yeah, thinking’s over-rated, Mel’s never done a moments thinkin ever! :hehe:
once it’s summer the gear will be easier to get on and off as the winter linings make it that much harder.
When I’m just off for a quick buzz around the city (on the 2t scoot) - gloves and open face, that is all.
Ultimate freedom 
What if you make your fave twisties, more fave! Would that off set the problem for you?
yeah tell me about it i got in dun a quick dinner had a poo and then a shower then went to put my gear on and nah bolloxs the moments gone
Oi :D:D
i just love getting geared up.
the moment i start getting dressed is the moment the ride begins, its like warming up for an athlete it gets your mind to start focusing and the only thing you think about its the road.
it makes my day everytime.
To be honest I agree that it’s a lot of aggro putting on all that gear before you go anywhere , and hassle taking it off but it’s a small price to pay for the benifits of being able to ride a motorbike and not have to worry about traffic , when the snow and ice comes that’s the part I don’t like and want a car straight away , just look at the benifits from how much you save riding a motorbike instead of a car , so for that extra 10 minutes a day gearing up to go out is more then worth it!
I put on all my gear and survived the ride completeley unscathed - I could have worn a striking paisley number set off by cream flannels and been perfectly fine ffs!
I’m totally rusty as the winter has been largely upright - so trying to get up to pace in my local bends was a case of simultaneously blowing away cobwebs while trying to apply a bit of technique.
Interestingly I found myself getting ‘the fear’ mid bend - the bit where your wondering if your going too fast/cranked over too much and are gonna end up in the woods with the bike pinning you to the ground and making you look like a right dick etc - I found this automatic fear reaction annoying and tedious - so I replaced the fear with a bit of p1ssed off aggression which had the effect of making me wind on the throttle and dig in/commit more to the bend - as usual the application of more throttle improved grip and the whole thing started to feel better.
I guess it’s a case where your rational informed brain is telling you that applying more throttle will improve your situation whereas your self preservation instinct is telling you to back off which ironically could actually worsen the situation. Unless you practice and train the self preservation instinct will always win in these situations.
+1
Surely one worries about other road users (traffic) and the vagueness they bring to the tarmac irrespective of protection!
I can gear up pretty quickly nowadays, it’s taking off the cover/chains/disclock then putting them in the panniers that takes all the freakin’ time. I’ve taken to walking recently if its anything around 15mins on foot or under. Doesn’t take me 15mins to get ready obviously but its locking it all up again when I arrive and then de-gearing. Makes me think a car might not be a bad thing for short local journeys…:ermm:
Still I wouldn’t leave the house with it all as the risk just isn’t worth it.
Takes two seconds. stop whining…
Must admit it was quite liberating driving the bike around my Dad’s driveway on the weekend with no gear, though doesn’t get much safer than that - apart from running over a pet cat perhaps
It is interesting, that when I’ve got the protective gear on I’m a little more aware of, and mentally prepared for the road danger. Without it, I might be tempted to enjoy the ride a little too much
Though the other side is, like wearing a seatbelt … it sometimes encourages you to go a little faster than you should when you feel protected…
Check your chain/tyres and oil everytime you get home that way when you decide to pop out you already know they are ok.
Armoured Jeans, boots and a jacket don’t take that long to put on and as for earplugs and a helmet are you serious:w00t: thats seconds.
Besides think about the time ahead you are going to enjoy and the freedom you will have from that. I also like the prep before going out thats also my start of the ride ahead, normally only to be screwed up half a mile from the house by some twat in a car/van wanting to take me off:hehe:
Don’t think about the faff and just go out and enjoy the open road traffic:P
The traffic is a pain in the arse - this might sound ridiculous - but a couple of times when I was stuck behind a car I slowed down to 10 mph (checking nothing was coming up behind me) and trundled along for a minute waiting for the car to dissapear into the distance - and then accelerated just so that I could take the next series of s bends at a decent speed FFS! :crazy:
Now the mornings are lighter I’m gonna have to get up earlier to get the bends to myself!