I  see the t.shirt and vest brigade were out in force today, havee these people no brains or what, a crash helmet alone will not save your skin, does anybody agree with me  here. I just cant believe how stupid this practice is, i mean would you  jump from an aircraft without a parachute.....  (if commonsense was was food there,d be a famine)   These people need to get a serious grip of themselves... Ride Free Ride Safe                                                                                                                                                                             

Everyone wears what they want when they ride. Some are happy to take the risk, us older folk who don't bounce so well prefer a bit of protection. Each to their own, i like my leathers and jacket.                                                                                                                                                                             

At Squires the other day a sporty plastic rocket thing came in,rider fully kitted,pillion no gloves,trainers and tracksuit trousers-the worrying thing there is the pillion was about 10 and obviously the riders son!
I wonder how he would feel if they got knocked off,after all it's not necessarily the riders fault when these things happen....

i,m for the freedom too choose                                                                                                                                                                             

Here's a story you can tell these people:   My dads mate (aged about 25 at the time) was just nipping to the shop a couple of miles down the road. He'd got shorts and a tshirt on and stuck his lid on (for safety!). He went around a bend doing around 30mph hit a patch of gravel and skidded, on his leg, some considerable distance along the tarmac road. His right leg was ground down to the bone and his knee cap was so badly damaged he had to have a synthetic one. His skin & muscle were ground away so bad that there was nothing to join together to close the wound. It took 3 years for enough skin to grow back so the wound could be healed. He endured 3 years of having the wound 'packed' each day and had to have the covering changed each day also, It was nearly 4 years before he could walk without the assistance of crutches.   Please please dont let this be you!                                                                                                                                                                              

to all those that have never endured extensive skin grafting,and all it entails,may i just say be cool ,look good and good luck....and no.not my fault-car driver pissed up.                                                                                                                                                                             

It is down to everyones choice, but I always ride with suitable bike clothing, makes sense to me                                                                                                                                                                               

Get a circular sander, rest it on your arm, press down, then turn it on.............................. now tell me it's OK to ride without protective clothing.   Never ride without leathers on and never touch alcohol either, just copious amounts of tea/coffee                                                                                                                                                                             

  I think that some people think they have complete protection from physical injury if they wear protective clothing, that's not accurate, it gives better protection than if not wearing it, helping to reduce any injuries they may get.     Also it's no good wearing any protective clothing if it's not a perfect fit as it could add to the injuries.                                                                                                                                                                                 

Everyone is entitled to choose.
Just because you think people should/shouldn't wear protective clothing does not make your opinion the right one.                                                                                                                                                                              

gloom ,agreed ,personal choice is what it all boils down to,my view just a personal thing from personal experience....a precautionary tale if you will....still got the scars to prove it,god bless the nhs for their efforts.                                                                                                                                                                             

Got to agree with the last bit of that jinx. If it wasn't for the NHS a few of us wouldn't be here reading these forums                                                                                                                                                                               

i owe them minimum my left arm.....most likely my life..                                                                                                                                                                             

Saw a pillion today wearing yellow jeans and flat shoes !!!!!!!!. Lid yes, but blooming heck, no armour from the waist down..... why oh why do they do it ??? Beats me !!!!!                                                                                                                                                                               

Leather boots, gloves and jacket. Denim jeans. Helmet. It's how i feel the most comfortable, and could be said, by how good it makes me feel  while riding, to sharpen my senses and make me ride better.
Got rods in my left arm via an accy, but what doesn't k**l you makes you stronger.
As well as the safety point, I guess there's more than one psychological angle to this.
ok, the last sentence doesn't quite explain it, but you get the gist.

Well , I live in scooterville most of the kids wearing t shirts , shorts . Today there was a lad giving a pillion and he was just wearing shorts and they was zipping aroond the grassy area , I was getting some money out the machine in my full get up full lid , jaket , trousers back protector etc and  they coming right up to me , saying hey mister are you not boiling in that gear ..... All I said to them after  I took my lid off , Well you might be able to ride your scooter , but what happenes if you come off your scooter at 30mhp on hard , gravely tarmac what do you think your skin will  look like ...... It was like a victor meldrew moment  but if they want to do that its up to them ........ Ginger ....x                                                                                                                                                                              

im all for freedom of choice, but then i totally agree that the courts are now taking in to consideration weither or not the rider was taking all possible precautions in the event of a accident when claiming for compensation relating to injuries.                                                                                                                                                                             

Freedom of choice is fine to a point, but there's another issue. Ok, as a rider you make a choice to wear clothing which is not suitable for riding a bike. It's your skin, your body, and your risk. I have no problem with that. Now, hopefully it doesn't happen, but if you have a crash you will probably receive attention from the police and ambulance service. Think of those guys and gals who have to see the condition of your skin. Yes, they're trained professionals, but it still doesn't make a particulatly nice sight for them. I'm sure they'd rather see a broken bone and a bit of blood than a shredded torso with skin hanging off. As I say, your choice but think of those who don't have a choice in scaping you off the road.
                                                                                                                                                                             

Simon the problem with your line of reasoning is that horrendous injuries can and do still occur even in full leathers and a lid. So taking your argument to it's logical conclusion means banning motorbikes.

While I may shudder a little at the sight of some peoples dress sense while on two wheels it is their choice and I'll defend it if the nanny state decide to try and bring in legislation to force riders to wear what they consider appropriate clothing. Education not legislation is IMHO the way forward on this and many other areas of road safety.

What Gloom says   I have popped out in Jeans with no protection, I know it's silly but I know the risks, It slows me down no end (like 50mph)!