And you NEED to watch the whole thing. Let me just tell you, this video is FUCKED UP, I almost didn't watch it til the end but I forced myself. I know some of you don't like seeing this type of thing but I think it's important to see. I know I've said it before but for real for real this time, even for commuting, I WILL NEVER TOUCH MY BIKE WITHOUT FULL GEAR. I don't care if I look like a Power Ranger, after seeing that video I'm convinced that anything less than full leathers with armor up top and down below is just FUCKING STUPID. Please y'all, if you don't have the gear, get it. Even if it means spending your hard earned money, it's a small price to pay for ALL of our safety.
Preaching over, check the VIDEO
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16 comments:
looking into dude on the ducati's helmet towards the end and watching him scan and stay mentally sharp brought a nostalgic feeling to me. my goal when riding is to stay on point ALL the time. when i feel like i'm tripping i try to check myself. Thanks E, i know some folk don't like to see that stuff but i've always found it motivating to wear my shit and to never drink or smoke when i'm on the bike. since 99' i have never done either while riding. riding in the sport bike community really opened my eyes to a lot of craziness that i'm sure Tacuma can attest to. I swear each summer, someone died or went down every single week. It made me glad the season was short for most crotch rocket riders. Beemer community is almost the opposite. Most of them sport the moniker ATGATT (all the gear, all the time) I'm still trying to work it out. Comfort & safety but it is hard finding shit that fits me properly and I try not to buy leather as much as possible but buying certain synthetic materials is probably even worst for the environment as it doesn't break down when trashed. i guess consciousness is the theme here all the way around. what you wear and why. what we do to ourselves and why. the whole disregard for your own safety and especially your passenger's is played out and personally pisses me off when i see dudes with a chick on the back who has on next to nothing and a plastic german cap.
i know most of ya'll in the crew won't even ride a passenger. that i don't mind but you should hear me give my speech about gear, safety, riding do's and don'ts before i put a shorty on the back. i havent done it all the time but i even gave my last passenger my rev'it jacket to rock and tried to tailor it to her as good as possible which she appreciated. she's a tall one incase you're wondering how that fit. oh snap, i just figured out how to let all the shorties who want a ride down..."you got gear?"
on top of that, when you wear the gear, ride and then ride without it, the difference it makes on your comfort level and confidence is huge, at least for me. i bought some icon knee and shin guards to wear under my jeans the other day. $65, not bad. aight brahs, i'm done.
What I also wanted to say is this -
What I tell myself and what I tell Elise is the same thing - Yes it's true that there are a lot of things beyond my control while on the bike, mainly other drivers, but there's also roads conditions, weather, obstacles on the road, etc. BUT, beyond that, I'm in control, and for the most part I don't do anything stupid. True, I make skechy passes from time to time but not w/o fully analyzing the move before I make it. My major flaw is riding too close to the vehicle in front of me but as I'm sure you know it's hard to ride in the city while giving yourself a proper safety cushion because as soon as you have one, a car will shoot into the gap and you're back to square one.
Anyway, I firmly believe that at least 98% of bike accidents are the rider's fault. Why? The list can be endless -
- Not thinking and seeing ahead
- Going too fast for the current situation or road condition
- Not anticipating other cars moves and lane changes
- Not being able to properly control their motorcycle especially in emergency situations (I know y'all practice your emergency stops and swerves right?)
- Riding above one's skill and comfort level
- NOT wearing the proper gear and full face helmet
I know y'all ride "smart" and this whole thread is preaching to the choir but I felt that it's important to say to you guys for yourselves AND your loved ones.
The last thing I wanted to day is... Marc get a freaking full face already and stop fucking around. I have plenty of them and your welcome to whichever fits you. It'll make me a happier person if you wore one and I'm sure that I'm not the only one who feels the same. Alan, you need to chill with your rear brake. A highside is inevitable so you need to either stop using it (I never do), or learn to "feel" it so you don't lock up the wheel. Oh, and get some pants already.
No offense intended to anyone of course, I care about you guys and would hate to see anything bad happen to any of you especially if it could've been avoided.
man e, guess we haven't ridden together in a long time 'cause i don't remember the last time i HAVEN'T ridden with my full face helmet and my armored jacket (yeah i got one too, for years). the video was great, eye opening. one thing that struck me (no pun intended) about it was, most of the people in the video were wearing full protection! but alot of them weren't using the biggest piece of protective equipment, the one under your skull. speed and power is intoxicating, and can be as bad as drugs or alcohol, imho. i also think riding our bikes (especially track bikes) on these nyc streets has taught us to anticipate the dumb shit cagers do. there are so many distractions on the road for drivers, and how many times have we all heard the phrase "i never saw him!" it's hard to see what you are not looking for. you all know what i'm saying, let's be safe!
man, all i have to say is i took a little ride today, and that video had me a little fucked up! HA! but for real, i was just taking it easy and cautious, having flashbacks from the video but i enjoyed it. like you say E, there ain't much skill to twisting the wrist and dipping thru cages. been doing that in cars since i was 16 and i'm pretty good at the anticipation shit cause that is pretty much what it is. although, i must say, a lot of cats can't do that well either. riding position and picking the lines, having great control of these machines is where its at.
the ride: thru bk, to midtown(bmw dealer), up the henry hudson, thru the cloisters, washington heights (honeys) & riverdale (checking out some big ass houses) to the bronx river pkwy, to the moshulu (or the other way around) to the bruckner, tri-boro, grand central, bqe and off just in time for some insane traffic, to fort green to grab my daily popeye juice and smooch to finish wiring up their projector that i set up, then to marc's crib for some good QT with the fam! i was geared up with my icon knee shin guards, jeans, sidi boots, overpants, boots, shoei jacket, bmw winter gloves, arai xd helmet and neck wind guard, the new bmw back protector i copped today $149 (shit is hot!)
i felt kinda stay puft marshmellow when i left but i felt mad warm and protected.
was a nice day after all! i was checking out weather.com satellite before i left and didn't see the snow they were predicting so i made it happen.
aight beeeyatches, i'm out to get my little dance on. easy
i always hate watching those videos b/c i just reminds me no matter how much you try to avoid accidents, sometimes they're just gonna happen. i really need to get a set of pants with armor, like yesterday. on a side note, i replaced my brake pedal with a shorty, so i don't lock the back brake up that much anymore. i try not to use it, but coming from bmx, it's hard. the main problem is how good the front brakes work (especially now w/ the brembo radial mc) which causes my back end to lighten. or is it just me pressing it too hard? hard to tell, b/c everyone on the SV forum always talk about how touchy the stock brake is & i've got SS lines, so it's even more touchy. either way, i'm trying to phase out even really using it, so take it easy on me e.
Marc, it makes me very happy to hear you're in a full face!! Alan, I feel you on the whole bmx/rear brake thing but you can't high side a bmx bike and even if you manage to do it you'll barely even get hurt if at all. The front's all you need and the pressure on the brake lever has to be progressive even in an emergency. I'm not trying to tell anyone how to ride cause I think we all ride safely, but I am telling y'all to go out and practice those emergency stops/swerves!
Whne's it gonna be warm out?
so, after looking at knee armor and what not, i couldn't find a pair that would fit well under my boots, so i just went ahead and ordered a pair of motogp grid leather/textile pants. i got them on closeout for a hella good deal & just couldn't pass it up. so, now i'll have CE knee armore as well as hip armor. i guess i'll look like a power ranger the next time we ride, but i'll feel good b/c i'll be protected.
I seriously gotta cop some armor for the city joints, cause denim is not gear. With all my gear, I still ride with jeans to work and so forth. It is not that comfortable to ride with my overpants. I might just need to get something else.
And I am starting to get concerned for the warm weather, when wearing layers will become extremely hot. I am ok with the jacket. Between my leather jackets and textile, it should be ok, but what to do about pants? Specially for riding around the city? What are you guys going to do?
"Specially for riding around the city? What are you guys going to do?"
I'm I'm commuting in... I'll still be wearing leather up top. On the legs I'll wearing jeans, riding boots, and some leg armor I have from my downhilling days under the jeans.
A lot of the times I'll be wearing full leather because once the weather warms up, I'll be doing night rides after work, remember those?
minimum is jeans with leg armor underneath, of course all the other stuff, boots, gloves, vented jacket & helmet.
tacuma, i know we would look like major dorks to your crew with all our gear on but you know that always bothered me about the community when i had a jap bike.
i hope some of your crew wears gear all the time. i know ya'll got leather jackets and vests and dope ass helmets and gloves but what about boots and leg armor. i know some of ya'll rock with just the vest on in the summer...not to put you on blast but i think i peeped you doing that too. and that isn't to say i always rode with gear because i have certainly done the t-shirt in the heat wave thing, the sneaker thing, even rode with shorts once... in CT, marc and i rode without our helmets on just to the gas station even... but... those are risks i won't take any more. it only takes one time and i was fortunate to not have anything happen the few times i did. i know a lot of cats do it all the time and are lucky enough to avoid anything happening but we know better.
i challenge us all, but especially you tacuma, to step up the gear game for your fellow KRupt mob boys. I know the gear costs loot and might not be the most comfortable or coolest looking but a little bit of effort will spark a lot of creativity... look at all the stylish gear that has been made over the past 10 years. someone has to uplift the consciousness out here for all these brothers and sisters riding sport bikes unprotected. i'm sure there is an effort out there but we all see way too many cats just not doing it. freddie foxx can be a voice for it. someone in the crew got art skills and can design some gear that fits right and protects and it can be a dope movement. at least, that is how i would like to see it.... anyway, i'm done preaching...
damn, maybe i should be an instructor one day. start our own school or something
I'm glad you all seeking out gear. From what I hear from a lot of folks who ride the track, they seem to feel that once you ride the track, the street seems MAD dangerous; road conditions, poor road surfaces, oil, and oh wait, CARS! Taking that into consideration, a person isn't allowed to come near the track w/o full gear so why would the street be any different considering a lot of folks find it more dangerous?
word!
Tacuma have you found that to be true? Since I think you are the only one here with any track time so far...
In reference to the question about the track...that is true indeed! They prefer one-piece leather suits but two-piece suits are accepted. Their theory is the two-piece has to attach all the way around at the waist. In talking to the instructors (some of them also compete in road racing) I heard a lot of "I don't even ride on the street anymore." And the reasoning is pretty much the same...for as much as you can go down while moving at high speeds on a track, they feel nothing is as dangerous as riding on the street. I think a track day or two is in order for the sportbike community, because you guys are right...most of them don't know the first thing about really controlling their machines! My time at the track reminded me of when I first started riding. I was nervous as hell! My throttle hand started to fall asleep a few times like I remember it doing in my early riding days. I even cut my last session on the track short and missed about 2 laps because I was tired and began to make stupid errors. I tried to push at first but I was smart enough to call it quits when I realized I was on the verge of hurting myself...there's more!
Lance I feel you on what you were saying about my club and the community and I plan to do my part. They did make me the Road Captain, and we'll see how serious they are about what that position entails! I'm already in drill sergeant with my members in what they should expect. Like you said the majority of them are...1)fair weather riders. I was on my bike in January when the high was 20 degrees (partly because I don't own a car and I had to go to S.I. to fight a ticket...but that's neither here nor there)...lmao! I was out riding today and giving lessons to Sakinah...yup!, Lance you heard me right! These cats are waiting for the hot weather so they can come out with that bullshit. I'm a part of the community, but to me 95% of these people are what I call fashion riders. They own bikes for the look of it, but are not true riders! Riding in formation is mandatory 100% of the time when we roll out. How many of them will listen when all they face is a lil fine is a question to me. Will my President uphold and adhere to my calls...I don't know! But I will do my part, not as a Road Captain, but as a rider to keep my people safe and try to school them on how this shit is done. I too don't want to start preaching, because when people wanna get busy and ride hard, I'm right there! I did the German helmet and t-shirt shit but that's over. I also don't care for riding two-up so I avoid it as much as possible. But if she's hot, yall just gotta understand...lol! Taking it back to the track talk, E-I've heard that also, where track-riders said the streets are more dangerous. While out today I'm riding and viewing the street with track eyes, mapping out my line for turns and practicing body positioning and shit like that. I found myself getting frustrated very quickly as I would come around a turn leaned over hanging off a lil bit only to realize that I have to adjust everything to avoid that pothole or that shitty road surface. I can't wait to get back to the track so I can get it in, but I'm not ready to shy away from the streets because I just love to ride every chance I get. I know I'm on a Beast (lol!) but just to be able to ride is exciting for me. I can cruise and just chill like anybody else. But run up on me at the light like you wanna get it on and I'll tear somebody out the frame...lmao! But on the real, there's so much to be said and we can trade numerous stories on our experiences, practices and beliefs, but one thing you guys said that should continue to echo is that it's all about the brain underneath that helmet. Not your pride, nor your ego, but simple fucking thinking!!!
Alan-the comments about you using your back brake has me intrigued to see what it is you're doing. Like E, I too never use it except for specific situations. I'm no expert, nor am I an instructor but maybe I can lend some helpful info. Look forward to riding with you!
E-practicing those emergency maneuvers is priceless advice! I'm teaching a young lady how to ride now and I get into that right after I teach her some basics. Then as she progresses I will go back and teach her again so she can adjust to the increased speed.
I know I said I'm no instructor but I got a thing for the ladies...lol!
word bullet!!!!! how do we re-post this thread?
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