Ridiculed for wearing a jacket

jasondavis48108 · Post by **jasondavis48108** » Mon May 25, 2009 3:40 am

well I rock a motoport kevlar mesh jacket that cost about 25% of what I paid for my scooter and I ride a Buddy 50. Way I figure it I don't care what your on at 45mph hitting the pavement sucks and I'd rather do it in a kevlar jacket. I always tell folks that ask me why I got the jacket that it is my tattoo insurance policy:) I'd hate to lose all that art in one acident. Sure folks will say all the gear is overkill if your on a scooter, but I say I'd rather be over protected than under protected any day.

Pamplona · Post by **Pamplona** » Mon May 25, 2009 4:09 am

I joined just to tell you to WEAR ALL YOUR GEAR.

Mine just saved my life.
Helmet
armored mesh jacket
chaps
boots
gloves

I needed every single bit of that gear to save my life. My scoot is totaled, but I'm not!

Saw a tough harley dude at the gas station and he was giving me the eye...and I wanted to say to him..."you see me? well, if I'd have been dressed like you are now when I crashed my bike, you would NOT be seeing me..." but I didn't feel like getting punched out.

Two witnesses to my accident. One harley dude said he didn't think I would get up, other dude told me he spent a year in the hospital after his accident and he was not wearing a bit of gear...and he told me he cringes now when he sees people riding without.

Post by **ericalm** » Mon May 25, 2009 4:51 am

Thanks for the input, Pamplona. If don't mind, we have a thread about crashes precisely for this purpose. It would be helpful if you'd post there about your crash. Thanks.

topic635.html

Pamplona wrote:I joined just to tell you to WEAR ALL YOUR GEAR.

Mine just saved my life.
Helmet
armored mesh jacket
chaps
boots
gloves

I needed every single bit of that gear to save my life. My scoot is totaled, but I'm not!

Saw a tough harley dude at the gas station and he was giving me the eye...and I wanted to say to him..."you see me? well, if I'd have been dressed like you are now when I crashed my bike, you would NOT be seeing me..." but I didn't feel like getting punched out.

Two witnesses to my accident. One harley dude said he didn't think I would get up, other dude told me he spent a year in the hospital after his accident and he was not wearing a bit of gear...and he told me he cringes now when he sees people riding without.

emilaya101 · Post by **emilaya101** » Mon May 25, 2009 4:29 pm

MrNatural wrote:
That's like saying that a bigger gun is more dangerous than a smaller gun. They still do the same damage, but it depends who has it and how prepared they are to be responsible with it, just like a crotch rocket or scooter.
I'm getting WAY off the subject but, SAY WHAT??? If anyone should know the bigger the gun the more damage it'll do it should be a Texan!! I'd never wanna try but I'll sooner take a cap in the @ss from a .22 pistol than a 9mm!!!

By they way, LOVE Fredricksburg, TX!!!!

Yeah, but I really meant, if you wreck you wreck, You get injuries either way, does it really matter whether or not you broke 10 bones of 50 ? I guess it does, but either way it sucks just about the same was my point lol. way to notice the texan thing though, but I'm not from here, I'm from Idaho lol. yeah I live in fredericksburg and make all of my money off of the tourism

I'm a chef in a restaraunt on main street

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Mon May 25, 2009 4:45 pm

What's all this stuff about how other people think I don't look cool or how I have to explain to them why I wear what I do while riding? How about just ignoring them? Surely you don't value the opinions of people who don't have the slightest idea what they are talking about? Time to stop worrying about the kids at the stoplight or the ignoramus at the Quickie Mart. Ride safe, have fun!

Cheshire · Post by **Cheshire** » Mon May 25, 2009 5:25 pm

Style factor only comes into play when choosing WHICH jacket for me. I'm not doing power ranger, I'd rather not be a walking billboard for some companies, and I'd prefer not to disappear into the night. That second one I'll bend on if I need to. My black Alpinestar jacket has the name in reflective thread across the shoulders. I chose that over the name across my chest.

I've got a Corazzo 5.0 on my wish list. Those things are just nice!

bulldog1967 · Post by **bulldog1967** » Mon May 25, 2009 9:26 pm

trevo_man wrote: "A little over-protected don't you think?"

"No such thing and it is cheaper than skin grafts."

Idiots.

Dibber · Post by **Dibber** » Mon May 25, 2009 11:50 pm

Wow, people where we work thinks we don't dress up enough. Anyone know where I can buy an armor suit...Ha, Ha. Of course we both work at a hospital.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Tue May 26, 2009 12:33 am

Dibber wrote:Wow, people where we work thinks we don't dress up enough. Anyone know where I can buy an armor suit...Ha, Ha. Of course we both work at a hospital.

I recently started a job working with nurses and the occasional doctor, and I'm just waiting for the day when one of them comments about the [organ] "donor-cycle" I ride.

Post by **polianarchy** » Tue May 26, 2009 4:26 pm

Ugh. I get ridiculed on a near-daily basis here in the City That Shoves You Back. Depending on the sh!t-talkin' fool, I either 1) thousand-yard stare right through them or 2) laugh in their face. They've already formed their opinion of me, why should I waste my precious time & breath? I've regretted every single time I engaged in a war of words with these numbskulls.

One time, this jerk was leaning out of his big ol' Chevy Blazer and swerving all over his lane. Turns out, he was desperately trying to get my attention so he could ask me WHYYY I dare to wear my gear "when it's so hot out?" My response -- "so I'm protected from when cagers like you swerve into my lane!" Ugh, the obscenities that spewed from his maw would make your skin crawl.

walky08 · Post by **walky08** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 5:07 am

So what are the best armored suits? I find all jackets so heavy I think they will drag me down.

gearhead · Post by **gearhead** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 5:46 am

dont forget, you dont need respect, safety is what matters, when you fall off your scoot, you dont wanna splatter, that why you have a jacket, mouths talk? then smack it, show them your scooter pride, and they'll beg you for a ride

CiaoItalia · Post by **CiaoItalia** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 6:07 pm

When people say idiotic crap like that to me I tell them to get in their car, drive down the road at 50 mph in their damn shorts, t-shirt, flip-flops and backwards baseball cap, jump out of the car onto the asphalt at speed and come report back to me about their experience. I have yet to have any takers...

Wheelz · Post by **Wheelz** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 6:38 pm

gearhead wrote:dont forget, you dont need respect, safety is what matters, when you fall off your scoot, you dont wanna splatter, that why you have a jacket, mouths talk? then smack it, show them your scooter pride, and they'll beg you for a ride

Gearhead-the poet emeritus of MB....

BuddyRaton · Post by **BuddyRaton** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 10:47 pm

ryder1 wrote: But I think the Fieldsheer can look like overkill as do some other brands that are plastered on the jacket.

So far Fieldsheer is the coolest uberhot weather jacket I have found. And you can still look cool!

Wilson · Post by **Wilson** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 2:23 am

Corazzo.
Corazzo.
CORAZZO.

I've had a few jackets, Corazzo, to me, is so far above all the others in safety and style. It's worth the money, and yes i wear my 5.0 in the hot Carolina summer. I always tell myself that the one time I don't wear it...well you know.

jfrost2 · Post by **jfrost2** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 3:23 am

I do prefer corazzo's styling, but from a realistic stand point, you can find jackets much safer and of the same quality for half the price. Although corazzo is one of the only companies that make retro and scooter gear, unless you want to look like a super bike rider.

pugbuddy · Post by **pugbuddy** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:16 am

I'm still waiting for Corazzo's mesh jacket. I may break down and get that one after it comes out...if it ever does!

Cheshire · Post by **Cheshire** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:23 am

walky08: If you've been trying on leather, textile is about half the weight.

I don't know, I think Corazzo is one of the safer ones out there. They're about the same when it comes to crash-worthiness, but that big ol' stripe of reflective material on the front, back, and left arm makes you SO much more visible than the other jackets I've seen! (Talking about the 5.0)

gearhead · Post by **gearhead** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 5:00 am

the jacket is your life saver,
unless you want the concrete to be your shaver,
who cares what people think,
let em talk then tell them their breath stinks,
dont let it get to you, or you'll be down and blue,
just focus on riding,
not on the crying,
having a clear mind when riding is what matters most,
if you dont, you are toast

Wheelz · Post by **Wheelz** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 6:42 am

you keep this up gearhead, and we're gonna need a little beatnick emoticon, with snapping fingers...

greencountry · Post by **greencountry** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 3:13 pm

jfrost2 wrote:I do prefer corazzo's styling, but from a realistic stand point, you can find jackets much safer and of the same quality for half the price. Although corazzo is one of the only companies that make retro and scooter gear, unless you want to look like a super bike rider.

I think that's backwards actually. I did a lot of research on safety gear, and Corazzo's jackets with 1000 denier cordura have some of the best non-leather abrasion resistance out there (it's the high denier and the cordura material). (I'm assuming you weren't referring to leather gear, that tends to be more expensive AFAIK.) I went down in a $200 Tourmaster Flex2 jacket at 40-50 mph that uses something like 500 denier nylon and 750 denier nylon in the impact areas. Underneath the textile is the summer mesh layer made of some trademarked polyester thing ("Armor-Link" I think). The forearm tore all the way down to the CE armor. The seam on my Joe Rocket Alter Ego pants tore a good chunk of the way along my hip, and the lower leg is shredded. Both are toast. If I hadn't been wearing the textile layer I'm sure I would have a lot of rash on my left side; the polyester meshes are very prone to disintegration and even melting from the friction heat.

The one shortcoming to the Corazzo imho is no cinch straps anywhere - the elbow armor floats too much and I am not sure it will be in the right place to cushion impact.

From what I have seen, the best non-leather materials for abrasion resistance are kevlar first, then cordura in descending denier number (1000 better than 750 better than 500, etc.). And ignore any trademarked names like "Polytanium mesh," "Armor-Link," etc. - they are all fancy names for polyester materials, all of which are weak.

I'm looking to replace my gear either with Fieldsheer's Corsair for low speeds, and after I save up, one of Motoport's air mesh kevlar jackets, probably the Marathon. I was looking at Vanson's mesh jacket, as it's maybe the only other mesh jacket that isn't polyester (it's cordura). For pants, it will be Motoport's air mesh kevlar for sure.

(No, I don't work for any of the above companies.

)

r0sa · Post by **r0sa** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:01 pm

gearhead wrote:the jacket is your life saver,
unless you want the concrete to be your shaver,
who cares what people think,
let em talk then tell them their breath stinks,
dont let it get to you, or you'll be down and blue,
just focus on riding,
not on the crying,
having a clear mind when riding is what matters most,
if you dont, you are toast

my goodness, this is so funny

skeeter · Post by **skeeter** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 1:30 am

Don't let them bother you my friend. I formed a small scooter club in Cincinnati, Ohio. We have five members and growing and decided to locate a watering hole to visit after our rides. We live in a subburb of Cincinnati and chose a litte pub called Cindy's. Well known biker bar with plenty of HD pieces proudly parked around the outside patio.

My club memebers and I, dressed in our WildHawgs colors, black german hemets, decided to make a visit. We pulled our scooters right up front, backed our machines up the to patio gates like we owned the place.

Obviously the locals were a bit concerned of the new crew that just landed, but after a few adult beverages and grins, we started talking about our scooters. The Harley riders were curious of the performance. They didn't believe that I own a big Harley but enjoyed riding my Buddy 125 around town more. I had to prove my big Harley the next night as I stopped by for just one....not!!!!

Now my scooter club enjoyes a leveal of respect at Cindy's. We all love two wheels that can't be described to those non-riders.

nevermore · Post by **nevermore** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 3:46 am

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=9 ... 1826350199

The guy with the jacket with his back to the camera...is in my opinion, one of the kingpins of the modern infatuation of scooters. He is Bill, and he runs the site, scoot.net

I don't wear a riding jacket, but if it's good enough for Bill, it's good enough for anyone.

Marty

Post by **Lostmycage** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 4:33 am

nevermore wrote:http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=9 ... 1826350199

The guy with the jacket with his back to the camera...is in my opinion, one of the kingpins of the modern infatuation of scooters. He is Bill, and he runs the site, scoot.net

I don't wear a riding jacket, but if it's good enough for Bill, it's good enough for anyone.

Marty

I'm a little lost, but the guy with his back to the camera is wearing a tee-shirt and according to the tag, his name is Scott.

Are you folks seriously tied up in what others think? There's so many other things to wrap your attention in! Let it go and just friggin ride!

Portland_Rider · Post by **Portland_Rider** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 4:36 am

You can take and keep control of a conversation by asking and open-ended and leading questions. Many of the samples below are close-ended questions.

"If one of your friend's cars were to hit me while I was on my scoot and we were both doing 25mph it could destroy my scoot and easily kill or cripple me. Wouldn't you want me to be fully protected?"

"What speeds do you imagine that scooter riders are limted to?"

"What has more visiability to car and truck drivers on the road; a Harley or my scooter?" (that was actually a close-ended question)

"Getting into an accident at 50mph, do you believe that I'm somehow safer from being hurt than a motorcycle rider?"

And if it is a particularily nasty comment with a mean tone:
"Does trying to put another person down beneath you make you feel momentarily better about yourself?"
You can follow that up with:
"How long do those momentary feelings of superiority last before you feel down again?"

It's sadly all just human nature.

nevermore · Post by **nevermore** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 3:13 am

Portland_Rider wrote:You can take and keep control of a conversation by asking and open-ended and leading questions. Many of the samples below are close-ended questions.

"If one of your friend's cars were to hit me while I was on my scoot and we were both doing 25mph it could destroy my scoot and easily kill or cripple me. Wouldn't you want me to be fully protected?"

"What speeds do you imagine that scooter riders are limted to?"

"What has more visiability to car and truck drivers on the road; a Harley or my scooter?" (that was actually a close-ended question)

"Getting into an accident at 50mph, do you believe that I'm somehow safer from being hurt than a motorcycle rider?"

And if it is a particularily nasty comment with a mean tone:
"Does trying to put another person down beneath you make you feel momentarily better about yourself?"
You can follow that up with:
"How long do those momentary feelings of superiority last before you feel down again?"

It's sadly all just human nature.

Sorry, wrong photo...he was wearing a nice armored jacket.

Marty

DennisD · Post by **DennisD** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 2:15 pm

Not a good picture, but the point is made. I carry some scars on my forearm that are minor from some gravel that somehow got inside my sleeve but the jacket kept it from being any worse. You can't see the abrasions in the pic very well, but better on a jacket than me. The dockers pants didn't hold up as well and my knees sport much bigger scars. Funny, it was only about 15mph.

JNV · Post by **JNV** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 12:30 am

my experience has been that the ones who laugh are the ones that don't ride. I have shown up at motorcycle rally and the real riders don't say a thing, and aprreciate safety. I have even had one guy that laughed at me try to sell me his crotch rocket (it was his first bike) after a he fell off it. he didn't even break a single bone, just some minor road rash, but it has enough to scare him for life. What a sissy.

Modern Buddy

Ridiculed for wearing a jacket

Re: Ridiculed for wearing a jacket

Jackets

Re: Ridiculed for wearing a jacket

Re: Ridiculed for wearing a jacket

Jackets