- Thread starter SteveK
- Start date
Safety Helmets
I like "crash" helmet better, especially for the DR. Riding a motorcycle is inherently risky behavior in first world countries. You can mediate the risk to some extent in the first world. How do you mediate the risk of a drunken, high speed no lights moto or car? Drunk is the norm here. Only 100% solution is you only drive a large car in the daytime. Everything involving you and riding a motorcycle is big risk assumption. How many are willing to wear all the safety gear all the time? In this heat, very very few. Yep, it's a crash helmet. Old saw. Two kinds of motorcycle riders, those that have crashed and those that will crash. I have crashed, had many near misses but not in this country. Just not worth it from my view. Buy a convertible.
I do.
Today's ATGATT mesh gear is very comfortable in the heat.
We require gear of our gusts, it's ATGATT (All The Gear All THe Time) 100% or they don't ride.
Very, very few complain of the heat. Why? Because modern gear isn't hot. Old School gear, or gear not made for summer conditions, might be.
That said, have we possibly lost potential guests because of our enforced requirements? Maybe. Probably. But we don't care. Safety first, period.
Ironic but has a grain of truth in it Beeza. What I find ironic is the high standard we have to adhere to when we want to import a car into the DR yet the DR roads have decrepit vehicles on them that would never be allowed on the roads in North America or Britain. Also the DR law that children up to 12 years old can't sit in the front seat of a car but you can carry an entire family on a moto.
Totally agree. Been riding for over 50 years including trips to the US during the intense summer heat. Always covered from head to toe in high vis protective gear. I would rather sweat than bleed.
The highpoint of moto madness for me was observing a guy holding a propane tank in each hand and steering with his knees. I was in shock and awe at the same time. I was in a rental heading to Cabarete. I got around him as fast as I could. I admire their creativity but their lack of concern for their own lives scares the hell out of me when I'm driving in the DR.
Yes, Just when you think you have seen it all, some guy comes down the street carrying 4 babies and two chicas.
For me motorcycles lose there appeal as I get older and am less inclined to take risks. I have become so cautious that the ride is no fun. There is a reason the military wants certain troops to be a certain age, their tolerance for risk is much much higher. When they get a little older and start reasoning long term they are less affective in the field. This is not a new concept for front line troops.
My next step was to get a convertible. Much safer, still had the wind, smells etc. Now I am a straight up sedan or suv guy with A/C on all the time.
I keep waiting for that "I'm too old for this stuff" gene to kick in.
Usually older riders transition to a trike or sidecar hack when they no longer feel comfortable on two wheels.
I do truly love Urals. Trikes? Not so much.
Bikes and convertibles are in different worlds.
DDR have reported another death of a motorcyclist at Cangrejo where the road is in really bad shape.
Can't help thinking that if this poor fellow had a skid lid on, there wouldn't be strawberry jam on the pavement.
http://detrasdelrumor.com.do/deteri...grejos-cobra-otra-vida-y-ya-son-tres-muertos/
Can't help thinking that if this poor fellow had a skid lid on, there wouldn't be strawberry jam on the pavement.
http://detrasdelrumor.com.do/deteri...grejos-cobra-otra-vida-y-ya-son-tres-muertos/
Lmao, yep that's it. Classic !!! He was a decent guy as well. I'm not quite ready for shuffle board and bingo.
Did take a break from bikes for about five years. got into restoring and selling LBC's, little British cars, Triumph TR-6's, MGB's. Small cars, easy to maintain, and low to the road. With the top down they were very close to motorcycling. You could see the sights and smell the smells in relative comfort. Eventually returned to my first love, motorcycles. To me, they are better than booze and drugs and a close second to sex and chocolate. While travelling in the DR, I see a decent crotch rocket here and there. There was a guy in Luperon who owned a Suzuki Katana. In eight winters in the DR I've only seen one decrepit MGB, pre 1974 vintage with the chrome bumpers. I'd love to have one in the DR but the custom import process is too complicated.
I also suffered from that disease. Too bad they weren't as fast as they were fun.
Always hada full repair kit in the trunk. Lucas electrics were known as the Angel of Death. Always failed when you needed them most. Their electrics weren't as bad in the Brit bikes, BSA, Norton, Triumph, etc. Did see one very old partially chopped Triumph just outside Rio San Juan a few years ago. Actually felt sad for it. Learned to ride on a BSA 441 single thumper back in 1966. Loved the way they handled.
A small number of TR-6's were imported into North America with turbochargers installed. My dream car to restore would be Rootes-Shelby 289 V-8 Sunbeam Tiger. A real sleeper that could blow the doors off a lot of muscle cars.
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Can we assume that that is your idea of humor? The deposit idea Imean! They'd have to set up an entire industry to recycle the bottles.
Der Fish
I recently saw a show on the Vietnam war. A Navy pilot said about taking off from a carrier, "if it lasted two minutes it would replace sex".
I had a BSA 441 as well. Fun bike, nice thumper. I was into the 650 & 750 BSA's, Trumpets, Royal Enfields and Nortons.
I almost imported my TR-6 w OD when I moved down. Thought better of it, and sold before the move. Beautiful, fully restored, like new:
I coulda sent all my unborn spawn to Harvard for what I've spent on Brit 2 and 4-wheeled iron in my lifetime.
(Note the roll bar I installed, welded in, kinda like a helmet for a sports car...)