Favorite Motorcycle Riding Jackets In Your Collection

[ton312]

If you want to wreck yourself by all means please do, but with a kid???!! I'd slap that dude senseless. No excuse for that carelessness

With the Asian leathers you get a mixture of good and bad, I had a Yamaha factory branded race rep jacket that was a real tough piece, made in Pakistan. Then I saw the same thing on a stall at a bike show, sold by a general vendor that was just as pretty but did not even look like it would take a minor spill. But with these things, like all our Aero and Eastman etc lovers out there we can't all afford the top quality and its either what you can afford or simply no hobby.
As for the Power Ranger moniker, I know this is meant as an insult from our vintage jacket loving friends but I tend to embrace it and use it to describe my modern gear. I am a bit like a woman with bags and shoes, but with me it is jackets and trousers etc when it describes bike gear.
As for Abbreviations, I know a few, there are far too many in use though. I thought it was something like ATGNI, which is aimed mainly at the race rep crowd. All The Gear No Idea. Basically those that commute in full Rossi race rep stuff( or the Ewan and Charley types on their GSs )
Love biking in all it's themes.
Here's what they will be wearing this summer in Portugal.

Me, in Spain heading that way. Kevlar jeans, full mesh armoured jacket, no visor but industrial safety glasses, oh yes, and vented gloves not pictured.

 

[rocketeer]

no kidding...

I rode in an off road charity event this past June. We camped up at a big speedway in laconia new hampshire...during "bike weeK". There were dozens of big tractor trailers parked close by. I asked a guard what was in them. He said they were how many of the Harley riders got their bikes to bike week...

Hahahahahahahahaha A bit like that over here.

I've seen people drive to big bike shows, then change into motorcycle leathers standing at their car in the car park. That I really didn't get. Perhaps they wrre worried noone would believe they owned a motorcycle if they didn't turn up in biker drag.

Yes seen it at the Southend Easter run changing in a back street. Again, didn't have my GoPro on or they would be all over the net haha. And at the NEC Winter bike show. I think some of these are indeed bikers but don't like to meet their mates who have ridden there.

If you want to wreck yourself by all means please do, but with a kid???!! I'd slap that dude senseless. No excuse for that carelessness

Fair comment and not my scene but it happens all the time. Seen bikini clad girls on hired moped during European continental holidays.

 

[ButteMT61]

If I ever got to the point where I trailer'd my bike somewhere - taking dirt bikes out of the discussion - shoot me.

 

[IXL]

There are be many reasons one might trailer a bike. I've known people who have limited time for a vacation, wish to ride around a particular area, say Sturgis, and can't spend the time in the saddle to get there and then still be able to ride because of complications from previous injuries. They can either trailer there or never experience riding in the area at all.

I was a part of three couples who trailered six motorcycles down to the southeast part of this state in order to ride some of the only what-we-call mountains to be found here. Two of the three women in the group simply would not have been up to riding all the way to the "start" of the scenic ride, participated in the ride itself, and then ride back home in the time allotted for the trip. Trailering made this doable for everyone. On the drive down I might have ducked my head, some, a couple of times...... as we were passed by motorcyclists, though........

 

[ButteMT61]

@IXL - I get that. Of course I was mostly being a snob/tool. But in general, the trailer thing bothers me - for cars and bikes.

 

[IXL]

Yeah, I was just being a bit contrary myself. What kind of dirt bikes do you have? I still own the CanAm 175cc (real) enduro I purchased new in 1978, back when CanAm actually manufactured motorcycles. It's so old now that it is "vintage" class...so it fits right in with the tastes of most of the crowd in the Lounge. Of course, now I can wear the genuine Vanson leathers while riding it that I couldn't begin to afford as a snot-nosed little punk of a kid, but boy did I ever want them back then.

 

[ButteMT61]

Yeah, I was just being a bit contrary myself. What kind of dirt bikes do you have? I still own the CanAm 175cc (real) enduro I purchased new in 1978, back when CanAm actually manufactured motorcycles. It's so old now that it is "vintage" class...so it fits right in with the tastes of most of the crowd in the Lounge. Of course, now I can wear the genuine Vanson leathers while riding it that I couldn't begin to afford as a snot-nosed little punk of a kid, but boy did I ever want them back then.

All me dirt bikes are gone now. First one - in ~1974 was a Honda Elsinore. Think it was a 125. Last dirt bike I had was in 1989 - always Hondas. Been lusting over a KTM for maybe five years now. But for me to do this I'd need (sorry) a trailer and time and more money. None of which I have at the moment...

 

[morrison2951]

Still partial to my reddish tan HH Vanson Enfield- real attention getter and the ladies seem to like it on me!

 

[Bern1]

Rare sight on the road these days. See the odd R75 etc series at vintage bike meetings and even the occasional tea stop. Nice to see you using this bike other than poodling around.

Yes, we ride them. Have a couple of friends who also have /5's. When I got this bike a dozen years ago, I changed the oil, plugs and points and took off from southern California for Monument Valley. More maintenance than the modern bikes, but at least I can do it.

 

[Bern1]

Thanks for the pics of the Easy Ryder- not many wear pics of this jacket and I have ordered one from LW.
Any more you can share?

I'll look, but not sure off hand. I usually only keep track of the photos I take, and I'm not usually in them!

Love the Easy Rider. Actually, that one in the picture is a little big on me unless I'm wearing a fleece jacket under it and I've since bought one a size smaller.

 

[navetsea]

it's not fair comparing commuters and tourers in term of safety gear they wear. you're not going to wear full protecting gears just to get milk and bread from nearby supermarket, they also ride at commuting speed and on much familiar and controlled road condition. I rarely wear helmet unless I ride longer distance, since I ride at bicycle speed 30-50km/h frequently stop and go from traffic condition in tropical climate here.

 

[rocketeer]

it's not fair comparing commuters and tourers in term of safety gear they wear. you're not going to wear full protecting gears just to get milk and bread from nearby supermarket, they also ride at commuting speed and on much familiar and controlled road condition. I rarely wear helmet unless I ride longer distance, since I ride at bicycle speed 30-50km/h frequently stop and go from traffic condition in tropical climate here.

You are correct on points of course. Even I would not go full on Power Ranger if popping down to the shops, but then again I had my worst accident on a Honda C90. I got T boned at some traffic lights, pulled across me turning, as I was going straight on. Could have been very nasty, but I was ok and bike wrecked. Speed about 20mph me. Fabio Casartelli, a rider in the Tour de France died after hitting a concrete post coming down a mountain at a relatively low speed compared to a motorcycle that is.
Often it is not the bikers fault getting knocked off, Im not talking about the show off riders taking track risks on the road. Just impatient drivers distracted etc.

 

[navetsea]

fair enough, but lethal freak accident happens, happened to even professionals with full gears on the circuit where everyone is a pro and riding/ driving in the same direction, or to someone walking on pedestrian, sitting on a bench, buying newspaper, or even gardening in one's own front yard.
if a bus/ truck/ SUV driver got distracted lost control and going at me at full speed, I would try my best to actively avoid it because the best armor and helmet in the world won't save my life.
being predictable, not distracted myself, and giving other people enough space margin to do their stupid things, so far have saved my skin armored or not, the rest I put it in God's hand.

one time the most freakish potential accident almost happened to me, when I was a passenger on my friend's bike, and somehow a bike that was being repaired in a garage suddenly launched across the road together with a mechanic who tested its clutch probably 3 meters in front our vehicle, that bike traveled across the traffic to the other side of the road hit and stopped by a parked minibus, and everyone alive not even injured including the mechanic. if we just drove a little bit faster, or the bike from that garage was traveling a little bit slower it will hit us from the side and brought us across the incoming traffic.

 

[heron163]

I was 15 and just got my dirt bike back from the shop (it was Hodaka)... it was in the shop for a repair to the brakes...

I thought just taking it for a brief test ride up in the apple orchards would let me know if the brakes were in the good condition...

uniform of the day was cut-off shorts, tee shirt, and shower shoes... you can guess the rest...

it was amazing (to me) how hot the exhaust pipe got... when it is laying on your ankle when you are upside down underneath a pile of apple crates... ouch!

yep, that was how I learned ATGATT...

no matter how skilled a rider you are, the teen girl on her cell phone doesn't care.

 

[rocketeer]

One time the most freakish potential accident almost happened to me, when I was a passenger on my friend's bike, and somehow a bike that was being repaired in a garage suddenly launched across the road together with a mechanic who tested its clutch probably 3 meters in front our vehicle, that bike traveled across the traffic to the other side of the road hit and stopped by a parked minibus, and everyone alive not even injured including the mechanic. if we just drove a little bit faster, or the bike from that garage was traveling a little bit slower it will hit us from the side and brought us across the incoming traffic.

On a lighter note, there are some real funny YouTube clips of things like this.
Here's a short clip, only 4 mins.
Most seem to be in Russia or at least Eastern Europe. I think the sidecars are the funniest.

 

[ButteMT61]

it's not fair comparing commuters and tourers in term of safety gear they wear. you're not going to wear full protecting gears just to get milk and bread from nearby supermarket, they also ride at commuting speed and on much familiar and controlled road condition. I rarely wear helmet unless I ride longer distance, since I ride at bicycle speed 30-50km/h frequently stop and go from traffic condition in tropical climate here.

That's not great logic my friend. Your length, speed and task have 0% to do with the chances to get hit or fall on a bike/scooter.
My wife was hit from behind at a red light for the second time in two years - both less than a mile from home. Luckily, this time she was in my FJ Toyota. The last time she was in my Scion tC which was totaled. The guy that hit her this past weekend totaled his car. There's lots of way to justify not wearing safety gear, and while I'm not trying to preach to you on what to do, I will say that there is no logic in what you said...

 

[Atticus Finch]

I only rode street bikes for a short time when I was in college...and the largest bike I ever owned was a 1969 Honda CB-450. But I guess if you ride any at all, you'll eventually have a frightening moment. Mine came when my neighbor's dog charged out at me from the right curb just as an oncoming car approached me from the left. I didn't intentionally lay the bike down. I was no Virgil Hilts strategically laying his bike down to dodge machine gun fire. I just reflexively braked and tried to avoid the damned dog...one of the tires lost traction...and my butt was down, quick as a wink. Fortunately, I was in town and was going less than twenty miles an hour. Nothing more than my pride was harmed.

And that incident isn't even why I stopped riding. Truthfully, I stopped because I wanted to quit unduly taxing the benevolence of the Good Lord. With all the other crap that's happening in the world today, I figured asking Him to devote His time to protecting me while I was riding a motorcycle might be a bit self indulgent. I could see myself standing at the Pearly Gates, looking disheveled and confused. Saint Peter would be explaining that mortals were given the gift of self determination for many reasons...but it was given to me so that I could choose to drive a big, safe pick-up truck instead of a Harley Davidson.

AF

 

[ButteMT61]

This is pretty much why I gave up riding here in LA. Not that it would be better anywhere else, but I had more stress then enjoyment and well, I'm bikeless now and may stay that way.

 

[Superfluous]

This is pretty much why I gave up riding here in LA. Not that it would be better anywhere else, but I had more stress then enjoyment and well, I'm bikeless now and may stay that way.

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Ain't that the truth!

[1 in 4 car accidents are caused by texting and driving] People: “Won’t be me.”

[1 in 292 million chance of winning the Powerball] People: “You never know.”

 

[gtdean48]

Still partial to my reddish tan HH Vanson Enfield- real attention getter and the ladies seem to like it on me!

Get the most remarks with my Octagon Vanson Enfield too...