PLEASE wear the right gear, everyone should read this!

[Martynbiker]

Im posting this under ROAD SAFETY. It is the Touching & harrowing story of a very Pretty Girl called Brittany Morrow. A girl who wished she had worn protective gear and is now a campaigner for road safety wear.

I make no apologies for the pictures of Brittanys Injuries, the story is in her own words.

Extreme RoadRash: Cause Effect and Lesson Learned*-*SpeedFreakInc.com

or the Short version

Crusty The Biker: Courage

[craig76]

A few years ago in Spain, I saw a girl come off the back of a 125 wearing only a denim mini skirt and a bikini and she was a mess. Doing the same on a GSXR750 is just madness.

I'm sure there's loads of people who will own up to wearing jeans on a bike. I do if I'm just going to work and not really caning it but reading this makes me think twice. Makes no sense when you've made the effort to wear all the rest of your kit.

What gets me are kids on scooters, wearing a mix and match selection of kit. The typical look is a Rossi replica helmet, fully armoured Alpinestars textile jacket, matching Alpinestars racing gloves and then to complete the look, lightweight tracksuit trousers and bright white K-Swiss trainers. I'm not suggesting that scooter riders need to dress up like trackday heroes but should at least look as if they're taking safety seriously, not just buying kit for a fashion statement or pose value.

[Martynbiker]

Craig, as you can see, I live in Spain, and I see Girls like that all the time on Scooters, Sportsbikes, Tourers in Skimpy gear..... SURE they look pretty, but the place to look pretty is on the Beach Not on the back of an R1 at 180Kmh.

It makes me go cold seeing the pictures of Brittney, but I sent that link to all my friends who have daughters, to my Daughter to send to her Friends, to the local School here In Sax & in Elda to try to get the message across to these kids that YES you look sexy in your miniskirt but you WONT look sexy with a body full of Skin Grafts, as well as the pain, the heartache to yourself/ parents/ etc. Plus the Hospital staff really don't like having to deal with this stuff either.

If just 1 person listens and takes notice than it has been worth it. Im glad it made you think twice.

Thanks for your support.

Martyn

[Sparky Stu]

Ditto, ditto, ditto.

It drives me mad when you hear of something like this.

I used to work for MCN and one of our staff back in 1996 was out with his mates, all two up coming back from the coast.

There was an accident and a girl pillion was killed.

WHY? She was wearing her boyfriends old helmet, X amount of sizes too big, she would still be alive if she had the correct size helmet on.

How many times do you see a pillion with a loose £50 crappy lid, jeans and shity jacket and the guy on the front has £500 lid, full leathers, boots etc, riding like twat........

Okay rant over.

[darren_m]

I've been guilty of wearing jeans on more than a few occasions when nipping out to shops etc,But ever since comming off my sports bike last summer and breaking some bones and gashing up my legs pretty bad,It doesnt matter how short my journey is.I wear full gear. I was hit by a car and came off at about 30mph,And was wearing protective clothing everywhere apart from the legs (Jeans). I count my self lucky that it didnt happen at a higher speed. But was annoyed with myself that it happened at all.

It's a sobering read and im sure most people do at least wear a minimum amount of protection when either riding or pillion. I have a freind who's about to sit his test and he wants a sports bike. His thoughts on gear where a pair of gloves and a helmet,Due to poor funds.We managed to talk him out of buying his bike untill he has at least a decent kit to put on before riding it.

The bike dealer's arnt totaly blameless here either though,It's not the first time ive seen a guy in picking up a bike and riding out of the forcourt with jeans and a skimpy jacket on a bike that does 170mph+. I know this is a different can of worms altogether with bums on seats beeing there main priority,But surley having a return custom and a decent health and safety aproach to selling bikes has to take some blame here also.

[DarrenM]

I lived in Thailand for a year and no-one had to wear helmets. The amount of horrific facial injuries was sickening. Just as I was leaving it was becoming law but rarely inforced unless in the city.
Honda were promoting the wearing of protective equipment, a travelling roadshow went to all the small towns. A positive move we dont see in the west.

[craig76]

Originally Posted by darren_m

I have a freind who's about to sit his test and he wants a sports bike. His thoughts on gear where a pair of gloves and a helmet,Due to poor funds.We managed to talk him out of buying his bike untill he has at least a decent kit to put on before riding it.

A mate of mine did the DAS test last year. He turned up in trainers, jeans, a battered old helmet and one of those crap Honda-Repsol fashion jackets, you know, the ones you see on market stalls, poorly made out of cheap leather that wouldn't pass for floor cloths.

He was told repeatedly that the examiner at this particular centre (Gateshead) deliberately marks down riders who don't take safety seriously, not to mention he looked like another boy racer / Rossi wannabe in that helmet and jacket.

As expected, he failed on something unbelievably minor and spent the next month bitching about this examiners attitude problem. Personally, I think the examiner had exactly the right attitude.

[kevinhancock750]

when i done my test my examiner who was named bizarrely mr pass! he did comment on the fact that i was wearing full protective gear. although i made a few mistakes i still passed with him commenting on my safe approach to riding and my gear which he says people have even turned up in shorts during the summer months. strangely enough i done my truck test 7yrs later and had the same examiner!
i'm back in wales at the moment but when i was in france peolpe would ask me to take them for a ride (usually for cigarettes)to which i refused because of their inappropiate clothing.they just dont understand it! also have you seen the mess a mini-skirted girl leaves on your seat? it's like a slugs been there!
i also ride a scooter (in full gear). people at traffic lights also youngsters on other scooters laugh at the fact i'm dressed to go around the world! (i'll do it one day but not on the scooter!). many of my mates have scars from not riding in proper gear but they still take the urine out of me for it! sad but true.
lots of gear=happy and protected biker

[juddadredd]

Yeah I can't stand the Macho types either least we know that we stand a much better chance of walking away pretty much unscathed from an off, God/Allah/Budda forbid that is.

I never ever ride without either my full HG Voyage or my full HG Taureg incluing all armour and spine protector gloves lid and motoX boots, having had an off and comming away perfectly well apart from the leg that got trapped under the bike and turned to mush, I'm glad I take pre-cautions.

[mollydog]

The Harley crowd are the worst and perhaps could learn from her.

[craig76]

I quite like the idea of kevlar-lined jeans (Draggin, Icon, etc) just for riding to work in.

Anyone got a pair and able to comment on them or better still, been kind enough to test them for me?

[Walkabout]

...............but each time I read another post, I can't lose the image in my mind of French police officers riding in the south of France in high summer!

So, who is going to be the first to tell this guy that he has it all wrong?:-

[Walkabout]

Originally Posted by Walkabout

...............but each time I read another post, I can't loose the image in my mind of French police officers riding in the south of France in high summer!

So, who is going to be the first to tell this guy that he has it all wrong?:-

Bl pic attachment just doesn't want to work, so you'll have to use your imagination.

[Walkabout]

The picture quota is used up, and exceeded by 2.2KB, so there won't be a pic of a cop in the USA riding a BMW GS, wearing shirt sleeves and fabric pants and an open faced helmet - he does wear long, well polished, boots though.

[Nigel Marx]

I'm wearing mine now! They are comfy and look alright. I have not tested them but I've seen a video of a guy at a race meeting climbing off the pillion seat of a bike at about 125km/hr and sliding down the road on the end of a rope, on his arse. The draggin jeans were pretty chewed up but his arse was fine.

Regards

Nigel in NZ

Originally Posted by craig76

I quite like the idea of kevlar-lined jeans (Draggin, Icon, etc) just for riding to work in.

Anyone got a pair and able to comment on them or better still, been kind enough to test them for me?