What do you wear when you ride your Spyder?

[jarrett]

Probably sounds like a funny question, but as a complete newb I'm not sure what all to wear. Looking in the Texas DPS Motorcycle Handbook, it says this:

• Jacket and pants should cover arms and legs completely. They should fit snugly enough to keep from flapping in the wind, yet loosely enough to move freely. Leather offers the most protection. Sturdy synthetic material provides a lot of protection as well. Wear a jacket even in warm weather to prevent dehydration. Many are designed to protect without getting you overheated, even on summer days.

• Boots or shoes should be high and sturdy enough to cover your ankles and give them support. Soles should be made of hard, durable slip resistant material. Keep heels short so they do not catch on rough surfaces. Tuck laces in so they won’t catch on your motorcycle.

• Gloves allow a better grip and help protect your hands in a crash. Your gloves should be made of leather or similar durable material.

Is that what you need to wear to ride a Spyder on a 103 degree Texas afternoon?

 

[VIspyderman]

I prefer to ryde nekid! :roflblack: :clap: :2thumbs: :yes: :firstplace:

Probably sounds like a funny question, but as a complete newb I'm not sure what all to wear. Looking in the Texas DPS Motorcycle Handbook, it says this:

• Jacket and pants should cover arms and legs completely. They should fit snugly enough to keep from flapping in the wind, yet loosely enough to move freely. Leather offers the most protection. Sturdy synthetic material provides a lot of protection as well. Wear a jacket even in warm weather to prevent dehydration. Many are designed to protect without getting you overheated, even on summer days.

• Boots or shoes should be high and sturdy enough to cover your ankles and give them support. Soles should be made of hard, durable slip resistant material. Keep heels short so they do not catch on rough surfaces. Tuck laces in so they won’t catch on your motorcycle.

• Gloves allow a better grip and help protect your hands in a crash. Your gloves should be made of leather or similar durable material.

Is that what you need to wear to ride a Spyder on a 103 degree Texas afternoon?

 

[ataDude]

... Is that what you need to wear to ride a Spyder on a 103 degree Texas afternoon?

It all depends on what you want. You have choices... protective gear or the possibility of significant injuries. Folks who have never had an accident generally don't (and can't) understand the consequences and preaching doesn't work.

Riding a two or three-wheeler is NOT the same as riding in a car. Everybody else on the road is bigger, out-weighs you by at least 2000-3000 pounds, and are not concerned (or so it seems) with your survival. You have little to no protection other than (1) what you choose to wear and (2) the inventory of your own riding/crash avoidance skills acquired over a long period of time.

I can tell you that broken bones and road rash (which can, itself, be a significant injury) is not fun and, in my case, I want to avoid or minimize them if at all possible while still having a hobby that I enjoy.

With that said, in the summer I wear an armored, mesh jacket along with a flip-face helmet, motorcycle mesh gloves, boots, Bohn UnderArmor, and sometimes, Kevlar jeans. BTW, I have found the mesh jacket as cool, if not cooler, than just a tee-shirt.

The below pic from 1987 represents more than $120,000 in 1987 medical expenses, 62 days in the hospital, three surgeries to save the leg, almost losing an executive-level job, seven years of recovery and untold years of pain (even today, 22 years later). Pssst... the accident was not my fault!

You have choices. I always tell folks to dress for the crash, not the ride. I'm not trying to scare you off from riding but I am trying to educate you to the extent I can... so that you can be prepared.

 

[xraypat]

As an x-ray tech I have had to xray many motorcyclist over the years
I have seen the lucky ones and I have seen the very unlucky ones.
I will always wear a helmet/gloves/jacket with armor. When its 103
it seems like overkill but the alternative.....:yikes:

 

[rleathen]

ATGATT = All The Gear All The Time. For me this includes jacket with armour, riding pants with armour, full face helmet along with ear plugs, leather gloves with knuckle protection and high sided leather boots. When I ride with my helmet shield up I wear safety glasses to provide continued protection for my eyes.

It is not my riding ability I am worried about but everybody else's on the road. Being a firefighter I not only have to trust my life to my personal protective equipment which carries over to my motorcycle riding but I have also been to a handful of motorcycle accidents where the riders were not completely protected. Road rash IS AS BAD as a second or third degree burn and there is nothing worse then actually seeing the knuckle bones completely exposed from an ungloved hand because the skin and flesh have been worn away by the asphalt.

Again it is not my riding ability that I protect myself from but the lack of driving ability of everybody else on the road. Do not for a minute ever think that it will never happen to you. If I had a dime for everytime I have heard that line from somebody whose emergency we have responded to I would be a very rich person.

 

[porboy]

What do you wear

I wear a helmet, riding boots And my full moon JOCK STRAP, matches my Spyder! That way I can work on my tan.:roflblack:

 

[COOLMACHINE]

what i wear

I wear a big ole SMILE.....

 

[steven888]

shade's only

shade's only

 

[zzneonzz]

Probably sounds like a funny question, but as a complete newb I'm not sure what all to wear. Looking in the Texas DPS Motorcycle Handbook, it says this:

• Jacket and pants should cover arms and legs completely. They should fit snugly enough to keep from flapping in the wind, yet loosely enough to move freely. Leather offers the most protection. Sturdy synthetic material provides a lot of protection as well. Wear a jacket even in warm weather to prevent dehydration. Many are designed to protect without getting you overheated, even on summer days.

I wear a Mesh Jacket with armor during the really hot days and I wear Kevlar Jeans with padded knees and butt.

• Boots or shoes should be high and sturdy enough to cover your ankles and give them support. Soles should be made of hard, durable slip resistant material. Keep heels short so they do not catch on rough surfaces. Tuck laces in so they won’t catch on your motorcycle.

I wear my Hiking boots


• Gloves allow a better grip and help protect your hands in a crash. Your gloves should be made of leather or similar durable material.

I wear breathable gloves with leather palms.

I also wear a full face helmet (leaving shield up normally if under 55mph) with safety glasses aka my sunglasses (impact rated) or my perscription glasses (also impact rated)

Is that what you need to wear to ride a Spyder on a 103 degree Texas afternoon?

 

[irish2themax]

ATGATT...I have kevlar jacket and pants with armor (actually kevlar acts like mesh in that it breathes and is pleasant to wear...when you're moving), gloves and boots, and a Givi X1 full face helmet

 

[RodO]

Good advice I've received is:

Dress for the slide. Not for the ride.

Mesh jacket and pants work well for me -- but it's not usually as hot here as Texas.

Rod.

 

[BRPjunkie]

In choosing between comfort and protection, err on the side of protection.

 

[northramp]

Full Face Scorpion helmet, Diadora leather boots, leather gloves, Olympia Mesh jacket with CE Armor, Olympia Mesh Pants with CE Armor on hips and knees. Still very cool in summer. ATGATT:lecturef_smilie:

 

[DannyS]

There are many good mesh jackets with armor that are cool on a hot day I know it does not get as hot as where I used to live try an average of 110 in the summer. I always wear gear. In the summer I would go to a 3/4 helmet that has good ventilation. I do not wear as hard core boots on the Spyder because I never have my foot down but you do need something to cover and hold in place the ankle. Gloves are a must I wear mesh gloves in the summer with carbon fiber knuckles I have had to many rocks pitched up at me and they always aim for your hand. DO NOT GET METAL STUD GLOVES they heat up in a slide and burn holes in you hands. I know they look cool but don't get them. I personally do not wear Kevlar pants just good old blue jeans. Always where at least long sleeves. When you are moving it is fine when you stop you heat up so get something that comes off fast. Not a one piece they are to hard to get in and out of. The best jackets by the way are the ones with a EU mark on them they have to be tested at 100 KPH to hold up and not harm the rider. US jackets have no test at all. Any one want a job testing EU jackets in Europe I hear the pay is good!:yikes:

 

[bjt]

Probably 97% of the time I wear long pants, shoes or boots, a textile riding jacket, riding gloves and a full face helmet, in any weather. Thats what I wore when we were traveling across the desert (105 degrees) a few weeks back. If I'm going somewhere in shorts or without my riding jacket, its almost always just a mile or two away on back roads. On the California trip, I tried a stretch of riding without the riding jacket and it really wasn't that much cooler.

 

[docdoru]

Full face helmet, leather jacket, leather pants and gloves. BRP leather is very light, high quality and have multiple vents (both on the jacket and pants). In the last ryde coast to coast the leather did excellent for temperature from 50 to 128F. :thumbup:

 

[hawkiii]

I thought I would never ride without gear but temps over 109 on the way home from LA and the heat in LA was just too much for me. I rode in a T shirt and jeans. As soon as we are back in the 80s I'll gear back up. I believe in safety but heat stroke is a nasty ailment also.

 

[Smylinacha]

Summertime and warm weather: High top converse sneakers decorated with rhine stones, jeans, tank top, hoodie if it's cool out, Can Am Technical Jacket if it's colder - usually late afternoon or early evening, beanie helmet, gloves.

Winter time: Snowboard pants, my FXRG jacket, Gerbing Liner, 3/4 or full face helmet, pistol gloves, redwing or my Rocky boots.

 

[NancysToy]

Jacket: Mesh riding jacket for summer, actually cooler than a t-shirt in the sun. Textile or leather riding jacket for winter. All with armor or padding.

Pants: Armored or padded mesh overpants in summer, solid textiles or leather for winter.

Boots: Hiking boots, leather work boots, or motorcycle boots, depending on how far I'm going, the weather, and the mood I'm in.

Gloves: Deerskin work gloves in summer, leather gel-padded riding gloves mid-season, and insulated textile gloves with leather palm in winter. Gloves are very important...hand injuries are devastating, painful, and difficult to heal!

Helmet: Fullface every time. I've had one severe concussion, and taken a fall in the face. DOT approved at minimum, Snell 2005 if you're so inclined. The new Snell 2010 standard looks promising, but no S2010 rated helmets until October. Make sure it fits properly! It needs to be snug, stay put, and not have pressure points. You may have to shop a bit.

That's me, and much of my life is still on two wheels, but my wife wears the same on her Spyder.
-Scotty

 

[jeuchler]

Probably sounds like a funny question, but as a complete newb I'm not sure what all to wear. Looking in the Texas DPS Motorcycle Handbook, it says this:

• Jacket and pants should cover arms and legs completely. They should fit snugly enough to keep from flapping in the wind, yet loosely enough to move freely. Leather offers the most protection. Sturdy synthetic material provides a lot of protection as well. Wear a jacket even in warm weather to prevent dehydration. Many are designed to protect without getting you overheated, even on summer days.

• Boots or shoes should be high and sturdy enough to cover your ankles and give them support. Soles should be made of hard, durable slip resistant material. Keep heels short so they do not catch on rough surfaces. Tuck laces in so they won’t catch on your motorcycle.

• Gloves allow a better grip and help protect your hands in a crash. Your gloves should be made of leather or similar durable material.

Is that what you need to wear to ride a Spyder on a 103 degree Texas afternoon?

Yup.

I would say I always wear "all the gear all the time."

Ryding home from work the other day, nice and hot (New England residents will recall it was the--what?--fourth day with sun this summer?) and I decided to forgo the gloves.

Sure enough.

Got shot in the hand by a piece of gravel off a truck going the other direction.

Truck with gravel: 50 mph.
Me: -50 mph.

Me – Truck with gravel = 50mph – (–50mph) = gravel hitting me at 100mph.



You couldn't hear my yelling, though, 'cause of my way-too-loud pipes, but that's another thread...