Squid rant

[WIyamirider]

I dealt with a similar situation at my last job. I rode my bike to work pretty much everyday (until it snowed), rain, shine, sweltering heat and below freezing temps. To get to my office, I had to walk through the plant. It never failed, every single day someone had to make a comment "Aren't you hot?", "Why do you wear all that?" "Are you going snowmobiling, hahaha". Everyone from the temp workers to upper management had to make their comments. It got old real fast.

However, the comments stopped real fast after I came back to work after 3 days off....recovering from smacking a deer at 60 mph. I even brought by road rashed gear in to show people what would have happened to me had I not been wearing all my gear.

It was an expensive and painful way to silence the critics, but now when someone asks me "Why do you wear all that?", I can respond with "Because there's a good chance I'd be dead if I hadn't been wearing been wearing all of this. Would you like to see the pictures?".

 

[Kaisersoze]

I dealt with a similar situation at my last job. I rode my bike to work pretty much everyday (until it snowed), rain, shine, sweltering heat and below freezing temps. To get to my office, I had to walk through the plant. It never failed, every single day someone had to make a comment "Aren't you hot?", "Why do you wear all that?" "Are you going snowmobiling, hahaha". Everyone from the temp workers to upper management had to make their comments. It got old real fast.

However, the comments stopped real fast after I came back to work after 3 days off....recovering from smacking a deer at 60 mph. I even brought by road rashed gear in to show people what would have happened to me had I not been wearing all my gear.

It was an expensive and painful way to silence the critics, but now when someone asks me "Why do you wear all that?", I can respond with "Because there's a good chance I'd be dead if I hadn't been wearing been wearing all of this. Would you like to see the pictures?".

I used to wear a big yellow rainsuit I bought from home depot to the office. Did it once and instantly became "Gordon's Fisherman" and was constantly asked if i was "auditioning for deadliest catch". LOL I know what you mean when you say it gets old.

 

[Lefty]

Was it this guy by any chance?

 

[ChevyFazer]

Was it this guy by any chance?

You know i dont tthink it was....he didnt seem to have any sense of humor....but that pic is awsome im on my way to go buy a blowup doll.....jk...or am i.......

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[Kazza]

He'll learn the hard way.

Don't sweat it.

He only SAID he rode a bike where as you were actually on one.

I think YOU were the cool one :rockon:


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[callmegandhi]

A guy I know approached me at a gas station, he was on his Harley with his wife. He looked at me and my fiance and asked why we were wearing pants, jacket, gloves and helmets. He said it looked like we were planning on having an accident. I told him in the unlikely case of an accident that we were prepared for it and that if he had one we would buy him flowers and visit him in the hospital! :Flip: I did tel him that he as his wife looked real nice in their Harley gear! Also told him to lose the bandana!! :BLAA:

 

[Dave.TX]

A couple of weeks ago Austin, TX, had a bike rally (not ROT). A guy on a cruiser with a female passenger lost control and hit a guard rail. He lost a leg, went into shock, bled out and died on the scene. She flew off the bike and from what I heard yesterday is still in a coma in the hospital. Neither had helmets and she was wearing a tank top, shorts and flip flops.

Now maybe the severed leg couldn't have been avoided by wearing all the gear but her injuries most likely would have been greatly reduced had she been wearing anything more than beach apparel.

Point is: Plan for the inevitable crash. You most likely will not be at fault so there's only so much you can do to avoid it. When it happens be happy that you did gear up before hitting that ignition button.

 

[champion221elite]

You can't fix stupid! He will eventually learn his lesson... hopefully his first "off" doesn't take him before he see's the light.

 

[FIZZER6]

You can't fix stupid! He will eventually learn his lesson... hopefully his first "off" doesn't take him before he see's the light.

The thing with squids is...most of them are younger guys (18-30). Inevitably they will either have a crash and be too scared to ride again or they will just grow out of it and never get back into riding. It seems all of the hard core riders I've met did not start their riding careers as squids...rather they started off by taking the MSF course and AGATT from day one...

 

[sniff6]

i spent a bit more on some of my biking gear to look cool, as well as to it offering good protection, does that mean i'm not a biker

Me too and its real groovy man.Motorcycle Fashion PIF - YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q4pR1EI-XE&feature=youtu.be

 

[cap'n]

Oh man. If someone walked up to me at a gas station and said all that I think I'd be laughing at him too hard to be able to respond. That is hilarious. And sad. But mostly hilarious.

 

[novaks47]

What a moron. I would've just asked where his bike was, looked around, and then said "Oh, I don't see it around here. I guess you don't have one." Or I would've asked him if he has some special deer vision, that allows him to spot dear hiding in shrubbery in darkness. Maybe he has some sort of mutant skin that allows him to withstand sliding on his skin on the freeway at 65+ MPH? Or perhaps he has some psychic ability to predict in advance what sleeping/cell talking/oblivious cagers are going to do well in advance. I sure wish I had some of those abilities, that are apparently granted only to gear-less sport bike riders! Do they come with the motorcycle perhaps? Like a special deal on brain-enhancement surgery? Seriously, what the heck goes through their heads? And what possessed him to actually vocalize that non-sense? Crazy.

I've had non-motorcycle owning people ask about all the gear. I usually just give the belt sander analogy. Take a belt sander at full speed, with a high-grit paper, and jam it on your arms, legs and skull. Will your gear protect you? I hope so, because going down on pavement is at least that bad! Worse at freeway speeds. Not wearing any gear? Well, have fun with that one!

 

[Ransom]

One of my gas station visits I can remember was from a couple of guys that just wanted to look at my bike. After talking for about 20 minutes it ended with me being invited to a local Motorcycle Group (Throttle Control). I followed up on it and it is a really nice group of people. It'd be nice to keep the gas station encounters pleasant.

If I even saw another rider at a different pump with the *No gear situation* going for himself, I would be fighting myself not to give him looks that would clearly state that I am Judging him.

You handled the situation right. And you may be right about him thinking you were someone he knew.

 

[chunkygoat]

I would chose to state a simple statistic.

Did you know, that per "vehicle mile traveled, motorcyclists' risk of a fatal crash is 35 times greater than a passenger car." (NHTSA)

Why wouldn't you wear gear if you're 35x more likely to die on a bike than in a car. To be cool?

One question - how cool is dead? --- Not to freakin cool if you ask me.

Statistic taken from:

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis (2007), NHTSA: Motorcycles Traffic Safety Fact Sheet (DOT-HS-810-990), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, retrieved 2011-04-18

 

[FZ09Bandit]

For me I guess its to squid or not to squid I will gear up for more spirited rides. But to go to the store and back or 15 minutes down the road, I will not get suited up like a dang "power ranger". Helmet is almost always a must but I do ride in crocs or sweats and a hoodie. I have taken the MSF and sport riders class and understand the risk. But to each his own.

On a serious note I love the forum and the diy forums and members. Shiny side up my friends.


"Cheers" :ban:

 

[FIZZER6]

For me I guess its to squid or not to squid I will gear up for more spirited rides. But to go to the store and back or 15 minutes down the road, I will not get suited up like a dang "power ranger". Helmet is almost always a must but I do ride in crocs or sweats and a hoodie. I have taken the MSF and sport riders class and understand the risk. But to each his own.

On a serious note I love the forum and the diy forums and members. Shiny side up my friends.


"Cheers" :ban:

It is your call on how much gear to wear. even for a quick ride 2 miles into town at 45mph the least amount of gear I am comfortable wearing is:
helmet
jeans
tennis shoes
armored mesh jacket
gloves

When I go on long rides or spirited rides I am always suited up head to toe with armored moto specific gear.

 

[ChevyFazer]

To each his own but its a fact that most accidents happen less than 5 miles from home

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[GTPAddict]

To each his own but its a fact that most accidents happen less than 5 miles from home

So just stay away from home and you'll be OK :BLAA:

I'm with Fizzer6. I at least wear helmet, jeans, tennis shoes (usually boots but every now and then tennis shoes), armored mesh jacket, gloves

 

[Bates121]

This just reminds me of a convo I had with a coworker a couple of weeks ago. I have worked at my job for a little over three years. I would say I ride about 80-85% of the time, unfortunately there are times I need to take a cage to work very sad days if you ask me. But anyway I always wear my gear gloves helmet leather jacket padded overpants and boots. So a couple weeks ago (it was still pretty hot here in Los Angeles)

I am heading home and happen to walk out at the same time as this coworker, and she says, "I cannot believe you wear all that gear when its this hot out"

My response "well this gear is my "seatbelt", it has protection built in. Grab my shoulder feel the pads in there"

She says "Oh wow, I really thought you guys just wore it to stand out."
We went on to discuss gear a little more in depth after that, and at least her comment was out of ignorance and I hope I educated her a little.

But squids like that dude at the gas station will just end up as ink spots on the pavement

 

[FIZZER6]

I am heading home and happen to walk out at the same time as this coworker, and she says, "I cannot believe you wear all that gear when its this hot out"

My response "well this gear is my "seatbelt", it has protection built in. Grab my shoulder feel the pads in there"

She says "Oh wow, I really thought you guys just wore it to stand out."
We went on to discuss gear a little more in depth after that, and at least her comment was out of ignorance and I hope I educated her a little.

But squids like that dude at the gas station will just end up as ink spots on the pavement

Good explanation.

When I get the "why do you wear all that?" question
I ask a simple question in response:
"If someone were to throw you out of a moving car at 65 mph would you rather be wearing shorts, flip-flops and a T-shirt or dressed like me?"