Why are riding pants often ignored?

[Norbert]

That's a cute getup.

Just for the sake of sh*ts and giggles.....

How much better do you suppose Storm trooper armor would be (compared to blue jeans and a tee shirt) at protecting a rider in a 60 MPH impact? I'm talking about tee boning a car...... let's just say he's pulling that wheelie at the time.

Well the stormtroopers got their asses kicked by a bunch of spear wielding, stone throwing ewoks, so yeah you're gonna be screwed if you hit a car in that armor.

 

[Cmayer31]

I fit into the idiot category I guess, but at least I know it and it's a calculated risk, as Wavex pointed out.

For my commute, I'm very familiar with the roads, it's all side streets, and I wear jeans, boots, leather jacket with upgraded armor, helmet, and gloves. I do have overpants and I do wear them if I'm going to ride canyons on lunch, but not for my short commute; calculated risk and I hope I don't lose, but if I do I won't blame anyone but myself for my ass graft.

If I'm commuting on the freeway/highway, or any distance for whatever reason then I put the armored overpants on. If I'm going "riding" then I'll put the leather suit and separate spine protector on.

I guess to each their own...and might pay for it some day.

 

[SeekGod1st]

My opinion and my choice is ATGATT.

That's helmet, armored jacket, armored gauntlet gloves, armored overpants, ankle/shin protection boots, and earplugs.

I also thank and value the opinions of guys like VEGASRIDER that get me thinking about not being lazy and protecting myself to the best of my ability.

If anything happens then I can say that I protected myself to the best of my ability, there's no after the fact second guessing there.

 

[tweak89]

Why would you want to wear a helmet and leather gear to drive a car since you have a seat belt, airbags, and cage around you that does a much better job at it?

Sheesh.

Think about what you wrote above, and what I am saying.

It's a simple point about taking assumed risks. Not whether or not you should wear gear while riding in a car. But WHY we don't.

We wear gear because of the risk we see in riding our bikes. We don't wear gear when driving a car because we assume that we are well protected and see far less risk. See your quoted statement above. It proves my point. You don't think about it because YOU feel safe. But there is a risk inherit in getting behind the wheel, we just don't think about the same way we do on our bikes because in a car we are supposed to be protected.

It's about how we perceive things. It's why some people are fine with flip flops and a t-shirt and others with AGATT.

Is that really so hard to grasp? I can't possibly make it any clearer.

 

[Wavex]

lol sorry I now fully understand your point

 

[Motogiro]

I have a confession to make....Sometimes I take off this big robot suit and don't wear the protective gear I should....:BLAA:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NcZOYR-9TU&NR=1]YouTube - EXTREME Naked Motocross[/ame]

 

[jbwaterman84]

For me I wear all my gear everytime I ride. I did ride with out the armored pants before but the day I went off the bike, it wasn't the impact with the ground that did the damage or the stop at the end, it was the sliding in the middle. Thankfully I was wearing all my gear at the time and at only 30-35 mph, it was enough to start burning holes in the overpants. I can only imagine what this would have done to my legs if I had just been wearing jeans. I see the points everyone is making about not wanting to put them on for short trips, but for me I won't go less than ATGATT.

 

[Woe257]

Your right. I'm one of those that just wear jeans, or jeans with chaps when it's cold. Don't know if its the "hazzle" or that there's no local place to purchase and try different types for likes and fit ? Either way, it's a poor excuse.

As I'm thinking about it I will research what's out there before riding season and do something about it.

Thanks.

 

[Motogiro]

For me I wear all my gear everytime I ride. I did ride with out the armored pants before but the day I went off the bike, it wasn't the impact with the ground that did the damage or the stop at the end, it was the sliding in the middle. Thankfully I was wearing all my gear at the time and at only 30-35 mph, it was enough to start burning holes in the overpants. I can only imagine what this would have done to my legs if I had just been wearing jeans. I see the points everyone is making about not wanting to put them on for short trips, but for me I won't go less than ATGATT.

Yeah sliding is ruff. I think it was someone on here a few months ago that posted their abrasions and it looked like someone took a cheese grater to them. Looked like they went down on rain grooves. Any part of a mishap can be really bad. I had a friend go down 3 month ago and he hit a tree. He was in bad shape. I know his gear did him good and may have even saved him from mortal wounds. He had broken this and that and a punctured lung. If you watch some video of racers going down you often see them trying to recover as they are sliding and sometimes they can avoid hitting an object by pushing away. When you think about it the proper gear facilitates possible survival on just the ability to still be mobile for a longer period of time and maybe push off the direction of hitting an object.

 

[Gilo-FZ6]

As this thread has moved from pants to pretty much all riding gear here's some food for thought

this goes to show how easily an accident can happen..this was 2 days after xmas

freak incident or preventable accident ..only the parents will know

A boy of five was killed when he fell off the toy motorcycle he was given as a Christmas present.
The child was riding in a closed car park, watched by his father. He lost control of the bike and was thrown off it, suffering severe head injuries.
He was taken to hospital but died with his parents at his bedside. It was not clear if he had been wearing a crash helmet.

Police are investigating the tragedy, which happened on Sunday afternoon in the car park of the Carmarthen Livestock Centre in west Wales.
The centre was closed for the Christmas holidays and would have been free of traffic. It is understood the boy and his family were about to go home when he fell.
The brand of bike was not revealed by police yesterday but it is believed to be electric and fitted with stabilisers.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Thanks for the replies everyone:

In summary, here's what it all boils down to, so far:

For some riders:

1. They are well aware of the risks involved riding with and without riding pants. As long as the rider is educated on the risks, thats fine. What I'm not fine are the riders who ride who are not educated and don't understand the full consequences. Perhaps they have never seen what a real road rash looks like, like right down to the bone. Yummy.

This being, I disagree with helmet and seat belt laws. It should be a choice, just like wearing all your gear. But that's another subject on it's own.

2. Putting them on is a pain in the ass. You have to take your shoes or boots off, etc. Well, if you are getting dressed anyways, and your in the house, chances are you don't have your shoes on. So it's not that big of an inconveniece to start the day. The leathers are too tight to squeeze in and out of all day. Etc.

This being, I recommend getting some overpants that are much more convenient to put on and get off for the daily & recreational rides. One piece leathers can be set aside for the serious spirited pace rides.

I have the air mesh kevlar pants from Motoport. I wear them everyday. I don't leave the house without them. I usually have my shoes off in the house anyways, so it takes maybe 5-10 seconds to put them on. They stay on all day until I need to take a crap.

Eventually, if it's part of your daily routine, you will get use to wearing them. Just like it took a while to get use to weariing a helmet when you first started to ride. It felt a bit restrictive, heavy, awkward, etc. But now, it feels normal. Riding pants are the same, you will eventually get use to it, and eventually, you will feel naked without them.

 

[Circle]

I have a confession to make....Sometimes I take off this big robot suit and don't wear the protective gear I should....:BLAA:
YouTube - EXTREME Naked Motocross

Naked? He's got his helmet on doesn't he...
(no dirty euphemism intended.):spank:

 

[blitzcraig]

I picked up a pair of Sliders Kevlar jeans. I friggin love them, especially on the colder rides because they are so thick.

 

[DefyInertia]

For me, I wear full gear all the time. Even if it's down the block to get a burger.

Do you? What is full gear? Do you wear a back protector and a chest protector at all times? Do you wear a neck brace? Do you always wear the absolute best protective gear at all times or do you wear gear that compromises safety for comfort, weather protection, and/or functionality to some extent?

If you answered NO to any of the above, why?

Playing devils advocate but my point is, gear is a personal choice that involves compromise along a range. I might pose the question "WHY?" to those at one extreme or the other, but everyone in the relative middle has simply made a personal choice.

EDIT - why would you ride a motorcycle down the block for food? Why not just walk? Seems like a risk for a small or nonexistant reward. I choose not to ride around the city or commute on my bike...doing so just provides too much risk for not enough upside. Someone might even say I make the statiscially safer riding choice in this case.

 

[FZ6biker]

I am guillty of this by wearing just ordinary jeans most of the time with no protection whatsoever I did get a pair of Icon riding jeans which are better then just plain old jeans for summer and have a pair of textile pants by tourmaster with the right protection that I can only use in winter(they are too hot for TX summers). But I think I am going to get a pair with kevlar protection, knee protectors and hip protection. I do realize the importance of lower body safety. I think I just needed to read a thread like this to wake me up and smell the coffee

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Do you? What is full gear? Do you wear a back protector and a chest protector at all times? Do you wear a neck brace? Do you always wear the absolute best protective gear at all times or do you wear gear that compromises safety for comfort, weather protection, and/or functionality to some extent?

If you answered NO to any of the above, why?

Playing devils advocate but my point is, gear is a personal choice that involves compromise along a range. I might pose the question "WHY?" to those at one extreme or the other, but everyone in the relative middle has simply made a personal choice.

EDIT - why would you ride a motorcycle down the block for food? Why not just walk? Seems like a risk for a small or nonexistant reward. I choose not to ride around the city or commute on my bike...doing so just provides too much risk for not enough upside. Someone might even say I make the statiscially safer riding choice in this case.

As far as the burger down the street, It's an In & Out Burger about a mile away. I have no car. My bike is my only ride. Besides, I enjoy riding in the city and commuting on my bike. Yes, I am taking a much bigger risk than you who choose not to do so. Like you said, for you, there is not enough upside.

It's pretty much acknowledged on this forum that when we mean full gear, it's basically ridiing boots, pants, jacket, gloves and helmet. With the exception of you or maybe a few others, it does not.

I have a back protector built into the back of my jacket, but I admit, it's not the best. No chest protector, but I do have one for motocross. I do not have a neck brace, nor have I ever seen anyone wear one yet on any of my rdes. I purchase my gear carefully, and try not to go with the cheapest route when it comes to safety gear. It may not be the best, but I try to do a historical search on the gear before it's purchased. For example, I'm sold on Kevlar. So I have kevlar gloves and the air mesh kevlar pants from Motoport.

Like you said, gear is a personal choice. As long as the rider is educated enough to weigh the consequences with or without pants or anything else.

For me, the pants are functional, comfortable, and based on certain crashes, provides protection and the weather too. That's why I wear them.

 

[DefyInertia]

Vegas, I was being extreme to prove a point. I actually do ride in the city on rare occasions as a matter of convenience...and I enjoy it (especially on the DR)....and I could/should be safer about it than I am.

But now I'm curious, WHY don't you wear an actual BP or chest protector every single time you ride?

Because it's not worth it?

I skip the BP, the CP, and the riding pants when I'm zipping across the city to got get my hair cut or whatever for the same reasons Wavex mentioned....essentially it's not worth it (to me). Might regret that someday but such is life....

 

[VEGASRIDER]

But now I'm curious, WHY don't you wear an actual BP or chest protector every single time you ride?

Because it's not worth it?

Why?

To be honest, I'm not educated enough on what the percentages are how often these safety gear comes into play out on the streets. Definately something I need to look into in more depth. Any information you have I'll take.

Obviously, if you go down, there is a very good chance you will hit your head so the helmet comes into play. When you fall, our natural reaction is to put our hands out so there are the gloves. If it's a low side fall, which is the most common form crashes, most likely your jacket and riding pants and proper footwear comes into play.

In the event of a high side crash, or striking a fixed or moving object, I definately would want as much protection on as possble, including the CP & BP.

 

[Kazza]

My husband and I NEVER ride without Draggin jeans (kevlar).

My husband commutes to work - he wears his draggin jeans, takes a backpack to work and changes out of his Draggin's into shorts/other jeans.

I'm in Perth - 43'C today. Temperature makes no difference. So it's a little hot when you ride in the thicker, kevlar jeans. I'd rather be hot than have road rash, or worse.

STAY SAFE.

 

[Kazza]

But now I'm curious, WHY don't you wear an actual BP or chest protector every single time you ride?

Because it's not worth it?

Why?

To be honest, I'm not educated enough on what the percentages are how often these safety gear comes into play out on the streets. Definately something I need to look into in more depth. Any information you have I'll take.

Obviously, if you go down, there is a very good chance you will hit your head so the helmet comes into play. When you fall, our natural reaction is to put our hands out so there are the gloves. If it's a low side fall, which is the most common form crashes, most likely your jacket and riding pants and proper footwear comes into play.

In the event of a high side crash, or striking a fixed or moving object, I definately would want as much protection on as possble, including the CP & BP.

My jackets have built in kevlar back protectors, shoulder and elbow protectors.

A lot of people have never fallen off a bike - dirt or road. They can be quite ignorant to how much damage a low speed crash can cause. They see MotoGP riders fall off at 250 km/h and get straight back up. They think they will also do this - that they're invincible.

Unfortunately, they will probably learn one day that they are not. Hopefully it will be low speed and they will only walk away with road rash, and nothing worse.