There really needs to be a law against not wearing gear

[Marcus]

At the Very least there should be a law saying you must wear Helmet, Gloves and protective shoes the cover your ankles...

That will upset the fashion conscious riders...

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/more-deaths-on-our-roads-as-increasing-numbers-take-to-cheaper-ecofriendly-scooters/story-fni0cx12-1226816208384

Either that... or if you see a rider without protective gear then it should be ok to push them over...

[Sicman]

Isnt it Darwins Law - The stupid ones will be gone as nature trims the gene pool 

 

[DaleMcLean]

Isnt it Darwins Law - The stupid ones will be gone as nature trims the gene pool 

 

  YES it is

Problem being the pool is too shallow 'round here 

[Brock]

The problem with more legislation, is it takes away the ability to think. Now if trainers and testers refused to teach n test if no safety gear, the message might get through eventually....

Probably not but.

A new sport of trendy scooter tipping sounds good.

[Nigel]

While I hate the thought of it being legislated, there must be a minimum dress code.

Mine would be Helmet (full face), Boots, Kevlar pants Jacket, and gloves. I wont get on the bike without these.

Its difficult to legislate against stupidity?

Just a thought.

Nigel

[HOFFY]

Mine would be Helmet (full face), Boots, Kevlar pants Jacket, and gloves. I wont get on the bike without these.


This may not be the right page for this question but,,

Is there any difference in the quality of kevlar and what should you look for in buying a pair of kevlar jeans.

Recently I went to the Perth Bike Show and looked at what seemed hundreds of kevlar jeans all with tags sprouting to be the best but the inside kevlar all looked the same with different areas of coverage and protection.

I eventually purchased a pair of jeans with a removable set of yellow kevlar style pants that fit inside the jeans and is held in by a zip on the waist of the jeans.

In effect from my waist to my ankles there is 100% coverage by the kevlar but I don't know if there is any different qualities of kevlar.

My gloves are dri rider and claim to have kevlar in the palm but they are wearing out after a couple of seasons and are very thin.

Regards

HOFFY

[Brock]

My thought for bare minimum is Jeans, denim jacket, gloves , strong foot wear and helmet. Kevlar is better of course, but at least denim can take a bit of a hit, and save some skin. This is what I wore in the days before textiles and kevlar.

[JuST Peter]

What's wrong with stubbies, singlets and safety thongs??    

[Pezzz]

What's wrong with stubbies, singlets and safety thongs??   

Obviously the only thing wrong with that setup is that there is nothing to protect your noggin.....  can i suggest a Paul Hogan style stubbie hat ???? A bit harder to blow off.

[STill dreaming]

I hate the thought of more Government interference ,but i do see your point.maybe instead of punishment we could get a big reduction in third party costs on your rego if you commit to wear all the gear all the time.

[Cerebral Knievel]

There is a FJ13 owner i come across regularly on the way to work while travelling through a rural area that rides aggressively,often with a pillion. Both wear T-shirts, shorts & sneakers.The rider also wears an open face helmet. While i feel smug and righteous inside my helmet, shaking my head while deriding his decisions , i am acutely aware that my textile vented zippered summer jacket will do nothing if i come off on the highway at 100 kph. I realize that my kevlar pants,boots & leather gloves will do nothing if i go under a b-double but it's the thought that counts. 
It's all too easy to get complacent with your riding gear,even when going up to the local shops.
You can't legislate away stupidity.It's just human nature.....

[ST2UP]

What's wrong with stubbies, singlets and safety thongs??   

Absolutely nothing if you get your kicks from debridement 

[jwm]

I'm a great believer in 'ATGATT'.

ALL THE GEAR ALL THE TIME.

[JuST Peter]

What's wrong with stubbies, singlets and safety thongs??   

Absolutely nothing if you get your kicks from debridement 

I always thought I was pretty good with words, but 'debridement' had me heading for the dictionary 

[Biggles]

What's wrong with stubbies, singlets and safety thongs??   

Absolutely nothing if you get your kicks from debridement 

I always thought I was pretty good with words, but 'debridement' had me heading for the dictionary 

I was wondering what it had to do with marriage and divorce!     

[Williamson]

A few years ago our regular Saturday or Sunday morning rides would involve me mounting my then STeed, "kitted out" in short pants, short sleeve or sleeveless shirts, open face helmets and fingerless gloves, but with feet suitably protected with lace-up shoes.

We would ride mostly in small groups of three or four and travel on suburban roads for around 40km or 50km for a coffee, turn around and head for home.  Some of the rides would take a full day on country roads and freeways, and we would cover more than 200km and involve a few thousand or more riders ('twas a bit scary at times riding in big groups).  On some rides my top speed was around 80km/h, some of my friends would get into the mid 80's.

If I was "kitted out" like this today (like some of the scooter riders in the news article), riding my Piaggio 250 scooter (with much better brakes, tyres and suspension than my above mentioned STeed) to work and lucky if my top speed reached 60km/h, I would be labelled a ignorant, foolish or an idiot.

In reality my earlier riding gear was, and still is, expected for the type of riding involved - riding a road bicycle.

Which rider is exposing themselves to the higher risk at 80km/h?  Would that be the scantily clad scooter rider (at least with good brakes, wider tyres and suspension), or a bicycle rider (with crap brakes, skinny [23mm] tyres and no suspension)?

Just saying ............

[Malcolm6112]

education is the key. Having seen what can happen when thongs go through to the ankle, really is a sobering thought.

Having read stories of pretty young things in next to nothing, coming off the back of a high powered sports bike, then having years of plastic surgery might sway people.

The attitude that it won't happen to me is to blame.

 

[Marcus]

In reality my earlier riding gear was, and still is, expected for the type of riding involved - riding a road bicycle.

Point well made... was thinking about this after I posted it... I've ridden push bikes faster around town. And maybe more dangerous riding between parked cars and traffic...

Still looking at those scooter riding photos makes me cringe
 

[Pocket STocker]

Non riding friends stir us about our 5 minute ritual of dressing and undressing for each ride, but when we insist that this gives us the best possible chance of contiuing our hobby together for a long time to come they understand.

And when we point out that if something happens to us our kids are coming to live with them they see our point 



Pockey 

[Gordo]

I for one use to get around in t-shirt, no gloves and such until someone asked me if l remembered how much damage l did to myself falling off my push bike at low speeds. I remembered how much that hurt and changed my ways.
 
"You can legislate for fools but they will just make a better fool"
 

[Yorkie]

I wear Kevlar jeans and the usual textile jacket most of us wear, however watched a bike show on foxtel a while back and the pro's wear leather as it slides on the tarmac, all other materials grip and then cause burns before tearing and then the fun part begins.
BTW apparently the best leather is good old kangaroo.

[Brock]

best leather is good old kangaroo.

But where do you put the tail???? 

 

[Yorkie]

We get rid of the DUCK tail and have a ROO tail.