ATGATT as fashion statement?

shire2000 said:

rspennachio,

I do not understand your comment. I know not of this hair you say I am splitting.

The quote you refer to is pointing to those that absolutely must have all the latest from BMW as they feel that paying 2-3 times the price and having the BMW logo on it makes it higher quality.

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Brettendress said:

I could never accept the head scarf ... style

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Holly said:

Or you can try this style from the Women in Motorcycling Conference:

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shire2000 said:

83014,
I agree. I never said that BMW gear was not good to top quality. But I do know that there are many that buy it because of the BMW Logo as well as the quality of the goods. The exact same goes for the bikes.

I am about to start looking for a replacement bike. I will be looking for a brand new bike and it will NOT be a BMW. They are way to expensive. Sure they are nice bikes and have lots of modern doodads and stuff on them, but I don't really want all that crap. I prefer a good quality bike that is fairly simple with a minimum of "tupperware" on it. And I would prefer to have a dealer closer than 2-3 hours away. I have test ridden some of the current offerings from BMW and really don't like them. They just don't fit me, the way I am used to riding.

I have said it before and feel it is still true. BMW has built itself into a niche market to Baby Boomers with lots of disposable income. I am a Baby Boomer, but my disposable income is not that huge. I watch every penny and make sure it buys me the most bang for the buck. BMW does not do that for me anymore.

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redsky49 said:

I have begun to wonder more and more about the actual efficacy of the standard safety gear. And as a corollary, do BMW riders simply fall over more than other riders.

Yes I have fallen over several times on my GSA but never on my Cruiser.
( I did have 1 bad wreak on the cruiser though and that is why I wear what I now wear)

For example, the current fixation on Aerostich seems to concentrate more on color choices and the number of pockets, than on crash protection. The popular First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket seems more useful for a safari than for motorcycling, but it does come in "hi-vis" yellow.
And when equipped with our $600 BMW jacket, $300 pants, etc., we can then use our speaker-equipped helmet to listen to XM, talk to our pillon passenger and answer our cell phone. This is the approach for safety?

Safety and comfort. The Aerostich Kili and BMW all offer great protection and usefulness.

It seems that a BMW rider is as identifiable from a distance as are our H-D brethren. Is it the herd mentality that causes us to do the things we do?

True but change the name to cruiser rider and sport and or adventure rider.
Crusiers are "kool" and sport and adventure bikes are purpose built machines.

Since when was a nylon garment considered actual protection from mishap? Even the Cordura stuff isn't much better. Are we making clothing decisions because all the other (BMW) riders are doing the same?
You are misinformed.

I do not think the tex gear is nylon. Mine is not.

I was putting on my textile mesh jacket the other day (it is hot here in NC) and to be honest, I don't think it would survive any serious get-off, especially without melting into a plastic lump. All this has got me thinking that ATGATT is, to a great extent, self delusional. If you wear the outfit, you will somehow survive. (Sorta reminds me of the old song "...get yourself an outfit and you can be a cowboy too").

While to some it my look like that, in reality it is not. Give it a test at lets say 50 mph with the gear and then without. I did it with the gear and let me tell you I am sure glad I had it on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And lets tempt physics by loading our cycles with huge plastic or aluminum boxes, top, fore and aft, to carry all the "necessities" that won't fit into our pockets or tank bag. Oh, that's if the tank bag has any room left after the electronics were relocated there to allow more room for hook-ups for the heated gloves and the radar detector.

Not sure what you use your bike for but that is one of the best features of my GSA. I can use my bike for all sorts of fun as well as running errands. went to a bike rally with mostly chrome cruisers and they all gave me and the wife the stink eye on our GSA. We had chairs, a cooler and other "needed gear" as well as a pizza on top. When it was time to stop they saw that ole pappy had it going.

So we continue to add multiple lights to our motorcycles, replace the horns with louder units, plaster reflective material on any available space and ride off the corner and into the trees for no discernible reason, but are thankful that we
added those cylinder head protectors last week.

Sounds smart to me. Have been glad I had all that you mentioned.

Other than enriching the vendors, what is going on here?

Just like any sport or hobby you have to pay to play.

And who in the world decided that a 600 pound motorcycle was ever intended for off road use?
I really don't get it.

What is not to understand. You play football you get football gear, play hockey get hocky gear and if you golf get the golf stuff. You are right though, a 600 pound moto is not a good off road bike but mine is one heck of a great road bike and will also hit the unimproved back roads.

Do we do this stuff to point out that we are one of "this group", not to be confused with that "other" group?

Just like football and baseball.

What is your answer to this?

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The answer is be you own person and do what you want.
I wear the tex gear gear because I know what happens when skin hits the pavement and I am not a pirate riding a chrome horse.