Are there exceptions to ATGATT?

Wow, thanks for the replies. I've gone 400 miles since I got the bike 2 months ago, and only two times did I go more than 10 miles (both about 25 miles round trip). Average trip for me is maybe 2 miles...no joke. Maybe not "good" for the bike but I bought it to ride and love to leave my old truck sitting in the driveway.

I have a bicycle (road bike) and wear a helmet every time I ride it too. However, I'm not sure I get the logic that a bicycle is safer. I'd ride on the same roads about the the same speed but with no horn, blinkers, lights, crash bars mirrors, etc. The helmet is not near as protective and I'd be less likely to wear a jacket, boots, etc. I've ridden it to work several times, but it takes longer just to get ready to ride, requires special clip-in shoes, and has zero storage. Plus once there it wouldn't allow me to go anywhere else.

I thought I was on the safe side being that offer half the knuckleheads in my town don't even wear a helmet.

Any long rides get all the gear I own put on my body...but I need to invest in a good pair of pants. BTW, in 9 years and almost 40k miles I've been on one "joy ride" (riding without a purpose/destination)...it was a 60 mile loop about 6 months ago. I've done about a dozen 1 day/400+ mile rides, all on the Magna: that bike is NOT for touring!
 
dc112675 said:
I thought I was on the safe side being that offer half the knuckleheads in my town don't even wear a helmet.
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Well, as stated above, it's YOUR choice how to handle such a short ride.. so no right or wrong answer, simply what YOU feel comfortable with..
 
I figure you are an adult and will wear what you consider appropriate. I do. Sometimes that is less than ATGATT but having ridden for 49 years and being 64 years old I know the risks. Choices and consequences, like I tell my kids.
 
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thumperjdm said:
We're all adults here, and all of us have an internal "Risk Manager." Do whatever he tells you.
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Word! Sift through all the recommendations and see what you come up with. As alternatives to ATGATT there is ATGSOTT SOTGATT and SOTGSOTT. For the braver souls there's NOTGSOTT.

Some people swear by ATGATT and swear at those who don't. I'm more SOTATT. Gloves and boots (not MC certified boots yet) always. Clothes usually. I'm still looking for good MC jackets especially for cool weather where the wind slides up the back because non-MC jackets ride up the back. And long sleeves always for longer rides that a few minutes.
 
so no right or wrong answer, simply what YOU feel comfortable with..
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+1 Here (CA) helmets are mandatory. I rode in a state where they weren't so on a few short trips there I didn't wear a helmet. It was a great feeling again. I'd do it a lot more if it was legal here but only under certain circumstances where I felt the odds are in my favor.

There are inherent risks in riding a motorcycle. ATGATT is a rider's answer to being a cager wrapping yourself in a cocoon of fiber instead of metal. That works for some people and not for others. You can't predict the future so you adjust your choices as the risk level changes. Or... you prepare for the absolute worst in case they change suddenly without notice. For better or worse you listen to (or ignore) your Inner Risk Manager.
 
Sometimes I think we are lucky here in Ireland because we don't get very hot weather,so wearing gear is comfortable mostly,for the few mins it takes to throw on the Kevlar jeans and bike boots,it's worth it just in case, I do it now automatically,even for a short spin,
I always rem reading 'it's better to sweat than bleed':)
 
I remember liking to run around barefoot when I was a kid....then stepping on broken glass, thorns, nails, and sharp rocks took the fun out of it....I never go barefoot now.....my riding gear has gone the same way....I just feel more comfortable wearing it all the time, because at my age injury hurts, for a long time.....ride well, ride safe...........ff
 
For me, a 1.2 mile commute would mean walking to reduce my carbon footprint, AND to get exercise.

However, whenever I am on the bike I am ATGATT, even in 90? heat. Just stay hydrated.

Per Progressive: "... the survey found that 52 percent of reported crashes occurred five miles or less from home and a whopping 77 percent occurred fifteen miles or less from home."
 
broc11 said:
Sometimes I think we are lucky here in Ireland because we don't get very hot weather,so wearing gear is comfortable mostly,for the few mins it takes to throw on the Kevlar jeans and bike boots,it's worth it just in case, I do it now automatically,even for a short spin,
I always rem reading 'it's better to sweat than bleed':)
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I agree. I live one mile from the West Texas border where it is hot and dry 8 months out of the year. Suiting up for a five minute (or five hour) ride in 110? heat is a pain. Yes, I realize that it's not as painful as sliding across the road in jeans, but as what has been mentioned: you weigh the risks.

There are two "riding apparel" extremes: one that involves flip flops, a tank top, and a hat on backwards, and the other, ATG plus a HANS unit, a steel breastplate and a large roll of bubble wrap.

I guess most of us fall somewhere in between.
 
Landon said:
I hate this stat. Well no duh most accidents happen close to home, its where most people spend 90+% of their time.
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Of course you are right but I also understand that around home we are a bit more complacent, throw the car in reverse and back up because there is "never" anything parked on the drive behind the car, rolling through stop signs..............

Gerhard
 
Gerhard said:
Of course you are right but I also understand that around home we are a bit more complacent, throw the car in reverse and back up because there is "never" anything parked on the drive behind the car, rolling through stop signs..............

Gerhard
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I think both are right. We let our guard down when we are close to home. My crash was less than 3 miles from home.
When I come back from a long ride and get close to home, I remind myself to stay focused. Its called closing the deal. ie Finishing.
 
Remember that all the gear we are wearing beyond a helmet is really for abrasion protection when skidding and tumbling along. if you are hit by a 3,000 lb car it really doesn't matter what your attire is.
 
I keep remembering the picture of the absolute minimum of gear worn by a biker. Well, almost absolute minimum.
Saw this in Navarre beach on a vacation to family. We would stop there on the way to my sister's house in FWB, FL. There is a mile long bridge that crosses some water to the spit of land where the beach is. Sand is everywhere, especially covering the parking lot only a few hundred feet from the ocean. As we got out of our cage I noticed the sport bike parked, and a guy in nothing but a swim suit approaching it. Obviously no storage on the bike and he had his key in hand. Barefoot and nothing else but the swim suit on. He hopped on the bike, revved it up, and screamed out of the parking lot across the bridge. A bit less protection than I would ever feel comfortable with. And my feet hurt now thinking of it cuz that bike didn't have rubber on the pegs... just serrated metal pegs.
 
In years past I did not wear proper gear (in my opinion now) while on a motorcycle. Most of the time I did at least have a helmet, whether it was law or not. I never believed that loud pipes save lives and helmets restrict hearing. It's up to each rider as to the amount of risks you want to assume. You & I know, it's a gamble every time you hit the start button and take off. It may however, increase your odds to reduce injury with gear, especially high quality stuff.

I'm glad I hooked up with this ST group about 6-1/2 years ago. :) It now feels very strange to ride without my gear on, even the 200ft trip from the house to the shop.
Ride Safe.
 
You gotta decide for yourself.
-Most accidents happen close to home. A statistical artifact since you start and end there and tends to be local surface roads where people are paying the least attention.
-My one total was a mile from home. 25mph local rode. T intersection I had the right of way (straight). Oldsmobuick deathmobile stopped then proceeded thru the stop sign an hit me dead amidships. I ended up on my back but the chin guard of my helmet was trashed. The air born part I remember in slow motion but the Ah crap this is gonna hurt part happened in a blink.
 
I think you need to do what you feel comfortable with.
When I ride with an open face helmet, jeans, shirt, gloves and boots, I tend to ride slower, pay more attention, and enjoy the wind on my body, and enjoy the ride. When I'm all suited up with protective gear, full face helmet, I tend to ride faster, I still make it a point to pay attention but I do notice I tend to ride 20KM/H faster.... puts me at more risk.

I have also been known to ride my bike in a kilt....I rarely if ever do that now.

When I ride on our 400 series highways, I go for full gear. Too many vehicles going at 130 + KM/H, drivers texting and on cell phones...too many variables.

If the trip is that short, a couple of kilometres or up the block, it's time for me to walk.... I have some poundage to lose..... :)

In the end you will make your own choices, think it through, and deal with whatever decision you make.
 
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