Nobody gets on their bike thinking, "Today I will have an accident, better wear my gear." Because accidents are never expected, many riders use All The Gear All The Time (ATGATT) as a personal rule for safe riding. You only ride when wearing a full set of safety gear.
My friend Vic is an experienced rider on the street, trail, and track. He is also an ATGATT rider who high-sided on the pavement and walked away with minor injuries thanks to his safety gear. Here is his story...
"I just had a mini high side and tested out my spanking new jacket at about 35 mph or so. Around Las Colinas City Hall, there is a area right around a curve where the inside lane has sunk down about 6 inches from the lane running beside it. I did not notice this as I was changing from the inside to the outside lane. I guess my tires hit the edge perfectly wrong with both tires and the bike suddenly pitched me over the bars sliding on my face and right side. One second I was riding along, the next second I was crashing into the pavement."
He compared this accident to hitting a curb sideways. As the bike fell away to the left, he flew over the handlebars and landed on his right thigh, then right elbow, and right front of his Shoei RF-1100 helmet.
As for personal injuries:
"A 1/2 dollar sized asphalt burn on my right elbow area. A quarter sized bruise on my right thumb and swelling of my right thigh. Some minor bumps and bruises. All should be fine."
"I am in decent shape these days so I was able to easily get up, right the bike, and get back to work."
His trusty KLR returned him to work, but it also had some injuries.
"The KLR suffered some twisted forks (can fix, I think) and road rash on the ice-cream scoop protectors. Gotta love the old girl, she really came through like a champ. My S3 or Ninja would have been coming home on a truck."
It's easy to see that without his gear, Vic would have been a bloody mess laying along the road, while the bike was still good enough to ride. Only by wearing ATGATT, was he able to get up again with relatively minor injuries and ride away from this accident. That is something to remember the next time you get on your bike.
This is Vic's story and I hope this post will spare other riders from injury or death. Being an ATGATT rider requires commitment. Putting on everything takes time, and on hot summer rides it can be uncomfortable. If one rider changes their mind and wears their gear after reading this, then our job here is done.
Thanks Vic and ride safe!
My friend Vic is an experienced rider on the street, trail, and track. He is also an ATGATT rider who high-sided on the pavement and walked away with minor injuries thanks to his safety gear. Here is his story...
"I just had a mini high side and tested out my spanking new jacket at about 35 mph or so. Around Las Colinas City Hall, there is a area right around a curve where the inside lane has sunk down about 6 inches from the lane running beside it. I did not notice this as I was changing from the inside to the outside lane. I guess my tires hit the edge perfectly wrong with both tires and the bike suddenly pitched me over the bars sliding on my face and right side. One second I was riding along, the next second I was crashing into the pavement."
He compared this accident to hitting a curb sideways. As the bike fell away to the left, he flew over the handlebars and landed on his right thigh, then right elbow, and right front of his Shoei RF-1100 helmet.
"My face slide jacked up my visor a bit but my helmet will be OK except for some minor scratching. Right arm of the new jacket is chewed up a bit but not all the way through. Not a scratch on my legs thanks to Bull-It jeans. My chest area is as if nothing happened thanks my Forcefield Body Armor."
"If I was not wearing my gear, it could have been so much worse; cracked ribs, shoulder, smashed up face/jaw. Road rash on legs, shoulder, thigh, face, and arms would have been a reality."
This is a great testimony to the effectiveness of wearing quality gear. It will save you a lot of pain and injury and very possibly save your life when the unexpected happens. Below is a more detailed breakdown of the damage to Vic's gear:
- Triumph branded jacket: (heavy leather with armored elbows and shoulders) scuffed, but no tears or asphalt burn through.
- Gerbings T5 heated gloves: scuffing and tears on right hand fingers; repairable.
- Alpinestars MX5 boots: a few scrapes on the upper sliders, but otherwise fine.
- Bull-It Jeans: tear through of the jean material, but the Covec did not allow the asphalt to get to his legs.
As for personal injuries:
"A 1/2 dollar sized asphalt burn on my right elbow area. A quarter sized bruise on my right thumb and swelling of my right thigh. Some minor bumps and bruises. All should be fine."
"I am in decent shape these days so I was able to easily get up, right the bike, and get back to work."
His trusty KLR returned him to work, but it also had some injuries.
"The KLR suffered some twisted forks (can fix, I think) and road rash on the ice-cream scoop protectors. Gotta love the old girl, she really came through like a champ. My S3 or Ninja would have been coming home on a truck."
It's easy to see that without his gear, Vic would have been a bloody mess laying along the road, while the bike was still good enough to ride. Only by wearing ATGATT, was he able to get up again with relatively minor injuries and ride away from this accident. That is something to remember the next time you get on your bike.
This is Vic's story and I hope this post will spare other riders from injury or death. Being an ATGATT rider requires commitment. Putting on everything takes time, and on hot summer rides it can be uncomfortable. If one rider changes their mind and wears their gear after reading this, then our job here is done.
Thanks Vic and ride safe!
