A salutary warning for the hot weather...

[Grahamm]

... gravel rash ain't pretty...!

[SteveH41]

Yup, and unfortunately the last couple of days I have lost count of the amount of idiots riding without even basic protection or GLOVES! It may be hot when i'm getting ready to go out but as soon as I start moving all is well. Have found the best base layer stuff for me is some cheap Hi Gear stuff from go outdoors.

[Hodge]

I have no sympathy for those who are foolish enough to ride without basic protection. I'd rather be a little warmer than have my skin ripped off and bones ground down.

[alan sherman]

I'd rather not be distracted by dangerous overheating but hey its always a good argument this one isn't it.

[MadDogMcQ]

If I'm going out on a short ride in extremely hot weather, I will probably only wear jeans and a light leather jacket (and gloves). I am wholly aware that my risk of injury has stepped up a notch and I ride pretty sedately. If I'm going out for the day however, I will always put the gear on though. I don't feel that I can relax without it.  Like SteveH41 said, there isn't an issue with heat once you're moving.
 
What gets me though, are the myriad Scooter riders and 125ers who seem totally oblivious to the dangers of riding in shorts and t-shirts (shell suits in Liverpool). These things will do 60mph and I dread to think what the rider will look like after a slide along the tarmac at that speed (or even half that speed).
 
Mind you, each to their own!
 
 

[steeeve66]

i always wear a jacket, gloves and boots - my only concession to the hot weather are kevlar jeans instead of leathers with armour and the jacket is a lighter, cafe race style - still with armour tho.
Nuts - A lot of those injuries would have been mitigated with just the jacket and boots.

[Grahamm]

I'd rather not be distracted by dangerous overheating but hey its always a good argument this one isn't it.

As mentioned elsewhere, a couple of weeks ago I went on holiday down to North Devon for a week of surfing and biking. Because the forecast for the Friday I left (and for the week to come) was for overcast and possibly heavy showers, I took the wet-weather textile gear.

On the Friday I came back it was sunny and hot so I was sweating like buggery, but if it became too much I could easily stop and cool off for a while. Had I had an Off without the gear, however, it wouldn't be so easy to get rid of the skin damage...

[fireblake]

I've said it before but it's all about choice, if i want to ride semi naked that's my choice same as smoking and getting lashed up on a Saturday night.
I've popped to the shops with jeans and a textile jacket, boots and gloves on but I've popped to the beach in shorts and a tee shirt. If i was going any distance or i thought i'd be getting a move on i would wear all of my protective clothing. I personally think gloves are as important as a helmet? (Google de-gloved hand?)
My son got himself a little 50cc scooter at 16 and rode around with the lightest of clothes on. Out riding after a light shower he was breaking to give way and hit a man hole cover and was off, he had slowed down to about 10 mph but his right knee hit the deck and slid a little. He know won't ride without all his gear on, leather armoured jacket, waterproof textile trousers with knee and hip armour and gloves. Problem now is his gear isn't as good as mine. The jacket is my old one so top spec but the gloves are shite and the trousers have no Kevlar so will last miliseconds.


Mickey

[phil on a fazer]

you think its hot riding road bikes???...try off roading in hot weather!! 
 
the last 3 days ive never sweated so much!! on some sections your up on the pegs giving it as much throttle as you dare just to get some air rushing against your body....and when you get stuck.......oh boy..thats hard work      (Fook knows how people cross deserts e.t.c )

[BBROWN1664]

I always wear gloves and a textile or leather jacket.
If the weather is cold or wet, Jeans and textile trousers, if it is warm, leather trousers and if it is hot, just jeans but you feel a lot more vulnerable.
On my feet it is nearly always boots.

Having just got back from Turkey I saw most people rode in just t-shirts and shorts or trousers (no jeans, gloves or helmets) but then almost all the bikes I saw were mopeds. The odd big bike I saw was German and the riders were fully kitted out apart from one of the dive instructors who wore a tshirt, shorts and flip flops (he did have a helmet though) to ride home on his TDM.

It was 40+ degrees there though so I went for the aircon'd car instead.

[Khaotik]

Its about acceptable risk.  We each make a choice to live with a personal acceptable level of risk. Some people think we are idiots to even climb on motorcycles in the first place, but we choose to do so and we accept the risk. Some riders are prepared to accept more risk than others.
 
The danger comes in when people don't understand and end up taking on more risk than they would otherwise be happy to accept.

[Sunny Intervals]

It's a personal choice thing like others have said.
I'd much rather ride sedately lidless in shorts and flip flops.
Than wrap myself around a tree or a car on a bend feeling invincible in all the gear, and end up wondering why the skid pan strapped to my back and the leathers and helmet didn't stop my spline rupturing, brain being turned to the consistency of scrambled egg, and my ribs puncturing my lungs

[Phil]

It was 40+ degrees there though so I went for the aircon'd car instead.

I would too, theres too cold for riding bikes and too hot.
I went to Brno WSB in 2010 and it was stupid hot, time on the bike was 7-11am and 6pm-9pm with nice open air pools in between riding.
I fell off at trackday once and got my foot caught under the bike. It wore through the boot and skin on my ankle in fairly quick time. I shudder to think what a mess it would have been if I had been wearing trainers or flip flops. Each to their own.

[Grahamm]

I've said it before but it's all about choice, if i want to ride semi naked that's my choice

I don't disagree in the slightest.

I'm against compulsion, but I'm all for *informed* choice and a warning like the photo in my OP (which actually came from Facebook) might actually make a few people think.

[breadlord]

Over here I'm marvelling at people on 'Busas, roaring on the freeway over 90:

* No helmet
* No gloves
* Shorts
* Vest
* Flip-flops

Michigan recently got rid of their helmet laws, as the fat Harley riders tell me with glee. While coming off is never a joke, sliding on your arse, ruining your bike's finish and destroying a couple hundred quids worth of clothing is infinitely preferable to leaving your muscles scraped on the road and getting skin grafts on your face.

Mental.

[Raymy]

chicks dig scars

[Rusty]

I always make sure that I'm wearing my lucky underpants, anything more is a bonus.

[cable tie]

The other day i saw a fella on a newish cb1000 with panniers top box wearing shorts - tee shirt vest - pumps making progress wtf.   

Also I can't understand why peeps wear leathers than you look at there feet no boots but trainers,  what going on there !!

I always find once moving you cool down a bit and when touring if we stop i try to pull in the shade and would never ride without the correct gear on regardless. 

[Rusty]

I do ride lightly clothed in very hot weather but the danger makes me ride exceptionally carefully. There could almost be an argument for it, as it certainly slows you down. On the other hand you never know when shit's gonna happen, and when it strikes it strikes fast, so best to be well protected I suppose.

How to ruin a Saturday

Recently I've been thinking of buying a Ducati, so went on you tube to see what people were saying about them. Came across this which vid makes a good case for wearing full kit.

[MadDogMcQ]

Looked a bit painful going into that barrier. See that 3rd guy drop his bike right at the end??

[Rusty]

I've no idea why the first guy lost it actually as that corner looked do-able, I think his foot peg touched down and he panicked? But it just goes to show that it doesn't have to be your mistake that gets you hurt. I love riding in jeans and a T shirt in very hot weather over slow/short distances, but on a fast journey wearing full kit's a no brainer.

[Grahamm]

I've no idea why the first guy lost it actually as that corner looked do-able, I think his foot peg touched down and he panicked?

I'd agree. He seems to be trying to get his knee down, but he and the bike are leaning virtually at the same angle and he doesn't seem to be shifting his bum over to keep the centre of gravity down and the bike more upright. Probably he was caught by surprise when he grounded the peg, felt the bike move, grabbed the brakes and just went straight on

As for the guy in the background, I think he also tries to anchor up and also goes straight on then skids on the grass.

But it just goes to show that it doesn't have to be your mistake that gets you hurt.

Absolutely.

[Phil TK]

one of the dive instructors who wore a tshirt, shorts and flip flops (he did have a helmet though) to ride home on his TDM.
It was 40+ degrees there

I would have worn that same in that heat, just 5 mins in a traffic jam wearing proper clobber would be unhealthy and probably dangerous in 40C. I would have substituted jeans for shorts perhaps but probably resort to shorts after a few days of getting jeans and underpants wringing with sweat (prickly heat around the bollocks is not fun).

[steeeve66]

See that 3rd guy drop his bike right at the end??

weird, looks like he just rolled on the grass and fell over.

[pitternator]

to my mind the second rider was getting closer and closer to the rider ahead as the ride progressed. I felt his attention was drifting too, lifting hand off bars, waving , looking around. Left himself with less room for manoeuvre than he could have. I could see the first guy was going to crash,his line was wrong , he was going in too fast .... I would have cut deeper into the corner to avoid the bike which obviously was going to come back on the road.Its typical of group riding dangers, and why I only ride with competant riders. The crash was totally avoidable, I also felt they were not slowing down at all  for the bends, not  looking through the corner and picking the right apex. Just barrelling in, and lo...corner was overcooked. Sadly its inexperienced riding at fault.A hard lesson to learn...
With regards to clothing ...what we all should remember is just how quickly our bikes can accelerate, so even going out in thin clothing with the firm intention of just bimbling, its just seconds of throttle to get to big speeds where an off will result in gravel rash. I have crashed in jeans at 70/80 mph, and they offer no protection at all . My minimum wear for the last 10 yrs or so has been good textiles( armoured) or a draggin type jean.Normal wear is leather jeans with knee sliders ( extra protection! ).My theory is, if its too hot to feel comfy , then dont ride...