what i paid for what i'm riding has *zero* bearing on what my skin is
worth to me; i'll bleed just as much falling off of a $600 motorcycle as
off of a $16K motorcycle.
when people ask me what it costs to get into motorcycling, i find that
most are surprised when my first response is directed towards what it
costs to get get properly dressed to ride the most safely... and i find
it odd that most seem to think they can somehow justify putting off that
cost until after they've been riding longer; as if riding less protected
with the least experience is somehow going to be OK...?!
as for helmets; i hate them, but i've buried too many friends that have
come off of non-motorized wheels to believe that they're not beneficial.
i've even seen studies that imply that the forces suffered by a head
falling to the ground from off of a bicycle at most any speed are equal
to those encountered by dropping the head from the height of the average
male (about 6').
on the topic of the subject line; i don't generally initiate a wave in
urban areas unless we're sharing something more than just being there at
the same time (like maybe severe weather); but i find the farther i get
from civilization, the more likely this changes.
cheers!
e
Levi Smith wrote:
>
> Well, if it's warm out, I'm quite possibly in shorts and a t-shirt.
> I didn't spend all the money for "real" protection with some sort of armour
> in it, so in my mind, if the bike goes down, I'm doubting that pair of jeans
> are going to make a whole heck of a lot of difference. Maybe I'll have an
> extra 10th of a second before the jeans rip and wear off against the
> pavement...
>
> Don't get me wrong, I'll fully agree that real protection is the way to go.
> But I don't want to spend more than my bike cost (about $600) for something
> that would really protect me, and the time and pain to put it all on and off
> for a 15 minute ride, or just the trip to work...
>
> Heck, I'm riding my electric bicycle about 6+ miles each way to and from
> work, and on the one steep hill where I'm holding both brakes to keep it
> around 30mph max, I'm thinking how a helmet probably would be a good idea,
> since falling off a bicycle at 30mph is probably going to hurt about as much
> as falling off a motorcycle at that speed...
>
> Levi
>
> On 5/18/06, R A Bennell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >
> >
> > These sorts of stories are why I ultimately stopped riding and sold my
> > Goldwing. The older I get the slower I heal
> > and (hopefully) the smarter I get. I cut myself with with a biscuit
> > jointer in my workshop and it really only bit
> > one finger but it is a reminder that does not go away. It was one of the
> > things that made me realize I would not be
> > happy if I got off the bike the hard way and injured arms or legs etc. I
> > always wore a helmet and a leather jacket
> > and jeans and boots and gloves but I also knew that might not be enough.
> > (I commonly see people on bikes in shorts
> > and a T shirt.) My old 300D serves the purpose that the bike did and I
> > think I enjoy it every bit as much
> > (especially if it rains).
> >
> > Randy B
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
[snip]
