Haar said:
Oooohh, aren't I supposed to wear jeans when I ride? Since 90% of my riding is made up of shorter trips of 15 mi. or less . . . NO, I'M NOT GOING TO GET ALL DRESSED UP to go have coffee with the boys. And no, I drink bourbon. And yes, my ass has hit the pavement at 60, on a Honda (Wing), and put a Tiger under a car, and only scratched my knee. The concussion got me a tin hip though. The county where I live only has 1 traffic light so PLEEEZE, be assured that I wear what I need to when I do ride for any distance. WTF does this have to do with making a mud guard? And thanks for caring guys, I haven't worn keds since 1958.
Since no one apparently told you, No, you're not supposed to wear jeans when you ride. Jeans have no business being part of your riding attire, but it's a free country and you can choose to do what you wish.
Had you simply come on and said, hey, I want to make up a mud guard, what's been done? You'd have gotten no flack. But the mini-rant about it not having one pushed it into the realm of the dog pile.
And FYI - Many of us don't drink any alcohol and ride, understanding that we need every tool in the box to deal with the other people out on the public roads. Right now, you're one of those other people we watch out for. I've ridden all over and it's often the places like you describe where the car comes barreling out of a farm driveway w/o looking, full of kids, paying no attention to anything because "there's never any traffic here".
Is it going to suck any less when you crash 1 mile from home, instead of farther away? Or when you're surprised that someone runs that one light in the county? Hope it never happens. I have very few go downs in a lot of miles, but I still dress for the crash, not for the ride. Things like knees, ankles, elbows and hands don't heal very well, and even less the older we get. You're not going to bounce back like you may have when you were younger.
As an honest side comment, if 90% of your riding is 15 miles or less, have you considered a scooter? There are a lot of benefits to them. Kinda silly to go have coffee with the boys on a Super Tenere, unless you're going for a longer ride after.
