Is ATGATT overrated?

I made the statement: ATGATT is overrated.... it's for guys who are either too afraid of a boo-boo or those who feel like thay have to put on an amour suit to prove how manly they are to participate in such a dangerous activity....over in the Killboy failure Dragon thread and it elecited a few comments. Sure it was a little over the top but there are truths on both ends of the spectrum.

Immediately it was assumed that I wear a Ebay plastic brain bucket with a fake DOT sticker. Just for the record I own 2 DOT approved Harely (Made by KBC) half halemts, one DOT apporved Harley (Made by HJC) 3/4 helmet, one Shoei Quest full face helmet and one AGV AX8 dual sport full face helmet. I have a few pair of gloves and 4 or 5 riding specific jackets ranging from a light nylon windbreaker to a heavy textile 3/4 length coat complete with body armor, and one pair of 10 year Danner Arcadia boots. Still trying to score a pair of Sidi Gore-tex Canyon boots at a decent price.

I've been riding since about age 7 but only on dirt until college then no street bike for 15 years but since 1999 I've had 8 street bikes. Sadly I don't get to ride near as much as some of you but have logged over 100,000 miles in the last 10 years. Not a huge amount but I ride for fun, don't ride to work and back and have other hobbies/obligations.

Rarely do I ride ATGATT and if you guys are honest with yourselves I bet most of you don't ride ATGATT either as it implies ALL the gear ALL the time.

One of the best things about the bike is I can jump on it and be gone in a second and have fun running my mundane errands. It's hot and humid here, I'm talking over 90F with humidity above 50% in the summer and that typically means 6 moths or more. You walk outside and you will be wet with sweat in short order. If I'm running errands around town and will be in and out a few stores I'm not putting on long pants, boots, gloves, and a heavy jacket....it just isn't happening. Not only will I be uncomfortable but it will add double the time to dress in my gear, remove the gear at each stop, and gear back up again. I really might as well have taken the car...and isn't that what is suppose to be the benefit of bikes...less gas consumption, easier to park, easier to manuever in heavy congested traffic, easier on the environment so more people should be riding?

I'm an adult and have been for over 25 years. I fully understand the risks associated with riding with little protective gear and I choose to accept those risks. For ME it is those risks that make riding fun and get the adrenaline pumping. When all totally geard up I feel like I'm in a coccon and isolated from the elements which honestly takes away from my enjoyment of the riding process...at those times riding becomes more like a task an less like a pleasurable experience. I ride for fun, if it's not fun I might as well be taking the car.

I've been down 3 times from low siding, only once did I have on a helmet and twice with shorts but no gloves and tennis shoes. I got some rash on my leg and forearm. Picked gravel out each time, sure it hurt but not THAT bad and it healed up just fine. Each time I went down I was doing something stupid and the accidents were 100% avoidable, I learned from those experiences and I'm a better rider as a result.

My point was not to claim that one shouldn't wear some protective gear but to point out that when others don't dress the same they have reasons for doing so and have at some level made a conscious decision to choose their attire.

My biggest fear while riding is blunt force trauma or a spinal cord injury. ATGATT won't do much to prevent either in a accident with signicant impact...yea your corpse may look a little better lying in the casket but your still lying in a casket.

The vast majority of riders I see in my area (southeast USA) are not ATGATT and that includes guys and gals I see atop adventure/DS bikes, sport bikes, sport touring bikes, and cruisers. Maybe they are just running errands like I do at times but they are riding and they are not ATGATT.

Yet so many on this site make emphatic judgement calls about others based on what they were wearing while riding when a picture was taken it prompted my statement. Of couse it was inflammatory and was thown out to elicit debate.

What say you?

How many of you guys wear ALL the gear EVERY SINGLE TIME you ride a bike, and if you don't wear ALL the gear EVERY SINGLE TIME why not?

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I wear everything I have all the time except if I'm literally just running up and down the street to test a change I made.
All gear for me is currently
Sidi Vertigo boots
a modular fullface helmet
gauntlet style gloves with the hard plastic armor on the knuckle area
a leather jacket with padding
and textile overpants over my jeans

I'll eventually add to this with better pants at some point but with still go with the overpants for most riding
I'll also be adding more dirt oriented stuff in time too as I'm currently just going out like this if I'm in the woods too and it's not the best setup for that. ie, the Vertigos suck in the mud

To each their own but I cringe when I see exposed skin

This won't end well!

Jim

I wear everything I got most of the time. Always wear the MX boots. Hard steel against bare ankles is painful. Knee pads have saved me from several gashes that only made it thru my pants. Hip pads to protect my bionic hips. Chest-no. Back yes and no depending on which jacket. Shoulders, elbows and hands for sure. Again skin vs rock is a contest rarely won by skin. Helmet...Duh!

Riding style...common sense rules...reasonable risks on trail, dirt road and pavement.

IMHO, your results may vary.

Couldn't we talk about something civil, like tires, oil and condoms instead?

At least one of those has a potential happy ending...



+1 on safe riding apparrel.

Personally i don't care what anyone wears,me i dress for the crash not the ride!If ya have a $10 head wear a $10 dollar helmet

For me, ATGATT is just an educated decision I've made for myself. Having wrecked across a wide range of dress, it's far and away the choice for me when sliding along pavement and I choose to make the uncomfortable choices in preparation for the rare occasions that happens. Yeah, it's hot and I look like a cross between an astronaut and a Power Ranger, but walking away afterward means a lot to me. As with most social elements, I tend to gravitate toward like-minded people and ride with people who share similar thoughts. I don't recall ever offering aid to a downed rider who was geared up aside from helping get their bike dragged out of the way. Can't say the same about the jeans and t-shirt crowd, unfortunately.

I wonder why SWAT teams all seem to wear body armor? I'll bet it's because there's a chance one of them may get shot and the armor pushes their chance of survival WAY up. No guarantees, mind you, but definitely better to be shot with than without.

An old timer asked me once why do I wear a helmet when the law does not require me to do so....I said because I'm not stupid...but I do support YOUR right to be stupid.

Wear whatever you want. I don't really care. Its your life. However I have been made fun of my because I do wear protective gear ( and ride a Japanese bike). There is no garuntee it will protect me from serious injury or death but it increases my odds of survival exponentially. Its my choice to protect myself its yours to not....

So call me a wimp, or less of man because I want to walk away from a crash, so be it...words don't hurt crashing does...

Why not. Are you implying that most here are not capable of civil discussions?

I never claimed one shouldn't wear ANY gear and I clearly stated I have and wear different helmets, jackets, gloves etc. depending on the type of riding I do but it seems like anyone not riding ATGATT is castigated on this site and yet I contend that many here claiming the importance of ATGATT are in fact at times NOT ATGATT themselves.

Why the double standard? Is it simply a commentary on man's insecurities where he feels compelled to point out his own perceived imperfections in others, or is that we care so much for our fellow man that we say and do with nothing but the purest intentions to promote and protect fellow man.

I have my opinion, let's here others.

And for the recoprd, we aren't talking about wearing a helmet.

We're talking about full body protection.

Signature material, right there.

So this isn't about ATGATT, but about a perceived double standard and the effect is has when others voice their opinions on it, and the inability to LET IT GO, since this is a forum and folks on here sayin' S#%@ might not even really ride......I saw a guy the other day in shorts and a wife beater and tennies TEXTING while riding in moving traffic on a busy two lane road, a classic cruiser dude.......my son wanted to follow to see how long he would last....:dog

I do ride ATGATT. I encourage others to do so as well. I only make fun of Assless Chaps because they are silly when not riding a horse.

"They are called Face Plants for a reason" To point out the Folly (IMO) of half helmets.

I do not wear gear for a fashion statement. I don't give a rats ass what others opinions are about the gear I wear.

I wear it for comfort to protect me from the elements.
I like staying cool when it's hot.
I like staying dry when it's raining.
I like staying warm when it's cold.... I ride EVERY day.

Motorcycle specific gear does that.

Protection from padding and abrasion is only an added benefit. I'll take it.

I have retired 3 helmets from on road offs... And I have slid down the road at 60 mph and sustained only stiff muscles and a couple of bruises.

Don't want to wear gear??? Take your lumps.
Me? I wear it EVERY ride.

Your statement:

Is short sighted, sweeping and just plain assed stupid IMO. If you think riding a motorcycle is dangerous then you shouldn't be riding.

Not overrated.

But most certainly over posted.

What he said.

I wear the gear cu's I break the speed limit, a lot.
When I come off it's going to hurt, I know this.

All of it all the time. I'll take the car if the ride is shorter than the time it takes to get suited up. It sucks and I miss some opportunities to ride, but I have a strong attachment to my skin. I've used all the gear I wear.

That said if you want to ride in flip flops and shorts, that's your descision.

I say I hope you have good private health insurance and that it's all paid up cause I just assume my tax dollars don't go to waste keeping someone on a respirator for the rest of their life because they like the feel of the wind blowing through their hair.

ATGATT has saved me at least one visit to the orthopedic surgeon.

No.