Do you wear ATGATT?

[Tinker]

I have always worn ATGATT, but it spends more time keeping me in a comfortable bubble due to the weather we have here in Ireland. Only have had one road accident in the last 15+ years of riding and the gear saved my skin. I was at a set of traffic lights, lights went green and a van in the oncoming lane made a very brisk U-Turn into our lane and knocked me over while I was caught accelerating...then braking...but had nowhere to go when the rear of this van swiped me. Off he went and I was left on my arse on the side of the road but the bike was on top of my leg and the leg wedged between curb and road. Managed to get out from under, people had come over to help, got bike up. Everything in one piece until I looked down at my leg. The engine had melted the front of the trousers, the knee armour had kept the engine far enough off the skin to stop contact with my flesh. That and the helmet helped take the whack off the curb I got.

So all in all, some idiot wanting to make an illegal turn could have ended my life or at least left me seriously hurt. I walked away with a few bruises and the cost of repairs/replacing gear. Nope never got the guy. It's relatively low-speed accidents like that which get us injured and even killed, stats here in Ireland show that high-speed accidents are rare, it's usually a combo of bad driving and awareness. At least ATGATT gives me a fighting chance to walk away from something who just had to send that text message.

 

[DanH]

I've put on a whole bunch of miles in the last month on weekends to some of the most favored motorcycle highways in the PNW so I've seen a lot of motorcycles. It has been my observation that sport bike riders are the least likely to be be fully geared, cruisers are quite likely to be fully geared and adventure\dual sport riders are highly likely to be fully geared. Is that consistent with your observations?

 

[Chestnut]

I've put on a whole bunch of miles in the last month on weekends to some of the most favored motorcycle highways in the PNW so I've seen a lot of motorcycles. It has been my observation that sport bike riders are the least likely to be be fully geared, cruisers are quite likely to be fully geared and adventure\dual sport riders are highly likely to be fully geared. Is that consistent with your observations?

Around here I almost never see cruiser riders in gear. I did yesterday maybe for the first time. I would say a small percentage more sportbikers in at least jeans and a m/c jacket, but generally it's just the guys on adventure/BMW touring rigs. Even the guys on Goldwings are running around in shorts and tshirts with not even gloves on.

 

[DanH]

Around here I almost never see cruiser riders in gear. I did yesterday maybe for the first time. I would say a small percentage more sportbikers in at least jeans and a m/c jacket, but generally it's just the guys on adventure/BMW touring rigs. Even the guys on Goldwings are running around in shorts and tshirts with not even gloves on.

Maybe because it is generally cooler here that CA, its easier to throw on a leather jacket before you throw you leg over the seat so we get more cruiser riders in full gear.

 

[davidc83]

I wear boots, gloves, jacket, full length pants and helmet 99.9% of the time. I only wear shorts about 1% of the time and would never ever think about riding only in shorts (did that 35 years ago one time and paid for it). I rode yesterday 2 miles without a helmet (only two) and I was so paranoid without it (and it was out in the country with only a half dozen driveways and only 2 side roads) that I went back and got my helmet.

 

[MindlessMuse]

I understand everyone has their own view on this, but is still boggles my mind as I was riding around yesterday (highway and normal suburbia roads) seeing sportbike after sportbike with a rider and female passenger with only helmets wearing t-shirts and shorts. I really do not care how hot is, if I am on the bike, I am ATGATT.

I had gone to visit my dad and he was even joking with me about soon I will be out there without all my gear, looking like all the riders he sees out there, which really shocked me as I have always been toward the side of safety when it comes to 'dangerous' activities.

Ride safe everyone.