7 GEAR MISTAKES That Can KILL YOU!

Given the choice ( which I ALWAYS make ), I will wear ATTGAT. May not fit perfectly. May not be “the best” you can buy.
But, I’ll take my chances that it will be better than no gear at all. So far, I have been very fortunate and not needed it.
 
Like much of what is on the web, I think there is some truth here and lots of scare tactics. I cant believe they show guys with jeans and talk about leather. Yes, a Helmet should be replaced regularly and fit tight (I now have a new one) and stored properly. But even my now loose fitting LS2 Valient would be better than nothing in a low speed head knocker. The vid is right about a $300 jacket not having good big body armor. That stays put. No one entering a store would buy it if it felt as bad as it does.
Many of you probably saw on the news tonight... an undercover off duty cop pitting a bike ridden by a cop killer. You probably noted the cop on the bike who approached the cop killer first did not try this or just shoot the guy in the back. Watch the guy fly through the air after the pitting. any gear gonna help, but no gear would have saved him from injury.

 
ATTGAT here as well. But I do think that the video is a little over the top. Personally I have the money but don't have the desire to buy leathers with 1 inch or less movement. I would feel guilty about all the cows that would have to die to make me a set of leathers.
Several years ago, a group my wife and I belonged to did a ride from Boston back to Utah. As many of the participants were still working we 'trucked' our bikes over to the east coast.
When I got my bike out of the truck I had enough time to get fuel before one of the guys told me that he had a cool ride lined up and did I want to join? Well, yes of course! The ride was super curvy along the coast and beautiful until.... someone had dropped a bag of synthetic sand on one of the sharp corners. The lead rider said he didn't see the sand, but by good luck threaded the needle where car tires had cleared it out. I was next and also didn't see the sand, but I hit the worst part...The bike, my wife, and I slid quite a ways (guess-timent 40 feet) before the bike hit a pothole and stopped.
My wifes knee was very sore but didn't need medical attention, The only thing I had was a burn mark on my shoulder as the sliding amped up the heat.
This is when we were newbies to riding, our gear was cheap, and the fit improper due to my ignorance about correct fit. Even so they protected us very well. I'm not recommending anyone should aim at wearing cheap and ill fitting gear, but I'm trying to say, cheap, ill fitting, even the wrong color (gasp!) gear is better than nothing.
 
ATTGAT here as well. But I do think that the video is a little over the top. Personally I have the money but don't have the desire to buy leathers with 1 inch or less movement. I would feel guilty about all the cows that would have to die to make me a set of leathers.
Several years ago, a group my wife and I belonged to did a ride from Boston back to Utah. As many of the participants were still working we 'trucked' our bikes over to the east coast.
When I got my bike out of the truck I had enough time to get fuel before one of the guys told me that he had a cool ride lined up and did I want to join? Well, yes of course! The ride was super curvy along the coast and beautiful until.... someone had dropped a bag of synthetic sand on one of the sharp corners. The lead rider said he didn't see the sand, but by good luck threaded the needle where car tires had cleared it out. I was next and also didn't see the sand, but I hit the worst part...The bike, my wife, and I slid quite a ways (guess-timent 40 feet) before the bike hit a pothole and stopped.
My wifes knee was very sore but didn't need medical attention, The only thing I had was a burn mark on my shoulder as the sliding amped up the heat.
This is when we were newbies to riding, our gear was cheap, and the fit improper due to my ignorance about correct fit. Even so they protected us very well. I'm not recommending anyone should aim at wearing cheap and ill fitting gear, but I'm trying to say, cheap, ill fitting, even the wrong color (gasp!) gear is better than nothing.
What is synthetic sand?
 
Was it very fine, uniform grains and almost pure white? If so, it was probably silica. There are some mines back east in NC and SC that produce raw silica for semiconductors. We have a silica mine here in MO along old Route 66. It is some of the purest in the world and is pretty much used for optical applications. The mirrors in the Hubble and Webb telescopes are made from MO silica. Interestingly, for you trivia buffs, Edwin Hubble the astronomer was born in Marshfield, MO (along Route 66), the silica mined for his namesake telescope was mined in Pacific, MO (along Route 66)

Mike
 
You guys made me Google it :thumb:

"Synthetic sand, also called artificial sand or M-sand, is sand manufactured by crushing hard rocks (like granite, basalt) or recycled construction materials, offering a sustainable alternative to scarce natural sand, with properties like angular shapes for better concrete bonding, used widely in construction, for turf infill, and sometimes as fun, polymer-coated play sand".

DJ
 
hmmmmmmm.... I can see it coming...... Using synthetic sand vs natural sand you can build 40% more sand castles per cubic foot of sand...... neighborhood helicopter moms will hover over and ask for a sample of your play sand to make sure it is true synthetic before she lets Johnny come over to play. RFK Jr., will declare synthetic sand unsafe as it has been determined that it has caused erectile disfunction in a laboratory rat. Kalifornia will demand that a caution statement appear on each sack of synthetic sand before it can be sold in the state. Needless to say, said sand will be requried to be kept under lock and key until time of sale. Saudi Arabia will start the OOSSEC* and embargo the sale of sand to non OOSSEC* countries.......

Woe is us!!!
:eek:
Mike

*Organization of Synthetic Sand Exporting Countries"
 
Last edited:
"Scarce natural sand"... Really??? Lol

Although I understand that an abundance of natural sand may not be available everywhere, certainly there is plenty to be had overall. I just found the statement funny.
 
What is synthetic sand?
I would have understood that as artificial fertilizer...
And those little ball bearings spread across the road qualify for a major pucker moment...
(nah, don't ask... visually you'd expect "some dust ahead..."...next thing is a bucking bronco... giddy-up...)
 
You guys made me Google it :thumb:

"Synthetic sand, also called artificial sand or M-sand, is sand manufactured by crushing hard rocks (like granite, basalt) or recycled construction materials, offering a sustainable alternative to scarce natural sand, with properties like angular shapes for better concrete bonding, used widely in construction, for turf infill, and sometimes as fun, polymer-coated play sand".

hmmmmmmm.... I can see it coming...... Using synthetic sand vs natural sand you can build 40% more sand castles per cubic foot of sand...... neighborhood helicopter moms will hover over and ask for a sample of your play sand to make sure it is true synthetic before she lets Johnny come over to play. RFK Jr., will declare synthetic sand unsafe as it has been determined that it has caused erectile disfunction in a laboratory rat. Kalifornia will demand that a caution statement appear on each sack of synthetic sand before it can be sold in the state. Needless to say, said sand will be requried to be kept under lock and key until time of sale. Saudi Arabia will start the OOSSEC* and embargo the sale of sand to non OOSSEC* countries.......

Woe is us!!!
:eek:
Mike

*Organization of Synthetic Sand Exporting Countries"
Mike, be careful they might be coming for you.
 
Mike, be careful they might be coming for you.
Hmmmmmm.... now that you mention it, I have seen a lot of black helicopters hovering around the house lately..... thanks for the warning....
:thumb:
Mike
 
Back
Top Bottom