Burnt Leg Syndrome
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No matter what the weather is, I alway ride long pants (mostly jeans) and boots. It's the only thing that will save your leg in stop & go traffic.
Basically you need to put air and fabric between you and the pipes. Should ask a buddy of mine after the bumba$$ didn't move over his bike when I told him to. He was short on space and accidently backed his leg against the pipes w/ shorts on. Gotta love the smell of burnt flesh...
Basically you need to put air and fabric between you and the pipes. Should ask a buddy of mine after the bumba$$ didn't move over his bike when I told him to. He was short on space and accidently backed his leg against the pipes w/ shorts on. Gotta love the smell of burnt flesh...
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so that's what I've been doing wrong. :wazzup:Super Kaz said:PANTS?lause:
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I ride in shorts in the heat of the summer sometimes, I've gotten tatooed couple times, always when stopping and leaning the bike over like for gas. After 2 or 3 times, I made a concious effort to remember to keep the ole calf away from the pipes. I find the VROD pipes run as hot or hotter than any motorcycle I've owned, very unforgiving, a brief brush with naked flesh and you got a burn. I think due to the FI and a very controlled, optimized A/F ratio is why they run so hot. With such a optimized mixture burn, its possible to see header pipe temps approaching 1200 degrees F, just out of the head/port. While underway its not a problem, just have to remember when stopping and leaning bike on side stand.
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And why would common sense dictate at the minimum heavy denim pants? I don't leave the house planning on sliding down the road, or having an accident. I'll grant you it could happen, and has 20+ years ago to me, but if one ponders every possibility of riding a motorcycle on todays public roads with the heavier traffic and the loonies on their cell phones, or drunk or high drivers, you wouldn't leave the house. Your risk riding a motorcycle versus a cage is higher for injury no doubt. If you want to carry your "common sense approach", one shouldn't leave the house without full one piece leathers with armor, boots, full face helmet, and gloves at all times. Driving a vrod in a sporting fashion, in excess of the speed limit is also without "common sense", but people do it all the time, me included sometimes. Yes, I take chances, risks, but on a warm sunny Sunday, cruising along a nice route, the wind in my hair, sun beaming on my skin, its damned near nirvana, therapy. I ride as defensive as I can, and have confidence in my riding skills, expecting the worst from other drivers, and am happy to be wrong. Life is a risk, its a jungle out there. You want assurance of safety, don't leave the house period. When its your time, its your time. Or maybe, just maybe, I lack some common sense, could be........not trying to be arguementative, just my thoughts.
As you point out, the decision to ride a motorcycle entails accepting a certain amount of risk. To me, however, the correct stategy for accepting this risk is to balance out the likelihood of certain events happening, the level of protective gear you decide to wear, and the "negative" impact the wearing (or not) of the protective gear is going to have on your riding experience.polizzio said:
In this instance Cubota asked about avoiding burns on his leg from the pipes. You certainly don't need to crash in order for your leg to contact the pipe - heck, you don't even need to be moving, or to even have the engine running. Long denim pants will, at the very least, protect your leg from receiving the nasty burn you can get from mere momentary contact. In this instance you have a) high probability of contact with pipes; b) painful consequences if this occurs; and c) relatively minor "negative" impact from wearing long pants. I can't think of anyone who would deride a motorcyclist for wearing a pair jeans, and even if your ultimate destination was a place where wearing long pants was inappropriate (the beach?) - it is pretty easy to wear shorts or swimtrunks underneath them. Will you be cooler (temperature wise) wearing shorts on the bike? You may possibly feel a little cooler, especially when the bike is stopped. But you are really putting more heat stress on your body by exposing your skin to sunlight, and by increasing the amount of sweat you lose through evaporation. You also will note that this particular calculation also ignores the benefits of wearing long pants in the (as you point out) unlikely event of a crash - which will most likely be quite considerable.
There is an old saying in the insurance business: Don't risk a lot to save a little.
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Yes, Pant's. I NEVER ride in shorts or skirt's.
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Required riding apparel for me and my wife:
Long pants, heavyweight denim preferred
Boots that cover the ankle
Eye protection
Long sleeve shirt (most of the time)
Gloves (more for grip than protection)
Helmet (done a few rides without but can't get comfortable)
That's just our requirements, everyone is free to ride as they see fit.
As for "not planning on going down" I hope no one plans on going down when they ride but it never ceases to amaze me who much more cruiser riders think their chances of going down are less than other riders. Every time you throw a leg over the bike you are at risk. Statistically it's just as high a risk for the 10 minute ride down to the corner store as it is on the 200 mile Saturday ride. If you think otherwise you're in denial.
Long pants, heavyweight denim preferred
Boots that cover the ankle
Eye protection
Long sleeve shirt (most of the time)
Gloves (more for grip than protection)
Helmet (done a few rides without but can't get comfortable)
That's just our requirements, everyone is free to ride as they see fit.
As for "not planning on going down" I hope no one plans on going down when they ride but it never ceases to amaze me who much more cruiser riders think their chances of going down are less than other riders. Every time you throw a leg over the bike you are at risk. Statistically it's just as high a risk for the 10 minute ride down to the corner store as it is on the 200 mile Saturday ride. If you think otherwise you're in denial.
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Do what African Paul does
Paul I'm just kidding, I don't want to start another backlash, but you gotta admit, it will remedy his problem. Check out his TT dyno thread. Maybe this is all you need. Paul, I think we can all laugh at all the nonsense now. Take care brother.
Paul I'm just kidding, I don't want to start another backlash, but you gotta admit, it will remedy his problem. Check out his TT dyno thread. Maybe this is all you need. Paul, I think we can all laugh at all the nonsense now. Take care brother.
Pants, I guess, are sort of jeans (aka denims, long trousers) in the US. In good old Blighty they're 'under' pants, knickers for blokes, if you like. Still, I don't think I've ever ridden in shorts for more than a mile or so. Even last summer when we had +40c temperatures it was denims, t-shirt and leather jacket. It's all very well riding defensively but when you've got an asshole Frenchman, half-cut, driving a decrepit Renault in front of you, you've no chance.
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2ToneAnniversary said:Yes, Pant's. I NEVER ride in shorts or skirt's.
I only wear a skirt for special events... I find it hard to sift properly wearing heels, however.
seriously, safety gear is a personal choice, for the most part... you DO have to weigh the risks, but I for one wear a minimum of a helmet, gloves, long heavy pants (and a shirt, duh). I dont preach to others... most of my riding friends are firefighter/emts too, so we have seen what a little protection can do. I do realize that if I get hit by a semi, whether I was wearing full race leathers or just a thong is going to make little difference. Stay safe out there.
Greg
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No sweat Rick, life is but a joke. :thumb:VrodRick74 said:
That and actually burning your leg on the exhaust.KBOlsen said:
Having burnt my leg on the exhaust of my Ultra, I now wear long denium pants anytime I throw a leg over a motorcycle.
Each to his own. If you prefer to wear shorts don't say we didn't warn you. :stilpoke:
If you get t-boned at full speed by a semi-truck, it probably won't make much difference if you were "wearing" a Cadillac Escalade.Greg687 said:
IMHO, the "it wouldn't have made much difference what he was wearing" argument is one of the most misleading ones made by the anti protective gear crowd. It doesn't make much difference to a police officer what protective gear he is wearing if he gets shot in the head. But I still see many of them wearing tactical vests. Why do they do it? Because a certain number of them DO get shot in the chest or back, and in those instances it makes a lot of difference if they are wearing a "bulletproof" vest - like the difference between a nasty bruise and going home in a coffin.
You also have to look at the situation you will be riding in, and make your safety gear choices on that basis. No rider goes to the racetrack "planning" on crashing - but they all wear leathers and f/f helmets. Why? Because a) racing they are much more likely to have a spill and b) the protective gear makes it much more likely they will walk away. But the same rider can probably ride home without the full race leathers - because a) his probability of crashing is diminished riding on public roads and b) the consequences of sliding at 30 mph are much less severe than they would be at 80 mph. The thing about helmets is that those "severe" consequences start kicking in at much lower speeds. Smack your (unprotected) head into a curb or the asphalt at even 20 mph and you will probably be in pretty bad shape.
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I have a scar on my leg from an incident on the BSA back in '72. Guy stopped (for no Fu**ing reason that I could see) in front of me, and I bumped him at 5 mph. Seems my leg was against the pipe (no heat shield) by the head for just a second. Was wearing heavy denims. Didn't notice it till later, but it was at least a 2nd degree burn, took a couple weeks to heal enough to get back on flight status.
So even denim won't always help. I always wear heavy pants and boots. Feel naked without the helmet, but sometimes do it just for the thrill. Do what you want, but I still have this scar, 32 years later...
So even denim won't always help. I always wear heavy pants and boots. Feel naked without the helmet, but sometimes do it just for the thrill. Do what you want, but I still have this scar, 32 years later...
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Pants? You mean Dr. Heathen Scum gonna have to find his pants to ride? Damn!!
I've been wearing my jock strap and SS style knee high boots. It exposes just the right amount of skin, and lets all THOSE other areas pick up a nice tan. Ya know, here in Hawaii, we are all so tan conscience.
Yea, many times I've done the burned leg routine. I think in the first year, maybe 10 or 12 times. Rode in shorts, short sleeve shirt thinking it was cooler. Then when summer sets in, and the blacktop radiates like a solar panel
and the bike is cooking at 180+ I felt like I was the Pillsbury doughboy on a summer bake off. At the end of a days riding, I was whipped physically, and usually so prone to not wanting to be in the sunlight. It is really taking all the fun out of it.
Went to long levis, and the burned leg issue is a thing of the past. Bought a hydra-vest. Soak it in water, wring it out after a 3 to 4 minute soak, put it on, and you'll ride like your in A/C comfort, and with the vented Joe Rocket Phoneix Jacket.
Since I wear a 3/4 helmet, with flip up shield, I still feel like I am in the oven, but the temperature is less, almost like it is 135 instead.
I am beginning to hate riding in the daylight hours, as the heat just eats me up. I drink GATOR AID frequently to stay hydrated, and that does make a difference.
But lets face it, we all sit on something where the temperatures range from explosive like to a water-cooled radiator. The heat shields are almost the hottest part of the bike too.
The knee high boots make sence to a degree, but when all the heat adds up, it is plain old hell.
Nightime riding is another whole 180 degree rotated experience. nice n' cool, and literally NO SWEAT. But, the pipes will still get ya if your in shorts!!
maybe a leather patch on the inside of the right leg?
I've been wearing my jock strap and SS style knee high boots. It exposes just the right amount of skin, and lets all THOSE other areas pick up a nice tan. Ya know, here in Hawaii, we are all so tan conscience.
Yea, many times I've done the burned leg routine. I think in the first year, maybe 10 or 12 times. Rode in shorts, short sleeve shirt thinking it was cooler. Then when summer sets in, and the blacktop radiates like a solar panel
and the bike is cooking at 180+ I felt like I was the Pillsbury doughboy on a summer bake off. At the end of a days riding, I was whipped physically, and usually so prone to not wanting to be in the sunlight. It is really taking all the fun out of it.
Went to long levis, and the burned leg issue is a thing of the past. Bought a hydra-vest. Soak it in water, wring it out after a 3 to 4 minute soak, put it on, and you'll ride like your in A/C comfort, and with the vented Joe Rocket Phoneix Jacket.
Since I wear a 3/4 helmet, with flip up shield, I still feel like I am in the oven, but the temperature is less, almost like it is 135 instead.
I am beginning to hate riding in the daylight hours, as the heat just eats me up. I drink GATOR AID frequently to stay hydrated, and that does make a difference.
But lets face it, we all sit on something where the temperatures range from explosive like to a water-cooled radiator. The heat shields are almost the hottest part of the bike too.
The knee high boots make sence to a degree, but when all the heat adds up, it is plain old hell.
Nightime riding is another whole 180 degree rotated experience. nice n' cool, and literally NO SWEAT. But, the pipes will still get ya if your in shorts!!
maybe a leather patch on the inside of the right leg?
Aren't we ignoring one of the original fixes mentioned.
Now, the benefits of using a mallet...
I don't have Rineharts, but they look like they may bite less by their design.
I got bit by the 16 ga double barrels one time. Long pants and long memory was my cure.
Now, the benefits of using a mallet...
I don't have Rineharts, but they look like they may bite less by their design.
I got bit by the 16 ga double barrels one time. Long pants and long memory was my cure.
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