chrisnj Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 Strange title for a couple of questions I have. One kind of serious and one for a bit of trivia... 1. So what do you guys wear in the summer when riding. I've got some kevlar lined jeans which while the kevlar lining makes them a bit warm in this (current) weather I can live with that, but what tips do you have for jackets? I see guys riding around in just shits and even t-shirts today but I have a bit more self preservation than that should the worst happen. Am I destined to always end a ride with a soaking t-shirt under my jacket or is there another way? 2. Why do bikes always have the kick stand on the left hand side? Well all the bikes I've seen do? Is this just a convention thing 'cos the first bikes did? Is it a right-handed conspiracy? Do left handed people find it harder getting off the bike on the left? I'm right handed so all seems ok to me but just interested if anyone knows why? These sort of things bother me sometimes - usually after drinking alcohol. Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slice Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 As to your first question I have a BERING jacket, full armour loads of padding and even a detachable winter lining, but it does have loads of openings that unzip to let the air circulate so if it's hot you can at least keep cool(ish) while moving, I worked in the Ambulance service for 30 years and have seen the result of road rash, believe me I would rather be hot than have someone scrub the dirt and grit out of my wounds if I fell off, so if your ever tempted to go without your jacket ask your self "Do I like the idea of having my raw bleeding flesh scrubbed with a nail brush and then covered in antiseptic?" if the answer is yes then go for it, if not then wear you jacket even if you feel like your sweating buckets. I don't think there is any reason for the side stand to be on the left, other than as you suggest, that it has always been there, someone will be along shortly to tell both of us why it's there and how come we didn't know!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bippo Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Summer clothes: bike boots with socks that help to wick sweat. Kevlar jeans, summer gloves, long sleeve synthetic t-shirt to wick sweat, bike jacket and balaclava to wick sweat. In fact, I wear the same in winter, but add a Buff, change the gloves, normally add waterproofs and sometimes an extra top. Don't bother with a cotton t-shirt, as you said, you just get too sweaty under your jacket. Buy a top from some kind of hiking or cycle shop and you'll arrive feeling much fresher. Plus they pack down small, don't really crease and prevent nasty smells - so great for biking holidays! Regarding the stand - no idea... Although in answer to your question, I'm left handed and it's no bother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 1. Frank Thomas armoured leather jacket with perforated panels that face into the wind. Once you're above 20mph, it's like you're not wearing anything!! Same leather trews as in Winter. Lighter leather gloves. Same combat boots. No headover or anything. Maybe a very thin neck tube... 2. In the UK, you pull over to the left side of the road. It's (supposedly) easier to dismount in and mount from the direction the bike is leaning and dismounting so the bike is between you and the road is safer. Which side I actually use depends entirely on how I feel at that moment, but I suspect a lot of things came from that thinking. Lefties should have no more trouble than using the standard layout controls. It's all in how you learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator DirtyDT Posted July 25, 2014 Moderator Share Posted July 25, 2014 Perforated RST leather I guess similar to ttaskie. Once on the bike it works well. Hood Kevlar jeans. Alpinestar boots and gloves and AGV helmet. Jeans and jacket swapped for alpinestar gortex winter stuff when cold. If there wasn't a stand on the left, the bike would fall over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neversaydie Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Have to say, I rode home from work naked (well, no jacket anyway) twice last week. Just felt great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obriens65 Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Same gear in summer and winter. Just take the linings out when my nuts start swimming. Also my Nitro gear has the opening panels previously mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewElvisFan Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Leather trousers and Gore-tex jacket with removable liner. Add extra layers when it snows!no idea why the stand is on the left. First bikes were American and German so can't be because of pulling into the kerb for UK riders. maybe because there's more space on the left? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meatloaf Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Classic leather biker jacket with an open faced helmet, I find that I get a nice breeze around my neck and upper body, do tend to get sweaty bollocks in my gortex trousers but won't ride without them. My daughter in law is a paramedic and hates being called to a RTA involving bikes in the summer as so many arseholes (her words) leave their brains behind when they ride in the sunshine, she's seen too much skin and flesh stuck to the tarmac and tells me that if she find that I have been riding without proper kit she come and take my keys away, she even knows where I keep my spare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obriens65 Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 The kickstand thing is about horses (no, I know horses don't have kickstands.) You get on and off a horse from the left, so when motorbikes first appeared they mounted the bike the same way they mounted a horse. Putting the kickstand down with the left foot puts that foot on the ground first and so is easy to dismount on the left, like dismounting a horse. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted July 25, 2014 Moderator Share Posted July 25, 2014 The kickstand thing is about horses (no, I know horses don't have kickstands.) You get on and off a horse from the left, so when motorbikes first appeared they mounted the bike the same way they mounted a horse. Putting the kickstand down with the left foot puts that foot on the ground first and so is easy to dismount on the left, like dismounting a horse. and why we sit on a saddles and at race meetings set up in a paddock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mailee Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Obriens 65 makes a good point but very early bikes didn't have kick stands just a centre stand? If it was a case of which side of the road you drive on then it would always be on the nearside. I wear my Hein Grericke jacket with the lining still in and leather trousers over base layers with a pair of bike boots. It has to be very hot for me to be comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obriens65 Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Obriens 65 makes a good point but very early bikes didn't have kick stands just a centre stand? If it was a case of which side of the road you drive on then it would always be on the nearside. When bikes just had centre stand they were still mounted from the left. Which is why, when the first kickstand were developed, they were put on that side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator DirtyDT Posted July 27, 2014 Moderator Share Posted July 27, 2014 They are actually side stands. Well they were when I started riding. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisnj Posted July 27, 2014 Author Share Posted July 27, 2014 Thanks all. Point taken on the road rash risk if you don't wear gear and I think the joy of age is self preservation instincts become higher so there is no way you'll get me on a bike without some protection. I went and got a wicking t-shirt from a 'outdoors' shop today and will give that a try and see if its better in the hot weather for me. Amusing reading the thoughts on the origins of the kick/side stand. Interesting the link to horses, get that, although does beg the question why did the convention build on mounting a horse from the left rather than the right? Any horse riders amongst us? Might do some google searching on this one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bippo Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Glad you went with the option of buying a top from an "outdoor-sey" shop. Well worth it in my opinion, and I currently commute into Central London where I gather no speed and the air is stagnant. Yet still I arrive at work feeling miles better than travelling down to the shops with a cotton t-shirt on under my jacket in similar weather. It lasts me in winter too, with the addition of another top on very cold days and longer trips. I even went camping in December last year (like an idiot) and my two synthetic tops kept me warm in the tent, just like on the bike. It's all about layers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Interesting the link to horses, get that, although does beg the question why did the convention build on mounting a horse from the left rather than the right? Probably something to do with having weapons and shields about your person making it more awkward. As most folk were right-handed anyway, trying to mount with sword in hand from the right is more likely to result in losing an eye. You can actually mount one-handed from the left while holding a sword clear of both you and a horse - I speak from experience on that one. However, it's far more likely that the horse was tamed and trained by someone else (often overseas) before the main owner actually bought it. To avoid the horse freaking out, everyone had to mount from which ever side the horse was trained on. To avoid having to know the history of every horse you might ever have to mount, everyone just started doing it from the same side. Got a choice of two sides, really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motorhate Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Kevlar armoured hoody, sweat a bit in traffic but on the motorway its like riding with no top on. Kevlar combats which are also quite cool in the summer and combat boots. Got a Caberg Judge system helmet which also has good venting. I must admit, the temptation to ride in just a t-shirt is always there, especially round town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meatloaf Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 They are actually side stands. Well they were when I started riding. I don't remember any bikes having side stands when I started riding, at least not mine or any of my mates, but then it could be just a date of birth thing, you know date of birth too long ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obriens65 Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Anyone tempted to ride in just a T-shirt needs to read this girl's story. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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