Please wear your gear.

[Poppy Dave]

I just read this link that was posted on the ST-Owners forum.

I've attached it here as after reading it I think that every person, rider or pillion, needs to think about what they wear when doing the thing we all love so much.

I've been guilty of the "It's only down the road, it's not worth the bother." attitude in the past. NO MORE!

A lengthy read but well worth it.

http://www.rockthegear.org/index.php...drash_queen%2F


Dave

Here's another account:

I was one of those “stupid people” who didn’t wear all of my gear. I was worse than a squid, I was the squidly pillion of a squid, but I was also someone’s daughter, sister, wife, cousin, best friend, coworker, high school crush, and neighbor. Don’t be so quick to think that I didn’t wear my gear because I knew what could happen. On the contrary, only a few very unlucky people know the true consequences, the reality of the situation, and the weight that this decision actually carries. I didn’t wear all of my gear because no one had ever shaken me by the shoulders and told me this:

“If you don’t wear your gear, you will rip off all of your skin. It will hurt like hell for a long time… pain you cannot even imagine. You will rack up over half a million dollars worth of medical bills. You will put your family through the worst experience of their entire lives. Your amazing father, your daddy, will have to leave the hospital room on several occasions because of your screams in pain. Your husband will never come to visit you in the hospital, nor will he call or write to see how you are doing. You will know what it is like to be truly alone for the first time in your life. Your parents will be forced to miss work, lose sleep, drive to the hospital, and fear for your life every day for nearly 2 months. The financial burden on yourself and your family for the next several years will be large. You will lose your job. You will lose your ability to join the military and serve your country. You will lose the ability to walk and move on your own. You will never have beautiful skin again. You will lose all of your beautiful hair. You will spend your mother’s birthday in a hospital gown and a wheelchair. The emotional stress from this accident will affect you until the day you die. You will lose full motion in your knees for the rest of your life and they will be in constant pain. People will stare at you in the gym, in restaurants… hell, people will stare at you everywhere. You will never be fully free of the consequences of this decision. And all of this is what you are choosing when you choose not to wear gear.”

[Brock]

Your link doesnt work Dave, but I think this is what you were after.

http://www.rockthegear.org/index.php?/testimonials/view/brittany_morrow_the_roadrash_queen/

[Poppy Dave]

Yeah, that's the one Brock.

[hobs]

This should be a rider training video. Very sobering. I always wear my gear because I think of the pain level if I don't. But this brings it home so much more. Should be a law to stop and fine those stupid enough to take the chance of not wearing appropriate gear. The idiot riding the bike she was a passenger on was doing 120mph. What happened to him? was he fined or charged?

[Malcolm6112]

In summer you see pretty little things in sandals, shorts and a top on their scooters. If only they would realise how much pain it is.

It doesn't take much to make you a mess.

 

[DaleMcLean]

Late '80's I was a licenced M/C instructor  :).
For ALL learners on the first session as part of introductions etc we would ask "whos seen riders/pilions in thongs and t shirts etc"
Most hands would go up
"who's going to maybe do that" a few hands go up.
 I'd reach under the lectern and pull out a 4 inch angle grinder, turn it on and ask "who'll put theyre on this????"
NO-ONE put their hand up 
Then expalin its only doing 40kph at its outer edge, AND its a lot smoother than the road surface.
Ask who's going to wear gloves and gear, answer "ALL OF US" 

HOPEFULLY the majority remember and actually do it 

[Streak]

Late '80's I was a licenced M/C instructor  :).
For ALL learners on the first session as part of introductions etc we would ask "whos seen riders/pilions in thongs and t shirts etc"
Most hands would go up
"who's going to maybe do that" a few hands go up.
 I'd reach under the lectern and pull out a 4 inch angle grinder, turn it on and ask "who'll put theyre on this????"
NO-ONE put their hand up 
Then expalin its only doing 40kph at its outer edge, AND its a lot smoother than the road surface.
Ask who's going to wear gloves and gear, answer "ALL OF US" 

HOPEFULLY the majority remember and actually do it 

When I did my Q Ride in Townsville when I first got my license the instructed there used a demonstration of a cheese grater on an orange as to what happens with no gear, It made us all sit up and take notice 

[Malcolm6112]

I've had the joy of visiting my Dad in Royal Perth Hospital for the last two days. Across the ward from him is a guy called Lindsay.
He was riding is Triumph cruiser to a cafe to have a coffee with his wife. She was on a Bonnie.
She proceeded through an intersection. Lindsay was cleaned up by a car. He was only doing 50kph.
Both legs were broken, the bones in the left leg protruded through the skin.
Broken pelvis, busted shoulder.
Lindsay was wearing Dririder boots, Draggin jeans, Dririder jacket, gloves and a Shark helmet.

The doctors at RPH were continplating amputation of the feet and right arm for a while.
If he HADN"T been wearing his gear he would have lost the feet for sure.
It's been 4 weeks so far and they have just started to get Lindsay mobile in a wheelchair.

Although his injuries are/ were serious, at least he still has his limbs.
If you don't wear the gear, you might not have them to protect later on.

For information, he was only 1.4km away from his house.

 

[Diesel]

Boy! That was one of the GREATEST reading experiences I have ever had. Thanks for posting Dave. In my case, it's preaching to the converted, but I did do this once...

I was riding along the Bunya Mtns Hwy between Bell and and Dalby at around 100km/h. I watched the ground below me disappear below and behind the bike and thought to myself... "what if I was to stand up on the pegs now, let go of the handlebars and jump off on to the road surface?"     

Very sobering thought as to what would have happened next - and none of it was good!

Would only have been exponentially worse if I was in T-shirt, shorts and runners.


Make sure you read Biggles' quotes of the day each day folks as they purvey a great, positive ethos of riding ideology.     

Also - Couch can tell you a thing or two about open face Vs full face helmets when using your face as a brake to stop skidding along the road.

Stay safe Villains - we still have a few OzSTOC World Records to break and NEED YOU THERE to help.

Thanks again Dave...     
Cheers, Diesel

[STeveo]

Tarmac, the greatest tatoo remover ever. 

 

[Tipsy]

  py

Tarmac / tarseal / Bitumen the last should read Bite YOU Man

Tipsy
ps guilty just to the shops etc

[bluehonda]

ATGATT
No matter what the weather is.
My  kids know also and will not even try to come with me without wearing all their gear.
I think that if a pillion is injured when not wearing all the gear, helmet, jacket, gloves boots (no exposed skin) the rider is partly responsible.
Has Victoria started the compo scheme where the claimant's payout is on a scale relative to the protective clothing being worn.
If it's not in now it's coming.
If it's too hot to wear jacket, pants etc then maybe the weather is too inclement (like a thunderstorm, snow etc).
Brad

[Pete]

What a great reminder of how important on wearing the correct protective clothing.
Unfortunately you see so many temporary Australians out there, if only they knew!!

[Whizz]

What I find frightening is when I see the young female uni students in shorts or summer dresses, flip-flops, bare arms, no gloves and a cheap open-face helmet worn only because they HAVE to by law, zipping around on scooters; or the young hoons in shorts and t-shirts on crotch rockets. They might be doing only 60 k/hr but they really have no idea of the crippling, disfiguring, life-altering damage that tarmac can do to them even at that speed!

Yesterday whilst in the car I saw a couple of 14 year-old boys belting down the road on junior sized trail bikes (presumably Christmas presents) in shorts, t-shirts and baseball caps! They were easily doing 60 k/hr and I had a horror vision of the carnage that would become their lives should it all go horribly wrong...and we all know must how quickly that can happen, even when you know what you're doing. Where were their parents? why were they allowed to do this? Are these people so stupid and self-absorbed that they don't think enough of their children to try to protect them from themselves??????

As adult I accept the risks involved in motorcycling, I do my very best to minimize those risks but I remain fully aware that they are there. But children are too young and dumb to know better, and when the parents abdicate responsibility for their offspring to this extent, then they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

 :A :A :A

[ST2UP]

Having seen more motorcycle related injuries than I can recall from riding Squid, it's not until the discussion with the patient of the Debridement process of a Gravel/Bitumen wound is explained does the light bulb truly  put the forth coming treatment in perspective. The extra few hundred dollars and 1 minute to put it on seems irrelevant now.

It's like the old condom advertisement.......If its not ON its not ON !!!!

Cheers

Chris

[Sicman]

I will back you up there Chris - The crash takes no time at all - The recovery from said skin loss and trauma below the skin can take several months. Once the skin is broken the chance of getting infections increases x1000. Can you afford to spend all that time off work or lose your job because your were not wearing your safety gear, let alone tie your family up visiting you in hospital for months. If your in a trade can you afford to lose the use of your fingers.
You wear the safety gear at work - wearing the gear when your at play should be no different 

Stay Safe

Tony

[STeveo]

Yes Chris, and think how many lives condoms have saved!

 

[IanB]

Reinforcing how bitumen hurts is easy.
Ask a squid to put their hand on the road, press down and push sideways.
Amazing how sharp the bitumen becomes with just a little pressure.
There are the twits who get the boots, jackets, pants, helmet on and go for it without gloves
My reaction when falling at anytime is to put the hands out. So presumably at speed if you topple off yer bike yer gonna do the same thing.

[Streak]

sitting beside a fellow on a scooter who was in shorts, singlet and a skull cap this morning when i was in the cage, and wondered have they had some one talk to them about safety equipment.

When i decided to get into bikes, my brother in law basically sat me down and informed me that you don't step on the bike without the safety gear, and reg ailed me with a few horror stories...

then he sent me on a rider training course, and the instructor brought out a angle grinder and asked us if we wanted to play with it bare handed, no...wear the gear, this is bitumen wear your safety gear.....

[IanB]

Cheese graters, oranges then angle grinders?
Chinese whispers in some of these posts.

[Sabie]

I agree Ian, just a bit too much.... it's all turning my stomach 

[gaz]

if it's to hot for the gear, it's to hot to ride. 

[Streak]

Mine was in Townsville, and it is a true story, no Chinese whispers here, I was sitting on the chair getting the low down.

My guess is with all the examples is these fellows have seen to many silly people getting hurt, and where doing their best to say "if you are going to be stupid, this is what happens"

[STutter]

I ride with the gear all the time. I've recently got my little 1977 KV100 going and am thinking about that being the commuter, but I'm still going to wearing the gear. (Maybe not the one piece leathers  )

You can wipe off sweat, but not gravelrash :D

[Totgas]

Queensland did a big promotion at the beginning of the year about wearing all the right gear, yet each week I see Police Motorcyclists riding around in short sleeved shirts. What example is that setting?