WHERE ARE YOU ON THE SPECTRUM OF MOTORCYCLE SAFETY? If you are reading this, it could be presumed that you have some level of interest in motorcycle safety. But in my experience, what that means in terms of “how much” or “how little” you routinely demonstrate the “best practices” of rider safety may vary considerably.
Although individual perspectives about motorcycle safety are diverse, generally they can be expressed relative to a concept of “I’m a good rider”.
I’m a Good Rider
1) On one end of the motorcycle safety spectrum is the notion that “I’m a good rider. I won’t crash.” That can be translated to mean that motorcycle safety is less of a concern, since one wouldn’t require much protection if he/she were to never crash.
2) Another end of the spectrum is the concept that “I’m a good rider. But I don’t know about every other driver on the road.” The central idea here is that on any ride, on any day, there is the potential to crash or be hit by some inattentive driver.
These two views could be imagined as opposite ends of a spectrum with varying gradients of considerations between.
Motorcycle Rider Fate
There’s an additional consideration, or cliche, that expresses another viewpoint about two types of motorbike riders: “Those that have gone down, and those that will.”
Although this viewpoint is not shared by all motorcyclists, per force, it can only exist within the second half of the “I’m a good rider safety spectrum.” In other words, no rider who entertains the first belief that “I’m a good rider, I won’t crash” cannot also hold an idea that it is fate that every biker will ultimately go down.
So, where do your beliefs fall within this spectrum?
That’s somewhat of a trick question, because regardless of what you may “think” or even “say” about motorcycle safety, the true answer is reflected in what you wear when you ride.
Motorcycle Protective Gear
Your safety beliefs are evident by your riding gear. If you believe you are a good rider and you won’t crash, you probably won’t place a priority on wearing any or all of the following:
♦ Full-Face Motorcycle Helmet
♦ Full Motorcycle Gloves (Not half gloves)
♦ Good Motorcycle Boots
♦ A Good Quality Motorcycle Jacket with armor
♦ Motorcycle Pants or Chaps (Ideally, with armor)
On the other hand, if you are at the other end of the spectrum and believe you are a good rider but are not confident about everyone else on the road, you likely will be wearing some or all of the above.
What’s the Best Motorcycle Safety Philosophy?
Reality is uncompromisingly revelatory: Bikers crash every day. Too many motorcyclists get killed. Every day.
And yet as humans many of us believe that “Crashing won’t happen to me.” Which means every rider who has crashed and/or been killed was likely thinking a similar thing: “It won’t ever happen to me.”
The good new is that some percentage of riders will be right: “It won’t happen to them.” Carry on!
But how do you “know” you’ll never go down?
What if it’s possible that some day you might crash?
What should you be wearing on that day?
A little reflection on how to improve one’s likelihood of enjoying riding as long as possible would include the philosophy of embracing the following safety points:
♦ Wearing protective gear
♦ Increasing one’s riding skills (study, training, practice)
♦ Gaining lots of riding experience! (Ideally, while developing good riding habits)
By the way, what about bikers who don’t consider they are a good rider in the first place?
Although that concept should easily encompass brand-new riders, I don’t actually recall ever meeting anyone who considered that they were “not” a good rider – completely independent of their experience.
What are your views on motorcycle safety? (Add your perspective below).
In answer to Charles question: ATGATT is acronym for All The Gear All The Time.
I live in Florida,I see guys riding all the time with sandals,T-shirts,no helmets,Ialways say to my self Boy is that gonna hurt.Yes’ it does get hot down here,but ” I would rather sweat then bleed. I”ve been riding bikes for 35+ yrs, I wear gear all the time.I have been told that many people think that people that wear gear do so because they are not good riders. I think people that don’t wear gear are amateurs.
Imagine this….flesh and material co-mingled, first responders, aid car, helicopter ride, hospital, surgery, doctors, nurses, nurses aids, blood draws, injections, ivs, skin grafts, infection, home care, physical therapy, BILLS and more BILLS, debt, scars, heal time, friends and family upset. Geez…. THINK…. be responsible….wear protective gear.
You can wear all the gear in the world but if you over drive the bike you ride and the road conditions you greatly increase the chances of getting a good case of road rash!! Driving your crusier or touring bike like it is a sport bike is sure way to have an crash! Know your limits but also know your bikes limits and stay as far from them as possible! You never know what is around the next corner in the road and exiting that courner at the limits of your tires. Only to find a cow at the end of the curve with your name on it. Is how riders put themselves in a no win situation!
I have boots (military) gloves, a Caberg helmet and a mesh jacket with CA armor panels. I wear everything all the time… Except for the thirteen blocks from my house to Pismo, where I run PT. Then it is just the helmet. I’m in shorts and dressed to run my 4 miles on the beach. Sometimes, I chicken out and ride the back residential streets, sometimes I just ride Grand ave. Always extra paranoid. its only 13 blocks and I have no place to put everything while I run.
Or course to other decision is to leave the bike (’92K100RS w/220,000 miles) and run all the way to the beach also. But that is only when I’m feeling froggy.
Getting back into riding after a long hiatus, I look back on my youth and marvel at my stupidity. I recall riding home from Wasaga beach with a bunch of friends, all on little Suzukis and Hondas, wearing only sandals and a bathing suit, flat out on the tank…..
To be fair to the times, safety wasn’t promoted, and there wasn’t a lot of education or choice in equipment then. I wore a helmet, and started wearing gloves after meeting a fellow from Brampton who had been t-boned by a lady. His hands were terribly scarred from sliding with them trapped under his body. After seeing them, I always rode with good gloves.
Today I have a big bike with ABS and lots of lighting, which I always have on, day or night. The bike is 850 lbs, and so far my biggest scare has been a couple of tipovers when stopped. (keep those handle bars straight!!!!)
I wear full gear most of the time, but ALWAYS wear boots, gloves, a good Arai helmet and armoured jacket, the pants being the biggest hassle when going out for a quick ride. Starting back into riding in April ‘09, after 35 years of bikeless frustration, I now have 3 armoured jackets, and one pair of armoured pants. In my mind, full gear IS cool: the morons on their Harleys in tshirts and half-hats are idiots.
My last bike, a 650 Triumph, had 36 hp. This BMW has 100, and I ride it with the idea that cars are out to get me. Anticipation is the most important skill- looking ahead, slowing before other’s brake lights go on, choosing my places to pass with care, watching for pavement irregularities, using my mirrors constantly. I agree with the comment about a loud horn: this BMW has twin horns louder than any car or SUV I’ve owned, and I ride with my thumb close to the horn button.
The worst accident I had was years ago in downtown Vancouver in rushhour, and I was clipped by another bike’s handle bars when traffic abruptly slowed: sliding along the asphalt, seeing the undercarriage of cars behind me as they skidded towards me is a lasting memory that, though it doesn’t haunt me, constantly reminds me that a mistake or momentary lack of concentration can put me there again.
I take less chances these days, though the safety features of the bike are far superior to the early days, as are the tires. Having armoured gear does not promote a feeling of invincibility- I expect that I’ll have a crash in the next ten years. I just want to minimize the effects when it happens.
I’ve always heard of the two different kinds of riders, those who have been down, and those who will go down. I believe I belong to a third variety. Those who have been down, and will go down again. My first one was actually on a minibike, the old lawnmower powered variety. I was 12, and nobody in my family was smart enough to make me put on a helmet. I spent a week in a coma, didn’t even recognize my mother or know who I was for the next four days. Not to mention the various broken bones. So I wised up at 12 and started wearing helmets whenever riding motorcycles. Now I even wear one any time I ride my bicycle.
The second big one was at 16. Yamaha RD350, t-boned by a ‘73 Gran Torino going 55 in a 35 zone. I nearly lost my right leg on that one, along with various other broken bones, including my neck, and lots of skin lost. But I was wearing my helmet, so I survived. The helmet didn’t survive.
I don’t wear ALL the gear that I should, but I do wear boots, gloves, and a helmet, always. These cover the parts of the body that are the most difficult to repair.
When I ride defensively and ATGATT, and I see traffic up ahead, knowing full well that the cagers are getting stressed out, I tell myself that everyone on the road just wants to get to where they are going. That puts my attitude in check and i ride with a bit more patience and awareness.
I enjoyed reading SATYR’s comments.
George A
There is a natural progression to rider safety (think aviation techniques):
1. Rider knowledge, attitude and alertness is FAR more effective to preventing an incident, injury or death. Always SCAN for potential trouble (animals, vehicles, debris, riding into the sun half-blinded).
2. Rider health is second in importance. Mental health includes riding without drugs, alcohol or while angry. Physical health means you are able to perform all M/C control functions required in your M/C owner’s manual.
3. Rider “choices” are critical to maintaining your safe passage.
4. Rider protective gear are only effective AFTER you are caught in an out-of-control situation. I avoid the use of ACCIDENT because I believe most bad things happen for a reason. I fear protective gear may be oversold when the first two paragraphs are not emphisized enough.
AVIATION? Yes. An aviator is responsible for control of a fragile craft costing millions of dollars, that travels at high speed, and may contain hundreds of passengers. The operator and passengers are not required to wear “protective clothing.” Instead, the operator (crew) is trusted to make “good decisions” every time, every day, over his career lifetime.
Motorcycle operators would benefit most from the AVIATOR model and accept all the responsibility for the safety of both the vehicle control and vehicle passengers. Read all safety data, ride healthy, SCAN constantly and always be ready to react to threats.
Ride safe and enjoy all the sensory moments that motorcycling offers.
ATGATT= All The Gear All The Time. This is how i ride. But it was not always that way. i spent almost seven years and 45000 miles on a WideGlide with little more than jeans and a t-shirt. Now that I graduated up to a GFS1250s I wear ATGATT. Not long after i got the GSF I lowsided it at about 40 mph on a twisty backroad. Many thousands in dammage to the bike. I walked away with only a torn tendon in my thumb. Yeah, you bet i still wear the gear…
ATGATT?
Will someone please be as kind as to inform me as I have never actually seen what this stands for.
cds
I wear gear appropriate to protect the body parts I would like to keep in-tact. I drive with the knowledge that EVERYONE & EVERTHING IS out to get me and my only defence is awareness and aquired skills.
Funny about people who think they don’t look cool when wearing the gear. I ride a Harley Road King and am ATGATT. For many, Harleys, and all the gear do not jibe… I’m not too concerned. I mean when you think about it, who are you “looking cool” for, by not wearing gear? For the many nameless, faceless people who see you ride by, who you will never know or talk to? Chances are, your friends and family will appreciate you taking the extra safety, even though all those anonymous people may think otherwise… :/
My bike has ABS, I have a yellow FF yelmet with reflective tape on it, and at night I wear a bright orange reflective vest (along with armor jacket, etc.). I ride because it provides that feeling that only MC riders know… wearing the gear puts me in the mindset that this is a potentially dangerous hobby, and deserves respect.
With all that said… people should be able to choose what they do or dont’ wear on an MC.
I ride in Doha where it is hot from April to November so there is a strong temptation to get on the bike with just helmet, gloves, jeans, boots and T shirt and I have succumb to that temptation a couple of times..
Funny enough I was reading your article last month, where your described 2 crashes that you had. Almost identicle. One you had 3 months recovering from road rash (wore the t shirt) the other you got up and walked with no injury..
Well as far as I am concerned 3 months without riding is too long. So it is all the gear all the time for me. That is helmet, body armored coat and pants, boots gloves.
Luckily I have not had many accidents, had both knees scraped last year, (started wearing knee pads and kevlar jean inserts after that) but I also ride as defensively as I can. My reasoning is, I enjoy riding so much that I want to keep doing it and that means staying crash or at least serious injury free.. Looking into my 3 year old daughters eyes as she says to be careful on the bike is also a good incentive to stay on the safe side of your spectrum..
I have experienced both trains of thought. The first train was derailed about 4 years ago. Now I tend to pay more attention to how safe a rider I can be. The wife appreciates that.
Ride safe, stay alert, stay alive!
Woke up anticipating the nice, long ride to Lake Tahoe. Thought I wanted to look cool with my long sleeved shirt, leather vest, jeans, and buckled riding boots. I didn’t want to look cumbersome with my armored jacket and pants, and I am a safe rider! At 400 miles, at the last stretch of highway almost to South Lake, feeling the cool breeze through my body, going about 65 right behind a Mercedes and in front of a truck. BAM!! I held the bike up, didn’t let it go down. Oh man! I did not see that rock – the size of a softball in the middle of the road soon enough. By the time, I saw it, it was too late. I believe angels were holding up the bike. The wheel had a little dent and the tire looked scuffed. I know it could have been really bad if I went down. While trying to keep the bike up, thoughts went through my head – “I should have worn my protective gear, etc., etc.!” This taught me a big lesson! I will wear my protective gear – no matter how I think I look. I want to live and be able to ride for a long, long time!
I am a member of the first club. I’ve had a few crashes and drops with the scars to prove it. I was young, dumb and full of . . . – but now I’m a lot older and ride completely different. Hopefully I am not a member of the second club. I wear all the equipment except for the armored pants. I’ve found that complete defensive driving is the way to go. I can usually tell what a driver is going to do before he knows that he’s going to do these days. That doesn’t mean that some driver isn’t going to sneak up on me and then – kabluie. The worse accident I had was while I was riding at 27 MPH. Another driver coming towards me made a left right across my path and I could not avoid him. Now I’m very careful when I’m around other drivers.
One of the things I’ve found that helps is the loudest horn you can find. They’re cheap too. A lot of times the other driver just didn’t see you and if he encroaches he doesn’t realize it until it’s too late.
Where I live there’s a lot of “Team Geritol” drivers. they not only don’t know where they’re going, but they also are very afraid of going there.
Ride safe. It’s your only salvation.
everyone is going to have a big list of avoidances and mistakes.you just get to live a little longer, and put those in the back of your mind for reference.every day is a challenge.