Why is it not compulsory to wear full leather protection while riding?

ThundyCat

ThundyCat

ThundyCat

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Down under mate!
I don't ride a motorcycle or have a bike license but one thing has always baffled me. It's compulsory to wear a helmet quite rightly, but not to wear proper clothing? i.e Full leather bikers jacket, trousers and boots.

With the sun out you see people riding around wearing shorts and t-shirt and I shudder with horror at what would happen to them (God forbid) if they came off.

Surely it should be compulsory to wear full body protection? Or would you disagree?
 
It's all down to personal choice really, I don't think it should be compulsory

I personally don't ride without protective gear on as I value my skin (& have seen the standard NHS method for dealing with roadrash)
 
the head being the most vulnerable part

leathers are all well and fine but they are restrictive to move in compared to textile clothing

folks that ride in t shirts and no top on at all are just stupid

you don't even have to wear a helmet if you wear a turban/part of religion
 
wazza300 said:
the head being the most vulnerable part

leathers are all well and fine but they are restrictive to move in compared to textile clothing

folks that ride in t shirts and no top on at all are just stupid
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Excuse my ignorance but do you need to move a lot while riding?
 
it helps with controlling the bike more easily/moving around on the bike and looking left/right/behind ect

thick stiff leathers make it harder imo,would be even more daunting having just passed your test/riding a bike
 
Its an interesting one as obviously in some situations they won't help at all but in others I know first hand of a couple examples where people walked away relatively unscathed from accidents where had they not had proper back armour, etc. they would have certainly suffered life changing injuries at the very least.
 
wazza300 said:
it helps with controlling the bike more easily/moving around on the bike and looking left/right/behind ect

thick stiff leathers make it harder imo,would be even more daunting having just passed your test/riding a bike
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Make sense.

Rroff said:
Its an interesting one as obviously in some situations they won't help at all but in others I know first hand of a couple examples where people walked away relatively unscathed from accidents where had they not had proper back armour, etc. they would have certainly suffered life changing injuries at the very least.
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Indeed.

Maybe depending on the CC of the bike it could be made compulsory.
 
they could make textile clothing and ce approved armour compulsory

that would be better than nothing,and proper boots
 
wazza300 said:
they could make textile clothing and ce approved armour compulsory

that would be better than nothing,and proper boots
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Very difficult to enforce though, surely? CE approval would actually rule out a fair amount of stuff marketed as bike gear, including from manufacturers who make "proper" gear like Alpinestars. Judge as you will but I currently wear a pair of their casual style ankle boots. I started out with just gloves and helmet but decided a bit more protection would be sensible. So it's still regular trousers but I have an Oxford branded textile jacket and gloves, along with the boots that compromise a bit on safety but don't leave me feeling like I need to change out of them when I get there.
 
its your body at the end of the day,whatever you feel most comfortable in

me personally I don't like wearing leathers,but I try to have some protection should I ever come off

I saw a guy only a few days ago with no top on whatsoever just bare skin,just plain stupid if you ask me
 
You don't even need a helmet here.

You couldn't ride in leathers here, far too hot, I ride in a tshirt and jeans myself, I shouldn't but it's literally too hot. Full 1 piece leathers in the UK though
 
I agree that no protection is a bad idea. But partly I was just suggesting that if attempts were made to enforce more than just a helmet, it could be a right pain to first of all set the bar for minimum levels, then to actually verify compliance of an item of clothing by law enforcement types if you get stopped.
 
that's probably why its still voluntary

its nice to ride in jeans and no gloves that's as far as id go now on really hot days,but expect to have shredded knees and hands if you come off

@acemaster I bet you get sick of all those grid roads? don't they have any curvy roads?
 
I don't like leather, plus I don't see why a whole heard of cows should die just to make me a set, but I have CE approved armour in my textiles and I would never dream of riding without them.

Even if the law changed and said we no longer had to wear a helmet I still would. The only time I've riden my bike without a helmet was moving it in the car park at work and it felt bloody strange. I can't imagine riding at speed without one.

You'd have to be unlucky for textiles not to do a good job if the worse happens but in most situations where you end up ****ed in a bike crash I bet the difference between leather and modern textiles wouldn't be much. Lets face it, without that potective cage car drivers have, those of us who choose to ride bikes know the risks and we ride accordingly. Assume every car driver is out to kill you, plan ahead and think for every driver you see and mostly you'll be fine.
 
Can of.........

Thundy - Asking this question of yours is like smearing yourself in jam and poking a hornets nest.

With a baseball bat. :p :cool:
 
I use my bike maybe 70/30 green lanes/road. No way am I wearing leathers.


I don't see the big fuss, go to a warmer climate, shorts an t shirt's everywhere and usually more bikes on the road.
 
I always wear helmet (obviously), gloves, bike boots and a bike jacket but I do sometimes wear jeans.
Also I took some of the armour out of the jacket because it restricted movement so much. It was really hard to make life saver checks (dunno if they're really called that, it's what I was taught!).
 
THIS POST in the 'Have you ever crashed your motorcycle?' thread pretty much explains why I as personal preference, would never ride on the road without full protective kit. :cool:

Each to his own though, its down to what you believe yourself. I couldn't care less if someone feels the need to ride wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

Knock yourself out. Literally.
 
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