M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor

jjefferies · 1 M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Sun Apr 07 2024, 01:13

jjefferies

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Hi all,
Just ran across this u-tube video on the question of how much protection body armor gives you. I've seen the guy presenting the talk before and can't say I like his style, manner or whatever. But do think this presentation is of interest whether or not it influences my manner of dress.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nINIJ1cAbYM

I would like to add that the comments that the video stirred up are well worth reading.

Dai · 2 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Sun Apr 07 2024, 06:53

Dai

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Yep - cherry-picked 'research'. I've seen that video before and thought it should be deleted on the grounds that it's encouraging poor behaviour. Ten years or so back I walked away from my last (!! of two!) 55mph get-offs having destroyed by impact and abrasion almost all of the body armour that I was wearing (including my Daytona boots). The previous high-speed dive was almost forty years ago and although I have a scar on my knee from that one, the crash abraded through three layers of clothing (jeans, leathers and waterproofs) which definately saved me from further injury. I hobbled rather than walked away from that one.

In both cases I was damn lucky that I didn't hit anything on the emergency stop from 55mph to zero.

Point-Seven-five · 3 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Sun Apr 07 2024, 10:21

Point-Seven-five

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Interesting video. I must say that I have been suspicious of the impact protection provided by the padding in my gear despite the fact that it has made it possibly to walk(limp, actually) from being rearended by a car doing 75mph while I was doing 45.

I suppose that a little padding is better than nothing, but it would be nice if, as the video seems to purport, substantially higher levels of protection were available to riders as an option.

Riding is a dangerous activity due to the inherent instability of our machines and the vulnerability to much larger vehicles. Because of this, I am reluctant to get on my bike without my gear for even short rides, but there is a limit to the amount of armor that I am willing to wear. I base this on the realization that I am more likely to be in a situation where abrasion is a greater danger than high impact and that except for a padded cage there really isn't much that can be done to protect from impact injuries without seriously constraining the rider's freedom of movement.

Back in the 70's I was one of the first enduro riders/amateur crash test dummy in my area to wear armor. I used hockey shoulder, elbow and knee pads. It made me a faster rider, and I felt a lot less pain on Mondays. The hockey equipment was much more substantial than what is in my present riding gear but it was a lot bulkier, heavier, and hotter. Armor works, but you can't expect it to protect you against everything.

Last edited by Point-Seven-five on Sun Apr 07 2024, 10:29; edited 1 time in total

grosbeak · 4 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Sun Apr 07 2024, 10:27

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That's Ryan Kluftinger, AKA Ryan F9, who features in a lot of the video content for FortNine, a major retailer of bike parts, gear and accessories based in Montreal. I am a subscriber of the channel in YouTube... in fact, a video of his (https://youtu.be/YcSDnvT5VZ0?si=0ZWRyVfYQlMQRgDu) sparked my interest in the K75 and led to more research and a purchase of my '92 earlier this year.

Ryan is not afraid of controversy and he has certainly sparked some with this video... there are plenty of rebuttals on YouTube. In any case, I will be keeping my body armour!

duck · 5 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Sun Apr 07 2024, 11:33

duck

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When I was a noob I had my one and only high speed getoff that destroyed my first K75. I was such a noob at the time that I thought only racers wore gear. Since I'd taught myself how to ride without a helmet I wore a helmet mostly to block the wind.

I was wearing lightweight hiking boots, Levis, a thin street leather jacket, Olympia MC gloves and a good Arai helmet. I sustained pretty much no injuries except for a hyperextended knee which armor would not have prevented. Not even a scratch on my helmet either. Aside from the knee thing that put me on crutches for six weeks I only had a small light abrasion on one of my wrists that healed in a few days. In hindsight it baffles me how I faired so well without gear. Obviously very good dumb luck on my part.

I now wear Motoport Kevlar gear which is supposedly better than racing leather. The safety is good but the main reason I wear it though is that it's custom tailored so the fit of it is 100% perfect. I even did a ride-in to their shop near San Diego to get measured for the jacket in order to ensure the best fit.

Jacket: https://www.motoport.com/product/motoport-air-mesh-jacket/

Pants: https://www.motoport.com/product/stretch-street-jean/

An unexpected side benefit of these pants is that the leg armor wraps around the inner thighs which eliminates K bike thigh burn on hot days.

But I do still love riding the K1100LT without a helmet in states where it's legal. As long as you don't crash you really don't need a helmet.

jjefferies · 6 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Sun Apr 07 2024, 22:39

jjefferies

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grosbeak wrote:That's Ryan Kluftinger, AKA Ryan F9, who features in a lot of the video content for FortNine, a major retailer of bike parts, gear and accessories based in Montreal. I am a subscriber of the channel in YouTube... in fact, a video of his (https://youtu.be/YcSDnvT5VZ0?si=0ZWRyVfYQlMQRgDu) sparked my interest in the K75 and led to more research and a purchase of my '92 earlier this year.

Ryan is not afraid of controversy and he has certainly sparked some with this video... there are plenty of rebuttals on YouTube. In any case, I will be keeping my body armour!

Agreed. But think Ryan may have made a few errors. First one being that I think the K100 came before the K75. And as others have pointed out the bike he was on is a low seat version and the plastic bit around the back of the tank is to cover some electricals exposed by the low seat. But still a spectacular cinematic review.

Oh, and here is a counter view to Ryan's original piece:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOJxubCS0wM

Rick G · 7 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Sun Apr 07 2024, 23:26

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Six months ago today I had a crash and if I had not been wearing the jacket I had I probably would have been buried with the handle bars sticking out of my chest. Only a few weeks ago I was told of a rider that had an almost identical crash and was killed when the handlebars did go into his chest lungs and heart, needless to say it killed him and he was going much slower than I was.
The armour in my jacket saved my life.

Dai · 8 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Mon Apr 08 2024, 04:42

Dai

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There's also another thing that (perhaps) he doesn't mention (I couldn't be bothered to sit through it again) - for those of us in colder climes the armour also acts as a damn good wind barrier/insulation layer. In Europe the standards for body armour are very strictly defined; the current highest level is CE2. A full set of armour (elbows, shoulders, back, knees, hips) comes out at about £200-£250 which I don't consider to be expensive. My boots are also armoured (shins, soles, toes and heels) but I'm not sure what the armouring is in that case and if it needs to meet a specific standard. Being German, they probably do.

Two Wheels Better · 9 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Mon Apr 08 2024, 08:46

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After 48 years of street riding, & a fair few prangs with a loss of bark, I always wear riding gear - along with a good helmet and protective gloves & boots - with armour at the typical 'touchdown points', even if it's denim riding jeans, rather than leather or synthetic trousers, when it's warmer. My summer mesh gear is also armoured, backpad included.

When I'm tempted to skip sufficient gear the feeling is akin to driving away without fastening the seatbelt; like something is missing.

The rider safety training bots go on and on about it, labelling it ATGATT...all the gear all the time.

When I see riders hurtling past in shorts, thongs & a billowy singlet, I reckon they've not developed a sense of their own mortality, or yet met Mr Tarmac, palms down whilst sliding. He's a rough customer.

Laitch · 10 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Mon Apr 08 2024, 09:16

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Two Wheels Better wrote:When I see riders hurtling past in shorts, thongs & a billowy singlet, . . .

The rumor is that in post-production, John Kay rejected The Ballad of the Billowy Singlet as an album title in favor of Born To Be Wild.

Two Wheels Better · 11 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Mon Apr 08 2024, 09:45

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More squid rider, less hairy biker wannabe, because as we know they rarely crash. When they have to, they know they can lock the rear brake in case they "have to lay it down."

There's something protective for everyone...

...under there, even stylised for Beemer riders.
Wink

jbt · 12 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Mon Apr 08 2024, 10:16

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Fore sure, the commercial protections pads are a minimum that don't guarantee you to survive any crash. Remember: At more than 27 km/h on a frontal crash, the brain crushes itselfs... so what's the point of preserving bones with jelly into the skull?

Personnally, as a previous customs motorcycle officer, I managed a study on safety devices for motorcyclists.
A this time, there was no crash pads at all: cotton vests & trousers, or leather for winter, or simple cotton shirt in summer.
For the same price than the pair of cavalry shiny rigid boots we had, we could have a full gear equipment with goretex inserts, back, elbow, shoulders and knee impacts pads, real motorcycle shoes allowing to move our feet...
But no way. Tradition...
Then I saw two colleagues crash, with nothing than cotton jacket on them.
One was following me, very quick (170km/h). A car suddenly stopped with no brake lights in the middle of the road. I passed at ist right but my colleague did not see the car before I ducked, blocked the front wheel, fell on the road and smashed the back of the car at aprox. 100 km/h. Just him, its bike crashed another car in the left lane.
I was sure he died instantly. I met him moaning about its brand new shirt he ruined. Not any broken bone. The car was salvaged, the rear wheel was just behind the driver's seat.

The other ran after a car going wrong side on an highway junction to prevent a crash. An oncoming car smashed him at aprox. 50km/h (it was a very steep corner). He walked away with just a broken wrist. And died 2 hours later of an exploded spleen.

Then I quit.
I heard that another colleague had a crashed after he received real motorcycle boots, and they were really efficient! His feet had not a single bruise, because they stayed in the boots and the rest of the body flew pretty far. What's the point of wearing good boots when a drunken driver shoots you with its car? It's paltry.

I still wear a protective jacket, all the time. Not trousers, except if I know that I'll ride all the day and do nothing else.
The best protection is useless if it remains on the shelf because it's too loud, to hot, to ugly...
The best protection stills to need no protection.

grosbeak · 13 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Mon Apr 08 2024, 11:51

grosbeak

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jjefferies wrote:Oh, and here is a counter view to Ryan's original piece:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOJxubCS0wM

Yes, that's the first rebuttal I came across. A well documented case for sure, though a little on the dry side... I have yet to watch all of it!

jjefferies · 14 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Mon Apr 08 2024, 12:58

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Just a followup, but what kind of gear/kit do you wear?
I use a two piece AeroStitch with a back protector.
Have to say it's an issue getting it on and more of
an issue if I have to make a quick trip to the toilet.
But it does have soft armor, knees, elbows, shoulders
hips. And a plastic back protector which I'm not sure
about.

Ok, gotta go out and admire the eclipse starting in
15 minutes. Taking the bicycle down to the Bay..
And for protection I'm taking welding goggles.
J.

Post Scriptus: screw that went into the back yard
and watched from my garage. Large charge, the
cats weren't impressed. I did see the start of it.
Took five minutes for the image to leave my vision
afterwards.

Point-Seven-five · 15 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Mon Apr 08 2024, 14:21

Point-Seven-five

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First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket, generic touring pants with armor, Fly Racing boots, and an HJC modular helmet. Had some fleece pants and top underneath for the warmth.

Limped away from this...

I totalled the white car in the background when it hit me from behind

jjefferies · 16 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Mon Apr 08 2024, 15:03

jjefferies

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Point-Seven-five wrote:
I totalled the white car in the background when it hit me from behind

You mean they totalled themselves. What happened? They texting and didn't see you or something? Hope their insurance paid to make it up to you.

grosbeak · 17 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Mon Apr 08 2024, 18:35

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jjefferies wrote:Just a followup, but what kind of gear/kit do you wear?

I have a modular HJC helmet, Alpinestars Air-Flo jacket with back padding and shoulder and elbow armour, Joe Rocket gloves with knuckle armour, Fieldsheer riding pants with knee armour, and Tourmaster boots. ATTGATT!

Two Wheels Better · 18 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Mon Apr 08 2024, 18:53

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My basic all-round gear is a well-aged BMW Comfort Shell armoured jacket (my 2nd one but now defunct), Beemer zipleg, armoured, waterproof trou, Gaerne leather boots w/Gore-tex, BMW Pro Summer gloves (really an insulated three season with a misleading name) w/Gore-tex, an Arai Corsair X hat, Gerbings & Powerlet heated jacket liners, various wind resistant thin layers for unders, & sometimes LD Comfort riding shorts for arse ease on firm saddles.

None of my gear is current model stuff. Having worked at dealerships I'd wait 'til year end or model close out sales from BMWNA, & get a $600 jacket for less than $300, for example. If the armour is basic I upgrade it, & I have spares.

When the current jacket has gone ragged I have a fresh BMW Tour Shell waiting in the riding gear closet. I also have a 23 year old Joe Rocket leather/synth mesh jacket, Aerostich zipleg trousers, a pair of Sidi OnRoad boots, Alpinestar boots, Forma boots, BMW denim riding jeans for summer, & more leather & synthetic gloves than Imelda had shoes.

duck · 19 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Mon Apr 08 2024, 20:30

duck

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I have Alpinestar touring boots and an Arai Quantum helmet because it fits my noggin very well. I'd like to have a modular helmet but I've tried numerous brands and none of them fit as well as the Arai fullface.

I'm a glove whore and have more pairs of MC gloves than Emelda Marcos had shoes. My goto gloves are Aerostich elkskin ropers when it's cooler and Lee Parks Deertours when it's decent temps. I wear Firstgear mesh gloves when it's really hot and Gerbing's heated golves when it's really cold.

redrockmania · 20 Armoured motorcycle clothing Mon Apr 08 2024, 20:44

redrockmania

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It is not only a road accident that can damage or destroy motorcycle clothing. Recently in NSW Australia we had a mouse plague of biblical proportions (it extended over thousands of kilometres). The mice had expensive tastes. I lost a BMW Savannah jacket and trousers and a Rukka jacket. Some of the armour was salvageable, but those 3 items were beyond economical repair and had to be binned. A Swedish brand Lindstrands jacket (Oman model - beautifully made) has replaced the Rukka jacket. French made Bering textile pants replace the BMW pants.
Anything of value and at risk of mouse attack I now put in metal or very heavy hard plastic containers to protect against any future mouse plague. It will happen again!

Laitch · 21 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Mon Apr 08 2024, 23:29

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Arai Signet-X with a VAS-V Pro Shade
Olympia Motoquest jacket with Forcefield CE2 armor in elbows, shoulders and back—most riding and trips in all weather
Fox River 13 year-old fading black leather racing jacket with Forcefield CE2 armor in elbows, shoulders and back—for poser days
Gilden lightweight polyester T-shirt only, or as first layer
Light nylon cargo pants or shorts
Scorpion overpants with CE2 hip armor, all rides
Motoport Kevlar Stretch Winter gloves for most weather
Gerbing Hard Knuckle heated gloves for fall trips below 40ºF until the mountain road gets too greasy for riding, and for snowblower operation
TCX Explorer 4 boots

jjefferies · 22 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Tue Apr 09 2024, 01:42

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Reading these reminded me that all my leathers no longer fit. That's another reason why the Aerostitch is my main/only riding suit. Though late last year I decided to replace the jacket as some parts were getting thread bare. Then I learned that the jacket alone cost more than the combined top and bottom when I originally bought the suit. So a new jacket and old pants. Just not the stylish rider I once imagined myself as.

Don't know who or if any of you guys are in the S.F. Bay area or ever pass through. But if you are or pass through on occasion it might be worth a trip/ride to the MotoGuild out on Treasure Island
https://www.motoguild-sf.com/

The views are worth the trip. And If you don't mind 2nd hand gear they really do have a lot of riding gear. Even saw a complete Aerostitch for think $100. And it looked to be in decent shape but the wrong size for me. But the riding gear I think is on the reasonable side even for a frugal rider (read cheap) like myself. Now's when someone will chime in about the old say "What's the cheapest thing on a BMW motorcycle?" "The rider". But considering the Bay Area is generally considered over priced the riding gear at the motoguild is remarkably reasonably priced.

TacKler · 23 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Tue Apr 09 2024, 02:33

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Rick G wrote:Six months ago today I had a crash and if I had not been wearing the jacket I had I probably would have been buried with the handle bars sticking out of my chest. Only a few weeks ago I was told of a rider that had an almost identical crash and was killed when the handlebars did go into his chest lungs and heart, needless to say it killed him and he was going much slower than I was.
The armour in my jacket saved my life.

And here I was thinking that it was my first responder skills that saved you from the jaws of death.

No more mouth to mouth for you in future, buddy. Embarassed

TacKler · 24 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Tue Apr 09 2024, 02:41

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Next month it will be two years since my hospitalisation returning from the RosKko Run.

Wearing all the gear as I usually do and I still ended up with broken ribs. Could have been worse as I was carried away.

And grumble as I do I am very grateful that I still pay for health (top cover) and motorcycle insurance.

caveman · 25 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Tue Apr 09 2024, 04:35

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I wear a cool dew rag, fingerless gloves, a wife beater tee, square toe boots with a skull on them, vest with patches (my favorite one has "loud pipes save lives"on it) , and sun glasses.

Dai · 26 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Tue Apr 09 2024, 05:05

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Halvarssons Mora jacket
Rukka Armacore trousers
Shoei Neotec II helmet
Daytona Roadstar boots
Rukka something gloves

All CE2 armoured. Underlayers depend on our extremely variable weather but all are mountain kit rather than motorcycle specific. I find them cheaper and warmer.

I bought three K100s for less than the cost of that lot Shocked

NealC · 27 M/C Safety & Riding Body Armour Tue Apr 09 2024, 12:43

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This thread has got me a bit worried... I am now wondering if I need to buy fewer bikes and more gear lol!

Having said that, I NEVER go out without proper gear on and am happy with the protection most of my gear affords. The "Corker" helmet is the real exception here, but I don't really ride with it - I just like it as a piece of history.
My old Weise leathers are actually quite reassuring to wear. I always wear a decent Forcefield strap-on back protector too. Riding pretty defensively is part of the strategy and hope/prayers...
Gloves are OK (Rukka) - though a bit tight. I have decent kevlar jeans and textile stuff (RST) though I suspect it is not very water resistant for very long. Is it the case that Goretex is not "waterproof" and breathable at the same time? I think I heard some youtuber (FortNine) discussing that.
I have an Arai lid which is a bit old... Some years ago I bought a modular ROOF, which I liked, but when I rode to Germany and it rained solidly for hours, water did get in around the top of the visor which I thought was pretty poor.
Anyway, it's good to hear what others use.

jjefferies · 28 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Tue Apr 09 2024, 13:31

jjefferies

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Dai wrote:Halvarssons Mora jacket
Rukka Armacore trousers
Shoei Neotec II helmet
Daytona Roadstar boots
Rukka something gloves

All CE2 armoured. Underlayers depend on our extremely variable weather but all are mountain kit rather than motorcycle specific. I find them cheaper and warmer.

I bought three K100s for less than the cost of that lot

Just goes to show what K100's are worth to the rest of the world. Were they all running?
The one thing I liked about the Kyle boy video is the appreciation for a K.

Two Wheels Better · 29 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Tue Apr 09 2024, 13:43

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caveman wrote:I wear a cool dew rag, fingerless gloves, a wife beater tee, square toe boots with a skull on them, vest with patches (my favorite one has "loud pipes save lives" on it), and sunglasses.

The perfect snark! I like it.

Seen on the back of an H-D rider's black T-shirt at Daytona during bikeweek, circa 1995...

"If you can
read this the
BITCH
fell off"

Saxon7 · 30 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Tue Apr 09 2024, 17:10

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TacKler wrote:

Rick G wrote:Six months ago today I had a crash and if I had not been wearing the jacket I had I probably would have been buried with the handle bars sticking out of my chest. Only a few weeks ago I was told of a rider that had an almost identical crash and was killed when the handlebars did go into his chest lungs and heart, needless to say it killed him and he was going much slower than I was.
The armour in my jacket saved my life.

And here I was thinking that it was my first responder skills that saved you from the jaws of death.

No more mouth to mouth for you in future, buddy.

On the other hand, when I was in Royal Nth Shore after having my leg chopped off, a bloke came in who had run up the back of a truck on his F2 Honda 4. Unfortunately he didn't see the lengths of reo and skewered himself. They got an angle grinder (I presume) and cut it off, leaving the shaft in him and took him to RNS. He recovered quickly and went home before I did.

caveman · 31 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Tue Apr 09 2024, 18:57

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Two Wheels Better wrote:

caveman wrote:I wear a cool dew rag, fingerless gloves, a wife beater tee, square toe boots with a skull on them, vest with patches (my favorite one has "loud pipes save lives" on it), and sunglasses.

The perfect snark! I like it.

Seen on the back of an H-D rider's black T-shirt at Daytona during bikeweek, circa 1995...

"If you can
read this the
BITCH
fell off"

My wife needs to get one of those!

OK, I just could not resist. Last Saturday was the nicest day we have had so far this spring and the pirates came out of the wood work. I wear a "stitch" road crafter 2 most of the time, schubeth 3 something modular, just a regular slip on boot, and held gloves. I do have other stuff for very cold or hot weather. For me it is all about being protecting myself from both the possibility of going down and the elements.

Dai · 32 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Tue Apr 09 2024, 19:06

Dai

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jjefferies wrote:

Dai wrote:Halvarssons Mora jacket
Rukka Armacore trousers
Shoei Neotec II helmet
Daytona Roadstar boots
Rukka something gloves

All CE2 armoured. Underlayers depend on our extremely variable weather but all are mountain kit rather than motorcycle specific. I find them cheaper and warmer.

I bought three K100s for less than the cost of that lot

Just goes to show what K100's are worth to the rest of the world. Were they all running?
The one thing I liked about the Kyle boy video is the appreciation for a K.

One was. The other two were (1) substantially complete and (2) arrived in the traditional set of boxes as a lockdown project. To be honest, LFB cost me €700, Brick2 (substantially complete) cost me £300 and Kostenlot (arrived in boxes and still not bloody finished) was a freebie.

jjefferies · 33 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Tue Apr 09 2024, 20:34

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Dai wrote:One was. The other two were (1) substantially complete and (2) arrived in the traditional set of boxes as a lockdown project. To be honest, LFB cost me €700, Brick2 (substantially complete) cost me £300 and Kostenlot (arrived in boxes and still not bloody finished) was a freebie.

Sounds like my collection, (K75's) Red was the first, Silver was second after a 9 year stay in my garage awaiting rebuild. Blue (K100) is sitting awaiting re-installation of its fuel injectors and other minor parts (tank and fuel pump). Then there's a spare frame and engine(sans transmission) sitting in the shed gathering dust.

Have I already told the story of Blue's acquisition? During the pandemic Greg Hutchinson called and asked if I wanted a K100 for $500. I acknowledged not having any immediate projects and went to look at it in a apartment complex in Berkley. Should have been warned off as the first words out of the owner's mouth were "I wouldn't be selling it but I have to make my bail". Seems he was managing the apt complex when it was sold to some Asian investors who had contrary plans. Maybe he got a little bent out of shape, maybe he fell off the wagon (wagons are never very stable) and maybe there was a pistol that was waved around. And maybe some shots were fired into the sky - not at anyone. But the Berkley police were definitely out of line when they went through his apartment and confiscated all his guns and hauled him off to jail. So he was looking at making bail and leaving the area for a more compatible environment, Montana or Arizona. Sober he didn't seem like a bad guy and gave me a hand getting the bike to my home and his hand written notes were quite detailed on the Bike's provenance. But it's taking some focusing to get back into making the bike into something.

Oh, BTW, I just paid insurance on Red and Silver for the year RSIG/Progressive. IT was USD $231. which included some liability and some comprehensive coverage. Is this reasonable? Just a odd query.

Two Wheels Better · 34 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Tue Apr 09 2024, 21:21

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jjefferies wrote:Oh, BTW, I just paid insurance on Red and Silver for the year RSIG/Progressive. IT was USD $231. which included some liability and some comprehensive coverage. Is this reasonable? Just a odd query.

For comparison, In Washington State, I have four active regos, full cover(age) on all the bikes, including fire & theft, accessories & riding gear, alarms on two of the bikes, discount for multiple machines & advanced rider training updated. $359 per year total.
National-General Insurance Co.

duck · 35 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Tue Apr 09 2024, 23:51

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I pay less than $75 per year for basic liability and road assistance.

Even though I have several bikes that I ride I only keep one insured at a time. It only takes a couple of minutes to go to the Progressive website and change which bike is covered.

jjefferies · 36 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Wed Apr 10 2024, 01:51

jjefferies

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duck wrote:I pay less than $75 per year for basic liability and road assistance.

Even though I have several bikes that I ride I only keep one insured at a time. It only takes a couple of minutes to go to the Progressive website and change which bike is covered.

That sounds reasonable though a little cumbersome. Wonder if it makes any difference to the insurance company? I mean you are the one being insured. But for comprehensive it would be a different risk for the company. Seriously since I started riding Silver I have to make a conscious effort to ride Red on a regular basis. But I notice that although my insurance was originally with Progressive I'm now underwritten by a company called "Drive" which apparently is a part of Progressive or something. I don't remember even being informed of the change.

Laitch · 37 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Wed Apr 10 2024, 07:44

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jjefferies wrote:That sounds reasonable though a little cumbersome. Wonder if it makes any difference to the insurance company? I mean you are the one being insured.

The motorcycle is being insured; the policy holder—usually the owner/rider—qualifies to receive the benefits of the policy.

Here's Progressive's explanation of Drive, which seems to be a California permutation.

duck · 38 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Wed Apr 10 2024, 09:01

duck

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Number of posts : 4443

jjefferies wrote:

duck wrote:I pay less than $75 per year for basic liability and road assistance.

Even though I have several bikes that I ride I only keep one insured at a time. It only takes a couple of minutes to go to the Progressive website and change which bike is covered.

That sounds reasonable though a little cumbersome. Wonder if it makes any difference to the insurance company? I mean you are the one being insured. But for comprehensive it would be a different risk for the company. Seriously since I started riding Silver I have to make a conscious effort to ride Red on a regular basis. But I notice that although my insurance was originally with Progressive I'm now underwritten by a company called "Drive" which apparently is a part of Progressive or something. I don't remember even being informed of the change.

Actually, you're insuring both the rider (based on driving record, age, sex, etc...) and the vehicle. My annual premium does go up and down a buck or two when I switch bikes. Since I just insure for liability only I think that's mostly based on the bike having ABS or not. For comprehensive I suspect there would be a wider swing in the premium.

jjefferies · 39 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Wed Apr 10 2024, 15:04

jjefferies

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Number of posts : 610

Laitch wrote:The motorcycle is being insured; the policy holder—usually the owner/rider—qualifies to receive the benefits of the policy.

Here's Progressive's explanation of Drive, which seems to be a California permutation.

There's a bit of strangeness in the "explanation of Drive". The numbers they posted are labeled "Estimated Monthly Rate for Full Coverage" but the numbers they provide are more in line with yearly rates. Oh well, even big companies can screw it up (I hope that's the explanation).

Born Again Eccentric · 40 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Fri Apr 12 2024, 04:32

Born Again Eccentric

Life time member

Number of posts : 1503

Back on the subject of armoured riding gear…what is it with glove manufactures today?

I was in my local (to work) bike gear outlet this week looking at replacing my gloves for ones that work with my phone touch screen (inside a water resistant casing). My current gloves work with my Garmin gps touch screen but won’t work with my iPhone.

Three issues:

1. WTF with some pricing…holy cow £250 for a pair of gloves, sheesh! (Some textile gloves available from £60)

2. The so called touch screen gloves just didn’t work. I tried several makes in several price ranges and they all were useless.

3. Sizing! I’m a fairly medium size bloke all round but have always bought large size gloves for my paws as I found medium gloves just too tight. Now I appreciate new clothing can be quite snug to start with and will stretch a little with wear…but I just could not get my hands into the Large size gloves, even struggled with the XL and XXL were just too big.

I wonder with the new generations…while they are generally getting physically taller and fatter due to growth hormones in their processed food and take-always diet, are their hands shrinking because they are only used to text and play online games rather than do proper work?

Born Again Eccentric · 41 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Sat Apr 13 2024, 09:07

Born Again Eccentric

Life time member

Number of posts : 1503

Solved the touch screen gloves issue for a fraction of the cost of a new pair of gloves

Designed for gamers where their sweaty little fingers don’t slide across the screen fast enough to out game their buddies.

Big enough and stretchy enough to fit over thumb and index fingers of my gloves and elastic enough to stay in place when I take gloves off. This messaged typed on iPad with my gloves on.

Result! cheers

Two Wheels Better · 42 Re: M/C Safety & Riding Body Armor Sat Apr 13 2024, 09:34

Two Wheels Better

Moderator

Number of posts : 5488

So, the 'yoof' of today, and technology aimed at them, are good for something afterall.
cheers

What a relief, here I was thinking we were collectively done for.
Wink

I have some really basic 'Black Brand' leather gloves which have the two pointing fingertips covered in some sort of friction material. It works on my phone and GPS, as intended.

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