OK, so yes, I’m a new rider. But I don’t know it all. And I realise that. But some of the people I know who are just getting into biking get right onto my tits.
I mean, one of them, we’ll call him ‘M’, is buying a Kawi 250 Ninja. Those things aren’t huge, but will easily put out 80mph. He’ll ride it at 80mph. Yet he denies that he needs leathers of any sort, and in his own words “You only really need leathers when you get into triple figures. Otherwise a pair of jeans and a thick hoodie will do you fine.”
That sort of idiocy just astounds me, and quite frankly, scares me. I can go 31 top whack and yet I still wear leathers or draggin’ jeans with a textile jacket, because if I come off I don’t want to have to have plastic surgery.
Anyone else seen examples of this stupidity? What should be done about it?
I’m as guilty as the next person of riding in jeans but I did laugh when you mentioned your friend seems to think that to come off the bike in non-biking clothes seems to be ok below 100mph :laugh: You can easily get sandpapered down to the bone at much less than half that speed.
Motorcycling is one long and (sometimes) painful learning curve and it sounds like his may end up being more painful than most. I just hope he doesn’t convince his pillion to have the same reckless attitude :w00t:
I’m sure I read somewhere (probably on here) that at 40mph, denim abrades in half a second…Without commenting on the particular circumstance, I think there is also a flip side that people who have been riding for years don’t always know everything and can be challenged on that knowledge (like a close friend of mine who has been riding fo 20+ years who I had an argument with when he told me that there is no such thing as counter-steering…)
im a newbie, and have seen pictures of what road rash looks like…wont think of riding without leathers, even for the shortest of journeys…
ask your mate if he ever remembers falling on the playground at school whilst running or playing football…how fast would he have thought he was running…now just tell him imagine that at 30mph - hopefully that should strike a nerve!..if not, get some gory pics on the net and show him exactly what road rash means…we’ve got enough worries to deal with when we come off…you dont want the largest organ of your body to be the first in the firing line!
not really…cos the noob who started this thread isn’t claiming to know it all…he just know’s that a mate who seems to think you only need leathers if you’re into the 3 figure speeds is pretty off…
heck i guess most non bikers would probably be able to tell you that…
After watching the Air Ambulance thing on BBC1 last night, you can be wearing the bestest leathers in the world, but if you come up you can still make a mess of yourself…but at least with leather or some sort of protection you can limit the damage.
My leathers have saved my backside. i will never ever ride without them. others may have different ideas or whatever but if it were me, from the crashes i have had - i have thanked my lucky stars that i have been in decent leathers. not to mention decent boots with heel and ankle protection. gloves too, i did do a spell riding in trials/mx gloves and managed to cop a break level through the glove and my finger. you only need to be going 25mph to kill yourself.
I did acknowledge very specifically that I know I’m a newbie, but I also acknowledged that I don’t know it all (nowhere near it all). The point of this thread was to rant about those new riders who think they know everything and don’t need any advice (like my friend ‘M’.)
So out of interest, how do you respond to non-bikers who tell you are crazy for riding a dangerous motorcycle and should stop? Do you take their advice?
the difference with that is most bikers (hopefully) recognise the risk and inevitably of coming off their bike…yet still decide to go ahead with it…
likewise, if his friend knew his skin would come peeling off in t-shirts and jeans, and decided to do it anyway, fair dooze to him. But his friend is ignorant to the fact that leathers will help save your skin, even at slower speeds!..
Acknowledging a risk and doing it is different to being ignorant from the risk in the first place!
If an american biker chooses not to wear a helmet but knows wot he’s letting himself in for should he fall is a different situation to the american biker who thinks he doesn’t NEED a helmet in the first place!..
the issue isn’t the fact that leather and armour is better than none, rather the pursuasiveness of these facts.
the reason i asked that question is that we (bikers) have already made up our minds about the risk of biking. someone telling us we’re an idiot/crazy usually just makes our resolution stronger, despite the relative danger. ukwolf telling his mate he’s an idiot for not wearing protection is more likely to defend his position than consider the consequences more imho. especially as the opinion isn’t based on experience
to be honest i doubt whether people truely have no concept of the risk, its more a question of their perception of risk that they base their decisions on. the guy will have fallen over playing football/drunk etc and hurt himself. going 80mph is not going to improve things. his mind has decided to override that risk as his mental reward is greater. ‘i’ll be fine’ or ‘it wont happen to me’.
by the same token not everyone can be a motorbike racer. some of us ‘think’ too much about the risk of getting hurt. top racers just dont/dont care.
fair play to ukwolf to taking precautions to mitigate his perceived risk. equally fair play to his mate who has decided to take on more risk. having choices is what makes life fun. ‘M’ may end up regretting his choice, but hopefully won’t.
ultimately, its a hell of a lot better to stay on the bike in the first place. to some extent, our ‘protective’ clothing gives us a false sense of security (again, imho). 1mm of cowhide and a couple of bits of plastic are likely to be scant comfort should you come into something stationary when travelling at speed
im sure after his first scare he’ll weigh out his options 
