Modern Vespa

Hey all,

So its been about a week now that ive had my et2 and the local shop where i pick things up has a good selection of leather jackets with padding.

Would this be overkill on a vespa? what do you all usually wear on top?

they sell some rather crotch rocket type jackets and also some more casual leather ones.

good idea to get one? or would i look like a dork?

thanks!

Considering the weather in this part of the country I'd say it's not the best idea. Get a good textile jacket that will withstand 'liquid sunshine'



Dave

Don't worry about looking like a dork. I do it all of the time Get what makes sense for your location/climate, your riding needs, your body frame/size, and your personal tastes.

If you really don't want something like that, you can try online. There are a lot of good options online, like the following:

Corazzo
Motorcycle Superstore
Revzilla
New Enough

what you really want in a leather is one with tassles with a sleeveless denim jacket over the top

Many have said it before (including myself), and I'll say it again:

The road does not care what you just fell off of.

45mph on your ankles, hands, arms, knees, butt, or back is 45mph, whether you used to be riding a 70cc scooter or a 1200cc crotch rocket. It will be somewhere else on the road, and in that moment, it'll be you and the pavement.

Still think it's overkill?

+1

yes there are better alternatives

asphalt treats you the same, no matter what you ride. just make sure you get a jacket with armor.... well, thats my opinion, others may not feel the same.

thanks guys, the corrazo jackets are pretty nice! ill try to see if any local shops carry them.

+1 also...

I dress for the fall, not the ride

Definitely look local first. If you can't find it, give them a call. They are great at sizing and are good with returns. I have a 5.0 and carbonne gloves. Plus, I just ordered a Ventata; I am so excited

The road does not care what you just fell off of.
werd.
Watch a MotoGP, Superbike, or similar race event. Nobody wears textile.

Once again I must say: leather withstands rain quite well so long as you treat your leather well. I've got 30 & 40 year old leather jackets in great shape that have lived their entire lives in the rainy Pacific NW. Your skin can withstand rain & so can leather.

Are you seriously concerned about this?!? Why anybody would care in the slightest what another person thought of any of their choices (excepting, to some greater-than-zero degree, one's spouse) is utterly beyond me.

There's no substitute for complete safety protection. Of course, some folks decide to make do with less than that and, though I wouldn't abridge their right to make that choice, it doesn't make any more sense to me than driving without a seatbelt or smoking cigarettes. None of these choices offer much in the way of a prescription for a long, healthy life.

I've participated in a lot of activities over the years that some would think of as pretty marginal, safety-wise, and it's always been my philosophy to do everything I could to minimize the risks. That starts with training to proficiency, practice to maintain currency, and safety gear appropriate to the activity.

That means a parachute when I'm flying warbirds, experimentals, and/or aerobatics, Nomex when I'm driving the race car, and Toreador Pants when I'm riding a PTW of any kind. What I look like while participating in these activities isn't even the last consideration.

Sorry for the rant, but I hear (read) this sort of comment/concern all too often on nearly all of my activity-based fora. It's just not a healthy mental attitude...

Ken

I have a Harley Davidson ladies leather jacket that I wear quite often in the summer. It is just light and small enough to fit in my top case when I get to my destination. And it is armored too.

I often take a jean jacket as well. It pays to have multiple jackets for a variety of situations & weather.

Obligatory pic request, please!!!! (of the birds, that is - not of you in a 'chute) PM if necessary.

+1 Love my Corazzo 5.0.

I don't think that we can actually be over prepared with good gear. I ride with full gear all the time. That means a full face helmet, armoured jacket, riding gloves and boots, and armoured riding pants.

OK, here're a couple of quick ones. That's me with my favorite T-6 (actually an SNJ-5) in which I used to instruct, as well as us flying our homebuilt RV-8.

Ken

that is some paint job Ken!!!

Thanks!

Ken

I picked up a great used Fox Creek Leather bomber jacket on EBAY that I wear a lot, preferring it to my Corrazzo jacket most of the time. It has some armour in the elbows and shoulders, with really sturdy leather and heavy stitching throughout. Good venting helps in hot weather.

A nice leather jacket looks good when off the bike, perhaps a bit more stealth than some other bike jackets.

I wear two different jackets. I have a leather Dainese jacket that I wear when the weather is appropriate for it and a mesh, three layer, four season Tourmaster Intake jacket for those days that leather isn't best.

Here in San Diego, we see everything. Old vintage MC leather jackets (I actually have a third, a Chicago police officer's leather cycle jacket complete with patches that I rarely wear because while somewhat cool looking, it doesn't have armor.), Corazzo, Fieldsheer. The only thing one really does not see at least around here are the crotch rocket branded jackets on scooter riders. Actually, while I don't think its the smartest idea, many of my riding friends don't wear any armor at all.

jackets

I vote for looking like a dork.
But a protected and armored dork. See my avatar. There are plenty of options out there, Corazzo is very popular here and it looks good.

Ken - Those shots of you in the air kick butt!!

I've always had a hard time finding the right jacket, especially in Vancouver. I don't believe that you have to look like a dork to be safe. But I do believe that you should ride as safe as you can. I think you can do both if you are willing to look and be patient.

I had a client that was a doctor that worked in emergency. She said her and the other doctors and nurses in emergency would play a game called find the organ donors, by pointing out the number of people on bikes and scooter that were wearing running shoes, shorts, flip flops, brain catchers, etc., basically no or very little riding gear. Some of the stories that she told me of the people that they had to try to fix... I guess when you see some of the stuff they see you start using coping mechanisms like that. It infuriated her to see people riding with out protection, she just didn't understand why a person wouldn't.

I've got a few suggestions for you if you're interested. PM me and I can let you know.

I feel exactly the same way. I've had more than a couple of friends die in airplanes because they didn't take the most basic precautions. In two cases, I had specifically counseled them to make changes. They didn't listen, killed themselves (and, in one case, somebody else), and I've got to wonder what else I might have done or said that would've made a difference.

Seeing people on PTWs who aren't properly & adequately attired drives me completely insane, though I mostly internalize it these days. The thought process that allows for compromising safety when minimizing the risks is so very easy to accomplish simply does not compute for me.

Ken

Thanks! That shot was part of a series taken by the EAA's chief photographer following Sun 'n Fun 2004. We were over the Gulf just north of Tampa. It was the first time that my wife (a nervous flier, but a good sport) had seen any close formation work. A fun day!

Ken

i'm pretty sure us riding scooters by itself makes us dorks enough.
just a thought, from someone who's gone cross country on one.


wear what protects you.

I would say wear as much protection as you can. Personally I wear helmet, goggles, gloves, boots and a denim touring vest. A full leather jacket, or armored one would be safer. I made the decission that a denim vest was going to be enough for me. I'd say helmet, gloves and boots are probably most important.

How would you guys rank safety gear in importance?

Safety Gear Rated by importance by me is:

!. Full Face Helmet

2. Armored Jacket- Brand, take your pick but armored is better than nothing.

3. Over the ankle boots with heavy bottoms and zippers are better than laces. (I like a heavy boot for riding. Hate them for walking but feel better with them for riding. So I bring my sneakers or sandals in my top case.)

4. Riding Gloves - I only have leather, but I am looking for better.

5. Bandana for around my neck. Hate it when a bug pings me in the throat!

6. Sunglasses that fit well under my helmet and don't smash my face.

Now I am missing armored pants - even tho studies have shown that it is the lower extremities are are really impacted in an accident. I have yet to find a well fitting, comfortable pair of armored pants for me.

I have heard that leather chaps are better than just jeans, but I looked like a real dork in them and they fit me terribly. So the search continues.

I have 2 pairs of Cortech Jeans. Draggin jeans are a similar product. They look good, reinforced inside with perforated leather at all the *good* spots, and have Knox armor in the shin/knee area. The Cortech were $50 a pair them I bought them 3 years ago. Looks just like jeans. A bit heavier than regular jeans but I prefer them to $200+ riding pants.

Oh, your picture is awesome!

+1
You may not need the bandana if your jacket collar comes up high enough. I personally like armored gloves or at least something with reinforcement in the palms. I would also add kevlar jeans or armored pants, but I think they are probably the lowest risk.

We ride scooters! (We look like dorks already!)

IrishTim-Toreador Pants
Owner of 2 ET 2s

I'd put gloves and boots ranking over a leather jacket. I feel the extremeties are more vulnerable. My torso I feel like some road rash is the risk, and hand/feet are more important. I've caught my elbow twice, of course a denim vest didn't help at all. I don't see a full helmet as adding a considerable amount of protection. What angle would I land square on my chin? I have a Vespa soft touch. Goggles are a must as I wear contacts. They'd dry out instantly otherwise. I wear a bandana on my neck to prevent sunburning my neck.

I am planning on getting a mask soon. Something nice from gallati. Cold, and especially rain in the face seem like safety issues. Thanks.

no such thing as overkill. When I had my fall, my leather armored jacket protected me very very well. BUT, the jeans I was wearing with sneakers? notsomuch. I broke my heel and had nasty bruising all over. Toreador Pants is no joke!

+1 for the suggestions so far.

I've taken to wearing ProForce strap-on knee armour when I ride. I take it off as soon as I reach my destination True, it could dislodge in an accident, but the first hit is usually the hardest.

I'd tried Olympia riding pants, but at least for me the armour tended to rotate to the insides of the knees and I'm pretty confident I'll hit the outsides of my knees not the inside.

I sprained my ankle when the scooter landed on it the one time I went down. Thank goodness for riding boots, but I found the "glitch" with the design of my old pair and upgraded immediately thereafter. The ER doc was a rider himself, and was quite pleased that I'd been fully Toreador Pants kitted. He said you don't want to think about the injuries sustained by some of the folks he's been called upon to treat.

On the helmet issue, my brother is with a major urban fire department that has EMT service. He's also a rider. He doesn't even like it that I wear a modular helmet and not FF. He's seen too many accidents involving the face. Lots of riders in those little beanie helmets in his area.

It all depends how you come off the scooter and you don't always get to choose. You may think "I'll just lay it down, side of the helmet, no damage to face." But you could be sent sprawling if someone hits you. Me? I like my nose and chin as they are, so I wear the modular with the chin guard down.

I have a leather jacket - which does wonderfully in rain BTW - a textile jacket and a mesh jacket. I've chosen simple understated designs with as few visible logos as possible. That's for my taste, not what others may think.

Your choice of riding gear is personal, but for me...I ride at 70mph+ on Hwy 280 all the time so armor is not optional.

What does Toreador Pants mean?

all the gear all the time