Poser? I think so!
- Thread starter MikeN02
- Start date
The only reason I disagree with you about people have the right to choose their gear, their choice affects my insurance rates. The more accidents that happen to riders who don't wear gear on sport bikes, the higher insurance premiums get.
And yes, that chick is the epitome of a true squid. :squid: I'll be the first to admit, there's nothing hotter to a guy than a hot chick (which I'm not too sure that one qualifies) in tight pants on a sport bike. But that doesn't make it smart. :spank:
+1. It also ruins our "image" of riding on bikes to other people such as family members and friends saying how horrible it is etc because some guy got into an accident. If they would've worn gear it wouldn't have been that bad.
I saw a chick in the parking lot with a pink alpine's star jacket on and I thought how cute... until she smoked pass me on a Suzuki.
NineseveN
New Member
She's got $300 Sidi's on, (the best street boots currently made IMHO), but no gear otherwise. Ridiculous.Oh, and I think the term for someone without gear is "SQUID". (represents the mushy state they will be in if they crash)
Notice the protective boots!!!
I think its great that so many people on this site are so vigil about wearing gear...but lets be honest...statistically speaking the odds are not in our favor even in gear. Gear is not meant to save your life in a collision but to save your skin from being torn off in a skid. Helmets are meant to protect your head of course, but if your hit at even 20 mph by 3 tons of solid steel only to hit the ground with more force as you will be flying through the air and accelerating as you are doing so, there's like a 38% chance that you will survive without major permanent injury...if you survive at all. Now it is also true that most motorcycle accidents involve ONLY the driver in which they normally took a turn too fast and kicked the bike away...in which case riding pants/jacket/gloves are going to be your biggest help as you are suppose to try and skid on your back with legs and head held up (according to MSF instructors here)...so I really dont give people crap for riding without...i just feel more comfortable in my gear due to my experiences (and for the record I do not own any motorcycle pants or boots, i use regular pants and shoes cuz thats what I own)...
The way I look at it...People who ride without gear trust in their skills to protect themselves while people with gear trust that no on else but them has skills lol
The way I look at it...People who ride without gear trust in their skills to protect themselves while people with gear trust that no on else but them has skills lol
Good point. I have heard some extreme numbers for insurance. I guess that's the price we pay for living in a "free" society.
My insurance is $300 a year, so I don't think that this is impacting me.
What level of gear do you think the law should require be worn at all times, subject to ticketing?
I personally don't think that squids give motrocyclists a bad reputation with non riders (at least not as much as stunters, lound pipes and bad riding). Most squid comments I've heard have come from riders. Again, just my opinion, and you know what they say about opinions.....
That's a hard one to call. There's so much revolt amongst the idiot Harley guys just over the helmet laws here in California. Every year some Harley dealership (San Diego Harley a lot of times) tries to get the helmet law taken off the books. Claiming it's violating their constitutional rights, what kind of free America is this if you can't ride without a helmet, blah blah blah. Can you imagine if they put a law into effect requiring full leg and arm coverage? I would like to see it, but it'll never happen. Idiots will be idiots no matter what laws get passed. I mean the cruiser crowd has all but gotten away with not wearing a helmet by wearing those stupid little plastic caps they call helmets. Those things would probably do more harm than good in a crash when they shatter into a hundred sharp little pieces around your head.
Craxican- You're very right that we're at a distinct disadvantage and gear can only go so far. But as you mentioned yourself, the VAST majority of motorcycle accidents are single bike from over shooting a turn and running off the road or low siding and sliding. Wearing the right gear will help keep not only the painful road rash from happening, but could potentially save your life by ALLOWING you to slide instead of landing and doing flips across the road. Something like the rubber sole of a tennis shoe catching and causing you to flip. (Seen it in person happen to an idiot friend of mine who I won't ride with any longer until he starts gearing up. He has the gear, just won't wear it.) That's why riding boots, gloves, and jackets have hard sliders on them. Those cool looking carbon fiber knuckle protectors aren't there so much for impact as they are for keeping your hands from being the thing that catches on the road and causing you to start flipping. If I hit the ground and were sliding on my butt, the hard plastic armor in my riding shorts would allow me to slide, even if it ripped through the jeans and the leather liner. Same with the armor in the textile jacket.
Personally I won't get on the bike without at least my leather lined riding jeans, armored jacket, A*'s boots, and full gauntlet gloves. Usually I'm in those plus my armored riding shorts and armored knee/shin guards. I will on occasion wear regular jeans but only if the lined ones are in the laundry and I'm wearing the armor underneath.
Can you imagine if they put a law into effect requiring full leg and arm coverage? I would like to see it, but it'll never happen. Idiots will be idiots no matter what laws get passed. I mean the cruiser crowd has all but gotten away with not wearing a helmet by wearing those stupid little plastic caps they call helmets. Those things would probably do more harm than good in a crash when they shatter into a hundred sharp little pieces around your head. Craxican- You're very right that we're at a distinct disadvantage and gear can only go so far. But as you mentioned yourself, the VAST majority of motorcycle accidents are single bike from over shooting a turn and running off the road or low siding and sliding. Wearing the right gear will help keep not only the painful road rash from happening, but could potentially save your life by ALLOWING you to slide instead of landing and doing flips across the road. Something like the rubber sole of a tennis shoe catching and causing you to flip. (Seen it in person happen to an idiot friend of mine who I won't ride with any longer until he starts gearing up. He has the gear, just won't wear it.) That's why riding boots, gloves, and jackets have hard sliders on them. Those cool looking carbon fiber knuckle protectors aren't there so much for impact as they are for keeping your hands from being the thing that catches on the road and causing you to start flipping. If I hit the ground and were sliding on my butt, the hard plastic armor in my riding shorts would allow me to slide, even if it ripped through the jeans and the leather liner. Same with the armor in the textile jacket.
Personally I won't get on the bike without at least my leather lined riding jeans, armored jacket, A*'s boots, and full gauntlet gloves. Usually I'm in those plus my armored riding shorts and armored knee/shin guards. I will on occasion wear regular jeans but only if the lined ones are in the laundry and I'm wearing the armor underneath.
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Not disagreeing Jon...actually I think we basically said the same thing as far wearing gear goes...but remember that traditional riding gear does not have the "pads"...in fact...a lot of gear today still relies on the 3mm Leather suits idea without pads, just extra cushion on the vital areas (elbows, knees, lower back, etc.)...we've made leaps and bounds as far as science goes...but many still trust that the cowhide will protect them better than Kevlar, skid pads, or the next invention...skidding is the stuff people recover from and though I understand and commend your decision to full-gear-it-up:thumbup:...im just saying that i don't give anyone crap for not wearing gear...as far as laws go...how about we concentrate on teaching people to be good drivers and not do stupid crap (like texting, eating, putting on make-up, driving with the knees, drunk driving, sex driving, tired driving, day dreaming, radio so loud that you cannot hear sirens or honking, driving with super tinted glasses at night, USING TURN SIGNALS, slowing for turns instead of just whipping the vehicle around, READING SIGNS: STOP means STOP this is not a suggestion, stop speeding up when you see a light turn yellow, safer stopping, UNDERSTAND THE TERM "RIGHT OF WAY," safe entry onto streets, safe lane changing, UNDERSTAND car length safety cushions, stop getting pissed of for stupid stuff like someone trying to pass you "forcing" you to speed up, RACING THROUGH TRAFFIC, STREET STUNTING...especially in BUSY TRAFFIC) if i missed anything let me know...but yeah...i really think that we should move toward better education of safety instead of just armoring everyone up to the point where we will soon have wear flame retardant astronaut suits to drive a car...let alone what they will try and make motorcyclists wear...
my thoughts on gear are pretty simple...if you BELIEVE that the person in the car next to you is there to make sure that you dont get hurt and will go out of there way to make sure you stay safe...then by all means, dont wear gear and see how many people stop and help versus stop and point should you be unfortunate enough to have an accident.
my thoughts on gear are pretty simple...if you BELIEVE that the person in the car next to you is there to make sure that you dont get hurt and will go out of there way to make sure you stay safe...then by all means, dont wear gear and see how many people stop and help versus stop and point should you be unfortunate enough to have an accident.
Helmet, long pants, some sort of shoes not sandles, leather jacket and gloves if chilly. Been riding since 1976, yep I'm a squid. I'm in healthcare and smoke too. I've heard it all. When I rode cruisers got crap FOR wearing a helmet, now crap for not wearing hundreds of $ worth of armor. Guess what, I don't care. If you want to wear shorts and flipflops and no helmet fine, if you want to wear every gear available fine. I'm not going to preach to you either way.
NineseveN
New Member
In libertarian-speak, I'm against forcing protection or good habits (or even good taste) through an arm of the state. If you want to ride around in nothing but a cheetah print thong and swim goggles, be my guest. Sometimes the price of having a free society is painful. Your engaging in such behavior isn't infringing on my rights, it's an exercise of yours. I'm cool with that.
But honestly, the freedom you reserve to do such things isn't any more valuable or sacrosanct than the freedom I reserve to think you ridiculous and asinine for it and also, to say so. I won't try and stop you beyond some healthy peer pressure and the sharing of information, but I'm also not going to feel sorry for you if you go down and end up looking like Freddy Krueger or worse. If you don't care enough to gear up before you crash, then why should I care one bit about you when you're sitting in a hospital bed or lying stone dead in a casket?
But honestly, the freedom you reserve to do such things isn't any more valuable or sacrosanct than the freedom I reserve to think you ridiculous and asinine for it and also, to say so. I won't try and stop you beyond some healthy peer pressure and the sharing of information, but I'm also not going to feel sorry for you if you go down and end up looking like Freddy Krueger or worse. If you don't care enough to gear up before you crash, then why should I care one bit about you when you're sitting in a hospital bed or lying stone dead in a casket?
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tractorboy
New Member
WHOO HOO NineseveN....sometimes it hurts to be free! and I feel your 100% correct. I understand certain laws but..if an idiot wants to not wear a seatbelt or helmet...his / her business. But atleast they have that choice...right or wrong we SHOULD have a choice.
That said from the PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF NEW YORK. Where we have more laws than Deer!
Good discussion. One point that sometimes gets overlooked is that freedom and liberty do not exist in a vacuum. If some squid like this:
(me 40 years ago) gets his unprotected head mashed, the rest of us tax-paying citizens get to shell out millions of dollars to keep the vegetable alive for the next 50 years. Puts a bit of a crimp on OUR liberty and freedom.
(me 40 years ago) gets his unprotected head mashed, the rest of us tax-paying citizens get to shell out millions of dollars to keep the vegetable alive for the next 50 years. Puts a bit of a crimp on OUR liberty and freedom.
NineseveN
New Member
True, but that fault lies with the way insurance and the welfare state works; you don't curtail freedom to fix a problem that's not borne of it.
Bikegirl88
New Member
So let me get this straight. He was riding in Feb....damn...poser or not that is just unfair to us Canadians. :canada:
tractorboy
New Member
Yes good point on one idiots costs us all. But I think its a flaw in the systems so to speak. Hmmmm Gotta be a way to improve that. But again.. the whole thing is flawed.
But very good point indeed...my money pays for his Lifesupport and welfare for his family..and my ins rates go up...very true...damn I wish it could be a perfect world!!
As I say......Work Harder...millions on welfare are depending on you.
maybe there could be a insurance rider for such things. I guess Id be more Ok with my ins company saying if you dont wear a helmet, Your premium is XXXX where as if you do...your X. Atleast them I still have a true choice vs it being a LAW and making Daddy and MOMMY make me!'
Or the vegetable rider could be added. if you dont have atleast a common sense of safety....helmet...you will NOT be covered if you turn yourself into a vegetable of your choice. Nor will your life be saved/kept alive for such acts that are the result of improper gear.......Hmmm that would work for me.
Just spouting off, sorry, I guess its just NY has imposed SO much on us as citizens and still we see no :benefit" of our socialism in this state.
But very good point indeed...my money pays for his Lifesupport and welfare for his family..and my ins rates go up...very true...damn I wish it could be a perfect world!!
As I say......Work Harder...millions on welfare are depending on you.
maybe there could be a insurance rider for such things. I guess Id be more Ok with my ins company saying if you dont wear a helmet, Your premium is XXXX where as if you do...your X. Atleast them I still have a true choice vs it being a LAW and making Daddy and MOMMY make me!'
Or the vegetable rider could be added. if you dont have atleast a common sense of safety....helmet...you will NOT be covered if you turn yourself into a vegetable of your choice. Nor will your life be saved/kept alive for such acts that are the result of improper gear.......Hmmm that would work for me.
Just spouting off, sorry, I guess its just NY has imposed SO much on us as citizens and still we see no :benefit" of our socialism in this state.
PuRpl3_Dr4nK
New Member
This pic is so epic. BluePill you are the man.Good discussion. One point that sometimes gets overlooked is that freedom and liberty do not exist in a vacuum. If some squid like this:
(me 40 years ago) gets his unprotected head mashed, the rest of us tax-paying citizens get to shell out millions of dollars to keep the vegetable alive for the next 50 years. Puts a bit of a crimp on OUR liberty and freedom.