bicyclenut
Member
Today driving in the car for about 3-4 hours I saw a lot of motorcyclist out, solo and in groups. The weather was quite warm, just a tad under 90 degrees and I made some unscientific observations.
BMW riders, Sport Touring riders (Honda ST1300, FJR's, Concours) and some Goldwing riders - most wear riding pants or jeans, a riding jacket and a helmet, usually full face or modular.
Sport Bike riders - many wear helmets but then there is a mix of jeans and riding jackets, or a helmet and t-shirts/jeans/shorts.
Harley riders, Cruiser/V-Rod riders and some Goldwing riders - most do not wear helmets, a few wear dome type helmets, many wear jeans and t-shirts or tank tops. Some cruiser riders wear shorts and t-shirts. Very few wear the more typical leather jackets you see due to the temperatures.
Usually if there is a passenger either both wear a helmet or neither wear a helmet.
I didn't see any C650/C600 riders or Maxi Scooter riders today, but my experience with smaller scooters is 50/50 helmets, rarely any dedicated gear. The larger scooter riders (C650/C600, Honda Silverwings, Burgmans) usually wear a helmet and most seem to wear jackets and gear or a mix of jeans and a riding jacket. Not all, I think it depends if they ride to commute/tour vs just ride for fun or errands as I have a guy I see at work all the time riding his Honda Reflex in shorts, no shirt and no helmet.
I found an article from All About Bikes Magazine that did a survey of riders at Americade back in 2011
"Stereotype: Harley riders hate full faced helmets; BMW riders love them.
Conclusion: True
Oh, those predictable BMW riders. 91% of those who rolled past us wore a full face helmet* (and 82% wore long sleeves and pants), staying true to the unwritten by-laws of the BMW club that geared up-edness is next to godliness. How many Harley riders did the same? We checked off only 14% with full-face helmets (14%!!). The rest donned their signature half-helmets that wouldn't save a kid on a big wheel in the park. (They did, however, score high in the long pants category, at 95%. Long sleeves were a different story... only 29% had coverage down to the wrists.)"
BMW riders, Sport Touring riders (Honda ST1300, FJR's, Concours) and some Goldwing riders - most wear riding pants or jeans, a riding jacket and a helmet, usually full face or modular.
Sport Bike riders - many wear helmets but then there is a mix of jeans and riding jackets, or a helmet and t-shirts/jeans/shorts.
Harley riders, Cruiser/V-Rod riders and some Goldwing riders - most do not wear helmets, a few wear dome type helmets, many wear jeans and t-shirts or tank tops. Some cruiser riders wear shorts and t-shirts. Very few wear the more typical leather jackets you see due to the temperatures.
Usually if there is a passenger either both wear a helmet or neither wear a helmet.
I didn't see any C650/C600 riders or Maxi Scooter riders today, but my experience with smaller scooters is 50/50 helmets, rarely any dedicated gear. The larger scooter riders (C650/C600, Honda Silverwings, Burgmans) usually wear a helmet and most seem to wear jackets and gear or a mix of jeans and a riding jacket. Not all, I think it depends if they ride to commute/tour vs just ride for fun or errands as I have a guy I see at work all the time riding his Honda Reflex in shorts, no shirt and no helmet.
I found an article from All About Bikes Magazine that did a survey of riders at Americade back in 2011
"Stereotype: Harley riders hate full faced helmets; BMW riders love them.
Conclusion: True
Oh, those predictable BMW riders. 91% of those who rolled past us wore a full face helmet* (and 82% wore long sleeves and pants), staying true to the unwritten by-laws of the BMW club that geared up-edness is next to godliness. How many Harley riders did the same? We checked off only 14% with full-face helmets (14%!!). The rest donned their signature half-helmets that wouldn't save a kid on a big wheel in the park. (They did, however, score high in the long pants category, at 95%. Long sleeves were a different story... only 29% had coverage down to the wrists.)"
