Wearing a Kilt while riding a motorcycle, What do I do?

**McMurdo** · 18th June 09, 01:44 AM

Originally Posted by CDNSushi

(you don't want a bumblebee hitting your eye even if you're going 40km/h) -- those I won't leave the house without. Heck, even getting a large insect like a cicada smack you in the forehead hurts bad enough... Anyway, I digress.

No you don't, I hit a bee once I was going considerably faster than 40kms, it hit me in the face and came close to knocking me off the bike. One other thing to think about, you don't want to be hit by a stone in the leg at even 40 or 60kms without some kind of protection.

Here I am on my bike

**Mipi** · 18th June 09, 04:21 AM

If I recall correctly, pants were invented for riding. So....why heading into troubles?

**Bil** · 18th June 09, 08:50 AM

I ride with the Angry Scotsmen (the Nor Cal club that Arizona Scot referred to). We haven't done a club ride kilted (yet), but we do have members that aren't afraid to do it. Another Nor Cal club that rides kilted occassionaly is the Vampires. They do an annual kilted club ride.

Depending on what bike I ride, my approach to protection would change. On my Duc I have a plastic tank so my kilt would have to be safety pinned front to back between the legs to avoid ballooning. On my bobber I have a steel tank so I would follow my club brother's lead and use a super strong magnet to pin my kilt to my tank.

Since I tend to ride faster on my Duc than I do on my bobber, I would probably opt for street hockey shin guards while on my Duc. I'd deal with the road rash if I dropped my bobber at surface street speeds.

By the way, getting hit by stuff hurts no matter what you're riding. I got hit in the neck by a bird at 60+mph (Think I'm kidding? Ask Tim_C). That sucked, but I didn't wreck my bike either. A little pain is part of the riding experience. Wearing a kilt would not have changed that. How you react to that stuff is the difference between wrecking and riding.

**Stravaiger** · 18th June 09, 02:18 PM

I've been down the road twice in 20 odd years of riding. First time was my own fault for panic stamping on the rear brake at 30mph- wore through the knee of my unpadded leather jeans.

Second time I was doing under 20mph, according to witnesses, passing the outside of a queue of stationary bank holiday traffic, when someone u-turned without looking as I passed beside him. The bike was an insurance write-off, I broke my collar-bone & wore through bits of my padded riding suit.

No-way I'd ride in a kilt!
Still riding the same bike after re-building it though..

**O'Callaghan** · 18th June 09, 03:43 PM

Originally Posted by McMurdo

No you don't, I hit a bee once I was going considerably faster than 40kms, it hit me in the face and came close to knocking me off the bike. One other thing to think about, you don't want to be hit by a stone in the leg at even 40 or 60kms without some kind of protection.

Here I am on my bike

I got a bee inside my trousers once while riding. I immediately stopped, got off and pulled down my trousers. It's not even worth trying to preserve your modesty in that situation. The good news is I was driving down a quiet little country lane. The bad news is I was directly in front of someone's house when I stopped! Whether they actually saw this biker suddenly stop in front of their house and drop his trousers I will never know!

I have to admit that it would have been a non-issue in a kilt, but I still don't think it's safe to ride a motorcycle in a kilt.

**budd4766** · 19th June 09, 05:38 AM

People are gonna do what they want to do, but if you're asking, I have to say don't wear anything but all the protective gear you can wear on a bike.

It's been a year since my crash, and I still have rash marks on my right knee where my pants got ground away at only 30mph. The left knee was going all over the place because that leg was broken when the guy hit me. (No fault of my own...he was coming towards me and turned left into me at a light.)

I was wearing a Joe Rocket jacket, gloves, and had a helmet on, so nothing above my waist got a scratch (other than internal injuries from the impact), so I know that stuff works. If I'd have had chaps or riding pants on, the only thing I'd have to recover from were the broken bones from the impact...rather than those PLUS the road rash burns.

They saved my leg, and I'm walking again, finally, on my own steam. I was back shopping for bikes again while still on crutches, though..

Next time, however, I'll have some form of rash protection full body...regardless of how "uncool" it looks.

I know it sounds like a cool thing to do, wearing a kilt on a bike, but I wouldn't advise it. I have plenty of scars that show when I'm kilted now...even though I had pants on...something I have to deal with from now on. But I can't imagine if I'd been bare-legged what it'd look like. There comes a point when looking cool crosses that line into something very dangerous. The famous red-neck last words comes to mind, "Hey y'all, watch this!"

**Raphael** · 19th June 09, 09:11 AM

I wouldn't consider wearing a kilt while riding is a 'cool' thing to do, then again, i believe that you don't bring a knife to a gun fight. Dressing up like a Power Ranger when riding is a cool thing to do.

**AScot-Chewy** · 21st June 09, 09:41 PM

Hey, my names Chewy, I'm a member of the Angry Scotsmen RC. I've been told I might be of some help here.

All you need is 2 safety pins and a good magnet (mine is a 16lbs from ACE). Sit on the bike with the back of the kilt under you. Place one leg on peg. Rap kilt around leg tight and pin together. Put leg on ground making sure kilt doesn't rip and repeat with other leg. The magnet is placed on the front of the kilt securing it to the gas tank. Nut huggers can be worn too(bugs suck). Not sure if this works with crotch rockets, don't think so though.
If safety i sure number one concern, it should be noted that this is no more dangerous than shorts (which are dangerous), and that steel toed boots have been know to rap themselves around toes to the point where the toes have to be removed. This, of course, is only in the event of a crash and other instances where road-rash can occur.

P.S. they're called SAFETY pins for a reason.

**Zardoz** · 22nd June 09, 09:38 AM

At least bad advice and perpetuation of myths is not just limited to Highland dress on our forum.

As a lifelong motorcyclist, I find more potential harm in this thread than the recent controversial firearms thread issue.

**csbdr** · 22nd June 09, 09:54 AM

YIKES!! just because you can do it, doesn't mean you should (shorts and flip-flops included) I don't quite understand this desire to take this type of risk. Yeah, I know....riding has inherent risks you have to take, but what you choose to wear seems unwise to skimp on (and you can probably predict I favor helmets too, but thats for another forum!)

Originally Posted by AScot-Chewy

Hey, my names Chewy, I'm a member of the Angry Scotsmen RC. I've been told I might be of some help here.

All you need is 2 safety pins and a good magnet (mine is a 16lbs from ACE). Sit on the bike with the back of the kilt under you. Place one leg on peg. Rap kilt around leg tight and pin together. Put leg on ground making sure kilt doesn't rip and repeat with other leg. The magnet is placed on the front of the kilt securing it to the gas tank. Nut huggers can be worn too(bugs suck). Not sure if this works with crotch rockets, don't think so though.
If safety i sure number one concern, it should be noted that this is no more dangerous than shorts (which are dangerous), and that steel toed boots have been know to rap themselves around toes to the point where the toes have to be removed. This, of course, is only in the event of a crash and other instances where road-rash can occur.

P.S. they're called SAFETY pins for a reason.