Whats the ATG of ATGATT?

Some preach it, some scoff, but what is it?

Opinions seem to vary wildly, what one rider considers ATGATT another may consider it totally inadequate. Does gear have to be motorcycle specific to qualify as gear? Does what and how a rider rides change what is adequate protection?

ATG?

One piece leathers, spine protector, armored leather gloves, armored racing boots, FF helmet, neck brace?

Padded textile one piece or jacket & pants, reinforced riding gloves, riding boots, modular helmet?

Textile riding jacket, textile gloves, reinforced jeans, riding boots, FF helmet?

Leather jacket, leather chaps, leather gloves, engineer boots, 3/4 helmet?

Textile riding jacket, work gloves, steel toe work boots, jeans, modular helmet?

That list will make a lot more sense if the word "jeans" goes away.

Denim, even one of the reinforced versions, has no place on your body if abrasion will be experienced.

ATG: Helmet, gloves, boots, jeans, jacket, glasses/visor

That's my understanding at least, and if I'm going around the block or doing a short commute (sub 40mph) to work that's what my gear consists of and I adjust my riding style to reflect that. If I want to play around, get out of town, etc I'll be sure to wear a ballistic jacket and pants, armored riding boots, armored gloves, full face helmet, and I'll throw in an extra layer of warm clothes in the side cases. There is always more or better gear to wear, and there is always someone who is just a little safer then you gasping at your poor safety choices. So unless I see someone in shorts, flip flops, or a novelty helmet I try not to judge.

the fucking opposite of this douche nozzle

ATG = Air The Groin...

ATT = And Thongs Too...


* Thongs = (Aussie vernacular) for flip flop, rubber sandal, open air footwear, Taiwanese safety boots etc...

not those skimpy undershorts that girls like, what dissappear up your .....**

** insert favourite synonym for ring, quoit, date, freckle, crack etc.

I personally think its pretty simple.

Motorcycle Gear = impact protection + abrasion protection.
ATGATT is both, covering you entirely.

I guess there are levels within ATG

A full leather racing suit, would be top of the food chain.
But pants and jacket with at least minimum padding, is still ATG.
Helmet, gloves and boots are an obvious part of ATG, if you are lacking any of these three, you don't have a place in this conversation.

Since I drive a heavy-sidecar rig and my third wheel never leaves the ground, pavement is the last thing I would ever hit ... and that is how I determine "ATG" for me.

If you look like a bright neon Michelin Man traveling down the street = you're doing it right!

I prefer to use my skills instead and ride within them; part of which is identifying the hazards that can put you down on the road in the first place.

For me, I'm sure that any "accident" I have, no amount of padding is going to protect my body from an impact with anything above 20mph so if you ride above that speed = what's the point?

I've been down on the road 3 times and walked away (limped away once with a sore knee) just fine, with no more road rash from only wearing Jeans/Jacket/Gloves/Helmet...than the Guys who wear ATGATT post pictures of when they screwed up.:huh = makes me wonder how over-rated ATGATT really is.

...I guess I've given away that I'm NOT ATGATT (even when commuting in the winter) so....just ignore my comments as I "don't have a place in this conversation".

Ps. The accidents I've had were all in the first 5 yrs I was riding on the street while still learning my skills/abilities. (that's over 20 yrs ago now, been fine ever since!)

If anyone wants to preach to me how dressing like the Michelin Man might help my chances when I hit an immovable object above 20mph = please include the valuable, convincing information on how it overcomes physics.
Unless that padding people talk about is over 2 feet of thick shock-absorbing foam...I fail to see how it's going to help.

I'm not trying to sound like a know-it-all here....just voicing what I've experienced over the years and actually seen in comparison. (apologizing ahead of time, because I know I come across that way)
Really = tell me a good argument and change my mind.

OK, here goes:
If, in your opinion, it is worth it, you should wear abrasion protective gear to cover your entire body and wear impact protective gear on your entire head and the obvious impact zones (shoulders, elbows, knees, hips, spine).

There.

If that didn't change your mind, you don't think it is worth it. So you don't do it. Personal risk/reward assessment, we all need to do it and come to our conclusions.

:huh

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88045

Jim

Denim is not "all the gear".

Crash in it one time and you will see.

Pretty obvious ATG is going to different for each person. I think if I remember correctly when I took the MSF class. AG was Helmet, Boots, Gloves, Jacket, and pants (jeans), that was the minimum for ATGATT.

Once again it all comes down to how much risk you are willing to take. I too will dress different depending on the type of riding I am doing and environmental conditions.

Its all degrees, Padded riding pants are better than jeans, jeans are better than shorts etc.

Here is a one page read. This story went a long way to convince me ATGATT. If asked for information on gear I hand out copies of this.
I've had the plastic scrub brush used on me in the ER to scrape gravel out of minor road rash. Twice. <- slow learner.

This is among the best arguments I've read anywhere.

http://www.mcnews.com/mcn/features/Medical 0705.pdf

I see very little mention of hi-viz gear. ATGATT ought to include it.

If you wear gear to minimize the effects of and incident, wouldn't it make sense to wear gear that might prevent this incident altogether?

I suspect that a nice leather racing suit looses a lot of it's "cool" when you cover it with a hi viz vest...

Or you could ride your own bike and not worry or label what other people are doing.

No difference between sniveling about what someone is wearing, vs. looking at someone's tires at Starbucks and talking about their chicken strips.

Go to a state with no helmet laws. A ton of people not wearing helmets. Their own choice, same as wearing whatever they want to wear. Not the smartest thing to do, but who cares? Not my problem.

I've been down 4 times, hit twice by cars, hit a dog, and fresh tar, each time I was wearing jeans. Got a few minor abrasions, but no road rash.

Jeans are obviously not "gear", but they are not shorts either.

I'm torn here. Jeans are convenient but don't provide as much protection as I would like.

Anyone wear Draggin' Jeans? Anyone have experience with how they hold up?

I think what he is saying is you can't "go down" on a sidecar like on a 2 wheeler, so sliding while remotly possible is highly unlikely, like with ATV's impact is the main issue. The "ideal" gear for a sidecar would be lots of hard armor.

Yesterday it was HOT. ATG was:

Triumph perforated Leather Jacket with all armor in in place and a long sleeve shirt soaked in water underneath.
Kevlar jeans with mess over pants armor in place
Gaerne boots,
Belstaff gloves,
Nolan N-43 helmet with a Klim hood soaked in water under helmet.

Great 250 mile ride through the Cascades in complete comfort.

I should have had my vented jacket instead of the perforated one. The perforated one vents too much for hot temps (over 95) and the shirt dries too quickly.

Of course, people can wear (or not wear) whatever they wish. I am not preaching, just presenting some facts that I was unaware of until recently. That is, jeans (denim) disintegrate so quickly that IMHO, they are pretty much the equivalent of wearing shorts. We are talking 3-4 feet. Beyond preventing maybe a burn from your exhaust... jeans are pretty much a no-op. This data made me think twice about my son on the back of my bike wearing just jeans.

http://www.trainwreckstudios.net/abrasion/road.html