[Budd]

Yesterday, coming home from church and grocery shopping at about 2pm, I saw a whole lot of people in full gear on the roads. I saw one guy on a crusier in jeans and t-Shirt and guy on an R6 in shorts and a tank top, but everyone else had on at least jacket, gloves, helmet, and boots (can’t judge the pants, too hard to tell). I also saw a guy on one of those touring scooters splitting lanes of moving traffic (lane splitting of any kind is illegal in TN) and passing in a turning lane. He was wearing full gear, but, man, what an idiot. All the other riders I saw were riding responsibly, including the scooter guys wife, on a matching scooter, that was falling farther and farther behind her husband.

It just seemed strange to me.

[megaspaz]

You run the gamut of gear here in california. I see a lot of people wearing nothing but a helmet. I actually see very few people wearing full gear. Moped riders around here just wear open face helmets as if riding a moped magically makes it so you never get road rash if you skid. Some of them mopeds go pretty frickin’ fast too (500cc).

—
If there’s anything more important than my ego
around, I want it caught and shot now…

[Rab]

Lane-splitting is not illegal here in California and is the rule rather than the exception.

In fact it’s often the only way to make progress here in the rush-hour traffic and I often lane-split most of the way on my 35 mile commute; both ways!

It’s as safe or as un-safe as you make it to a large extent (pretty much like riding in general), but you always get the odd cell-phone yakking, coffee-drinking idiot who’ll pull out right in front of you without looking. Man, could that spoil your day…

[Budd]

I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing it in traffic at my skill level but think that it would be a good thing if done safely. This wasn’t done safely. I guess they were close to home because he wasn’t concerned about his wife falling behind.

“I am the best I am at what I do, and what I do ain’t nice.”-Wolverine

[acidpope]

Consider there is alot of new riders this year, due to the gas prices. Generally new riders haven’t had the chance to develop bad habits and will be safer (in terms of wearing full gear and not hotdogging it) than someone who’s been riding for awhile.

[canstaett]

So AZ has no helmet laws- there are people everwhere without gear of any kind. Most of them at least wear jeans though. I was riding through town one day, and sitting a stop light this guy comes from the cross road making a left past me. Wearing a helmet, swim trunks and flip flops. That’s it. All I could think about is “wow, that’s gonna hurt.”

Me, I’m worried that the one time I try it without full gear will be the one time I go down. 100+ degrees or not- I’m in full gear. I think it was here where I read the story about the guy who took a quick trip to the store without gear he always wore and that was when he landed in the hospital.

[acidpope]

My buddy from work always wears his helmet when he’s riding quads. Other day he rode without one because he was just going up the trail a short ways, guess what happened? Now he’s got a nice scar on the top front of his head. He’s lucky he didn’t crack his head wide open. Always wear a helmet, even if you’re just going down the road.

[smadaakram]

same kind of thing happened to me, i always wear full gear on or off road. well one time i decided I’d wear shorts b/c it was really hot and i was just riding on the back of a friends quad and we wouldn’t be going far or fast…bad idea!!! to make a long story short, i ended up having the inside of my thigh chewed off by the rear tire of the quad and a bunch of other cuts bruises and scrapes!
also got the whole side of my helmet scraped up, thank God i was wearing that!!! A.T.G.A.T.T.!

//@R!<

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