Gear

So I joined a biker gang today. Before you start imagining burly guys with tattoos and handlebar mustaches, let me clarify that these folks are mostly IT geeks who have moved back from Silicon Valley and are just about hitting mid-life crisis. The group meets every weekend to grab a cuppa and swap war stories about their escapades. Being the newest entrant, I didn't have any stories to tell just yet, but I intend to fix that in a hurry.

The one thing that I have had impressed upon me is the importance of safety gear when one goes cruising on a motorcycle. I thought the helmet was it. Not even close. It appears that I need gloves, ideally with Kevlar lining on the palms so that if I drop the bike and go sliding my hands are one layer removed from becoming the braking surface. Then I need a jacket with ablative material, stuff that wears away and absorbs the energy of sliding across asphalt. One of the boffins at the meet explained it well. "Have you seen those Youtube videos where one of the Moto GP guys takes a fall at 100 mph but looks more disappointed than dead? That's thanks to the jackets with the ablative armour." All right. I definitely need that stuff. And motorcycling boots. I need those boots to protect my little toes.

How much does all of this set one back? Quite a damned bit, I don't mind telling you. The jackets with ablative armour start at 24000 and the boots worth their salt start at about 16000. The gloves start at about 2000 but the ones you really like are a lot dearer.

I thought kids were expensive. This motorcycling business seems to be more so.
Wait until your kids want to go motorcycling.