2Wheeltips

I finished watching the video sent to my by a friend (see "Safety, Safety, Safety (part 1)" and I must say the conclusion was very interesting. The man in the video had a few very powerful comments that I want to point out here:

Your attitude towards safety is what matters
It doesn't matter the occupation or activity. The same people riding around ill-dressed are probably the same people who do not wear seat belts, do not use safety glasses around power tools and probably are the ones who use a gas grill indoors.

Others are affected too...
What happens to those who are close to you if you get seriously injured in an accident?  Children, spouse, parents. Who will take care of them?

Recovering from an accident is painful...
It will take months to heal and some injuries are permanent, such as seizures, scars, missing and disfigured fingers and limbs. Also, who will pay for all of your medical bills and your regular bills if you are unable to return to work.

The video helped me see motorcycle gear in a different light. Let's be honest, on a hot day it gets uncomfortable inside a helmet. And a pair of shorts and sandals would feel feel much better than hot boots and jeans. What would feel more uncomfortable would be getting skin grafts or learning to operate a wheelchair with my chin. Looking at it that way, I think I'd rather be hot or not ride at all than to risk going through what the guy in the video when through.

A 2wheeltips.com friend of mine sent me a DVD on industrial safety. He figured it was something I'd like since one of the goals of 2wheeltips.com is to help riders understand  that shorts, t-shirts and fake helmets will not help you if you fall off your bike. It is not an easy message to tell......because you do want to look good on your bike and A LOT of motorcycle gear is ugly and expensive. I'll be the first to admit, you will not catch me dead in a lime green helmet or one of those ugly green/yellow riding jackets that look like something a crossing guard would wear.

But at the same time, I don't think my riding jacket should cost more than my Cashmere Hugo Boss coat either (if some company comes along and makes good looking riding gear that doesn't cost an arm, they will make out like bandits).

I watched a few minutes of the DVD and it talks about a guy who worked at a oil refinery. He's your typical rough and tumble guy who had worked there for years, knew his job and could do it in his sleep. Long story short, since he knew his job so well, he cut every safety corner in the book. It finally caught up to him when he caused an explosion (by not following safety procedures) and he was almost burned to death.

Watching the DVD, all I could think about was how many riders do the same thing. They've been riding for many years and they've got the whole motorcycle thing figured out.....so they think. They started out using riding gear but somewhere down the road, the t-shirts replaced the jacket, sneakers replaced boots and shorts replaced the jeans.

And then their turn comes.......and they get into a situation where they wish they had had some of that stuff on.

It doesn't have to be a crash either. It could be a nail kicked up by a car that hits your arm at 65mph. Or rocks falling off a construction truck that smack you on the fingers (I've had that happen before). Or even dropping the bike at intersections because the ground was oily and their sneakers slipped(boots can help here). 

Wondering what to wear when riding?  Do you want to look cool on your bike?  Sexy?  Great!  But “cool” and “sexy” won’t save your life if you have an accident!  The rule of thumb is this:  protection should be your primary concern.  There is plenty of great motorcycle gear available that looks good and has built-in protection.  This is what you should wear every time you go out on your bike:

A DOT/SNELL certified helmet
Anything less than this is not going to provide  protection if you have an accident.  It is your head and your brain that you are protecting!

A riding jacket
Good quality riding jackets have built in armor to absorb impact shock in the event of an accident.  There are some very good-looking riding jackets available and you don’t have to spend a fortune to get one that offers protection and good looks. They come in leather, denim or synthetic materials and come in many styles and colors.

Heavy duty jeans and/or riding pants
Heavy duty jeans are the least protection you should have from your waist to your ankles.  Better than heavy duty jeans are special riding pants that, like a riding jacket, offer built-in armor to absorb impact shock in the event of an accident.

Full finger gloves
Good riding gloves will cover your hands completely and some have padding for comfort during long rides. Gloves protect your hands from road debris and from injury in the case of an accident.

Riding boots
A good, sturdy pair of riding boots should have a low heel, slip resistant sole and cover your ankle. They also need to be comfortable enough to walk in, too.   Don’t forget a good pair of comfortable socks. Good socks can make a good boot feel even more comfortable!

Here are things to avoid when riding your bike:

• Clothing that bares any part of your body. Sure you might look sexy with your bare arms or midriff showing as you fly down the road.  But, if you ever have an accident while wearing next to nothing you will pay for it dearly.  Road burn is painful and you may ultimately need skin grafts  to surgically repair parts of your body that came in direct contact with the road (or other) surface.

• Sandals, sneakers or regular shoes. Sandals, sneakers and regular shoes provide limited protection from road debris and almost none if you are in an accident.

It can be quite warm under all of that protective gear, but once you are riding at highway speed, it is amazing how comfortable you can feel with all that gear on, even on a hot summer day. Our rule of thumb is this:  if it is too hot for you to ride with your protective gear on, then it is too hot to ride.