‘RIDING AROUND IN FLIP-FLOPS WILL END BADLY’
Journo, racer, trackday addict and life-time dirt-rider – Fagan says that you’re a crazy fool to ride your bike without wearing proper kit
None of us shut the garage door, jump on the bike and think: ‘There’s a big chance I’m going to crash today.’ That would be stupid. It would take all the fun out of riding. But, by the same measure, you’d have to be a complete idiot to assume that staying crash-free on two wheels is guaranteed, even if you’re not a ‘frequent flyer’.
But during this latest bout of dizzying heatwaves and soaring temperatures you’d also be forgiven for thinking there are thousands of self-titled ‘immortals’ out there who reckon they have more chance of winning the lottery than taking an unplanned excursion through a hedge. I am, of course, referring to riding gear – or rather, the lack of it. I’ve seen everything from flip-flops on a Z1000 to budgie smugglers and string vests, albeit on lesser powered machinery, over the past few weeks. And the worst offenders? It’s got to be the ones who don’t wear gloves. What’s the first thing we do as a natural instinct when falling to the ground? We chuck our hands out in front of us like some sort of crashaverting Inspector Gadget. It’s never going to end well.
And why is riding attire for a superbike any different from a 50cc scooter? Well, for starters, you’d need to be a ham-fisted barbarian to highside a 50cc scooter but that’s not the point. Statistics suggest urban accidents are on the rise and low-speed shunts can still do serious damage. I’m not in any way suggesting jeans and anything other than flip-flops would prevent broken limbs and skin grafts, but decent protection goes a long way to thwarting needless injury and pain. ‘Our’ NHS is on the brink as it is, and in the same way that drugs and alcohol put unnecessary strain on hospitals and staff, a lot can be done to prevent bikers clogging up A&Es across the country with selfexacerbated injuries. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not preaching. As someone who sweats pretty hard just trying to pull their socks on in the morning, I know as well as any how uncomfortable layers of protection can be in searing heat. I’ll confess to having ridden in shorts and without gloves, too – but that was before I was knocked off my ZX-6R by a cretin who didn’t understand roundabouts. Thankfully on that day I was wearing suitable attire – although nothing will prevent broken ribs. Like anything that hurts, if you haven’t crashed before, you’re not aware of the potential damage and pain. Leave the flip-flops at home.