- This topic has 25 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 2 months ago by Clay Dowling.
Armor
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February 16, 2009 at 4:16 pm #16530MunchParticipant
Actually I am more familiar with the point and origin of chaps than likely anyone on here. I grew up ranching and rode bulls for a couple of years . TBH most of my riding is back and forth to work which is 95% super slab. 70+ mph …no ass is the least of my worries.. this summer though I am looking at getting some Draggin’ Jeans though.
February 16, 2009 at 4:56 pm #16532Clay DowlingParticipantThe bright colors on gear are to help improve visibility. After a couple of years driving a silver Honda Accord and getting to know my local body shop really well, I’ve learned to appreciate visibility. Red bike, red helmet, red highlights on the jacket. And if I could have found a solid red all-weather jacket I’d own it. Bright colors are no replacement for situational awareness and good reflexes, but they’re a very good supplement to it.
February 16, 2009 at 6:10 pm #16533MedicParticipantAbsolutely, I agree with you 100%
The jacket I just bought has these little reflective pin stripes on an otherwise all black jacket. Not gonna do it.
For my money though, I’ll throw a hi-viz vest over whatever I’m wearing. Serves the same purpose, and it’s much more versatile. When I get off the bike I can just ditch the vest and I don’t have to be a stand-out anymore. Works for me.
February 16, 2009 at 6:56 pm #16535MedicParticipantSo along these lines, I was thinking and ended up buying black reflective tape from ebay. Since I ordered a black helmet, I figured it’d be a great idea to improve visibility at night without messing up the look of the helmet.
And for about $6 I should have enough for the helmet, maybe my jacket if I can get it to stick, and probably a few strips on the bike somewhere.Not sure if anyone else uses this, I’d be interested to hear if anyone has had success with it. But hey, if it doesn’t work, it was only $6. Worth a shot IMO
February 17, 2009 at 4:59 am #16556SantaCruzRiderParticipantI’ve used the reflective black tape on my bike (the stuff that looks matte in the light, not the diamond engineered reflective type).
I used it on the back of the metal bracket that olds the passenger backrest. In the light, it blends perfectly with the black bracket and pad, but it lights up at night when headlights hit it. (see pic)
I also added several diagonal stripes on the sides of my hard cases.
It sticks well to metal and plastic, but I don’t think it would hold on leather.
I also thought about adding it to my helmet (also matte black), but instead went with one of those reflective bands. At first, I thought it looked a little dorky, but when I saw how bright it lit up, I was sold. Other than my headline, it’s probably the most visible part of my bike and it works at the 10-2 angles that are the most dangerous at night.February 17, 2009 at 5:42 am #16557MedicParticipantYup, that’s the stuff. I think a person would almost be foolish NOT to put some of that tape on their bike somewhere. I mean, you can’t even tell it’s there until it serves it’s purpose right? Kind of a no-brainer. And a very cheap way to improve safety.
Now that you mention it though, I think I may go with something different for my helmet too. I know I can get a reflective strip made to go on our helmets for training, and I think one of those would be MUCH brigher. Pretty much what you were talking about. If I come up with something clever I’ll post it up.
I just ordered a Scorpion Vision orange vest too. Now that I look at them more I kinda wish I would’ve gotten the yellow one because they seem brighter, but oh well, should work fine. I’m all about being seen at night.
Now I have everything except the pants…and a bike haha
February 17, 2009 at 6:13 am #16558MunchParticipantI had put the tape on my leather bags on the V500…. my co workers followed me home one time and told me they are almost too reflective. Which is a good thing. I am plotting spots on my V900 but theres lil black to put them on. So I will think on designing something on my custom home painted helmet instead. Besides that I have a Chrome “sissy bar” plate that sends their headlights back at them.
February 19, 2009 at 3:17 am #16591StumpyjayParticipantOk, so a helmet, jacket, gloves, and sturdy riding footwear are pretty easy but how often do you wear protective pants? To me they seem like the most likely to get left out.
February 19, 2009 at 4:04 am #16592RabParticipantMe? I can only think of about two occasions in the last year that I didn’t wear my textile over-pants when on the bike, and I ride 4-5 days a week.
I’ve got Olympia Airglide armored pants which are a mesh and cordura outer pant with a detachable water/wind proof inner pant (liner), so they’re adaptable to pretty much any weather.
February 19, 2009 at 4:03 pm #16600MattParticipantLots of people don’t bother with pants, yet if you go down you be certain that at the bare minimum your knees will hit the ground. Butt and Hips are pretty high probability as well.
I wear Joe Rocket Alterego pants everytime I ride. In the cold or rain they are wonderful, and even in the heat they aren’t too bad if you take out the rain liner and open the vents.
February 19, 2009 at 4:12 pm #16601Clay DowlingParticipantI just got my pair, and owing to it being February here, I’ve only gotten to wear them once. They are definitely awesome though. One of the keys for riding pants is that they need to be easy to put on and take off. Prior to this I’d been making do with a heavy pair of insulated work jeans. A lot tougher than regular pants, but still not likely to provide much protection. The Alter Ego pants are a lot more comfortable and provide a lot more protection. Also, they aren’t buckskin brown, which is a serious concern when you ride 40 miles through the country. I’m pretty paranoid about wearing brown outside in rural areas.
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