ATGATT (All the Gear, All the Time)


Full face helmet (Shoei RF1100)
Two Jackets (both Joe Rocket, one mesh, one textile depending on the season)
Fluorescent vest over the jacket.
Either.... KLIM armoured gortex riding pants or Deluth Trading Fire Hose pants with Bohm under-armour.
Gloves with armour on the back of the hands. I have multiple pair of several types depending on the weather/temp/rain, etc.
8" boots. Wouldn't even think about riding without foot and ankle protection.

 

Cover All Bases, With Reasonable Storage Requirements



I currently have a 650 Exec and a Victory bagger, and my riding gear is the same for either bike:

- Air-flow boots or waterproof boots, depending on the weather, and whether it's a multi-day trip or not (in which case, just the latter).

- Jeans, and if want more protection (because jeans don't really offer much) you can get Kevlar-lined ones, or wear Bohn under-armor.

- Overpants for long rides or wet weather.

- Armored mesh jacket, with a replacement real back pad.

- Heated liner.

- Waterproof golf shirt.

- Two or three pairs of gloves (summer, warmer, warm and waterproof).

I find that this collection packs pretty small -- small enough not to have to think about it, or change the composition (especially with all the storage on the 650s or a bike with saddlebags) -- and covers all eventualities. I detailed all of this in a webBikeWorld article about three years ago:

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r5/motorcycle-touring-outfit/

You may find that article useful -- or not -- and there are some informative reader comments at the end, too.

 

A scooter is a motorcycle. If you go down while riding it you face the same injury possibilities as on any motorcycle. You should wear the same gear you would wear on any other motorcycle. I wear boots, armored over pants, armored jacket, gloves and helmet. Summer gear is mesh and vented, winter gear is not.

 

Repeat all above

My jacket is a Tourmaster Transition. It's a mesh with armor that has a liner and outer water resistant shell, so it serves me well in temps from the low 40s up to as hot as I can stand to ride. In really cold weather I use it with the liner and outer shell, in the 60s I'll remove the liner, and in the 80s I'll remove the outer shell.

For REALLY cold weather I have an electric liner and gloves.

 

On the Burgman: Full face modular, armored mesh or armored leather, leather gloves with wrist velcro so they stay on in an off, armored jeans w/kevlar, leather ankle boots.

On my in-the-city 163cc scooter riding: all the above, less the armored jeans and boots. Levis & sneakers.
Stig

 

I'm kind of all over the place. Typically Bell full face modular helmet, Alpinestars or Tourmaster jacket, Bohn under armor under jeans, gloves and over the ankle boots. However, some days I decide to risk it and go for shorts, t-shirt, sandals and a half helmet. Or some combination of the above. It's all location or weather dependent. I figure I'm an adult, living in a country where I have the freedom to make my own decisions and/or suffer the joys or pain of the consequences.

Leeward Coast

 

clean skivvies

 

When I crashed April 17th 2015 at 70 miles per hour into the concrete barrier, I was FULL ATGATT.
1. My helmet is cracked and ground down in a lot of areas.
2. My armored jacket is Shredded from the middle right side all the way to the left wrist cuff with the armor sticking out.
3. My Armored gloves palms are scuffed up and the knuckles are worn down.
4. My Kelvar reinforced Draggon Jeans got shredded in the knee areas and a 3 inch long BOLT from road debree got jammed into my right knee under the meniscus.
5. I had Georgia brand Logger boots on, steel toes. The boots got scuffed all the way from the heel to above the ankle and the steel of the toe on my right boot is worn down across the top.

The ER nurse was amazed that I was still alive after seeing the mess of my gear. Yes I was still busted up real bad, all 9 left ribs were shattered in multi places, broken collar bone and shoulder bone, bruised my heart and punctured my left lung twice, brain injury, sinus injury, broke my pubic bone loop on the right side and a few other issues. Spent 7 days in the ICU and almost 2 months recovering at home. First day back to work was on my current 2003 Burgman with all new gear plus a Armadillo Chest Armor Vest.

Without the gear (and the Lords blessing) I would be dead, NO DOUBT!!!

From what the State Patrol trooper said to me later, I slid over 400 feet after hitting the barrier. He guessed my speed at impact was about 75 MPH. He did check the traffic cameras during the investigation due to a witness statement (from almost 1/2 mile behind me) that I was driving erratic right before I HIT the barrier. He said the video showed I was in a Head Shake for about 100 feet after the tire hit me and the bike was all over the lane. He did not think I would make it.
I was doing about 65 to 70 MPH in the 60 zone when I seen the car tire flying at me and gunned the throttle to get it behind me but that did not work. As the flying tire cleared the windshield of the car to my right side it flipped and crashed into my front wheel, steering me hard left at 45 degrees in to the barrier.

Short answer, YES I had a major crash due to a Car Tire while on my Motorcycle. Not MY car tire mind you... :twisted:

 

after the tire hit me and the bike was all over the lane. He did not think I would make it.
I was doing about 65 t...when I seen the car tire flying at me and gunned the throttle to get it behind me As the flying tire cleared the windshield of the car to my right side it flipped and crashed into my front wheel, steering me hard left at 45 degrees in to the barrier.

DB: Where did the flying tire come from? It sounds like a freak accident.

I had a freak accident in 1980. Instead of a flying tire, it was a flying railroad tie. I was on a six lane hwy and I noticed what appeared to be a railroad tie in the left lane on the road ahead. I slowed down a little and moved to the far right lane. Just then a 16 wheel semi passed me on the left doing about 80 mph. He hit the (7-in x 9-in x 8.5-ft) wood plank and sent it spinning into my lane. It hit my front wheel and sent me flying over the handlebars at 60 mph. I turned a somersault, landed on my back and started sliding.

I eventually slid off the road on to the gravel shoulder. The wrecked motorcycle was sliding right behind me. I thought I would hit a barrier and the bike would slam into me. Fortunately I slid to a stop just before the barrier and so did the bike.

Unlike you, I walked away from the accident with just some minor bruises. My protective gear
absorbed almost all the pavement punishment.

 

Tee shirt and blue jeans

 

Aerostich Darren suit, Tourmaster boots, Kabuto modular helmet, gloves which ones depending on weather, a healthy respect that I participate in a potentially deadly activity. I also have several other armor jackets and pants and boots.

 

I feel naked by comparing my gear to your gears, i only wear a 3/4 helmet and my regular clothes.

 

Same for me, but I switched 3/4 helmet to full face and purchased summer jacket.
Still don't have appropriate pants and shoes that I can wear all day in office and ride

 

Yes 3/4 helmet for me too, with no face shield, just glasses. Wife on the back the same. I ride very comfortable with my tee shirt and blue jeans. For the hot sun, I have some white arm sleeves that we wear to keep the sun off me. Wife wears shorts and puts sunblock lotion to protect her legs. I like to tear through the twisties with her on the back, but I have to be careful to not let it go down, so I always keep a very careful eye on the road to be sure of my traction, looking out for water, grease, oil, sticks, rocks, sand, loose wet leaves, birds, possums, armadillos, snakes or aliigators that may be lying in the road around any turn! I have had to dodge loose sand, a couple of gators, and hit a few birds (I think the birds recovered after bouncing off the windscreen). I ride a lot of back roads, farm roads, there's a lot of swamp animals around those parts.
Cheers!

 

I would echo the sentiments of those who wear all the gear, all the time. I plan on upgrading my armor, even going so far as to getting chest protection gear to go under my jacket.

That said, I'm thinking that the real spirit of your question, coming from someone as yourself with a Harley background, was: "will I look dorky with my Harley-type gear on a scooter?" If that's what you meant, then I'd say yes. Nothing irks me more than the handful of times I've seen someone with "the pirate outfit" i.e. leather vest with a million club patches, do-rag/beret, streaming fringes/tassels, etc....on a maxi-scooter! It just screams "I would really rather be on a Harley like the rest of these guys I'm riding with, but I just settled on this dang scooter 'cause it's all I could afford [or I can't throw a leg over, etc]". Maybe because I just see scoots & cruisers as polar opposites, that's all.

Yes, there are different gear styles that cater to the type of bike one rides, and I wouldn't dogmatically say you have to stay within a specific one, especially since maxi-scooter riders technically don't have a specific "look" or gear style like Vespa riders, sport-bikers, cruiser riders, sport tourers, and adventure/dual sport types do. I tend to buy good quality, solid, highly protective gear that just so happens to fall in the latter two aforementioned categories' looks, maybe because I personally see maxi-scooters as "touring bikes" more along the lines of a Goldwing, BMW or Concours. But that's just me, since I like that look.

Just wear good gear above all else. Best comment on here, Buffalo said, a scooter is a motorcycle and you can't think you'll look foolish on it with motorbike gear, opting to ride around like "Roman Holiday" lest you end up real hurt.

Anyway, all this is on the supposition that what you were asking about was revolving around "scooter fashion". If it wasn't, then disregard this whole post.:wink

 

Everything...

and an airbag

 

Sandals, shorts, short-sleeved shirt, heavy leather jacket, regular helmet and sunglasses. I'm going for the cool-idiot look. For me, I have trouble finding footwear 'cause my feet are size 16 X 6E boxcars and I take what I can get. What I want to get though, is a set of sunglass types with clear lenses for riding at night. I do have leather gloves, but seldom wear them. I just don't like the feel of gloves, I'd rather have cold hands. One thing I will be thinking about though, is a snowmobile suit. Used to have one when I last rode 30ish years ago; loved that thing. No idea what happened to it either. Ah well, clothing, like everything else, has progressed, so I guess I'm back in the market. Problem is, everything is so ruddy expensive here in Canada. I think that's due, at least partly, to a combination of two things, 1) small market. 2) We Canadians are so polite we'd rather just smile, and mutter darkly behind our hands, then upset someone by protesting.

Found out last night that I'm out of Ginger Ale for making a Rum and Ginger. Now that sounds like a perfectly valid excuse to hop on the Burgy and wizz up to the store doesn't it? And if said store happens to be at the other end of town, well, what the heck, a man do what a man's gotta do right??? Have a Smurf day.

 

I road for many years without a crash and didn't think a whole lot about what I was wearing other than a helmet. When I started riding back in the 1970s unless you were looking at full racing leathers there wasn't much available as specialized riding gear. You wore sturdy shoes, jeans, a leather jacket in the winter and a sturdy shirt with possibly a light jacket in the summer, leather gloves and a helmet. By 2006 when I had my first crash I had a armored mesh jacket, boots and motorcycle specific gloves but I was still wearing jeans. A low side slide at 55 mph showed me just how little protection from road rash jeans provide. 6 months later when I had my second crash I had armored pants on too. All that gear protected me from road rash but it didn't protect me from broken bones. Going off the side of a mountain bouncing off trees and rocks will break a few bones. However the Doc said that without it I would most likely be dead or crippled. It cushioned the blows and limited the extent of the damage. With the gear had a concussion, separated shoulder, 7 broken ribs, 3 cracked vertebra, pelvis broken in two places and cracked right femur along with some bruised internal organs but alive. Haven't crashed again since then but I still wear the gear just in case. If you ride long enough the odds are that you will crash no matter how careful you are.

 

Low sided the Iceburg about 6 weeks ago. Nothing really awful but if it weren't for my Danner boots, I'd be on crutches or worse. Dragged my right foot under the right side foot shield for a little bit.
Otherwise, full face helmet, armored gloves suitable to riding conditions, amored jacket. Heavy pants. Probably should go to armored pants. As it was, I rode away with a few bumps and scratches and a pretty nasty ankle sprain.

I doubt that my Chippewa Rally boots would have been nearly as good as the Danners in this particular situation.

 

I doubt that my Chippewa Rally boots would have been nearly as good as the Danners in this particular situation.

Chatman, I'd be interested on hearing more about your Danner boots (which model). I thought the Chippewa Rally Boots had a shin guard on them. My Dr Martens have extra padding over the ankles but are too short in heel & sole height so more often I use my unarmored Xelement boots or my work loggers (Chippewa & Carolina) which have more height.

 

I have Mountain Lights II. They are just over the ankle height-wise, great support. In this case it was the ankle support that kept my ankle intact. The downside (from my perspective) is that they only come from the factory with Kletterlift soles (Vibram and foam lamination). I sent them back for 'recrafting' and had them put the solid Vibram soles on and repair some of the right boot hardware. I love the result. Now they are like the Danner Mountain Lights I had for 30 years.

If you want more heel height, Danner has loggers in a 14 inch boot. I've found that once you get to the tall boots you give up some ankle protection for flexibility. If the Mountain lights were offered in 14 inch height, it would be like wearing a cast.

The Rally boots do have some shin protection but the ankle itself is pretty flexible. That may not be desirable when you have close to 500 lbs of scooter trying to restructure your foot. I also have found the Rally boots are not waterproof. The Mountain Lights as about as waterproof as you can get in breathable construction.

 

To answer the OP's question, wearing full black leather gear on a scooter looks about as appropriate as wearing a full synth suit on a Harley; meh, whatever works is fine, but looks a little goofy.

Most serious maxi scoot riders are sport-tourers at heart, and we adopt the gear for that mission. So think what ST1300, Connie and BMW riders wear. Full synth gear, FF helmets, armored everything. Boots are about the only thing that doesn't necessarily have to be MC ready because we don't need stiff soles to shift. I wear sturdy hiking boots. They're a lot easier to walk in.

Good luck on your search.

 

As soon as we have another gear thread, looking for help.

Does anyone know good pair of MC jeans, with external pockets for inserting knee protectors, which looks like casual jeans and are good for hot days?

 

I use Hood jeans.
They are fully lined with Kevlar (actually woven Twaron) rather than patches held together with denim. Armour pockets are on the inside though.

 

Thanks for all the input Guys, I will have to get me a few things for riding, coming from Harleys to the Burgman will be a change.

 

Full face Snell certified helmet, Joe rocket armored jacket, Milwaukee demolition gloves, pants and shoes I wear to work.

 

Open face helmet, and only if I ride out of our small town at higher speeds. And gloves, but that is all. I know, shame on me.

 

Look for carpet installer pants and Blaklader Hevy Duty Canvas workpants. They have pockets on the outside of the knees.

 

Yeah, but you suggesting workpants and not motorcycle pants!

 

shorts, T shirt, brain bucket,slip on Merrells. When it's cooler I will use full face, leather and blue jeans and boots. I do have some snow mobile pants that will make you sweat when it's 40 degrees. I would quit riding if I was required to wear atgatt. it's too hot, and I don't care what anyone thinks or says. How can anyone ride a motorcycle with all that **** leather on, when it's 90 degrees, humid as a sauna and sitting on top of a heat generator? I did years ago, but cannot stand it now. (old age?)

 

The mesh gear mentioned in this thread helps a lot with the heat. I wear a cotton T-shirt and jeans under mine, and I sweat in hot weather and the air coming through the mesh cools the damp clothes -- when moving. But at a stop it is pretty miserable.

I rode in Arizona a couple of years ago, and temps were in the low 100s. I was wearing a mesh jacket, and at a stop light I'd get soaked in sweat. Then I'd get moving, and in that dry environment the evaporative cooling was so efficient I'd actually get chilly for a while.

I do understand, though. But I crashed in 2008, just a little low-side at about 50 mph, but even with gear on I lost enough skin on my leg that if it gets too hot to wear it, I won't ride.