You'll know after reading a few of my blog posts (this one for instance) that I find it pretty irritating when riders fail to wear any protective gear while they're operating (or being a passenger on) a motorcycle. However, there's a bit of a trend I'm noticing that swings the pendulum in the complete opposite direction. ATGATT is an acronym for All The Gear All The Time and is a term used by a lot of riders who believe that you should never be without full protection while you're on a motorcycle.
While this idea is generally something I can stand behind, I believe some common sense may be in order for some individuals. If you are riding on a track or plan to do some aggressive canyon carving on your bike, by all means wear a full bodysuit, proper boots, gloves, etc. But, if you are riding two blocks down the street to get a cheeseburger, then I'd say that much gear is a bit of an overkill.
As I stated previously, use some common sense. A good riding jacket, helmet, gloves, and boots will go a long way in keeping you safe enough for nearly all of the riding you will be doing. A good pair of jeans should also go a long way...no yoga pants on motorcycles, ladies! You can splurge and buy the Kevlar reinforced jeans, but that's up to you and your budget. Please don't get fully geared to ride your bike from you driveway into your garage.
"People should not be protected from the world.. -It cripples them." - Josephine Humphreys
It snowed and it appears that riding season has come to a close for me. For some reason I was surprisingly ok with it this year. My first thought was that I was able to ride for half of the month of November and there have been years that I wouldn't have been able to do that.
Then, yesterday I had an extremely stressful day at work. It was definitely in the top five worst days of my career. My first thought as I walked outside was how much I'd like to ride my motorcycle so I could relieve some of the stress that I was feeling. A little aggressive riding usually will clear my head very quickly. Driving my car home didn't help at all to reduce my stress levels.
Luckily, I was able to unwind a bit last night and I slept pretty well given the circumstances. However, I just can't shake the feeling that a motorcycle ride would really help my mindset right now. Maybe I'll workout tonight, it may not be as effective as motorcycling, but it sounds a whole lot healthier than having a drink or two, which also crossed my mind. Getting a little exercise can never be a bad thing.
"Adopting the right attitude can covert a negative stress into a positive one." - Hans Selye
If you have read some of my past blog posts, you probably know that a concern/interest of mine is what motorcycling will be like in the future. I've read multiple articles detailing what a world with autonomous vehicles would look like, but this one really resonated with me. It looks at this subject from the perspective of a motorcyclist. The theory is that a more autonomous vehicles would create a safer environment for motorcycles because it removes other people from the equation. We no longer will have to rely on other people to notice us, or not be distracted in some way. Personally, I like that idea!
Imagine a world that motorcycles are the only vehicle that would still be operated by people. Would there still be danger? Absolutely, but you wouldn't have to worry about the person that's cutting across three lanes while stuffing pizza in his face taking you out. Right now, I hear that you're pretty much guaranteed to be hit by a driver in Los Angeles if you're riding a motorcycle (of course this is a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point). This danger can be eliminated.
The article also details the safer motorcycles being able to identify dangers that lay ahead on the road. While this is also encouraging, I feel it pales in comparison to eliminating the danger of other drivers. Now, if we could only do something about the suicidal animals jumping out in front of us...
"I drive a motorbike, so there is a whiff of the grim reaper round every corner, especially in London." - Benedict Cumberbatch
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I recently had a discussion about motorcycling with a coworker. He said that he now rides a cruiser because he found sportbikes too dangerous and didn't think he could control himself enough to justify owning one. Now my bike isn't necessarily a sportbike, but it's definitely close. I told him that I use "controlled recklessness" when riding a motorcycle that has the ability to put me in especially dangerous situations.
What is controlled recklessness? It's strategically picking the places and times that you decide to do things that some may consider reckless. An example of this would be trying to wheelie your bike in an empty parking lot instead of in the middle of a bustling downtown area. This may seem like common sense, but you'd be surprised how many riders don't follow this practice.
One great example of me using controlled recklessness is the my choice of roads when I decide to ride at excessive speed. There is a stretch of road not far from my house that is flat, clean, and in the country. If conditions are acceptable (daylight, little to no wind, and high visibility) I'll open up the throttle a little. Is this still dangerous? Absolutely! However, I make sure that other unnecessary variables aren't also working against me.
Another instance of controlled recklessness was the time I did a stoppie in my driveway. A stoppie, for those that don't know, is when a rider brakes aggressively while shifting his or her weight forward, causing the motorcycle's rear wheel to come off of the ground. There were no other vehicles around and I knew my driveway was debris free. Again this is a dangerous thing to do, but I knew this would be a relatively safe location to do it. Actually, in this case, I was showing off to my son who was watching me from the porch. I know this is setting a bad example, but hopefully I can teach him the lesson of controlled recklessness when he gets old enough to ride his own motorcycle.
If your reading this and thinking that I'm condoning reckless behavior, I guess you're right. I look at it this way, people who own sportbikes tend to buy them to be a little reckless anyway (notice that I said TEND, there are exceptions, so don't get defensive if you're the exception). Hopefully, they read this and at least try to pick the proper moments to be a little reckless. I wish I had taken this advice when I was a young rider.
"We pushed to the edge of recklessness, yet I felt safe." - Ruat Sepetys
I've always called myself a "half-assed" fan of a lot of things. Motorcycling has been my biggest focus for the past twenty-five years, but I dabble in other interests. I call myself a half-assed fan of music, comics, and weight training. I enjoy each of these things quite a bit, but I can't dedicate enough time to truly call myself a fan.
How do I know I'm a half-assed fan? Usually I figure this out by having a discussion with a true fan and getting overwhelmed with the knowledge of this person. Conversations usually are sparked by the shirt I'm wearing (I have multiple band and superhero shirts).
I'll enter a store wearing my Wolverine t-shirt and run into someone who suddenly has excitement written all over their face. The conversation will lead into specific issues of a comic that I have no idea about. I just nervously nod and agree with whatever the person is saying, desperately listening for something familiar in what they're describing.
This can be even worse with music. I own a Slayer shirt, which I wear on occasion. I do truly like their music and am pretty knowledgeable about it. However, Slayer fans are usually diehards and you better be prepared to have an in depth conversation if you wear a Slayer shirt. I've tried to keep up with discussions about specific shows on Slayer's tours and deep tracks that only the most dedicated fan would know of. This also can lead into discussions of obscure metal bands that I have never heard of.
I bring all of this up, because I wonder if I do this to half-assed motorcycle enthusiasts when I talk to them. I hope I don't frighten people by an extremely in depth conversation about something they aren't that knowledgeable about. My advice to anyone in this situation is to steer the conversation toward subjects you know and let on that you may not have as much knowledge as the other person. Hopefully, you'll learn something new about a subject you enjoy, even if you're just a half-assed fan.
"You can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind." - Kurt Vonnegut
