What level of protection are you comfortable with

[ClutchClark]

12 hours ago, kannot said:

this  and  only  this, trousers  are  padded with  kevlar

 

Dang I wish I had not gotten so old.

 

That photo makes me miss better days.

 

Rip it up.

[taninthai]

1 hour ago, Hal65 said:

 

I disagree with this line of thinking. Just because you enter a Third World country doesn't mean you should suddenly lower your safety standards. People would call you a senseless squid for riding around with sandals on a scooter in the West just the same as they would if you were on a big bike.

can't really compare it to the west for example my nearest local shop is 3km  one road 1 km of it dirt road 99% of the time i do this trip in flip flops no lid i dont even see another car or bike.

[naboo]

This material offers potential for an interesting solution to Thailand's heat vs protection dilemma. I don't wear full protection as I believe the heat then means I will find concentrating more difficult, but something like the t-shirt and gloves in the link would be better than what I usually wear, and if somebody created a motorbike specific option, maybe something for the future.

[Jdiddy]

Local commutes: No gear except gloves and sunglasses

Trips/hooning: race boots, kevla jeans, armoured leather jacket, helmet, gloves

 

[kannot]

On 11/23/2016 at 8:38 PM, ClutchClark said:

 

Dang I wish I had not gotten so old.

 

That photo makes me miss better days.

 

Rip it up.

im 53

[nard]

after more than 20 yrs riding bikes in Thailand with no protection (shorts t shirt and flip flops.sometimes helmet). I have just got myself airflow jacket and trousers.full face helmet.and lace up shoes.iv'e been lucky,no accidents.

 

[kannot]

8 hours ago, nard said:

after more than 20 yrs riding bikes in Thailand with no protection (shorts t shirt and flip flops.sometimes helmet). I have just got myself airflow jacket and trousers.full face helmet.and lace up shoes.iv'e been lucky,no accidents.

 

yep  thats  all it  is "luck" ..........that and   everyone thinks ( including me )  it wont  happen  to them, the problem here is the frequency of death defying stunts  pulled by other drivers that you have ZERO control over. 

The leather jacket is fine when moving but traffic  lights  get darn  hot. I dont do town driving much so stops are rare, then again id  rather have the heat than the pain of half  my skin missing, it aint going to stop broken bones but at least i wont need the skin grafts.

[kannot]

On 11/23/2016 at 10:26 PM, taninthai said:

can't really compare it to the west for example my nearest local shop is 3km  one road 1 km of it dirt road 99% of the time i do this trip in flip flops no lid i dont even see another car or bike.

Yeah  but the ground is  still as hard....................it  can be a pain to put it on for a 2  minute  trip though, at the very least id  wear shoes and gloves I  just couldnt do it in flip  flops and no  gloves

Edited November 28, 2016 by kannot

[taninthai]

7 hours ago, kannot said:

Yeah  but the ground is  still as hard....................it  can be a pain to put it on for a 2  minute  trip though, at the very least id  wear shoes and gloves I  just couldnt do it in flip  flops and no  gloves

Believe me I know exactly what your saying ,,,it don't bear thinking about the damage you can do to your feet if you come off in flip flops even a big stone flying up from the front wheel and hitting your foot can cause quite a bit of pain.

Everyone has different levels of experience and confidence though,and has to judge for themselves if they think it's safe or not,for me it's a two minuit ride at 30-40km/h,,of coarse a lunatic car driver could come flying around the corner on wrong side of the road and take me out,,,,flip flops or boots wouldn't matter then ,probably be dead anyway..but that's the risk we all take riding bikes anyway.

[papa al]

Flip-flops !!

Too dangerous for walking, IMO.

[01322521959]

I use a decent HJC fullface, good gloves but quite a normal jacket. Black messenger type. Feel guilty about the jacket and have tried on some protective ones, but so constricting and hot. Always worry about a back injury. I've gone semi native I'm afraid to say. 

[leonidpattayski]

Recently I crushed on my wife's scooter.The speed was very slow around 20 kmph because i just started to accelerate on the turn and i hit with my ribs a parked motorcycle with pram. Not good place to park right near the turn, anyway I should watch myself better. I've got slight scratches on my knees and elbows and ribs injury. Lucky no ribs cracked but still can sleep only on my back for two weeks.

I was wearing only open face helmet we got then bought motorbike. I wish I had full motorcycle body armor with knee, elbow and chest protectors on me that day. When I recover and run motorbike again I will definitely wear wear full body protection, they have reasonable prices on aliexpress, i think 10 000 -15 000  baht for full body protection is worth the investment.

[elgordo38]

On 11/12/2016 at 3:34 PM, NormanW said:

Full leathers boots obviously full helmet leather gloves back protection chest protector . on the big bike . 

 

Armoured jacket kevlar jeans boots and gloves on the medium bike.

 

Jeans boots gloves 3/4 helmet on the shopping bike.

 

2 broken collar bones and a broken wrist in 42 years riding bikes.

 

I don't like pain so I man up and take the expense and the heat.

 

Hope this helps . 

Sounds like pure punishment. Glad I never took up the sport?

[canthai55]

8 minutes ago, elgordo38 said:

Sounds like pure punishment. Glad I never took up the sport?

 

Well ... that puts your credibility just where it belongs. Any gives just Credence to your opinions. Question is - why do you post on the motorcycle forum when you do not ride ?   Flood under the Bridge ?

[elgordo38]

23 minutes ago, canthai55 said:

 

Well ... that puts your credibility just where it belongs. Any gives just Credence to your opinions. Question is - why do you post on the motorcycle forum when you do not ride ?   Flood under the Bridge ?

Gee dah its called an opinion, comment did not mean to get your knickers in a knot. 

[zyphodb]

 

Do need to upgrade my helmet when I have some spare cash though

[Khon Kaen Dave]

Riders,what level of protection are you comfortable  with.

Sorry,i completely got the topic meaning the wrong way round.I thought it was going to be about condoms.Silly me,it just shows you what a rotten mind i have,anyway,you continue with your topic,you seem to have a lot of reply's to it.

[Mansell]

I would highly suggest good leather boots. I have BMW ones I got because they have good venting. On one ride through villages where the dogs are not as savvy as town dogs.....one trotted out in front of me and completely ignored my air horns....maybe he was deaf....went under the front but hit my right foot at speed. I thought I broke it, bloody painful. But anything but boots would have been a disaster. Wear full face day glo yellow modular Schuberth helmet which I am selling for 10,000 baht if anybody is interested. Probably one of the best helmets on the market....$700 new etc.

also wear a full mesh suit with armor every where. Of course gloves, as skin for the palm of the hand comes from the sole of your foot....now you are also limping and hand not working. Strangely I went down at 15 kph in the wet ABS didn't work, and the bike landed on my leg and it got infected. Two surgeries and $11,000 later all good. And happy to still have my leg. Got 30,000 baht from government insurance, and 60,000 baht from private. Funnily the government one was easier to deal with. Ride safely.

[pbeieio]

[lvr181]

A condom?

 

      wrong topic        

 

I've just gotta clean up that mind of mine.

[KKr]

An emergency room nurse in Europe told me once that many cases of overtime work related to picking the grime out of unprotected motorcyclists that did the red smear landing.

So, I wear tied up shoes (boots when raining), Kevlar Jeans, Mesh Jacket, Helmet, and sometimes gloves. 
If I would find Mesh Gloves, I would wear gloves all the time.

As mentioned earlier, when hitting the road surface at 80 kmh, it does not matter whether the bike is big or not.

[Davehappen]

Floppy hair and flip flops, seriously, I do ride the wave in trainers, no gloves or helmet, in the village. Out on the roads a crash hat ever time. If I buy a big boys bike, I would gear up properly, it only makes sense

[leonidpattayski]

There is no difference in safety between 110cc scooter and big bike.

[smotherb]

On 11/12/2016 at 8:10 AM, Namplik said:

Pants(rip stop),  boots, gloves, half helmet, and thats only on a scooter...

 

Next: 

To be safe, you need all the protection you can get--full-faced DOT or equivalent helmet, heavy boots, gloves, and full riding suits--preferably all leather, or kevlar, but other synthetics are okay as long as they have impact absorbent padding and key-point armor. That level of protection is recommended for a 50cc scooter or a 2300cc motorcycle; no matter how far you're riding.  I've seen a lovely young lass who lost most of her chin and right heel, had a broken right ankle, and suffered abrasions and contusions over face, body, arms, hands, legs, and feet--some of which required plastic surgery--and she was on a Honda Wave when she hit the street in her bathing suit and rubber thongs.  I've picked up the pieces of bikers who hit immovable objects at speeds--the more protection you have the safer you can be. 

 

Do all bikers wear that kind of protection? No, even though they know it is best, but doing so is just too confining.

 

 

 

[F4UCorsair]

Chain mail suit, full face helmet, boots and gloves, and a few strobe lights on the bike....in Thailand.

[JungleBiker]

Helmet, sunglasses, fingerless gloves and lycra. No engine.  

[manarak]

I'm driving a scooter, mostly around town with the occasional few Kms on Sukhumvit, I wear a reasonable 3/4  helmet and sandals.

 

If I was ever to get the money to buy something more serious than a scooter, I would probably add gloves and spineprotector, and possibly elbow and knee protectors, maybe boots.

[smedly]

it is worth being mindful of what exactly you are protecting against, on a public road and a track it is road rash and not much else, perhaps a falling impact on the knee or elbow if you have some armour 

 

The helmet will protect you from an impact on the ground from bike seat height, a high side being the exception (forward velocity doesn't matter much) and to an extent a helmet will offer some low speed impact protection against something solid at up to about 30kph, if you hit something solid at speeds above that then you are in trouble no matter what you are wearing

[Mansell]

If you are bothered by the heat, check out a company in Arizona that sells a long sleeve high necked shirt. It is two layered and you put it in water, the outer layer is wet and the inner dry. Works like a crude a/c, unfortunately I just sold mine last month. I used mine when riding from Phuket to Cambodia via Petchabun in May...why May? Because I didn't realize how bloody hot it would be then. The shirt was good for 90 minutes, then a stop for fluids and rewet the shirt. Also used it in

S. California on the 90 plus days.

[Namplik]

On 27.12.2016 at 11:27 PM, smotherb said:

To be safe, you need all the protection you can get--full-faced DOT or equivalent helmet, heavy boots, gloves, and full riding suits--preferably all leather, or kevlar, but other synthetics are okay as long as they have impact absorbent padding and key-point armor. That level of protection is recommended for a 50cc scooter or a 2300cc motorcycle; no matter how far you're riding.  I've seen a lovely young lass who lost most of her chin and right heel, had a broken right ankle, and suffered abrasions and contusions over face, body, arms, hands, legs, and feet--some of which required plastic surgery--and she was on a Honda Wave when she hit the street in her bathing suit and rubber thongs.  I've picked up the pieces of bikers who hit immovable objects at speeds--the more protection you have the safer you can be. 

 

Do all bikers wear that kind of protection? No, even though they know it is best, but doing so is just too confining.

 

 

 

 

My helmet is a 3/4 DOT.....and I have another pair of pants from Hood Motorcycle Jeans also.