. I don't know what they are thinking

Helmet law differs from state to state, if they cross the border of a state which requires a helmet they would need it there to put on.

One question I would ask is what's the training like over there? Do you have to take any form of official instruction? I think with a lot of us here who did our direct access courses had it stressed to us about how important the right kit is...

Could that be the difference?

Either that or the sheer volume of people to the amount of space here means we're more likely to come a cropper so most of us wear decent kit...

Don't fret. These ppl are just participating in Darwins natural selection process.

[Biker Biggles]

Don't worry too much about it,it's called freedom and our parents/grand/great-grand parents fought and died for it in their thousands.Cherish it and don't let anyone persuade you it aint worth defending.Many non bikers think we are deranged for riding the things at all irrespective of what we wear.Its about individual choice.Personaly I allways wear the gear.

[21QUEST]

Originally Posted by Biker Biggles

Don't worry too much about it,it's called freedom and our parents/grand/great-grand parents fought and died for it in their thousands.Cherish it and don't let anyone persuade you it aint worth defending.Many non bikers think we are deranged for riding the things at all irrespective of what we wear.Its about individual choice.Personaly I allways wear the gear.

Amen

Cheers
Ben

have to say I just shake my head and ride past these days, occasionally issuing the word muppet under my breath.

Having gone down 4 times this year, 3 due to faulty bike and one due to a huge van suddenly appearing in my path I KNOW how important gear is, not just for helping with impacts but also saving your skin on a slide. One look at my lid from the van accident and I know Id have brain damage given the force that I landed on my head had I not been wearing a lid.

But at the end of the day its a persons choice and some people are only going to learn the hard way.

Though I think the fazer rider on the a13 I saw last night in shorts t shirt and no gloves was only surpassed by his girlfriend on the back in shorts tshirt flip flops no gloves and handbag hanging off of left shoulder...

And on a road where cars freely appear from nowhere crossing your path, as do mad pedestrians and cars who pull out regardless....

Take a trip to Italy down the south and it is worse....a lot worse! Dads and mums riding scooters with lil kids on the kick panels without helmets or anything.....most of the bike and scooter riders there ride without gear and u only see a few with the right gear on.