Topic: riding chaps

[tramp]

i know you don't want to hear it but it is getting colder
bought a nice pair of chaps,never used them before
normally my end of season temp is 45
but with these chaps i'll be able to ride a lot longer
i can't believe what a difference they made

[mick750F]

   I thought this was going to be a thread about gentlemanly British bikers. 

Mike

[boatsdickson]

normally my end of season temp is 45

Now you can go to 32. I value my chaps and the extra ridin time in the season they provide. Tramp, if yours are like most chaps, you should start lookin for an extra piece of leather for a homemade crotch piece. I spent alot of miles without one which meant 1 hand on the throttle and 1 hand on the twins. 

[clarkjh]

I ordered a pair of overpants last week, same as chaps, zipper up the side and snaps at the ankle, but full around where it counts when cold .  BTW it was 5c this morning when I went to work,and the weatherman is calling for frost again tonight.  The knees are a little chilly after the 20mile ride.

James

[DammitDan]

Seems to me that overpants are a better option...  When you fall you're going to mostly be sliding on your hips and ass.  Chaps only give minimal abrasion protection to hips, and no protection to ass.  They're easier to get on and off, but beyond that I wouldn't trust them.

[andy750]

I have leather trousers - padded hips and thick cowhide for my hide 

Cheers
Andy

[kghost]

Chaps are GAY

[neil young]

Chaps are GAY

x2

[seaweb11]

X3 

[boatsdickson]

Chaps are GAY

Why?

[GroovieGhoulie]

I need leather pants.

[upperlake04]

Chaps are GAY

 I didn't know that before    

http://www.chapsinn.com/

[clarkjh]

Chaps are GAY

Why?

They give you a "Free Pass" into the "Blue Oyster"

James

[Terry in Australia]

Chaps are gay, and so are the "chaps" who wear 'em!

[boatsdickson]

Chaps are GAY

Why?

They give you a "Free Pass" into the "Blue Oyster"

James

Thats funny. Archaic reference too. 

Guys, would your interpretation of gayness change any if the rider was wearing chaps on a full dresser as compared to a sporty cb?

If buying and wearing a quality pair of chaps for fifty bucks would provide you with an extra month of ridin time each year, as compared to full leather pants for a few hundred, would you still believe they are too gay and garage the scoot for the year?

If full leather pants werent a current option and a pair of chaps were offered to you, would your opinion still keep you from wearing them?

Would it make a difference knowing you were safer for at least an extra asphalt bounce and maybe a few extra feet of slide? (As in the previous question)

Maybe this is a sport bike/hardly bike thing. Is the general concensus that your chaps/pants are a bike specific issue? How do some of the members here dress given their choice of bike for the day? SOHC vs Vtwin

There ya go... I ask this out of curiosity, not as an antagonism. If this topic really touched a nerve to me I would just move on and not debate it. For myself obviously, as fall and winter come on I ride with the 'correct' layering with a medium weight leather chap over it all for wind protection. I do plan for full pants possibly with armor someday, but I enjoy the ease of removing the chap layer when Im at wherever it is that Im going instead of continuing to wear full pants. I can hear the comments already, you can take those off too. True.

[S-Dog]

Im not a big chap fan regardless of bike... It really does not fit when riding a sportier bike.  Full leather pants just dont look right on any guy with a size 38 waist or higher.

Having said that, I think that whatever you wear to comfortably extend the riding season and enjoyment of the open road is ok IMO.  I just dont like how it looks.

I prefer a leather jacket and some wind pants or thinner ski pants.

[andy750]

Heres my take on the whole chaps thing...if you fall off your bike and bounce along the road how much do you think your cheap $50 chaps will protect you? Certainly they wont do anything for your sides or ass  . All they are going to do is stop your jeans getting torn - thats it! Without padded leather they are absolutely no use in a crash -yes as a wind breaker on cold days, but no good for bouncing down the road - and you do look pretty gay in chaps as has already been mentioned several times - why do you think they have no rear?      . 

As for thinner ski pants....NO good for bouncing down the road unless its been snowing  . Fact is why spend $200-$300 on a helmet and $50 on your legs?    . For Fall to Spring I got my full leather trousers ready to go...padded hips, thick cowhide (all over) and tight enough to make me think Im Jim Morrison :-) Girls love a guy in tight leathers 

cheers
Andy

 

[S-Dog]

For Fall to Spring I got my full leather trousers ready to go...padded hips, thick cowhide (all over) and tight enough to make me think Im Jim Morrison :-) Girls love a guy in tight leathers

It also helps that your one skinny dude.... Me and leather pants do not equal a good show.... 

As for the reason you spend $50 on your legs and $200 on your head.... My legs seems to take bumps bruises and even breaks WAAAAAAY better then my head does.

[matchanu]

I had a set of leathers (pants and jacket) tailor made in Thailand out of elephant hide.

The problem with leather pants is you can't wash them. If you go the leather pants route, wear some sort of long john or spandex type leggings under them so your pants don't permently smell like ass.

Chaps are for looks, cowboy, biker or gay.

[S-Dog]

I would prefer something like this

http://www.leatherup.com/p/Leather-Chaps--pants/Tourmaster-Caliber-Black-Pant/42476.html

[kghost]

Thats funny. Archaic reference too. 

Guys, would your interpretation of gayness change any if the rider was wearing chaps on a full dresser as compared to a sporty cb?

If buying and wearing a quality pair of chaps for fifty bucks would provide you with an extra month of ridin time each year, as compared to full leather pants for a few hundred, would you still believe they are too gay and garage the scoot for the year?

If full leather pants werent a current option and a pair of chaps were offered to you, would your opinion still keep you from wearing them?

Would it make a difference knowing you were safer for at least an extra asphalt bounce and maybe a few extra feet of slide? (As in the previous question)

Maybe this is a sport bike/hardly bike thing. Is the general concensus that your chaps/pants are a bike specific issue? How do some of the members here dress given their choice of bike for the day? SOHC vs Vtwin

There ya go... I ask this out of curiosity, not as an antagonation. If this topic really touched a nerve to me I would just move on and not debate it. For myself obviously, as fall and winter come on I ride with the 'correct' layering with a medium weight leather chap over it all for wind protection. I do plan for full pants possibly with armor someday, but I enjoy the ease of removing the chap layer when Im at wherever it is that Im going instead of continuing to wear full pants. I can hear the comments already, you can take those off too. True.

If a guy was wearing chaps on a full dresser instead of a CB ...he'd still be gay

Chaps are for riding your horse thru thick brush. They protect the riders legs from thorns branches and all sorts of nasty stuff wishing to impale the riders legs.

Somewhere along the line someone got the idea that they look cool riding thier iron horse with them on.

For winter riding you'd be better off with a suit and look a whole lot more serious about riding then bombing down the road with your chaps.

Hell you wanna extend your riding season...get an electrically heated suit...

Chaps bunch up and generally get twisted out of postion in a crash.

Theres not alot to hold them in position and they only protect your front side.

Go ahead and get the fringed chaps...you know you wanna 

Don't forget the silver conchos ......

[firecracker]

FYI - My dad does the whole cowby re-enactment thing with a 100+ year old chuckwagon.

From personal experience (pre-dawn on a cold, windy day getting the fires going) I can tell you that wearing chaps will keep you MUCH warmer than going without.  For that reason, I think they're great.

Important note - They keep you warmer, like a stocking cap.  They are NOT going to save your hide (much), just like a knit hat won't protect your head in a crash.

People that wear them in the winter = smart.  People that wear them in the summer = gay - not that there's anything wrong with that*.

 

*Seinfeld reference for those without TV's.


kghost posted while I was typing -

Fringe?

That's actually so the leather can dry faster.  Water dries fastest there, then wicks from the other areas, thus drying the whole thing faster.  Worthless knowledge courtesy of the Cliff Claven School for (Trivia) Geeks.

[S-Dog]

Not only does the fringe make the leather dry faster it also ups the ghey quotient about 50 fold.


All together now!!!!!
Y M C A

[seaweb11]

Friends don't let other friends wear fringe

[upperlake04]

 No fringes here