Risk mitigation

[Tetsuo1000]

There is risk in riding a motorcycle. It is a lot of fun but I bet any one of us who has been doing it for 20+ years knows someone who has paid for that fun with their life.
Our Busa brother @Dancallun has a cool looking helmet that adds to his experience. Others (including me) questioned his choices of Personal Protective Equipment.
His considered response made me question my opinion.
Riding a hyper bike is already increasing risk, if we chose that over a Honda NC 750 or similar good plain slow motorcycle, what gives us the right to judge others choices of legal risk management of the sport that enhances their experience?

OR

 

[DougE]

I try to be a live and let live type of person. As long as they understand the risk they take with the gear they wear then that's fine. I know that some people are ATGATT no matter how short the ride is. Personally, I can relate to @Dancallun in regards to wearing different type of gear depending on the ride. If I will be riding a bit aggressive then I wear a full face Arai, full protective jacket, gloves and boots. If I am going for a relaxed ride then it'll be a vest with back protector, lighter gloves and full face helmet. I do wear a brain bucket (German style half helmet) but that is when I am cruising on the strip at the beach going no faster than 25mph.

When I had my accident, I was wearing a t-shirt, vest, full face, gloves, jeans and boots. I don't remember much but i know that i went over the handlebars, slamming the car and sliding off the car onto the road. All I had was a small scratch on my arm. The other damage was hip pain due to slamming into the tank and back pain but i had a D30 armor in my vest. I could have gone with a full leather jacket but I knew and accepted the facts of what could happen going with lighter gear.

I know it's hard not to judge but sometimes we need to try and see it from a different perspective.

 

[Bigboy Busa2]

No helmet law below me I S.C. personal choice. Like I think it should be with seat belts.

 

[WuzzaCBXRider]

No helmet law below me I S.C. personal choice. Like I think it should be with seat belts.

I’d agree as long as you pay for the insurance necessary to keep you hospitalized so others wouldn’t have to.

 

[Dopey]

I am a gear nazi with my friends and they all know it and some listen and some don't. I'm usually in full gear wether it's my 2 piece suit or one of my jackets and actual riding jeans occasionally I will do a bit of a squid ride on a hot day and leave the jacket at home but it's usually with the intent of it being a chill ride but there usually ends up with a few speed bursts that I yell at myself for later. But I feel it is the riders choice ultimately and we all know when we throw a leg over a bike we have a higher risk of not making it home then if we leave in a car. Here's a pic of the squid ride i took last year. The cop ended up being real cool, said he "got a call" about some bikes "racing". Not sure what he was talking about since we were riding real cool most of the ride altho if he'd been about 2 miles farther down he'd had some triple digits on his radar. My cousin thought it was funny to snap a pic of me being pulled over since I had got him the year before and sent them to him from across the parking lot while he was talking to the cop.

 

[Bigboy Busa2]

I’d agree as long as you pay for the insurance necessary to keep you hospitalized so others wouldn’t have to.

Probability of getting seriously hurt on a motorcycle vs car goes up how much? Yeah, motorcycle insurance should be 200% higher to cover the cost of possibility I guess. So other wont have to pay for it.

 

[Bigboy Busa2]

I’d agree as long as you pay for the insurance necessary to keep you hospitalized so others wouldn’t have to.

Maybe if I wear my seatbelt and helmet in my car my rates will drop. Huh, food for thought.

 

[Bumblebee]

Well......I agree with @WuzzaCBXRider people who don't protect themselves in a relatively dangerous sport aren't just putting themselves into the fray....the potential for serious injury in a motorcycle accident is 100% higher than in a modern vehicle. Not only does the rider themselves suffer but there is a strain on the medical system when these injured riders require more care. Think of the poor medical people who have to not only listen to the screams of a road rash covered patient but have to clean all the debris out of the wounds and try to stitch the skin back together...

If a rider is injured and not wearing protective gear, should they pay more? I think they should, either that or get a discount in insurance as a responsible rider wearing gear...

Seat belts have been proven time and time again to save lives, motorcycle helmets (proper ones) can save a life but it does little when a rider doesn't protect the rest of their body.

As a former road racer and motorcycle instructor, I am a HUGE advocate of riders wearing proper protective gear...there is a price to be paid for riding a motorcycle, and that price is the inherent risk of personal injury.

 

[DougE]

If a rider is injured and not wearing protective gear, should they pay more? I think they should, either that or get a discount in insurance as a responsible rider wearing gear...

If you were the one putting together a law/requirement for motorcycle protective gear, what would be your standards or what gear would qualify to receive a safe rider discount?

 

[Mathewrussell52]

I live in the insurance capital of the US. No helmet laws here. They would rather you not wear a helmet and die it’s cheaper.

 

[Bumblebee]

I live in the insurance capital of the US. No helmet laws here. They would rather you not wear a helmet and die it’s cheaper.

Sadly, in a cruel, gruesome way, they are correct....

 

[Oldtimermick]

I’m all for safe riding gear, I wouldn’t go anywhere without my double plugga’s.
Riding with single plug thongs is just crazy.

 

[Bumblebee]

If you were the one putting together a law/requirement for motorcycle protective gear, what would be your standards or what gear would qualify to receive a safe rider discount?

Well, with my background, a full faced DOT/Snell/ECE helmet, jacket, boots and gloves at a minimal...if there were such a thing as getting a bonus discount, protective pants as well...or maybe that air bag vest.

It wouldn't matter what brand, style or CC the motorcycle is-if you have the gear on and use it regularly, you would get a substantial discount, if I had any authority to impose such a thing.

It would never fly as there are just too many "squids and pirates" out there who would oppose....and it would be a nightmare enforcing such things.......however, when it comes to insurance coverage, this sort of thing could be imposed....for those who want a discount, they will follow the policy, for those who don't they would pay more.

Everyone thinks "so what if I don't wear a helmet or get road rash because I wore a tee shirt, sandals and shorts....the "so what" is the efforts rescue and medical people have to go through to provide care-which takes away from people who have other medical emergencies (heart attacks, etc...).

 

[Bumblebee]

I’m all for safe riding gear, I wouldn’t go anywhere without my double plugga’s.
Riding with single plug thongs is just crazy.

Whatever the heck that is........

 

[Bigboy Busa2]

Well......I agree with @WuzzaCBXRider people who don't protect themselves in a relatively dangerous sport aren't just putting themselves into the fray....the potential for serious injury in a motorcycle accident is 100% higher than in a modern vehicle. Not only does the rider themselves suffer but there is a strain on the medical system when these injured riders require more care. Think of the poor medical people who have to not only listen to the screams of a road rash covered patient but have to clean all the debris out of the wounds and try to stitch the skin back together...

If a rider is injured and not wearing protective gear, should they pay more? I think they should, either that or get a discount in insurance as a responsible rider wearing gear...

Seat belts have been proven time and time again to save lives, motorcycle helmets (proper ones) can save a life but it does little when a rider doesn't protect the rest of their body.

As a former road racer and motorcycle instructor, I am a HUGE advocate of riders wearing proper protective gear...there is a price to be paid for riding a motorcycle, and that price is the inherent risk of personal injury.

I always wear a helmet and jacket and gloves. Except that one time, back in 2012. Really bad stuff, actually made a payment on that last night before I posted that comment. I dont care about the helmet law, I dont like to wear my seatbelt. I'm too fat and it hurt my belly

 

[Bigboy Busa2]

I’m all for safe riding gear, I wouldn’t go anywhere without my double plugga’s.
Riding with single plug thongs is just crazy.

Sounds like your riding for the wrong reason boss

 

[Bumblebee]

I always wear a helmet and jacket and gloves. Except that one time, back in 2012. Really bad stuff, actually made a payment on that last night before I posted that comment. I dont care about the helmet law, I dont like to wear my seatbelt. I'm too fat and it hurt my belly

Yup, and that's all it takes is that one time...many a time someone who was seriously injured were just riding to the store and figured all the gear was just too much to wear...

Hitting the pavement at even 20 mph is not pretty...

 

[Bigboy Busa2]

Whatever the heck that is........

Ask for pictures or it ain't true, you'll find out

 

[Bumblebee]

Ask for pictures or it ain't true, you'll find out

I've been in combat but the thought of seeing pictures of this scares me even more...

 

[Oldtimermick]

Whatever the heck that is........

These are double plugga’s