I’m Not
Marlon Brando: Why Do I Need A Jacket?
It’s
true that most of us are not a Marlon Brando, or a Sasha Mullins, but the
jacket worn in the movie The Wild One, still has its merits:
Protection. Of course, one of the
standard arguments made when the subject of protection pops its head up,
revolves around the supposed differences between the two bikes, with the
standard statement being: “After all, I’m riding a scooter, not a
motorcycle.” Fair enough. Let’s take a look at three differences often
proffered between a scooter and a motorcycle:
• The scooter doesn’t weigh as much and can be maneuvered
better. Well, there are weight
differences between machines, but maneuverability depends more on speed and
skill rather than weight. Then too, some
of the larger cc scooters are pretty hefty machines, weighing right up there
with some bikes;
• Scooters travel at a much slower speed. Not true.
For any given highway condition, scooters and motorcycles travel at
about the same speed – with some caveats:
▪
On Interstates
there may be a slight speed differential in favor of the bike, but on average
everyone travels at the posted limit plus or minus 5-mph.
▪
On state
highways there may be up to a 10 mph differential. Some of the smaller cc scooters, like a 75 or
a 110, can’t make the 55 mph limit, and may be buzzing along at 40-45 mph. Other than these differences, folks
sightseeing down a country lane on a motorcycle will be clocked pretty close to
the 35-some-odd miles per hour that scooter riders will be clocked as they
sightsee down that lane.
▪
Motorcycles
are inherently more dangerous than scooters.
Other than some mechanical differences – very minor ones, differences in
“dangerousness” largely don’t exist. The
point here being that practically anything that can go wrong while riding a
motorcycle, can also occur while riding a scooter:
▪
Sand on the
road? A slide, slip and fall.
▪
Raining on an
oil-slick road? Stopping safely in a straight line – an iffy possibility.
▪
Hard left
curve on a heavy right-cambered road? That
contact patch is all that’s keeping either machine on the road.
▪
While similar
examples can be mentioned ad infinitum, one statement can roll it all
together, clarify and bring to pinpoint clarity:
If you
hit the ground at 30, or 40 miles per hour,
the
ground doesn’t care if you fell from a scooter, or a motorcycle,
it
chews you up just the same.
From
that viewpoint, the heavy leather motorcycle jacket, capable of resisting the
road’s rough abrasive surface as well as absorbing some impact shock, makes great
sense. Of course, today, “Space Age”
fabrics are being produced, that are lighter than leather, come fitted with
“protection” – cups of material that form-fit your elbows, shoulders and spine,
as well as with many reflective areas, so that you are not only protected in
case of a spill, but are highly visible as you ride, both day and night.
So,
the final answer to your question is one word: Protection.
Protection
from the potential ills of the road. And
while it not so important as to What you wear, what is important is that
you wear a jacket capable of taking the abuse of a spill, thus protecting you
from harm.
So, the questions are, Do you agree, disagree, or don't give a rat's, er, care about the subject. Whichever way you lean, I'd like to hear it, so either post it here or on the Facebook page. And, for all, my apologies once again for not posting with my usual frequency.
