First Day With ATGATT

[TaosBrick]

Dunno if I like it much. First impression is that I don't feel as safe, because my senses have been that much further insulated from the riding experience. The full face helmet reduces hearing and field of vision. The Michelin Man Monkey Suit is stiff with all the armour, can't feel the wind caressing me, don't feel as reactive to the road and the bike's movement.
  I am sure that I will be told that I will get used to it  :hmm:

The thing I AM liking, is that I can ride in subfreezing temperatures in comparative comfort, which is why I bought all that crap in the first place  :2thumbup:.

[Chaos]

If you take the logic of ATGATT to extremes, it would include a Volvo  :neener:

[BexarWolf]

ATGATT is like anything else. I've been riding MTGMTT (most the gear most the time) since riding but I'll never ride without a helmet. I tried once and between the wind blowing my eyes dry and feeling like a moving target.........I gave up. And in the summer I've been known to ride without a jacket or over-pants and yes, on those days I feel vulnerable. Maybe that's why I enjoy riding in the cooler months (can't call them 'colder' in Central Texas) because I can wear all the protection I want. I now have a Transition 3 jacket that I'm loving.

I'll never point at the pirates and berate them. Protective gear is a choice and I support both ends of the spectrum. However, I still shake my head at the sport bike riders in shorts and tank top. I can't imagine take a road chip to the shin at highway speeds.   :dunno

[Rick G]

My attitude is to use the ATGATT principal as much as is practical and for me now that is just about all the time because I rarely use my bikes for short trips like into town or a few miles up the road.
However I do respect others ideas on it and also their right to choose not to use it but I often question the mentality of many who knowing the dangers ride like idiots and still choose to wear almost nothing protective.  The other thing that really gets me is the mentality of the scooter riders who say "but its only a scooter".  My brother in law was the worst smashed up person I have ever seen who lived and he was riding a scooter and had quite a bit of good (for the time) protective gear on.  Sometimes I feel like giving them a good lecture but for the sure knollege that they would probably tell me to "fuck off grandad what the hell would you know about riding and surviving".  Only 45 years of riding without an crash of any sort, around 500000kms to date.  Mostly I just shake my head and keep going.

[TaosBrick]

Forgot to mention that before I bought the Armour Man britches and jacket, plus full face helm, I never went anywhere with out a half-lid and goggles with sturdy boots and good gloves, though there may only be a T shirt and a pair of jeans in between. I may be crazee but not totally retarded :loopy:

[frankenduck]

I've ridden my K1100RS without a helmet a few times. (Arizona and Idaho.)  Unless you're really short or have the Aeroflow setup it is too windy.

On the other hand, the RT/LT models are GREAT for riding without a helmet and the main reason I keep my K1100LT.

I rode a scoot in college for a couple of years.  That was back when we didn't have a helmet law and the only protection (aside from eye protection which was required by law) I ever wore was rain protection.  But that was 30 years ago.....

[CRASH]

The full face helmet reduces hearing and field of vision.

Hearing ... no denying it ... but when you are old, your ears will thank you.  I wear full face and ear plugs. 

Now, VISION .. what helmet are you wearing or what sort weird eye disease do you have that allows you to even see the helmet except maybe the top lip that would do nothing more than block sky?

Back in cave man days, when there was not a lot of gear, I rode in jeans and other non-moto gear ... but always a helmet. But 30 years or so ago I made the conscious decision to dress safer even when not in full leathers on the track.  I never go less than ATGATT because MURPHY will make that the day something goes wrong.  YMMV

[TaosBrick]

Well, after a week of ATGATT, I'm Hatin' it pretty bad. It's exactly like putting a condom on the motorcycle experience. Yes, it protects - but also desensitizes. The full face helmet is claustrophobic, the thick armoured jacket and pants restrictive. No wind in your face, can't hear other vehicles as well or other audio cues. The thick suit lessens sensory input from machine and road. Frankly, as insulated from everything as I am with this setup, I feel strangely vulnerable and Less Safe.
  I can here the scoffing, and the "I can't believe how stupid that guy is" and all that, but  I am only reporting my own experience. I'll wear this stuf as long as it's winter, but man will I be glad when spring comes and it's back to my half lid, jeans and leather jacket.

[Beemer01]

There aren't any hard and fast rules on this - I've been known to ride in Rural areas slowly (Think narrow winding roads on a remote island) sans Helmet and gear - but that's about it.  It really is what you get used to - Sometime I ride to the office in dress type shoes with out the boots and feel positively naked....otherwise full gear.  I've been riding for 40 years and have gone down a few times.... and will again I'm sure.

Ride as safely as you can!

[BobZ(IL)]

I'm a whole lot more involved in avoidance. And real accidents are not that common. Most are crashes or collisions. Things hitting you or you hitting things. Most of these are avoidable if you're paying attention.

Now deer strikes...these guys are quick and dangerous. A good reason for ATGATT.

[frankenduck]

ATGATT mitigates risk but certainly doesn't eliminate it and, even ATGATT'd, riding remains a very dangerous activity as our relatively frail human bodies are still very exposed to the laws of physics.

I agree with BobZ.  I  follow two very basic rules when I ride:

1 - Don't run into shit.

2 - Don't let shit run into you.

[TaosBrick]

Well spoken, Bob Z and Dr. D!

[CRASH]

Does anyone here really know someone that relies on ATGATT to save them without common sense and not riding like an idiot as the primary actions for staying alive?  I feel like I am reading Gilligan's philosophies .. we all know that if you hit shit or shit hits you, nothing is going to keep you from getting hurt, only getting hurt less.   ATGATT threads always seem to track off into something else.  Wearing appropriate gear is the smart thing to do JUST IN CASE ... not SO I CAN BE AN IDIOT.

[Duc750]

Its not necessarily falling off that hurts its what hits you, or you hit when you're on the ground that does the damage.

The other thing to remember is they have to deal with the "surface" injuries first. So that broken leg you've got that you desperately want fixed and plastered, well they can't fix that until the skin has grown back that holds your arse in the right place.

There's an awful lot of shit to hit when you're separated from the bike!

[frankenduck]

On my K1100LT I stop right at the Idaho border in order to take off my helmet. :yow

[BobZ(IL)]

On my K1100LT I stop right at the Idaho border in order to take off my helmet. :yow

Careful there, you're going to be considered suicidal by this group.

[Pickey]

Well, after a week of ATGATT, I'm Hatin' it pretty bad. It's exactly like putting a condom on the motorcycle experience.

I understand that people want to be free to do what they want, but I don't understand why most people engage in a risky activity and not take any precautions.

I think people wear gear and condoms for the same reason. To diminish unnecessary risk, and still have fun. Would you rather be at home by yourself, or with a hot woman and a condom?

Also I think this (http://www.rockthegear.org/index.php?/testimonials/view/brittany_morrow_the_roadrash_queen/) is a major reason we all wear gear. Physical therapy and permanent disfigurement that can easily be avoided by wearing some gear. (Yes I know the rider was being a dumbass and she was being reckless, but the result of a 70mph crash are the same.)

Also wear a damn full face, these are the percentages of first impact, hope you like your chin. http://dontai.com/wp/2010/05/20/motorcycle-helmet-impact-zones/

 

[detbmw]

I've always worn a helmet, since I was 10 on a Honda QA-50.

It took me a while to wear all the gear. It was hot, it was lame, etc. I still where jeans a lot of the time. It wasn't until I started riding with BMW riders that I really bought and wore everything. They didn't give me a hard time, just set the example in front of me.

[argent brick]

I'll never point at the pirates and berate them. Protective gear is a choice and I support both ends of the spectrum. However, I still shake my head at the sport bike riders in shorts and tank top. I can't imagine take a road chip to the shin at highway speeds.   :dunno

A road chip to the shin at highway speeds? Ouch! That even sounds painful.
When I went down, I was glad I had all the gear. Full Face or Modular for me. Always.
The guys that get me are the fingerless glove battalion. I just don't understand it. Why even bother? Maybe someone can explain it to me.

[frankenduck]

I'll never point at the pirates and berate them. Protective gear is a choice and I support both ends of the spectrum. However, I still shake my head at the sport bike riders in shorts and tank top. I can't imagine take a road chip to the shin at highway speeds.   :dunno

I don't get it either.  I rode my K11RS in AZ without a helmet for a while one day and taking lots of little bugs in the face at 70 mph was not a pleasant experience.

[TaosBrick]

One day last summer I saw a guy and gal with shorts, tank tops and full face helmets. Go figure...

[argent brick]

One day last summer I saw a guy and gal with shorts, tank tops and full face helmets. Go figure...

Oh, out here in California, I see that all the time. Most of the time they are on rice rockets. I have seen lots of the gals wearing boots or sandals with three inch heals too.  Who knows what that heal can catch on.  Of course, many of the Jap bike group wear full race style leathers that match the paint on their machines.   

Many of the HOG types don't wear much more than the tank top riders out here. 

[WayneDW]

The guys that get me are the fingerless glove battalion. I just don't understand it. Why even bother? Maybe someone can explain it to me.
[/quote]

Fingerless gloves are all about the heat.   I still have a good grip without all the insulation.  I also wear my mesh jacket in the heat.  It has armor in it but I'm thinking it will probably deteriorate pretty quickly in a slide.  I guess I'm thinking they are both better than nothing.

[argent brick]

I use a pair of summer weight mesh gloves.  Protection and comfort.

[TimTyler]

It never really gets too hot for too long up here in the pacific northwest, but I've ridden through Freakin Hotville with gear on an RT and it's not that bad. On the freeway, anyway. <40mph + >80° = can be pretty uncomfortable with ATGATT on an RT.

Like dressing for any other outdoor adventure, layering helps. My only bottoms are the BMW Summer Pants which are armored but not too heavy and there's plenty of room for multiple wool layers underneath when necessary. My top is an Olympia AST jacket which has a cushy removable liner and a ton of velco and zippered vents. I add a heated vest liner when the temp drops below 50.

I like wrapping my head in a full-faced helmet and I suspect those looking at me appreciate it too  :hehehe