Triumphrat

Originally Posted by dennis3509

I had the same question as the original poster when I started looking into motorcycle riding. I'm a long-time bicycle rider, some racing, mostly commuting in traffic with cars. Fighting traffic on a 20-pound bike, with only a t-shirt, lycra shorts, half-fingered gloves, and my shoes. I've gone down a few times due to a variety of reasons. Never a collision with a car, but a couple of evasive moves that kept me from colliding with a car tossed me. A sprained wrist and extremely minor road rash are the worst I've faced in my wrecks.

When I started looking at motorcycles, I promised myself and my family, I wouldn't get on the motorcycle without the full safety equipment. Partly, I am riding a 400-pound machine with parts that can easily burn me. Partly, I am now moving at a higher pace in the middle of traffic. Also, as a new rider, I know I'm in the highest risk group for having an incident where I'll want the safety gear.

Then I started thinking of those trips to the grocery store. The store is only a mile away, in neighborhood streets with a 25-mph limit. I can ride my bicycle to the store at 25-mph, while wearing my bicycle clothing. I think my confusion, interest, not sure the proper description, came when I realized that on both the bicycle and motorcycle, I'm riding the same streets, at the same speeds, but with very different tolerances of what I consider to be proper safety gear.

Maybe someday I'll feel comfortable in only gloves, jacket, and helmet on the way to the store. Give me 20 years of motorcycle and see how I feel.

It is similar to bicycle riding. When I was a kid, nobody wore a helmet. We had heads split open, but I can't remember any serious injuries that did not involve a kid getting hit by a drunk driver. Now, the only time I don't wear a bicycle helmet is on park trails where I'm riding a slow, relaxed ride with few other bicycles around, and no cars. Just my level of comfort with the risk I'm taking.