each to their own.

but, [god forbid] after you slide down the asphalt sometime on your belly or back in that non-poser t-shirt at 60-70 mph, you WILL change your mind and that vest will be on EVERYTIME you get on.

been there.

i dont like restriction of ANY kind when riding, from my jackets to a helmet to my eye wear. i would wear t-shirt and shorts full time if i didnt know better. but, i HAVE been down. i have been down without the right protection and having your badly scraped and scalded skin scrubbed with medical cleaner and brushes and slowly digging rocks, glass, gum and god knows what else out of your back that got mashed in as you did your I-5 slide is not something you forget or ever want again!!!

you will find that most of us who have been riding for a LONG time wear that stuff for a reason. yeah, it looks "cool", but i will be the first to say my 300 dollar real leather jacket is a restrictive pain in the ****, even after having it for over 14 years now. but again, when that cager clips your front tire, when that coyote runs out in front and into your spokes on that dark desert road and your sliding along, that jacket and or vest is a WONDERFUL thing.

i had a conversation with an older gent a couple weeks back on some of this very thing. i came out of wallmart and fired up the short piped deuce and there was an old guy and his grandaughter about 8 yrs old and she covers her ears and yells and gramps is scowling at me and yelling out "why are those damn things so loud!!!

right day, right time. i shut the bike off, got down and walked over. gramps starts in with "we dont want trouble" and i told him there was no trouble, just some education. i explained to him that most folks in cars dont look in their mirrors very well. and they expecially dont see bikes untill many times, its to late. i said when you hear something like the lord god coming down from you on the hiway, you look dont ya? you check all mirrors 3-4 times to see what coming. and its usually one of these bikes, right? he agreed. he said it scares him, but he admitted, he looked. thats why MOST of us want these pipes this loud. it bothers me sometimes, i wear ear plugs a lot, but, i want to be seen, and that means being heard. he got it.

some small talk about bikes, the lifestyle, hells angels [i am not a member], sons of anarchy, etc... and we got around to the subject of clothing! i explained that we dress like this mostly for protection. i gave him the leather over t-shirt example sliding down the asphalt. du rags on heads, bug splat, keeps sweat out. adds a little protection from rocks and small debris. i told him that all the stuff associated with bikers and the way they dress came from a protection mentality, more so than any certain look.

i turn around after shaking paws with gramps and grandaughter is twisting throttle on my deuce. explained thats impolite and she went on about how cool it was. [see ya in 12 years honey!!!] couldnt argue with that.

i guess there are guys out there who think bikers who wear these vests and du-rags and fingerless gloves [i wear em, i'm forgetful and forever having to pull off my big gloves to zip my jacket, get my keys, etc.... with the fingerless, i can do all that without taking gloves off]. and its because they are somewhat "new" and dont know the biker history and how things came to be. and again, like the fingerless gloves, its out of a need, not a look.

not judging you or your biker knowledge or biker manhood, just take some of this to heart and not be to hard on us old "posers" when we cruise by in our vests and fingerless gloves and "head rags"!! ok?

 

You must wear fingerless gloves and bandannas on your head? And where does the reference of "non-poser" come from? I thought you said in your reply "to each his own". But then you are coming down on me for what I chose NOT to wear and making reference to a term that I never used? Do you mean to sound so hypocritical or did I really hit a nerve that you were typing in a blind rage?

Now that you have put your foot in your mouth let me clarify that I don't think there is any protection from a sleeveless garment worn over a t-shirt. Therefore, I wear my fully armored leather jacket without the liner EVERY time I ride. Just like I always wear my helmet. Just like I always wear closed toe shoes. Just like I always wear long pants. And just like I always wear full fingered and armored gloves. And I had the common sense to do so from the day I started riding and did not need to go through any falls to gain that perspective. Therefore, if both of us were to go down (god forbid) I think I would do far better than you if what you are putting your faith in is a vest.

 

I think my comments were way miss-interpreted if that's what you mean. The observations I made were what I noticed before I became a rider. From the outside looking in, when you happen upon a rally or a biker gathering the most common attire seemed to be vests, bandannas on the head and finger less gloves. Other clothing such as jeans and boots may also be typical on bikers but then are not uncommon in the day to day crowd so they don't seem to be listed as stereotypes as often. From my perspective, even without being a rider those types of garments didn't seem to be practical in terms of protection or functionality, or at least were far less so compared to full jackets and helmets. Therefore my impression was that these articles were worn mainly to identify one with the riding lifestyle. That in no way means I think people who were them are posers or what have you! What the hell did I know? I just meant that maybe people dressed that way to be identified in a certain manner, no different than say...when my wife dons her nurses uniform to indicate that she works in the medical field.

Now that I have been riding for a while, my opinions for the most part remain the same about those garments in regards to them being functional attire. I have ridden in all kinds of weather. I commute 84 miles one way to work almost daily. I ride both solo and two up. I have never once said to myself "Man! I sure wish I had a bandanna on my head right now!" or "I should have cut off the fingers on my gloves before I left the house if I'd have known how hot it was gonna be!" Sorry. Not trying to hate on such garments but in my quest to find truly functional attire for the purpose of riding, these items just never offered me anything. Are they better than nothing? Sure. Are they far less effective than many other options in gear. Absolutely in my opinion. The vest became an exception but only as an augmentation to my current gear and I will throw a bandanna over my face when a shower hits or a strong wind kicks the beach sands across the road. However, I still don't think that a vest or bandanna on their own are the most effective "protection" if that is really what the primary concern is.

Anyway...

I've learned that far more than people worrying about who is and isn't a poser on these forums, there are too many people who are overly sensitive about being referred to as posers, being quick to defend against the term even when it was never typed to begin with...

 

Depends... I have practical use for my vest. Fingerless gloves? I have some with padded palms, full gauntlets in the summer would be a bit silly, but longer rides, the gloves make it more comfortable on my hands. I don't wear bandannas because I can't keep them on my head, but do wear the tie-wrap things, what little hair I have left doesn't protect my head from the sun, and wearing one keeps my hair from getting 'poofy' from the wind, as my kid calls it. the posers are the ones wearing chaps and vests and driving their truck or wearing them when trailering to an event. I wear chaps when it's cold enough for the wind to cut through my pants, but I know folks who wear them regardless on long rides, saved one or two from wicked road rash.

That said, I don't give a damn what folks think of how I dress, nor should anyone else. It ain't a fashion contest...

 

I wore my vest the other day because my girlfriend said: "Do you ever wear that vest I bought for you?" Instead of a stupid answer, I put it on and wore it.
(It was bit too small and uncomfortable, but not as much as the silence if I had said "No".)

Chuck

 

I just wanna add that on a hot summer day, when riding t-shirt only they tend to fill up with air and you have a huge t-shirt balloon around your body flopping around. Really annoying. So a vest holds it all together but is open enough to let the breeze circulate.

 

I am not doubting that you have found what is good for you. And I have no problems with that. Just curious though and this is where my thoughts come from so bear with me. You mention that you use fingerless gloves because they are padded. But you also say that full gauntlets in the summer would be impractical. What I don't understand about your thoughts is why is it one extreme or another? Or in your opinion, is there no real middle ground? I live in Central FL where we are known for our warmth. In the case of gloves, I found a great set of light leather perforated gloves with armor at the knuckles and padding in the palm. They are as effective against the heat and offer full coverage to my hands should I happen to need it.

Don't know if that helps you understand where I am coming from? Many people state that they wear certain gear for protection but allow a degree of comfort in certain conditions. However, from what I have seen in this great big world of motorcycle gear, there seems to be far more options that are far better at meeting the combined needs of protection and comfort for a large range of conditions. So when I see people sticking to the "same ole" and defending it fervently, I just wonder how much of it really is about protection and how much of it is about attaining a certain look. To me, the people who really don't give a damn about what others think in regards to their gear look like they are dressed for a space walk every time they ride.

And make no mistake. I do take into account how my gear looks when I buy it so I am not trying to down anyone else who does. But to me that aspect is about 5th on the list of priorities.

 

Funny thing about perforated gloves: on a ride from Houston to Northern California in 2003, I wore them the whole way. Ended up with polka-dot sunburn spots all over the back of my hands. Who'd a thunk it?

 

I have a vest in the closet, that I've worn a few times. Chaps when it is too cold for just jeans. As I ride several styles of motorcycles, Harleys, sport bikes, off road, I've learned to wear gear that protects me the best. Once I got used to wearing a jacket, weather appropriate, and boots, gloves, etc, I don't feel comfortable riding without them. I may look silly to some on my Dyna wearing a tourmaster jacket and pants and full face helmet, and boots, but after 43 years riding, I really don't care what others think. They won't be responsible for my medical care if I go down, wearing a tee, doo-rag and shorts. If the usual gear I've seen worn at rallies and Harley dealers is required to be a real biker, just call me a poser. OK by me.

Here's what made the vest popular with today's cruiser riders. Check out this link. pics were taken 65. Notice the clothes and the bikes. Everything old is new again. dd50

http://life.time.com/culture/never-seen-hells-angels-1965/?iid=lf|mostpop#1

 

you must ride with a shield or you would know that bandana on their head stops the windburn ( wind burn sux my friend ) , sunburn , and bug/rock stings. those fingerless gloves have been around since time...ride a bike without padded grips , or a rigid for a few hundred miles and see what your wrists and elbows feel like lol...also , if u run grips like mine , they are damn near impossible to keep the throttle twisted in the rain without some kind of glove. also nice to have if you go down in gravel...palms are the first thing to hit.

edit...I see you always wear a helmet instead of a shield , but same idea, your forehead is protected.