hui guys i heard on the radio today about the politicians wanting to bring in more rules for motorbike riders only.

they mentioned minimum clothing restrictions and that all riders must have a .00 blood alchohol reading no matter what licence you have.

has anyone got more information on this?

i think its a bit discriminatory saying that we have to have .00 even when on our unrestricted licence.

It will never hapen

Personally i think it should be .02 for everybody at all times, but thats another matter.

Having said that - compulsary riding jacket as well as a helmet wouldnt be a bad thing

.00 is fine by me.. we already take enough of a risk once the bike leaves the garage with the ridiculously clueless drivers going around.. why increase the risk by riding intoxicated, albeit very slightly.. thats just my opinion tho

Yes, both these things are being discussed currently.
I have heard that they are looking at introducing clothing restrictions.

they had better not im sick of all these new rules , theres nothing particularly bad about the number of deaths on motor bikes anyway or in cars for that matter. sure you will come out of a crash better wearing the rite clothes but its the same as driving old cars is dangerous but they dont do anything about that do they .

WTF are the Police motorbike cops going to do ? They wear short sleeve shirts all thru summer in Brisbane...
Si

I agree with mandatory boots jacket gloves and helmet, cause its dickheads who bin it in t-shirts etc that make MAIB so bloody expensive for the rest of us

helmet, jacket and possibly gloves yes, riding boots is a bit too far though

Meh, I ride in full gear all the time, and won't touch my bike if I've even had one drink (you need to be at 100% to ride safely) so it's unlikely to affect me. Though I dont like the idea of being further restricted though.
Really doubt it will happen. Mandating clothing will require a standard to rate it, which doesn't really exist atm, and all gear would have to be tested by manufacturers, a lot of whom won't bother. At least the growing population of thong wearing scooter riders is likely to oppose this strongly on our behalf.

what if its really hot and your just going a few kms down the road . i know they crap on about how its still dangerous but if your only going 5o kmh its not really that bad. its not up to the government to make our decisions for us

I've ocassionally gone with normal jeans and sneakers through necessity, but I didn't really like doing it. 50kmh will still tear you up pretty bad. It's your decision in the end (for now) but I'd google some images of 50kmh accidents if you think it ain't too bad. Sweat is more comfortable than skin grafts, else take the car.

just think of it this way , road cyclists often travel at 5okmh or more wearing lycra and a foam helmet yet this is considered safe and encouraged buy the government

These are from cyclists. Must say I agree with you that it's much more socially acceptable for cyclists to wear no protective gear. However I know personally I'd only be riding at 30-40kmh max. It's still gonna hurt if I come off, but nowhere near as much as 60kmh. Professional cyclists, up to 70kmh+ down hills are at a very high risk.

End of the day, make your own decisions. Just be aware of the consequences.

I'm reconsidering buying a road bike lol.

Riding boots should be one of the most important, have a check around for some info and you'll find ankles cant be rebuilt!

Lol its always those trips "just up the road" which end up being the worst, cause your mind isnt on the ride as it would be if you have a long ride planned. Just ask my mate who spent a couple days in hospital and 3 weeks off work going "just up the road" without proper gear, he really enjoyed spitting/coughing up blood for a week and not being able to laugh because of broken ribs for 2...

i heard about these laws this morning. apparently they want to fit electronic registration tags aswell to identify the bike if a speed camera doesn't pick up the number plate. 0.00 is ridiculous, im fine with 0.02, i usually have 1 or 2 drinks on a big ride when we stop for lunch.

if the government can subsidize some of the cost for complete leathers, boots, gloves, etc then im all for it. my gear is worth 3k+, my mrs chucks it on when she's on the back, im stuck with my motodry jacket & jeans. I'm not willing to spend another couple of grand to purchase more gear for cruising down the road and back maybe once every 2-3 months.

yes but there has to be a level of practicality

i cant wear riding boots to work, my 2 bikes are my only transport.

So i stand by my original statement

helmet of course, jacket and possibly gloves & Enclosed shoes mandatory

The who issue has already been mentioned, regulation and standards. Since nowhere else in the world has those regulations, most manufactueres wont bother.

Personally i always wear my helmet,jacket and gloves, but i save the full leathers, full boots for day rides and track days

If you'd seen pics of what happens to motorcyclists ankles/feet when they're in an accident wearing shoes, I'm sure you'd change your mind!

I used to ride to work, and when I did, I wore my Sidi full length boots, and carried my work shoes inside my tank bag. It's not hard to do, and it takes 1 minute to change out. (Hypothetically speaking), I'd rather the 'hassle' of doing this than be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of my life because my feet had to be amputated!

To each their own though. Your life, not mine.

PS. re the '00 alcohol limit, I say bring it on. I'm a pilot and when I fly I am required by law to have a '00 alcohol content. Given alcohol affects the bodies balance centres, I see no reason why it should be any different for riders having a '00 alcohol content the same as pilots. That'd be a very smart move.

if they implement 00 alcholol content for riders than shouldnt they do it for cars and other vehicles aswell

not really, as mentioned above alcohol effects your sense of ballance and car drivers don't need a sense of ballance! I also only have my bikes as transport to work and I have a pair of shoes at work that I change into when I get there, although for me the ride to work is 200km return and I kinda like my ankles where they are:) And to those that don't think gloves should be manditory, do this quick test...........jump in the air and dive towards the ground, kinda flat, as if you were falling off a bike at any speed. Now notice what your hands did out of instinct to protect your body from the fall? Now take the part of your hand that hit the ground first and imagine putting them on a full speed linisher with 16 grit paper on it. Now imagine having to ask your partner/housemate/best friend/mother to wipe your ass, or shower, or pull your dick out of your pants so you can piss, or anything you would use your hands for? Or alternatively you can spend the 60 dollars or so and the 10 seconds to put them on and wipe your ass yourself! Your call but I know which one I'll be opting for.

Ryan

i agree...

Thankyou! I was beginning to think i was the only one who enjoyed having hands and feet attached to my body still...

Enclosed shoes are not much better than bare feet at 50 clicks or more.

I'll put it this way, you clearly ride daily, theres a high chance you WILL crash one morning or afternoon, whether it be your fault or the old "sorry mate, didnt see you" and if your going fast enough at the time kiss goodbye to your ankles and riding...

Surely you can leave a pair of shoes at work, you'd only need to take them in a backpack once and leave them there, it reckon it sure beats the next step which will be sitting in a car holding motorbike controls cause you have mangled stumps for feet!

Do road cyclists pay maib which goes up a little more each time someone fucks themselves up wearing boardies and a singlet though...?

what is maib ? i think we all agree that protective clothing is good but the real question here is should someone else tell you how to live your life ,should you have to comply with there opinions and beliefs. . how are you going to feel if you are all forced to ride around in fully padded fluro yellow saftey jackets with a kevin rudd tick of approval on the back .

I believe in darwinisms - let natural selection take care of the herd - although we are all going o pay for the minority stupid few.
Realistically, there is almost no way they can regulate protective clothing. What constitues a safe jacket ? a dress leather jacket wont do shit - but technically it's a jacket and so on....at least their is some discussion and thought on the topic.
Si

the only way they could regulate real protective gear is by having and Australian Standard label on the clothing, like they have the AS sticker on helmets.

dont not buy a bike just because of what might happen. if you get that out of your head and be smart bout how you ride you will enjoy riding like you will not believe. there is nothing like mt glourous,mt nebo on a sunday morning with a few mates.

I personally disagree strongly with the alcohol and balance stuff being mentioned and even contemplated by the pissant govt's!!!. i sure as fuck know i can handle a couple of beers at the pub and then go for a ride (walk, work, etc, etc) 0.005 aint that much. it may be dutch courage for me but different people can handle their booze better than others can ( not bragging but it is reality). as for safety gear, i say wear what you want, there are plenty of hot babes riding scooters in a short skirt and work shirt who (if they fall) will lose lots of skin. each to their own at the end of the day, fuck the state governments making money out of each of us to supposedly save lives . my 2 cents anywho ( BTW i am extremely drunk typing this so fuck anyone who can't make sense of my nonsense)

I agree mate, at the end of the day protective gear can only do so much.. Its not going to prevent internal injuries which is proabably the biggest killer in people that come off bikes at a decent speed and hit things. My mate is a great example, came off going pretty fast, wearing full race leathers, boots, gloves etc, hit a tree and ended up in hospital for four months with broken ribs and split liver.. Im sure if he wasnt wearing gear his skin and outer body would have also been very bad, but at then end of the day, its the force of your body hitting something as speed that does the damage..

If the government wants to start saving lifes and money, ban smoking.. I sick of seeing people on the RPA and other medical shows coming in and getting major operations just to save their lifes because they have been smoking..

"Smoking is the largest single preventable cause of death and disease in Australia leading to 15,500 deaths at a cost to the country of $31.5 billion."

So, what you're saying is... you value your head, your upper body and your hands, but you don't care if your feet get ripped to shreads?



Exactly. If you don't want to dress appropriately - use a car instead.




This is a great idea.

i thought that the 0 BAL was already in for riders?

aparently not.

Heres a good link for those who think normal jeans and t-shirts etc are ever ok for a ride: Brittanys Story