Crazy rules man. Will take a lot of the fun out of just goin for a ride on a Sunday. Can't see how it would possibly work with the kids on the scooters though?
W
I'm a daily Melbourne motorcyclist and some of those laws are silly.
I'm however all for madatory motorcycle protection. If not for the motorcyclist but for their passenger.
I'm dumbfuonded that riders don't wear protective gear and take another person's life in their hands and hand them an old helmet.
I ride 450km per week in either full leathers or leather pants and an Alpinestars textile jacket (still has CE armour and back protector). Rain hail or 40 degree days it's the same.
If you think kevlar jeans are good, Have an 80km/h stack in them and you soon find the protection they offer is crap. They are also very warm in summer and cold in winter. My leathers are ventilated and are quite comfy even in heat.
I'm not going to attend in case the fun police decide to do sound checks on non standard exhausts.
you should see the gold coast motorway on any weekend- the number of riders in boardies, singlet and thongs is incredible. i always cringe when i see them (and i'm sure they laugh at me in my boots, jacket and pants).
scooter/vespa riders are the worst- they seem to think that bitumen gets softer as the engine capacity gets lower.
hey echunda- i didn't know that the draggin jeans don't hold up to the gravel. do you have a link or an article you can point me in the direction of? i always wear them if it's dry.
It's wasn't gravel.
Long story short I had to 'gently lay' (oh fark moment) the bike down and ended up sliding and tumbling at around 80 km/h. It's amazing how fast that is when your sliding down the road.
The kevlar jeans I was wearing were the most popular (don't want to name, but you know who I'm talking about) tore as well as the lack of armour in the knees and thigh area left me with the following:
- Burns from where the kevlar heated up
- Road rash from where it was only denim
- bruised kneecaps and quads from the lack of armour.
I didn' think at the time to take pics and threw the jeans in the bin.
I junked an almost new Arai (it did it's job) and suprisingly my Alpinestars textile jacket with armour and back brace held up well. I replaced the jacket with the same and bought a new 2 peice Alpinestar leather suit. I wear the pants and textile jacket, Oxtar GP boots, Alpinestar GP gloves and KBC carbon helmet (To be replaced as it's now 2 years old) Wear the lot daily.
And your right, I shake my head at suits on scooters, but stare at lovley ladies wearing short skirts on scooters, still the armani is't going to hold up to the grinding tarmac.
It's getting away from the initial thread but I still disagree. The friction co-efficient of a bike under braking far exceeds that of a bike or rider sliding (either together or separate). Stay upright and you have a longer opportunity to wash off more speed before the sudden stop at the end that will do the damage. Once the bike and rider are sliding you have no control, no braking and are probably sliding faster than your guardian angel can fly.
The theory of splitting your momentum from the bike also doesn't really hold true. On the bike it is still braked weight rather than sliding unbraked weight.
I'd also rather stay on the bike and take my chances of get thrown over the Armco guard rail or the wire ropes. Sliding contact with either will result in unwanted amputation.
i can see where you're coming from, but when things go wrong i'd still prefer to be as far from the 270kg of unpredictable hot steel as possible.
Using protective equipment is obviously wise, be crazy not to.
Forcing riders with legislation to use it is legislation designed to protect people from themselves and we just can't call ourselves a "free society" as we travel down that path.
Compare this with proposed new jetski laws. This legislation is designed to protect OTHER people.
Different story.
www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/rsc/motorcycle_safety/Submissions/44-67/52_VictoriaPolice_08092011.pdf
Is a run down of what the fuss is about. Must be comming into riding season. Look out Panda, it's gonna get a whole lot noisier!
And anyway, noise is a safe, as more and more car drivers are busy on their smart phones, they're less and less likley to see you. I make sure they can hear me!
VTR1000, Staintunes.....Mmmmmmm. Nearly as nice as the sound of 20Kts in the trees
I wonder if the 1% can get a doctors certificate for the new rules the same as they do for helmets?
W
Hold on guys, this can all be dealt with the same way as the shark issue.
Just as the Great Whites are the top of the food chain in the ocean, cars and trucks are the top of the food chain on the roads.
There's no need to do anything about sharks, there's no need to do anything about motorbike riders.
If you don't want to be eaten, don't go in the water.
If you don't want to die in a crash, don't ride a motorbike.
Simple.
Good to see the spelling police are on to it this morning
Errors aside, what you said Panda was a tosser thing to say
LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES
Peace