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What Gear Are You In?
Thanks to author Pat Hahn for
permission to post this article.
I first seen "What Gear Are You In," while reading the June 2006 edition
of the Free Riders Press.
I thought at one time or another each of us has ridden without concern
for what could happen.
Pat has helped shed some light on this issue.
“Dress for the slide, not the ride.” Photo courtesy Evans Brasfield.
Take a moment to picture yourself in shorts, sandals,
and a T-shirt on a blistering hot summer
day. Now imagine you’re lying on
the tailgate of a pickup truck. You’re three or four feet in the
air and the
ground beneath you asphalt.
Now, imagine rolling off the tailgate onto the ground.
At zero mph, it’s going to hurt a little bit, but you
can use your hands, back, shoulders, butt, or
whatever to cushion the fall.
If you land just right, you’ll only bang your elbow or knee or
scrape some
skin. Rethinking the whole maneuver, most people would probably rather stand
up and jump out so they could land on their feet.
(Hint: riders on motorcycles are rarely given the
choice whether to roll or land on their feet.
When the bike tumbles, the
rider usually tumbles too. So humor me and picture yourself
actually rolling
out of the truck onto the ground, okay?)
Now rolling out of the back of the truck at 5 mph. You
might opt for some clothing: blue jeans,
a denim shirt, some high-top shoes,
and maybe some knee and elbow pads, just to be on the
safe side. Got your
face covered?
Think about trying this same stunt at 15 mph. The shoes
are probably still sufficient, but street
clothes might not stay put. You
don’t want your shirt riding up and using your stomach or back
to slow you
down. Might be time to consider getting something that’s made for tumbling
on
pavement, like leather. You’re probably thinking about a pair of gloves,
too, and definitely
knee and elbow pads. (I fell on my hands and knees a lot
when I was a kid. I seem to
remember it hurt like hell.) Protecting your
head with your hands might be difficult—consider
donning a little headgear.
And so far, we’re only up to 15 mph. How do you feel
about 30? That’s pretty fast. That’s 44
feet per second, and you might want
a second skin. A throwaway layer. Covering your arms,
legs, torso, feet, and
hands. Good stuff, too. Thick. Not that lightweight crap they sell at
clothing stores. You want motorcycle-specific clothing, something that’ll
last for several
seconds of crashing.
Run that truck up to 60 mph. Sitting in the back of the
truck, it’s oddly a similar sensation to a
bike at 60. Feel the wind in your
hair? Nice, isn’t it? It’s nice if you get to stay in the truck––or
on your
bike. If you fall off, you’re sure to get hurt without a good layer of gear.
You may want
the works: full coverage, durable material, padding at the
shoulders, elbows, forearms, hips,
and knees––all the pointy places. You
might also want something to protect your spine and
your head. Don’t forget
sturdy boots and thick, sturdy gloves.
The higher the speed, the longer you’ll tumble, or the
harder you’ll hit whatever it is you’re
tumbling towards. To survive a fall
from a bike at any speed without injury, you need a second
skin. Even at 5
mph, you can change your good looks forever. There’s a reason motorcycle
racers can often walk away from 100-mph crashes more embarrassed than hurt:
they care as
much about the gear they wear as they do the bike they ride. If
you want to walk the+
motorcyclist walk, and talk the motorcyclist talk,
you’re going to want to wear the motorcyclist
wear.
Pat Hahn is the author of How to Ride a Motorcycle,
Ride Hard Ride Smart, and a co-author
of Track Day Handbook.
He lives in south Minneapolis. You can e-mail Pat at
readerresponse@hedonistic-enthusiasm.com
or visit his Web site at www.debaucheryball.org.
“Dress for the slide, not the ride.” Photo courtesy Evans Brasfield.
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