This will probably irritate some of my biker friends who buy into the image of being in the wind and not gearing up. We have had a rash of guys getting killed on bikes and the sad foot note, more often than not, the biker was not wearing a helmet. I know riders who were LEOs and Firefighters who WOULD NEVER NOT WEAR THEIR VEST OR TURNOUTS who hit the road with fingerless gloves, tennis shoes, leather vest and a tank top. It aint cool. I can tell you that in 1998, I was riding home from work on a Friday in April. I was planning a ride to Picacho Peak to look at the spring flowers. I was riding a 1994 Honda CB1000 and was traveling south on Greenfield road at Southern and saw a school bus coming north. I saw the yellow lights come on and prepared to stop. A pickup truck pulled in behind me. We both stopped and I kept the bike in gear. I was wearing a brand new Shoei helmet and a 3/4 length Paris to Dakar leather jacket and winter gloves. I hear the brakes of a car lock up behind me and I figure it is better to get out of Dodge and dump the clutch and I am moving. I was not quick enough. A 16 year old, driving daddys Town car, failed to stop and hit the pickup truck behind me and that truck hit me and launched me into low earth orbit. Up I went and down I came on the slow lane of Greenfield road. I hit so hard, my brand new helmet was cracked. The tailpiece on my bike was six inches into the radiator of the truck behind me. The bike did not fall over. It took a wrecker to put chains on the fork tubes and block the wheels of the truck in order to pull it free. I got a screwed up right arm that took almost a year to fully heal and a screwed up left thumb that still bothers me. Had to throw the jacket away, the helmet away and the bike was totaled. I can still remember lying in the road way thinking that I really needed to get up before a Ready Mix truck came along and left tire tracks on what was left of me. The pickup driver looked like he had seen a ghost. The police came, the ambulance came and I had no broken bones. I went to the ER to get checked out. I was sore for a long time but I still ride and I gear up EVERY TIME. Bikes are a great way to travel but they are unforgiving of fools. I can hear all the arguments. . .helmets too heavy. . .gloves that actually protect your hands are not cool. . .leather is too heavy and too hot. Try bare skin on the pavement in Phoenix and you will wish you had geared up. Funny thing, there is another rider that I see over at my local dealer on Saturday. He is older than me and I am going to be 72. Every time I see him, he is dressed to ride and not dressed to make a fashion statement. If I have made my HD brothers angry. . .sorry. If I have given you something to think about. . .well, I feel a lot better about that. Enjoy the sport. I really dont care what you ride. I just hate to see so many get hurt when it is a pretty simple thing to dress for the ride and even the playing field. You will never be able to outsmart every cager who tries to kill you but you CAN stack the odds in your favor. I hope you will take the advice to heart. But for the gear, folks would be talking about how natural I looked. . . . .I dont need that attention yet. I need to ride some more.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 17:35:56 +0000
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