Safest gear that isnt gear.

[LostJester]

My third question so far, the other two have been rapidly answered with some helpful replies......and one reply saying 125s are gay lol. Anyway I was wondering that since I will probably use my bike for quicks runs to the shop (when I get it) and even though putting on full gear is the safest way to ride but is there any clothing, that one would wear normally that could be considered safe. I was thinking Jeans (even draggin jeans)

I could see putting on a mesh jacket quickly and without much hassle but boots and trousers everytime I pop out for milk seems a bit much.

(I know wearing gear is a must for any sensible rider, and I will wear gear if this thread proves fruitless as I dont want milk and bread badly enough that I would give up my epidermis to the road. Oh and I mean clothing, I would never ride without a helmet......maybe a really fancy hat though.)

[Kal]

When I am using the bike a lot I tend to live in my draggin jeans. Boots are no hassle at all, 3 strips of velcro and if you are too lazy for that then you are too lazy to ride. My leather is my choice of outerwear as well so no worries.

The biggest hassle is my helmet...
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Kal...
I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It Ya Like To (HOON IT!).
1984 GB250 Clubman,1983 CB250N Superdream, 1999 GPZ500S

[snomag]

I have dragging jeans, which I really like and are perfect to avoid getting textiles/leathers on all the time I want to go out.

I still put the leather jacket and boots on tho (when it's not freezing outside, in the winter it's a completely different story) as putting my boots on take the same amount of time as putting any of my other shoes on and the jacket isn't too difficult either.

[metalangel]

While hard-wearing ordinary stuff is better than, say, trackpants, it's no substitute for proper gear.

Steel-toe workboots will protect your feet, but bike boots are also designed to protect your ankle from being wrenched or crushed.

Draggin Jeans are good, but generally there's no armour so while your skin stays on, you only have that layer of denim and kevlar to absorb the impact of your knee into the road (and it doesn't do any good)

Same for jackets - you can get away with a normal jacket but a bike jacket is designed to resist the abrasive force of the road and also has armour in key places to cushion impacts.

Definitely don't skimp on gloves. Ski gloves will turn to shreds and again won't have the armour protection of bike gloves. After all, if you do come off, you want your hands to be in good working order to wan... er... play SBK on your Xbox during your recovery

At the end of the day it's your decision but even the shortest journey can end painfully and after you've ridden around in full gear a bit, you will quite rightly feel really exposed and vulnerable in just jeans or trainers or whatever. My motto is to always wear your fucking leathers.
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Previous: 2002 Honda CB500 (sold), 2007 Suzuki SV650SK6 (crashed), 2005 Yamaha FZ6 Fazer (sold). Currently bikeless
"A faired bike will get you 10x more clunge than a unfaired one." -Marlboro Matt

[LostJester]

I will take all that onboard guys, safety is as with most people here my primary concern. Before I let myself enjoy the ride I would like to feel as safe as I can without surrounding myself in bubblewrap and riding a 1mph.

SO the very least protection I should have is say a pair of draggin jeans a L-Jacket and a good set of boots and gloves. Anything above is just good sense then. Seeing as My trips will be short (I know short trips can end painfully to) the hassle of getting of dressing up like a superhero to get some milk is a little daunting. But I guess thats the risk you take to be super f*cking awesome.

[TQ]

[stinkwheel]

To be perfectly honest. In town I'm not going to be going over 30mph. I can probably hit 30mph on my push bike if I give it some welly and I just wear shorts and a t-shirt to ride that.

I also reckon I have more chance of being taken off my pushbike.

If I was nipping down the shop for a pint of milk, I'd bung on my jacket, gloves and helmet. Mostly to keep warm rather than for safety.

The way I see it, at 20-30mph you're probably going to hurt yourself if you come off but more in the region of skinned knees and a bit of mild road rash. If you hit something hard enough to break bones. I can't see that a 4mm thick bit of high density foam would have prevented it.

EDIT: I should say I've fallen off at low speeds numerous times. The last time I must have been doing in the region of 25-30mph in jeans, a combat jacket and gloves. I skinned my knees (Still have the jeans, they're not too bad). Worst thing was a nasty bruise on my hip where I landed on my keys.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Stowelly]

usually if its less than a couple of miles, jeans, trainers and bike jacket...... saying that though, had an off at 10 mph and the tarmac ripped my jeans apart and alot of the skin of me knee, so obviously the answer is always wear gear....... or be prepared for more damage than necessary!

[Ditto]

If im just on a short ride around town i wear a bike jacket, and jeans and trainers and obviously gloves. Mainly because i want to be comfortable walking around.

Wear what you want though really. Alot of people will try and preach to you but at the end of the day its your choice.

Ive got the full gear for when im doing long journeys or hitting speeds of 50mph plus but especially now its getting hotter and im just going to the post office im not gonna suit up in all my gear.
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CG 125 > Bandit 600 > CBR 600 FY > Street Triple R

[sweetleaf]

[temeluchus]

Ive heard of that but yet to see an example.
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Some shite cruiser. Now with guns and FREEDOM!

[metalangel]

That's weird because I've never heard it. The whole point of steel capped boots is to protect your feet from being crushed by something heavy or skewered by something sharp, yes? What forces are so different in an off that this protection wouldn't work and in fact turns it into some kind of Viet Cong booby trap?

(not being sarcastic, genuinely curious. When I did my CBT they said to wear boots, but I then did most of my lessons in just Vans trainers)
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Previous: 2002 Honda CB500 (sold), 2007 Suzuki SV650SK6 (crashed), 2005 Yamaha FZ6 Fazer (sold). Currently bikeless
"A faired bike will get you 10x more clunge than a unfaired one." -Marlboro Matt

[Ditto]

Ive heard the stories about steel toe caps as well and don't know of any proof.

One thing i would say though is that there isn't really much need to use steel capped boots on a motorbike. The most likely injury you will sustain won't be to your toes but to your ankle, which is why motorbike boots come up high.

Ive ridden with steel toe boots to work quite alot and all they do is feel chunky and make it more difficult to use the foot controls.
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CG 125 > Bandit 600 > CBR 600 FY > Street Triple R

[sweetleaf]

https://mythbustersresults.com/episode42

They think the steel toe cap thing is crap. Do steels have to meet a certain standard? If not I guess badly made boots could do more harm than good?

Also, I suppose it would depend on where the force is coming from. If you consider the shape of the steel, is it possible that if the force came from the front, it could cause the steel to pivot into the toes?

I would think the boots are designed mainly to save feet from things falling onto them from the top.

Lady from shop said one guy she knew forgot to put the stand down at the petrol station, bike fell onto his foot and he lost 3 toes.

[N cee thirty]

i wear steelys all the time,but not had geenie feet yet

the guy at my cbt said you shouldn't wear um either cus they don't give much ankle support
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'00 Aprilia RS50 > '92 Honda CG > '99 Yamaha Fazer > '91 Yamaha RXS > '79 Suzuki X5 > 01' Honda Cg > 07' Honda Cg > 82' Kawasaki Z200 > suzuki gsxr 400 gk73a > honda vfr 400 NC30 Mod 2 Passed 09/06/2011

Jewlio Iglesias wrote: I actually did vote BNP once

[Ingah]

Here's what i've picked up (i.e. i'm not an expert) over my time on these forums, and riding in general - might help you/others:

Someone (i think on here) is in a wheelchair (assumedly for life), because - they were told by the doctor - that they weren't wearing a back protector when they came off at ~30mph.

However, i can remember G saying (who was himself summarising what TC - an expert in the field - has apparently said) that the hard plate style back protectors often cause severe injury in accidents.

My (personal) solution is to have a CE-approved foam insert in my jacket, because although it may not provide the head-on protection of a full back protector (which i also own), it is A) No extra faff at all over not bothering. and B) Does not suffer from the issue of potentially causing damage, whilst still providing protection.

I have heard (mentioned once, so this could be untrue) that if your head hits something very hard (brick walls and lamp posts come to mind), head-on, at 20mph - you will die regardless of how good your helmet is. Food for thought.

The damage in motorcycle accidents is said to gradually get worse as you go down the body. This would imply that your ankles and feet will take the most (i guess this makes sense as your bike falls onto them and traps them against the road whilst you are still moving along on your side), and that your shoulders will probably be OK if any part of you is. Bear in mind that the hands are reasonably low down on the body when you stand with them by your sides, wear good gloves! (it is instinctive to reach out with your hands when you fall - meaning they often take the first and therefore logically most severe impact).

I'd wear boots for sure, snapped and worn-away-by-the-road ankle bones would cause a disgusting mess.

I've seen nasty pictures at least a couple of times of badly skinned knees (like chicken legs), from 20mph falls.

A thought about kevlar jeans. I use Hood jeans (kevlar) and you can add protectors for your knees. I have done this and would not ride without - i'd like my knee impact spread out please :/

It's not coming off that really causes the damage (if you're wearing gear), it's what you hit after you've come off (and that's something that not even armour helps much with - best you can do is put abrasive resistant materials in between your skin and the road - and impact armour in key areas to spread (not reduce, just spread) the forces at the time of impacts)

Someone else (on here) had an interesting perspective. They said they wear gloves, boots, back protection and a helmet. Because the bones they break can be bolted back together but the spine and nervous system can't.

Leathers (especially important for the legs) act as a splint, holding blood, broken bones etc, in place until medical aid arrives. This can save your life. Kevlar jeans and textile unfortunately don't do this (although i will say, regardless, i wear textiles and kevlar most of the time as being uncomfortable is worse and likely to make me crash through lack of concentration).

Best thing to do, is get lots of training and take it seriously, as gear probably won't save you if you're relying on it to alone.
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-- Ingah

[stinkwheel]

[Ditto]

Food for thought, Ingah.
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CG 125 > Bandit 600 > CBR 600 FY > Street Triple R

[el_oso]

i always wear boots and gloves. if i am going to the shops and it is hot i don't mind going in shorts and a t-shirt. as long as i have boots and gloves on
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Duke 390
Previous: '05 XR125L | '96 XJ600S Diversion |'05 Suzuki GSXR1000 | '05 Honda CBR125-R | '97 YZF 600R Thundercat | '11 Honda CBR250
Car: Jeep Wrangler 4.0L

[LostJester]

dont think i would ever wear shorts on a bike....simply because in the event I do fall I want something between the road and my skin, even if this is a think sheet of denim.......wouldn't do much but would surely take a little of the damaged before it wore away.

[Paulington]

[raak]

Lostjester..I kinda go with stinkwheel and paulington on this one.

wear what YOU think is practical.

I will admit to having worn t-shirt and jeans and work boots while riding to the shops and sometimes beyond and have not crashed once.

But i am sure that if i did some on here will say i deserved it because i DIDN'T wear FULL safety gear, which whilst true may hurt your feelings.....

But do bear in mind that those who DON'T ride will think you deserve it any way BECAUSE you choose to ride a Potential death trap
(a Bike.. )

So it comes down a personal decision.

get clued up on what CAN happen, weigh up the odds and make your own decision...cos if being safe was your ONLY concern..sell the bike and get a car....NO get a 4 wheel drive thingy, so you can be as safe as possible... or on 2nd thoughts take the train/bus as thats much safer...unless you get mugged coming home late at night from the train/bust station.......Bugger

On reflection, weigh up the risks and choose your own path.
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Previous bikes: Suzuki GT250A / Yamaha DT125 / NTV Honda 650 // currently Suzuki RF900

[metalangel]

[Paxovasa]

Hood jeans are good for everyday use

https://www.hoodjeans.co.uk/

It takes me no longer to put my sidi boots on then it does to put my trainers on.

[Clanger]

Boots, gloves and lid.
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