wear your leathers!

RufusTheRam

New Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
Location
Raleigh
from Rob's thread, thought i would post these to remind everyone to stay protected for the upcoming riding season.

it was a warm evening, i was just going out for a little while within a few miles of home, and wasn't riding hard so i "thought" i would be okay in just my shorts/t-shirt:rolleyes: . doesnt matter much if a car pulls out in front of you. had i been wearing at least a jacket, i could have saved myself probably 75% of my injuries. i sustained a dislocated shoulder in addition to the road rash.

this was a few months ago (early september), and it kept me out of work for 8-10 days. i could hardly move for 2-3 days. didn't regain full use of my arm/shoulder until 2 months later. it could have been MUCH worse though.

needless to say, from now on i'll be in leathers even if it's 110 degrees and i'm riding up the street and back.:flipoff2:

http://www.horsepowerjunkies.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=3191
 
I too learned the hard way several years ago in CA. T-shirt, jeans. T-shirt didn't survive the asphalt, jeans had several holes in them. Could have been worse, I used to never wear a helmet, I was that night.
 
I have never understood why folks would ever wear shorts on a motorcycle..

I wear leathers 99% of the time I even wear riding gloves. even when 100degrees outside..

and I will never understand how folks ride there bikes without helmets..
 
I will never understand how folks ride there bikes without helmets
Click to expand...
that's one i def. don't understand at all. the shorts thing i knew was stupid but did it all the time anyway for years. live and learn... (the hard way sometimes, lol).
 
BRUISER said:
and I will never understand how folks ride there bikes without helmets..
Click to expand...

It is a choice, not a good one, but a consious choice like any other, much like seat belt use.

I have done it, many many times, and I lived to tell about it. Looking back, it is a wonder I survived many of my "adventures in ignorance"

125 mph on the interstate with no helmet is actually painful, a good size junebug to the forehead makes a nice welt at 60 mph. ( with helmet on it makes a nice "THWACK" sound !)

The feeling of freedom that a motorcycle affords is that much more so without the cumbersome weight and hassle of a helmet ( this is/was the rationale)

Yes, I did own a helmet, as a mater of fact, it was a damn'd expensive one (ARAI), that did me absolutely no good when it was either strapped to the rear seat or left home altogether.

If I were to ride again today, I would without question "bucket up" It took the loss of my brother/bestfriend 11yrs ago to realize my ignorance.

Surprising the things we do when we are young and seemingly invincable !!

Rufus, glad you made it out with basically minor injuries. Could have been MUCH worse.

Kevin
 
My leathers have saved my life 3 times

  1. Once in between Mountain City and shady valley Tenn on 421 on the "mini dragon" (gravel in the road on a turn) Slid into a guardrail shin-first and punched a hole in my leathers to the bone. HELGA scrubbed the wound like I was an ex-boyfriend, but that was the only injury
  2. Once near Meadows of the dan VA (sand across road in a blind corner from a heavy rain) helmet was planted to the road for 40 ft and ground my face mask off....cheap leather pants split at seam and I got some rash on this one
  3. Once at CMP track when I overcooked my front tire doing well over 100 in a corner...my Barnicle Bill leathers looked like I might have brushed a brick wall slightly.....and thats all, a little bruising on my leg from the impact but thats all

Wife made me promise to stop my track days after that :rolleyes:

I've NEVER ridden without a helmet...even at bike week in Daytona when I looked GHEY AS HELL in my jacket and helmet :rolleyes: I rode down to the keys that trip as well and was with my best friend. We were the only 2 people in florida with helmets on :lol:


It's a choice, and people will argue till their blue in the face about that choice (pros/cons) but it's a choice I choose to make.
 
My brother had rebuilt the carbs on his 550LTD... took it up the road to fine tune... wearing a tank top, shorts, flipflops & helmet! :eek:
Took a dump on fresh (week old) asphalt after hitting the sand on the inside of a curve accelerating @ 55mph (est.)... another buddy & I were standing out by the house and heard it. He ended up with *several* yards of roadrash (looked similar to RtR's), the shifter bent around & punched a divot in the ball of his foot, but he walked away (helmet never impacted).
I forewarned him about HELGA (dang Troy! sounds like she's worked in every ER I've been to! :D ) and gave him the choice of her or me gently (but thoroughly) scrubbing everything... he chose me... dang near pinched a hole thru my shoulder muscle when scrubbing his shins!
In hindsight, he knows it was stupid. You can bet flipflops & shorts are only "poolside" attire from then on!...
 
I always wear my jacket, and at least jeans, but leathers 99% of the time. Gloves 100% of the time and boots 99%of the time. I'm glad you learned from your mistake.
Josh
 
Caver Dave said:
I forewarned him about HELGA (dang Troy! sounds like she's worked in every ER I've been to! :D )
Click to expand...


She was PISSED too.....seems her man left her the week before I came in, due to a really cute goat that got trapped in a fence.....and opportunity was a knockin I guess :lol:
 
I dropped my bike two months ago wearing a helmet, jacket, gloves and jeans. It wasn't too bad but my helmet smacked the ground and my jacket and gloves had some rash but nothing major. Besides not being able to move for a day or two and a tweaked shoulder, all was well. All thanks to a corvette "playing" around a corner up here in the moutains. I could not imagine what it could have been without the gear. That road rash definately makes me glad i was wearing my gear.
 
Back
Top