Is ATGATT overrated?

Maybe go back and read the original post.......page one, post 1

Apparently I don't GET the Killboy thread either. I thought it was supposed to be a picture thread , but the lame riding dorks there have turned it into a ride critiqueing thread. Few of them have any idea what they're talking about.

I thought the entire "The Perfect Line and Other Riding Myths" sub group was tongue in cheek.

Including this thread.

What the hell, especially this thread.

It is an ongoing textual wrestling match between the literal trolls who are unable to fathom the world in more general terms versus conscientious folks trying to paint a more realistic picture for anyone who accidentally stumbles in expecting to find valid information.

Personally, I just don't see that many instances of so-called ATGATT folks berating those who dress in gear that is less durable. Instead I do see those latter folks trying to convince the ATGATT crowd to not wear all that gear. It is a weird dichotomy, but this is what I see.

IMHO it might be that those who don't want to wear appropriate gear because of peer pressure, financial choices, or some other safety unrelated reason feel some level of concern, guilt, etc. knowing that the ATGATT rider will fare better in any given get-off than they will. But, they want to feel good about fitting in with their crowd or avoid the hassles of gearing up for short jaunts (the ones with the highest statistical risk).

I say, whatever. Go for it. At a guess I'd say the odds are at least two to one in your favor.

But, ask yourself what is it about someone else making the choice to don appropriate gear that bugs you so much that you feel it necessary to harangue them repeatedly with absurd arguments?

Just do your thing and I'll do mine.

Okay, I have done that.. Like most discussions this has evolved over the last thousand or so posts. Interesting point though, the OP makes basically the same point in the original post as I did in my reply to you. Wear what you think is appropriate for the ride and leave everybody else the hell alone about their choices...

It does get more than a little off topic at times, but it does serve the purpose of saving me time digging the interesting pictures up for myself... JimVonBaden made kind of an interesting point earlier on this, a lot of the comments there may very well be rooted in insecurity about their own riding skills; so they sit back and point at other people in the hopes that nobody notices them. You have to admit though that there are some spectacular examples of poor riding skills in that thread.

Well said....

You mean some people actually READ that thread?

I just scroll through to see the photos.

Chief, it IS a religion and we have MANY pages to prove it

I usually read the comments on the pix , not all of them. Every now and then somebody has something intelligent to say , but not very often.

Maybe for some... Not I...

Oh come on, you're a Navy Chief, aren't you? I've never met a Chief who couldn't make an acronym roll off the tongue, and usually in a vaguely obscene sounding way.

David B.

Well, if the definition of "Religion" is "a deeply held belief" then I do have a deeply held belief that the more durable a material I put between skin and asphalt the less skin I could lose in a get-off.

If the comment was meant more along the lines of a religious zealot, well then that isn't my style. I really don't care how much skin someone else loses, and I'm certainly the last one to go around "shoulding" on someone for their, ahem, gear-related religious beliefs.

It seems to me that a lot of riders play roles of alter-ego and they dress to express this in the way they think it best for them.

I don't give a rat's ass what I look like. I just want to ride. If I do fall down I don't want that to keep me from riding. I like to ride.

By wearing my gear I "ride to live," and therefore increase my odds that I'll also "live to ride." Which is an expression taken from another religious cult among motorcyclists, many of which talk the talk about living to ride, yet see no benefit in replacing their Johnny Depp look-alike pirate garb with something more durable.

It does look good. Very stylish. I wish my gear looked a little better, but I value function over form.

Though the "cruiser face" phenomena puzzles me somewhat. :huh

I am in the same camp, I love to ride and I don't want simple injuries to keep me from riding if something happens. I don't however think that my gear is going to prevent every possible injury as has been implied on this tread (not by you), this is all about risk assessment and mitigation of possible consequences...


Cruiser face on the other hand is easy to figure out.... The guys on Sons of Anarchy don't smile so that must be how you are supposed to look when you are riding your cruiser dressed as a pirate...

When I leave my gear at home, there's no way I could be sunburned or dehydrated. However, I accepted sunburns for lesser pleasures. (And insects aren't a problem at low speeds.)

THAT's your way of defending another's rights? What a double-tongued snake you are.

Dumbest argument ever.

Do you honestly think, crashing into deer at 40mph is the same as at 100mph?

My bike has safety systems as well. So just by hopping on my bike, I'm "using gear" as well?

So riding is stupid.

The key is: I'm NOT judging in absolutes. The atgatt guys do. ATGATT, per definition, means NOT making gear decisions according to how you perceive the risk. It's ALL the gear ALL the time, no matter what. I am ADVOCATING to use a sliding scale to judge the risks.

It's the other way round. You guys are judging, while we are just fine no matter what you wear.

Say no to drugs. You might as well see flying pink elephants.

1. No one ever said anything remotely to this point. You are entitled to your own opinion..not your own facts..

2. Are you talking about a car? Or a motorcycle?

3. Car, probably very little..alot of variables..little back east Whitetail, big western Muley..as the car goes faster, the energy it carries increases..on impact that is what will determine if the deer is hit..hit and inserted in grill.hit and thrown over car...etc...and too..you have 4-5 feet of stuff in front of you, an A pillar and a sheet of safety glass to help absorb and dissipate all the energy from the deer

4. Motorcycle..the same laws of physics apply..your energy increases as well..but I can tell you..at 40 or 100..you cannot catch a deer in your arms and not be taken off the motorcycle..when you roll off..your head will be the first thing to make contact with the road..you have zero chance of staying in control of the bike and the only structure you have to absorb energy is some fairing and the headlight..

If you are riding this..maybe..otherwise..you may be trying to argue thatABS on a bike is the same as modern car safety systems..(Something I don't agree with actually)

Sorry..big pic..

Is it funny that this is exactly what I envisioned WR riding?



Not that there's anything wrong with that ...

Nothing double tongued about it. One can easily defend another's right to be an idiot, and still tell that other "You sir, are an idiot!" It used to be a basic understanding of how free speach works in the US. Now, everyone gets all butt hurt if anyone suggests their ideas are dumb.

Basically, you are entitled to your opinion. You are not entitled to having other people respect it as a sound one, if you cannot defend it logically.

David B.

"it´s a lot more than any motorcyclist can ever have. These two cannot be compared, because they stand on different levels regarding protection"

"So riding is stupid"

Riding is more dangerous than driving a car. Dunno about stupid.. but thinking you will know, when you might crash, and when you might not, that's a bit stupid, cos you just won't know, simple as that.

I live in a mountain county, with the type of roads that needs a little skill to navigate. Some can't do it apparently, as I read about the motorcycle crash of the week.

I am torn between your right to "ride free", at the expense of my medical insurance, because you probably do not have any and Darwin just sorting them out.

Right on. Thanks for 'splainin' for his benefit. Not that he'll ever "get it," but an "A" for effort just the same!

Also, I don't think WR fully understands that when his profile is placed on the ignore list and he posts a response, it doesn't display in the forum for me. I never see it. Which is really nice, for me, and I heartily recommend doing so for anyone else who has grown tired of that particular flavor of drivel.