Do you ride with motorcycle pants?

I was wondering if the motorcycle pants had any padding for spills or jeans will do? Also what kind of shoes do you wear?

I would hazard a guess that pretty much everyone on here has fallen off a bike, most likely more than once.

As much as good riding and training helps, the odds are definitely against us. How many times do you see gravel or oil on a road? How many times does some idiot in a car pull of of a junction in front of you? How many times have you found yourself in a corner that was just a little tighter than you thought? It only takes one occasion that you couldn't avoid.

So wearing padding is effectively 'partial' insurance. If you ride everywhere at 95mph it won't make much difference - as you hit that brick wall! However if you are riding sensibly it can make a significant difference, although more against road rash and bruising IMO.

I personally wear padded gear even in hot weather (not so much of that in the UK). I also wear motorcycle boots. Having fractured an ankle in a skiing accident I know that ankles are worth protecting and can make a life long difference if you smash them up.

On a different note, and I know this is off topic (my bad), does anyone have an opinion on the Silverwing handle bars in relation to a front end crash? Every time I look at them I think they are seriously going to hurt if you try flying 'over' them. Abdominal and lower organ damage seem inevitable.

tankyuong wrote:

I was wondering if the motorcycle pants had any padding for spills or jeans will do? Also what kind of shoes do you wear?

All the gear--All the time.

No matter what the weather is, I always wear Bates boots, riding pants and jacket with armor, gloves and a full face helmet. But I have both summer and winter gear. My winter gear is three season, with lots of vents for the spring, and a thick liner for the winter. I also have rain gear (including boot covers). I carry it with me all the time (except once...and that was the last time. )

I've gotten used to it, and frankly I get asked about it a lot when I arrive somewhere. Usually "Aren't you hot?" However, I have a burnt tear on the lower right leg of my pants that proves to me how important they are. Since I don't have a corresponding scar on my leg.

All the gear all the time.

You can purchase Kevlar Jeans. Is that what you mean?

Dan

tankyuong wrote:

I was wondering if the motorcycle pants had any padding for spills or jeans will do?

I wear Motoport/Cycleport Ultra II Kevlar mesh ( http://www.motoport.com/_product_35442/Ultra_II_Kevlar_Pant )which you can get with quadarmor which makes these the safest pants around. I have no problem wearing my Motoport Kevlar mesh pants even with the temperatures in the hundreds.

For my short or local rides I wear my Draggin' Jeans which have Kevlar on the butt and knee areas but they are not really padded.

On longer rides I wear the pants part of my two piece Aerostich Roadcrafter suit. The knee & shin area is nicely padded.

Regular jeans/Levis will shred fairly quickly if one goes down and slides.

Tony M
Rio Vista, CA

Thanks everyone now I need riding pants

Around town on my scooter I usually wear jeans. When traveling on the freeway or on longer rides I wear Sliders, kevlar reinforced jeans, on my scooter and Goldwing. I wear regular jeans on errands and around town because I don't want to change clothes everytime I need something. Another factor is that in town I'm traveling at low speed so road rash isn't the greatest worry, in a collision which is more likely in town it's the impact not sliding that's the largest risk. One thing I don't like are pull on motorcycle boots. I've been in one crash years ago with pull on boots and they came off. The only good bike boots are lace or zip ups like combat boots. I prefer low cut shoes to pull on boots because they're more likely to stay on.

I wear pants, yes. On my motorcycle.

tankyuong,

You do not necessarily need specialized pants for riding. If you want them and they make you feel safer - then you should get them because you want them.

We engage in an activity that involves risk. That risk can be managed and lessened, but it can not be eliminated. Lots of people have ridden millions of miles without the gear and some of those miles have included people taking risk by not wearing safety gear. Some of those miles (more than not) have gone by incident free.

Regarding preparedness: Let's extrapolate to the extreme and carry bauxite and a furnace incase we break a wheel and need to smelt and cast a new one... See how this can easily go nuts? I am not suggesting this is a real need or that anyone should seriously consider it, although...

My wife and I do not have special riding pants and have on occasion thought about buying some. We do have riding boots that have reinforced shanks to protect the ankle.

Being safe is a personal choice. Wearing Safety equipment is a personal choice. Safety equipment usually is inconvenient, hot, heavier and for the most part just doesn't look as cool. Those are the reason why most people will take risk when it comes to their personal safety. Everyone has to decide if they are willing to take the risk of not having safety equipment on. That being said going down the highway at 70 plus miles an hour on two wheels especially on the small scooter wheels is a risk we have all decided to take and the reality is if you get hit at that speed probably all the safety equipment it the world want save you. PS I do wear helmet and mess jacket and regular jeans and have taken the risk and jumped on my Swing in short and tennis shoes to run down to the local store because of some of the reason above.

Jeans, motorcycle jacket, gloves and helmet - always. Motorcycle boots - on longer rides (with no foot-controls or hot pipes on SW it sort of makes sense; although your toes and ankles should be protected no matter what you ride). Miro.

On long trips I wear Draggin jeans .I didn't get the extra pads I probably should have . I find them very baggy .If you order them use their chart for
measureing them to your regular Jeans ,I think I ordered the wrong ones .

I just wear a helmet, riding jacket, gloves, and jeans. I know I should probably wear more but it's an improvement when I lived in Illinois. They don't have a helmet law there and I didn't own a helmet until I started to ride out of state. I have thought about the Draggin jeans but just haven't gotten around to them yet.

I wear good helmet /jacket/gloves/kelvlar jeans if warm..waterproof touring pants with armour if not and boots all left from riding bigger bikes ..sometimes for a laugh put on my spyke race suit and race boots black visor etc just for the strange looks

A thought: How many people in CARS could be saved if everybody wore a helmet? Yet I've never seen anybody wearing a helmet in a car.

Life is risky. Everybody decides the level of risk they're willing to accept.

It's been suggested that if cars were supplied with a 6-inch spike sticking straight out of the steering-wheel boss, all drivers would drive more carefully and thoughtfully.

I suffered enough road-rash having fallen off my bicycles, trolleys and roller-skates in my youth to know I don't want to experience it again at 10X the speed.

I wear Draggin' Jeans on all my rides - short or long. I'm so used to the weight I feel under dressed without them on. l've tried riding with my regular jeans in the summer, but just can't make myself ride out of the driveway. I wear sturdy hiking boots with oil resistant soles, and sides that cover my ankles. I've been looking for some motorcycle boots that will give my feet and ankles more protection

I know that if I wore my helmet in the car that I would be a lot safer. The race car drivers wear them for that reason so if we are going to be safe why dont we. The more safety equipment we wear then the beter our odds of not getting hurt, but if putting on the gear causes you to take the car insted then what have we lost. Safety gear is a personal choice that should not endanger others and we are fortunate that today we have a lot of excelent apparel to choose from.
I say that motorcycles are a lot like women-The more they scare you the more fun they are.

I take a bit more risk. In hot weather I've been known to ride the SW with shorts. On my Goldwing I ALWAYS wear either jeans or my Slider Kevlar jeans if for nothing else there's a greater chance of dropping the bike. An 850lb. bike can be dicey in a parking lot with people cutting you off at very low speeds. I take the extra risk on the SW when I use it for short errands because it's just too much bother to change clothes in hot weather.

I wear all my gear all the time. Always a helmet, no exceptions there. I bought my first armored jacket before the trip and wasn't sure how comfortable I would feel in it but I really like it now. I've worn it most of the time since. Even with the vents on a really hot day I have to take it off. I wear a full face shield, blue jeans, gloves, over the ankle boots. My next thing I want is really good pants. I'm so short I know I need to go and try some on. They always say to dress for the fall and I try to do that. I've only been down twice at slow speeds over my lifetime and neither time had any safety gear other than my helmet on. Now with my grand babies I want Grandma to be around for a lot of years to come.

As one of the newbies about 15 months ago, I purchased a fully armored riding outfit (complete with cold weather and rain liners) from the Excel folks. Yes, I new "my" chances of going down were probably excellent (no pun intended) with no practical experience other than the MSF course. Also purchased a $100 helmet from the local Honda dealer to top things off.

For boots, I had my old Air Force insulated, zippered jump boots that served my needs very well. And then there were the requisite gloves of course. I did very well complying with the ATGATT theory until the extreme heat/humidity hit Kansas this year.

On trips for Patriot Guard and Legion Riders missions I always managed to wear full gear there and back but had to shuck the jacket portion during ceremonies when we were standing flag lines or escorting to cemetaries. Keeping the pants portion on wasn't that much of a problem. Anyway, for the most part, it's ATGATT for me. Even on my little jaunts (3 miles into the village) to pick up this or that. On the one event that I did actually take a good tumble (the Great Brome Field Incident that I once wrote about) I was glad I was fully geared up.

I guess it's not the 'major' accident that I worry about so much (although it's always in the back of my mind as it should be), it's more that tumble and scraping along on asphalt, cement, or some other unsavory surface. A little bit of that goes a long way or so I've heard; at "any" speed.

I'm a former MSF insstructor but I admit that as I get older I am less diligent about wearing all the gear, all the time. Usually I ride the 1.5 miles to my office with no protective gear at all, and I must admit I like the feeling. When I go for longer rides I wear a helmet, gloves, usually a jacket, boots but just regular jeans. For me, riding is for pleasure and too much gear just takes away my enjoyment. But you can find reasonable compromises. Some examples: in warm weather I wear the Icon Mesh Ventilated boots (very comfortable for all day wear, good protection, and some air flow to cool off your feet), the Fieldsheer Mesh jacket (reasonably priced, includes armor panels, but allows terrific air flow on the chest and arms even in the hottest weather); and a Shoei MultiTec helmet so that I can wear it like an open face helmet when its just too hot to wear a full faced helmet (but I can lower the front for more protection from the elements when it starts to rain or when on the Interstate).

The worst part of all of this discussion is: "IT ONLY TAKES ONE TIME."
It is kind of like you just don't know when or where.............

Dave,

I agree it only takes one time. but I also know that we can not take enough measures to completely protect us. My wife and I almost always wear motorcycle boots, armored jackets, gloves and the required helmet. I have no beef with wearing the gear and I have no beef with those who wish to not wear the gear. Recognize the risk and assume the responsibility.

The pants may be a good idea for those who need to have them to feel comfortable. The one accident we've had (between two bikes) pants would not have played a part in injury prevention. The boots did help prevent more serious injury.

I'll reiterate - this is a risky activity and we all assume some liability. We should take steps to mitigate that risk. But, we can not take enough steps to fully prevent injury other than not riding.

Just so you know what kind of a wild man I am - I don't have any tools on my bike other than the kit that came with it. I don't carry a tire patch kit or an inflation pump. I do have a first aid kit, actually we have one in both bikes. We have taken and renew annually the MSF experienced riders course. The best protection we use is inside the cranium - ride alert and undistracted. Drive defensively! Drive defensively! Drive defensively! Accident avoidance is not 100% foolproof - it isn't always be the other guys (gals) fault.

Good post Dale, I really agree. I worked on a life squad for 15 years so I have seen the other side of riding. I'm sure because of that I try to be alert and prepared. I carry a first aid kit also on my bike. My dad, almost 89, is not happy I have my Silverwing. But I tell him everything in life has risks. I hope I help my chances by wearing my gear, taking safely classes and keeping my brain engaged while I am riding.
The payoff for me is the pure enjoyment of enjoying God's creation.

Great post, Dale. My husband and I took the MSF class before we started riding last summer. After putting 10K miles on our rides, we're ready for the next one!

Having seen a motorcyclist, who wore a pair of trainers come off at 35mph and ended up with a degloving of the skin to his foot, I would recomment that motorcycle boots are always worn.

At the end of the day it is down to an individuals choice.

For me, I wear fully armoured kit, I still like the ideea of my skin on me and not spread down the tarmac. I witnessed a low speed off of a very good friend and the loss of skin and vowed I wouldn't allow it to happen to me.

My one comment is don't whine if you don't wear kit and you come off. You should know the risks and accept the consequences of your decision.

Sounds harsh but its reality. Appologies if I offend but not intended.

We are free "moral agents" and have the right of choice. Somedays we make good choices and other days bad. Just depends on how we get caught in between. I lost my one son six years ago in a m/c accident and it was not 'speed' ....they were in Arizona going up "Superstition Mountain" in 2ond gear about 20 mph. Another group of riders coming down riding to the inside apparently cut the yellow line. Rick was also riding to the inside yellow line. Rick caught the rider right in the side broke his leg. Rick lost his life after 30 days in acoma. He always wore a helmet but this particular day they all decided not to because it was 95 degrees. Now, do you suppose faith had anything to do with his death? Just ride with all of your senses in good working order. He told his mother, "when it's my time to go I'll go." Must have been his time!

DaveR,

Sorry to hear about your son.