[Rohnsman]

As I'm "resting" after my last trail ride and a "close encounter" with a gravel road, I'm wondering if I should invest in some additional protective gear. I -always- wear my helmet anytime I'm on the bike, and also gloves, jeans, and boots over the ankle. At this point though, I've not invested in anything more than that.



I figured the "armor" I see some MX guys wearing was for the more aggressive riders, people who are racing or like to leap off jumps with their hair on fire, no so much for slow pokes like me. I can see where knee and elbow protection might have spared me a bit of the road rash I'm nursing, but I'm not sure it would have prevented my purple leg (yeah, I presently have a purple left leg)

, mainly due to 300-some pounds of TW deciding to lay down on the job on it.



So, I thought I'd ask the other TWers here, what protective gear do you wear, on the street and on the trail? Do you have a story to tell of how it saved you some pain? Anything in particular you'd recommend?

 

[hightime]

Watch that purple leg. I had an ankel injury from a snowmobile crash and after a whole year , I got a full leg blood clot.



Owen

 

[FnMag]

well, I hate to say this, but I usedto be ATGATT. Not so much anymore. Mainly due to the 107* heat index and 85% humidity most of the summer.



As far as when I head out to go take a picture for the contest: long pants, tshirt, gloves, mcycle boots and my helmet.



Work: whatever I happen to be wearing that day + helmet/ gloves



If I am doing a "trip", I'm full ATGATT.

 

[Rohnsman]

ATGATT - A new one to me, had to Google it -- All the Gear, All the Time.



So... what kind of gear was that? I can see the heat factor being a problem, though here in the high desert in Idaho humidity isn't an issue. I'm thinking knee and elbow protection might be a good place to start.

 

[PJungnitsch]

Mesh jacket in the summer, starting to wear my leather one now that it's cooling off. Mesh overpants to go to work, Draggin' jeans on the weekend. All have armor, some beefed up a bit. Forcefield brand seems to have tested out really well.



After a bad accident last year I now wear an airbag vest overtop of either jacket.



Plus gloves, full face helmet, tall motorcycle boots.



It gets hot here, so I really like the Draggin jeans/mesh jacket combo for regular driving around.

 

[Babaganoush]

I don't leave home without my Cortech Mesh Armor jacket. It has two different inserts for colder weather and some water resistance. A pair of PowerTrip padded gloves with hard plastic knuckles and metal studs at the heel of the palm. A full face helmet (3 different) and a pair of Gaerne 14" ATV boots.



My next upgrade will be a pair of Bohn armor pants and shirt. www.bohn-armor-pants.com . I think the Bohn product will give you the leg protection you need for a fall. Won't help much to keep a bike off you though. I always cringe when I see the bad-a** Harley dudes ride by my house with no helmet, no gloves, no jacket, etc. , and their riders too. All I can think of is the road rash they would incur from even a low speed crash. Of course, they are only 'cruising' by at about 30mph- I don't want a Harley if it means having to ride that slow.



Dave

 

[Rohnsman]

I don't care if they're sitting at a stoplight and for some reason the Harley falls over on them, it's gonna be ugly. You don't have to be going very fast at all to have that much metal falling on you put a serious crimp in your style, not to mention your carcass.

 

[Rainman]

I wear Tourmaster jacket and pants while on the road. Off road, I wear MX boots, over the boot MX pants, knee and elbow guards, chest protector, long sleeve shirt, and helmet. I thought all the offroad gear was for the hardcore guys too, but nope, its for ANYONE who rides off road somewhat aggressively. A month or so ago my front tire slipped on a rock while I was going down hill on a trail. I was going 5 MPH, but the rock slid and shot out from underneath my tire and I went over the handlebars. I landed on my back. My chest protector, elbow guards, and helmet saved me. I won't ride offroad without them.

 

[Tony Sanger]

I just became a member of the forum 5 minutes ago, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to hopefully prevent someone from making the same mistake I did when I was young and stupid. I'm 30 and now wear a full face helmet, gloves, compression suit, and a cup. The cup isn't very comfortable to ride with and I have never met another rider who wears one, but it will save your balls from extreme pain. When I was 18 I crashed my RM 125 after hitting a deep hidden tractor rut. The handle bars pinched my left nut against the gas tank as I went over the handle bars and landed on an electric cattle fence. My left nut swelled up to the size of a soft ball and I had to wear mesh shorts for the rest of the summer. I ended up losing my left nut. 11 years later I was still miracously able to have a kid though. I don't ride off road without a cup though because I only have one nut left and never want to experience that unbearable pain again. Protect the family jewels especially if you plan on having children. I just picked up a 2006 TW200 and love it, will post pics soon. Love the TW200 forum.

 

[Rohnsman]

Dude... That story hurts just to read it! I'm not feeling so bad with my bunged up leg anymore. Just goes to show how vulnerable we are as motorcycle riders.

 

[ReddingRdr]

As I'm "resting" after my last trail ride and a "close encounter" with a gravel road, I'm wondering if I should invest in some additional protective gear. I -always- wear my helmet anytime I'm on the bike, and also gloves, jeans, and boots over the ankle. At this point though, I've not invested in anything more than that.



I figured the "armor" I see some MX guys wearing was for the more aggressive riders, people who are racing or like to leap off jumps with their hair on fire, no so much for slow pokes like me. I can see where knee and elbow protection might have spared me a bit of the road rash I'm nursing, but I'm not sure it would have prevented my purple leg (yeah, I presently have a purple left leg)

, mainly due to 300-some pounds of TW deciding to lay down on the job on it.



So, I thought I'd ask the other TWers here, what protective gear do you wear, on the street and on the trail? Do you have a story to tell of how it saved you some pain? Anything in particular you'd recommend?

Good thread, it should have value for many riders. I come pretty close to “atgatt”. During a fall, on or off the road, much speed isn’t needed to do significant damage, especially to the joints. After some 50yrs. of riding I’ve had my share of crashes. After a fall, I don’t ever remember thinking that I had too much gear on. Besides boots, gloves, and a helmet, on the street I normally use the hard protectors for the shoulders, elbows, and knees with abrasion pad protection for the back and hips. Off road I add hard chest and back protection. Generally, road boots don’t offer the same level of protection that off road boots do. When shopping, put one of each side by side and compare. Although I don’t wear it, clearly leather is good for road rash. For the hot months, mesh or light weight gear is more comfortable. You lose abrasion protection but retain the impact protection. At first some of the gear seems a bit bulky, but soon it becomes comfortable and you’ll probably feel naked w/o it. I know I do. Just one old guys point of view.



A short story if you will permit. As a youth I did my first motorcycle riding in the dirt. One day, I showed up for a ride with a couples buddies. One of them brought his older cousin, some tens years older than any of us. He looked at my old worn tennis shoes and asked me why I was wearing them. I told him that I didn’t to want mess up my good shoes. He then pointed to a boulder that was taller than any of us, and asked me if I would like to walk over and give it good kick. I replied, in somewhat of a smart ass manner, “what kind of a fool would do that”. To which he replied the same kind of a fool that would ride past it at 30mph w/ tennis shoes on. That remark has stayed w/ me. Good luck, Ron

 

[Liesel]

I ride all the time with helmet, Joe Rocket mesh jacket, mx style gloves and atv boots. The Atv boots have more of a tread than mx boots. The only time I don't wear the boots is if I'm going shopping. Then it's tall black leather boots.Easier for walking the stores. The other thing I have is 2 pairs of prescription safety glasses. Much tougher for bugs than my regular glasses. One pair is sunglasses, the other clear.

 

[qwerty]

I used to buy the latest and greatest gear, but not any more. I did some serious thinking about what I actually need gear to do and figured out that for my purposes, cost should not be considered. That is why I wear Motoboss Air Speed Mesh. It's simple, basic, and gets the job done. It is 100% mesh, with either holes or ridges in the armor for ventilation. It keeps the sun off, and if there is any breeze at all, it is cooler than not wearing gear because it provides shade. You can sometimes find the pants AND jacket for under $200 for the set. Not each, for both.



Motocross pants and shirts offer no protection from road rash. Hard protectors transfer shock too well, which can increase the severity of impact injury. Saves your butt from rooster tails, which is what hard protectors are for.

 

[ATXthumper]

in the summer i ride in a helmet, army surplus canvas shirt(over whatever im wearing for the day), mechanix impact 2 work gloves, jeans and over the ankle waterproof hiking boots.

same thing for the winter but i subsitute a much warmer jacket with fleece layers and i wear gaiters to keep the rain out of my boots (keeps me warmer too).



some times i wear a back belt(like for heavy lifting) if im doing a long distance ride my lower back gets kinda fatigued ive noticed this helps my back and kidneys and i guess it could help to prevent roadrash on my lower back and sides if my jacket pulled up.

 

[ATXthumper]

*comment censored cos im a douche*

 

[Rohnsman]

@sanger so is your nickname lefty?

That's cold man.

Be glad it wasn't you.

 

[ericj]

Well...



I've been riding for let's see since 1964, and I still wheelie my SV650, as I did my V-max and most of the 17 other bikes I've owned. Never used to wear a helmet until they became necessary, still don't like them on my head, but even if I wasn't required would probably wear one at least to keep the bugs out of my face, etc.



Have had a spill or two over the years, mostly long ago, road rash, etc. we used to do crazy stuff, watched a friend lose it on the shoulder in front of me rounding a curve, barely missing a pole and ending up sliding mostly on his face in large gravel. We rode him to the hospital where he got 100 + stitches in his face and came out looking like a mummy.



Never really wore much else and don't like "hard" boots, I prefer converse high-tops which give me more feel of the shift lever, etc. I don't like trying to shift with stiff-toed boots.



Often wear a light jacket to protect from bugs/sun on longer rides or leather when it's colder.



But... recently bought one of these:

https://www.leatherup.com/site/product?pid=56911



Have to say I really like the jacket, it's surprisingly cool in 80 degree weather, and does offer some "armor" protection.



I think to each his own and would not recommend to anyone that they lose the protection or add more. Anyone who isn't aware that the risk of more serious injury is greater with less protection or who doesn't realize that riding is dangerous shouldn't be on one in my opinion.



I'm going to die one day and if it is on a bike, that's great... I can think of much worse scenarios. I may die of skin cancer from many years of beach-going, but to me it's worth it, living a long life in a shell isn't living at all.



enjoy the ride !!

E

 

[drob]

Truelight -



Hope you heal up well!



For gear, a mesh jacket with liner for colder weather that has soft armor. 3/4 length ATV boots - never wore 'real' boots before, but for where we ride (N. Idaho) with all the rocks, they are the most important upgrade I have ever done. Used to ride with regular boots or hi-tops, but for instance on the last ride we did, I had 4-5 rocks wanting to remove my foot from the pegs and without the stability and armor of the boots, I would have had at least a tweaked ankle... Helmet, gloves, regular pants, and knee/shin guards - mainly for the brush.



I guess gear selection depends on where you ride the most - some of the "trails" here are brush and trees sticking out on one side and a drop off cliff on the other - makes my choice easy!

 

[Rohnsman]

I'm going to die one day and if it is on a bike, that's great... I can think of much worse scenarios.

Yeah, me too. That would be living like the friend you describe as looking like a mummy after his crash. Death doesn't frighten me. Extreme, permanent, prolonged and agonizing injury... No thanks!

I'll be getting myself some protective gear and will say a prayer for you ericj. Keep the rubber side down...!

 

[ericj]

Yeah, me too. That would be living like the friend you describe as looking like a mummy after his crash. Death doesn't frighten me. Extreme, permanent, prolonged and agonizing injury... No thanks!

I'll be getting myself some protective gear and will say a prayer for you my friend. Keep the rubber side down...!

I'll gladly even take my chance at serious injury rather than live in a bubble and not do what I enjoy... but again, that's just me. I would prefer death to serious injury too, however.