Before the fall

Like fashion, motorcyclists should dress for the season.

In fashion, you should choose what you wear based on whether you're a "winter" -- blue or pink undertones with pale white, yellowish-olive, or dark  skin, generally brunettes, with deeply colored eyes -- or a "summer -- blue or pink undertones with pale, pink skin,  natural blondes or brunettes with pale eyes -- or spring -- golden undertones with creamy white or peach skin, straw-colored or strawberry red hair, freckles, rosy cheeks, and blue or green eyes -- or autumn -- golden undertones. Many redheads and brunettes with golden brown eyes fall into this category.

That doesn't matter quite so much in motorcycling for everyone in motorcycling is an autumn.

It doesn't matter what color or hue your skin is, nor what shade hair you have or even if you have it. If you have skin, you should dress the same way.

This past weekend there was a nasty crash up in the mountains. Broken bones and road rash caused by some dumbazz drunkie who went off the road and came back over into the lane of folks raising money for sick kids.

It resulted in two medevac choppers and several ambulances. Two remain hospitalized.

This past weekend there was a nasty get-off in a safety class I coached, complete with throttle misapplication. It resulted in a broken bone, a momentary lapse of consciousness and an ambulance ride. In both cases there was injury.

The on-street crash was something the riders could not avoid. You can't react fast enough when a pick up suddenly fishtails into  your lane on a two lane road. You are likely, unless lucky, going to get hurt.

The on-range class occurred very early, before the skills to quickly resolve the issue before it grew out of control had been mastered.

In both cases the injuries could have been worse, but in the case of the student, certain steps he took prevented more than a broken bone.

Knowing he would reach speeds of only 15 mph, he didn't wear a jacket but did wear a strong denim shirt. His get off gave him no road rash, although it bruised his skin and broke his collar bone.

He wore a full face helmet because of his inexperience. That saved his jaw, his teeth and his facial bones as he was thrown high-side off the bike, hitting the right side of his head hard on the pavement, breaking the face shield and marring the helmet significantly.

It has been, I've been told, disposed of properly, having done the one job it was created to do.

Had he wore a 3/4 or 1/2 helmet, the student would have landed smack on his jaw, dislocating it, at best and breaking it at worst.

Had he wore a t-shirt or wife-beater, he would have lost several layers of epidermis to the pavement.

I do not know the exact injuries, nor the dress mode, of those who were injured on the charity run. I'm not going to sit here and judge their choices, either. The choices are theirs. However, as daily commuter who puts his bike on the line most every day, I choose to dress "autumn."

A full face helmet protects my facial bones and jaw and teeth. A padded jacket protects from shattered joints and road rash. Pull-on, zip-down overpants protect my legs from rash and knees from shattering and gloves keep the skin on my hands.

ATGATT -- all the gear, all the time -- is just a safety precaution.  I don't know when some drunk is going to whack me. I practice avoidance maneuvers every time I ride, but that's no guarantee I won't go down on oil, gravel or a cross-traffic lane crosser.

That is exactly why I dress for autumn.

That is exactly why I dress for The Fall.