Rock the Gear - Soldiers of the Streets

[shandapimp]

Thanks for posting the video. I will admit I sometimes get " too comfortable/confident" and don't always rock ALL the gear. But videos like this remind me that no one is invincible and put me back in check. Thanks again and I am glad you are up and ridning again! Ride safe!

[jamminfool]

Well done, very useful info and real life experience to back it up. As for the helmet debate, all I can add is "make sure your lid of choice is DOT approved AT LEAST"! I ride with an open face helmet in the summer, and a full face when the weather gets cooler. My reasoning? The open face is cooler (temprature wise), and I can HEAR better...vision is just as good with both styles, so that's a moot point. I don't care how "cool" they look, NOVELTY HELMETS KILL!!!

[tarded400]

I would think a gear video would highly encourage full face helmets, as an incredibly high percentage of wrecks have damage to the chin area.

[Joisey06]

This video is very well done and brings it all home how very important it is to wear all your gear all the time. My good friend is an experienced, skilled, long-time veteran rider and never goes anywhere without his gear and has stressed that importance to me as a new rider. I've appreciated the advice and follow it faithfully. I do need to get good riding pants but have all of the protective gear otherwise. Thanks for this video and to my friend for sending it to me.

[paris400]

I cna't ssay enough about First Gear mesh gear. I went down and slid across the road and they saved my hide - I walked away with two bruises and a scratch. Full face, mesh jacket and pants, racing boots and gloves - never leave home without them.

[ladyl34dfoot]

very well done video. i hope that everyone watches it AND pays attention. it's better to be alive and in one piece than to "be cool" or "look cool".

i know; i've been down and it ain't no fun. i'd not have use of my left hand were it not for gloves, and i'd be wearing a lot of road rash were it not for boots, jeans, and leather.

hah! never thought i'd be saying any of that, either. guess maybe one does get a bit wiser as one survives a bit longer...

[loldude987654321]

Great vidio Lets just hope more rider get the message . very well done

[elwood1960]

Great vid. Great job. There is never a good way to fall off a bike, and if ya ride, you can count on falling off. Thank you for sharing with us the price of joy.

I take more joy from riding than most anything in my life. I gear up every ride because I know my joy is attached to the biggest risk in my life . . . . I mount an unforgiving bitch every day.

[BFTD540]

ANY approved gear is better then NO gear or that ridiculous novelty stuff. My story was I had the gear that the MSF says is the minimum you should wear, Good leather, heavy jeans, gloves, boots, DOT helmet and good eye wear. That gear saved my life. If you wear better gear then your outcome may better then mine was. If the video made you think, great. If you know somebody who can benefit from it please feel free to pass it along. BTW, I now wear armored gear. Up-armoring is always good to LOL

[BlindIo42]

A very good message for all riders. A year ago I was riding my Honda Magna back from a group ride when an inattentive driver changed lanes and sideswiped me with a truck. I went down hard and have four titanium screws in my elbow to show for it - and that was with full gear. My boots saved my foot as my bike came down on me and my leathers kept me from getting a single scratch. My lid saved my life. Rock The Gear - ATGATT!

[norertosince1996]

Obviously, open face helmets are safer than full face. That's why _ALL_ F1 WRC MGP IsleofMan 2@4wheelDragRace BoreCar ATV Snowmobile F1Boat Motocross Motostunt SuperMotard and numerous other motorsports competitors use them. OH, NO WAIT-------------THEY DON'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[speedracerfx]

The only piece missing from your riding gear is a good set of pants. Blue jeans won't protect you in a slide. Even Kevlar jeans don't provide total protection. Get a good set of leather pants to complete your gear.

[BFTD540]

I do wear leather chaps when I ride weather permitting. I would say the absolute minimum you should wear is a good quality heavy denim jeans. I say minimum because I see people wearing shorts, lightweight dress pants or raingear as protection. BTW, I was wearing Levis when I had my accident, even though I broke a leg and my pelvis, I didn't get a scratch on my legs. So jeans are ok, not great! Just OK. ANY APPROVED protective gear is better then NO gear.

[BlindIo42]

The one problem with chaps - and I know this from personal experience - is that the one place you are likely to slide on in a crash is your ass. When I went down my chaps saved me because I ended up on my shoulder and side, trapped under my bike. Had I low-sided I'm sure I would have been in the hospital getting skin grafts on my cheeks. Now I ride with armored touring pants or in my race leathers. There are plenty of full-pants for hot weather if you look around. ATGATT, baby!

[starcruzer]

Well done, well said, and you are certainly an authority on the topic. Interesting thing about your choice of helmet........... I'm open face, also. A good buddy and fellow '99 Roadie owner is a long time EMT in Washington State told me he'd seen more head trauma from full face than open face because pavement plus chin piece on full face equals torque that breaks a neck.....pronto. It's arguable. I'm open face for one reason. I can see better.

[rickrussell]

"EMT in Washington State told me he'd seen more head trauma from full face than open face"

The difference could be random error, or a correlation rather than cause. Perhaps full-face wearers get into more high-trauma accidents as a group, but not because of the helmet.

I've worn all three (half, 3/4 and full) and visibility is a non-issue; the full face helmet does not block any part of the visual field that matters, and offers better visibility than the driver's seat of a car.

[JCJHall]

Well done! Thanks for taking the time, cost and effort to put this together. I know it will make a difference.