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"The Guys with the Gear"
by Ken Condon
If you showed up for any of the SRNE rides, you'd notice the usual: riders
milling around their R1s, TLs, R6s, SVs, VFRs, Concours, 996s, etc. You
would also notice that the riders are wearing some serious protective gear.
You'll see race-inspired full-face helmets, gauntlet gloves, armored boots
and top-quality leather suits or nylon riding jackets and pants.
Why does this group put so much importance on gear? The obvious reason is
that we like our skin, bones and brains to be as God intended them to be--
not ground up, shattered and bruised. Sportriders tend to push the
risk-envelope a bit further (or a lot further) than the usual motorcyclist
does, so having sturdy gear on your body at the start of a ride can help
assure an in-tact body at the end of the ride. This shows an attitude of
risk acceptance.
Just because a rider wears top-notch gear doesn't mean he or she is
accepting risk. Some riders use sportriding gear to pose as
racer-wannabes, but most riders who wear race-bred gear are showing that
they recognize the risk of motorcycling -particularly sport motorcycling.
For some, this recognition of risk comes too late to avoid injury. Many new
riders cry poor when encouraged to purchase good riding gear, but they
somehow find enough cash or credit to buy the carbon fiber and chrome
aftermarket bits. They often ignore the need for safety gear until they
experience a close call or an unfortunate spill.
Many of the members of SRNE seem to have the money to afford good gear. But good gear does not have to cost a lot. Work boots, a leather or Cordura
jacket, leather gloves and a DOT full-face helmet work fine. Most ordinary riders wear jeans because of the inconvenience or cost of riding pants, or
simply because they don't acknowledge that the legs are vulnerable to injury.
Wearing dirt bike knee and shin guards under jeans can be a cheap solution, but jean material shreds in only ten or fifteen feet of contact with the
road-- instead, buy some real riding pants. Armored leather or Nylon riding pants is best. You may consider chaps, but they offer neither impact
protection, nor protection from an ASS-phalt slide. If you're going to stick to riding for more than a couple of years, you'll likely buy some riding
pants anyway, so why not buy them now and put them to work protecting your walking limbs.
There is another reason why we at SRNE ride with good gear. SRNE riders are
serious about sportriding-- and serious sportriders respect their sport. They challenge themselves to perform better-- to achieve a personal best--
just like any other serious sportsman. Riders who respect the sport and take this sport seriously dress in a way that expresses that serious attitude.
Smart riders know that all of the riding gear in the world will not prevent a crash. However, wearing good safety gear does reduce the likelihood of
injury, and it expresses the commitment to risk management and the respect for the sport that defines the serious sport rider. Are you a serious
sportrider?
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