Please give opinions about ATGATT

[Gelvatron]

I'm a 23 year old college student and I barely float by with my bills to part of owning a bike is having insurance medical dental and life oh maybe auto

The second part or should I say second listed first and most important part is having gear all your gear should fit well and buy it as you need it , just commuting? Just get a helmet gloves and jacket please where pants if you can afford more down the road get some riding pants too

The guy that said all that to you was right he was not nice about it but he was correct, take his advice with a grain of salt the moral was get gear or do what you can to get gear. I went to cycle-gear after my birth day with a few bucks and they had a nice alpine star jacket on clearance for 150 ish and was reg priced 500 so good deals are not ever missing
Please take the MSF basic riders course and ride with all the gear you own you won't regret spending thousands of dollars on gear if you never pay a medical bill or your life
Stay safe don't ride to impress anyone

 

[mxgolf]

There has been a lot of good advise and options presented here on this thread. I just did a 800 mile ride in 97 degree weather and was wearing all my gear. Shoei Helmet, full gloves, Leather A-Star jacket. Kevlar Jeans, A-Star Boots and it was fine. Even if it's hot, if you are moving it's really not too bad. Ride safe and enjoy the ride!

 

[Verharen]

Sorry I've been off the forum for a bit. Everyone has done a good job of giving you all the reasons you should gear up. I'm an ATGATT kind of woman. Respect the unknown and uncontrollable hazards you will encounter when riding.

Let me just add...scars can be the basis for an interesting story. But if you got them because you were stupid or lazy (no gear), then they are a real turn off.

Just sayin'

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Curious to the OP,

Being that you are only 19, are you required to take the MSF in your state? If not, and you have not taken the course, a Basic Rider Course 2 AKA Experienced Rider Course is only $85 in Mississippi. Not sure what part of the state you are from. But with a successful completion, depending on who you insure your bike with, it could save up to 30% on your premium, and you can apply your completion card to purchasing your gear at Cycle Gear and receive 15% off.

$85 is a lot of money up front, but it will wash out or save you money in the long run. It's also only a one day class, and you use your FZ6!. Just be sure to pull out your fuse for your lights when you're on the range! Comes from experience.

 

[greg]

My experience with ATGATT

I t-boned a car at ~50-60mph (his fault). I was wearing helmet, gloves, textile pants zipped to leather jacket, back and chest protector, racing boots

Damage: Concussion, amnesia, dislocated collarbone, broken finger, torn rotator cuff, knee injury, and cuts and permanent scarring to my shin. I was airlifted to hospital, and spent a couple of agonising hours on a spinal board waiting to be CT scanned.

I imagine the damage would be 100x worse if I had been wearing less gear, there was scrape and friction burn marks on all my gear. Given the weather I can bet that many others would have been in shorts and a t-shirt.

 

[SweaterDude]

So here I am. I'm 19 I'm a full time college student who works full time and rides a 2006 fz6. I strongly believe gear saves lives. Here's my dilemma. I cannot afford gear. I often ride in shorts t shirt and tennis shoes. A local guy I know told me without gear bikes are certain death. I argued with him and told him I couldn't afford it. He told me I might as well stop riding. I totally disagree. All I can afford at the moment is to have my hjc snell approved helmet. And icon gloves. I know plenty of you guys practice wearing everything all the time. In your personal opinions was he right telling me that I'm stupid for riding without it? I would wear it but my budget and bills and such do not allow me to. Please give me input thanks
-Sky


2006 faster blue fz6

fully understand the sitchemucation. if you have a denim jacket, or a sturdy hunting jacket, like a carhartt wear that. id put a carhartt jacket above a plain unpadded leather jacket any day. also just make sure you have a least jeans on every time you ride. a good pair of workboots arent a bad idea either.

 

[marke14]

As someone who's had a skin graft I can testify that there's nothing, I mean nothing as painful as a skin graft.

I was reading through this thread looking for this post. Thanks Lefty.

I have heard that skin grafts are horrible. Basically they shave off a rather thick (living) layer of undamaged skin from elsewhere on your body, cut off the damaged skin, and sew on the health skin on top. Imagine that for a moment vs. the cost of hitting up Craigslist, the discount/clearance bins at a local dealer or gear shop, low-cost online websites like this one (motorcyclegear dot com), local moto forums, or local bike nights for used gear.

A friend of mine here in L.A. said once, "If it's too hot for leather, it's too hot to ride." That may not be practicable for people living in very warm, humid climes ... but, as others have said, it's far better to dress for the crash than for the ride.

If you KNOW that you will NEVER crash, you could wear anything you wish when riding. Unfortunately that is not possible (to know whether you will crash), and so for my money - and skin! - I wear gear all the time.

If it is VERY hot, and I am going on a VERY short, local, low-speed ride, I will occasionally skip the overpants (over jeans). I do have a mesh jacket and mesh pants that are used ONLY in this scenario. I've heard that mesh jackets and pants can actually melt from the friction caused by high-speed crashes and can actually melt to your skin. For these reasons I don't wear mesh except when it is excruciatingly hot and I am going on a very short low-speed errand or something. Otherwise I prepare to sweat and be hot.

I always wear helmet, gloves, jacket, pants and at minimum, over the ankle hiking boots - but it is rare for me to skip my actual reinforced moto boots. Generally (when commuting) I also wear overpants with built-in knee and hip armor. Otherwise I wear either leathers or leather pants as well.

Happy Riding! Enjoy college, it is the BEST!

 

[SweaterDude]

There has been a lot of good advise and options presented here on this thread. I just did a 800 mile ride in 97 degree weather and was wearing all my gear. Shoei Helmet, full gloves, Leather A-Star jacket. Kevlar Jeans, A-Star Boots and it was fine. Even if it's hot, if you are moving it's really not too bad. Ride safe and enjoy the ride!

if its too hot to gear up its probably too hot to ride. i rode about 100 miles or so last year through 105ºF heat. it was like standing in front of a blast furnace. it was the most miserable ive been in a long time. that was at 80mph in a mesh jacket, jeans, boots, FF helmet with the visor up, and vented gloves.

 

[PFD023]

Lot's of comments about the cost of riding ATGATT.
I'm one of the cheapest SOB's you'll find.....gets worse as I get older.
$100 for leather Dainese pants.....$70 for Teknic leather gloves as well as Tourmaster textile jacket and pants (with armour). Buy used if needed.

 

[Neal]

So here I am. I'm 19 I'm a full time college student who works full time and rides a 2006 fz6. I strongly believe gear saves lives. Here's my dilemma. I cannot afford gear. I often ride in shorts t shirt and tennis shoes. A local guy I know told me without gear bikes are certain death. I argued with him and told him I couldn't afford it. He told me I might as well stop riding. I totally disagree. All I can afford at the moment is to have my hjc snell approved helmet. And icon gloves. I know plenty of you guys practice wearing everything all the time. In your personal opinions was he right telling me that I'm stupid for riding without it? I would wear it but my budget and bills and such do not allow me to. Please give me input thanks
-Sky

2006 faster blue fz6

Sky, I agree with you. The guy who told you to stop riding is out of line.

Sure, everyone would like to be a safe as possible. If I had the money I would never even ride on the street. I would ride only on the track alone (cost about 10k to buy out a track for one day) in full gear. That just isn't reality for me or most people so we have to make compromises.

At the end of the proverbial day, the zealot who told you not to ride to school or work. If you stop riding is he going to be willing to come by and pick you up and drive you around? If you suffer at work or school because you aren't driving there is he going to send you money to make up for following his standards? Well of course he isn't going to do a thing for you.

Your life, your gamble either way. If you get skinned up because you didn't wear enough gear you are going to suffer. If your work or schooling fails because you are too afraid ride to work, you are the one that suffers.

 

[Tailgate]

I've never paid full retail for my gear, always last years discounted stuff. I love motorcyclegear.com Stay safe and find some gear, I don't have anything to donate now, but I've always donated my old gear to others when I bought new gear.

Main thing I hate about clicking "buy" on-line is the no dressing room available to try on item. Even with the on-line sizing charts sometimes provided, it's problematic with me, and that's with ordering one size up (to be safe). My pair of mesh riding pants, for example. Even one size up and they still are tight (middle waist button unfastens). Nothing beats actually first getting to try on gear (or any clothes) in a real store. It's one of the sh*t feelings to buy on-line and then wear it to discover it doesn't fit. Uggh, to return ship, etc., and even then the next size may not even be available (or worth another gamble). Aside: I know somebody who scored a real nice one-piece leather track suit around $200 (if I remember) at Cycle Gear.

 

[Tailgate]

My experience with ATGATT

I t-boned a car at ~50-60mph (his fault). I was wearing helmet, gloves, textile pants zipped to leather jacket, back and chest protector, racing boots

Damage: Concussion, amnesia, dislocated collarbone, broken finger, torn rotator cuff, knee injury, and cuts and permanent scarring to my shin. I was airlifted to hospital, and spent a couple of agonising hours on a spinal board waiting to be CT scanned.

I.

You and Wavex should sink a beer sometime.

 

[Lefty]

How about this, go to Cycle Gear buy some of their Bilt in-house brand gear that is always at 50% off. From some of the serious reviews I've read, it's not horrible and if it only survives one crash it's paid for itself in spades. When I got back into riding I went to CG found some leather pants on the closout rack for 40 bucks, a mesh jacket with armor for about another 40 bucks, some on sale shoty gloves, and some ankle protective boots for $50. I've since upgraded all my gear (except for the leather pants) but to get back on the road safely it cost me less than $200. :thumbup:

 

[Lefty]

Sorry I've been off the forum for a bit. Everyone has done a good job of giving you all the reasons you should gear up. I'm an ATGATT kind of woman. Respect the unknown and uncontrollable hazards you will encounter when riding.

Let me just add...scars can be the basis for an interesting story. But if you got them because you were stupid or lazy (no gear), then they are a real turn off.

Just sayin'

Hey Jen, I have the same number of scars as I have tattoos... 18 to be exact. None of the scars are because of being lazy or stupid, but man, do I have some interesting stories..:BLAA:

 

[Hellgate]

OP what size are you? I've got an AlpinneStar, red, mesh jacket you can have. It's either an M or an L. Brand new in the bag on the hanger. I just need to find it. I'm 6', 175 lbs and it fits me perfectly.

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[VEGASRIDER]

Assuming he is properly endorsed. I would be willing to donate cash. Like $5-$10 to the local Cycle Gear shop so he can use it to purchase gear only. Not for a Go Pro. If people are willing to donate used gear, it's probably going to cost them $5 to ship it anyways, might as well find 20 members donating $5-$10 each.

I only suggested this because he is a starving college student, I've been there before. And more importantly, it's his only ride and he is willing to change and has acknowledged the forum for help. I'm sure the local Cycle Gear shop would be willing to arrange a credit towards his account.

Just thinking outside the box.

 

[Fazer'd]

Please man don't not wear gear. Even jeans, hiking boots, and jacket of any kind will save your ass. No joke. Bare skin is gone skin.

 

[Verharen]

Hey Jen, I have the same number of scars as I have tattoos... 18 to be exact. None of the scars are because of being lazy or stupid, but man, do I have some interesting stories..:BLAA:

Yep. Those are the kind that women like!! :thumbup:

And I guess I need to get a tattoo, I'm out of balance...

 

[iviyth0s]

I think I may always be bad when it comes to footwear and pants. I don't mind wearing my Joe Rocket armored jacket, full helmet, fingerless (nice weather) or full armored gauntlet (cold weather) gloves....but I usually just have cargo pants on and crosstraining sneakers. I can't stand boots... *jumps behind flame-proof cover*

 

[Hellgate]

Found it. Medium, much more black than red.

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