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

[Tony Miles]

chaps - mine hang lower than this at the waste

[Arizona Scot]

Been riding and kilting for awhile now wouldn't mix the two, but there is a group in Northern California called the angry Scotsmen and I believe they ride kilted. Try contacting them and see what they say.

[Livingston]

We do have a member that hasn't been on for a while that wears his kilt while riding, Motormanforlife. I believe he wears a leather kilt though.

[dfmacliam]

To keep my kilt from flapping in the wind, while riding my Harley, I keep it in my saddle bags, and to protect my legs from road rash, I wear chaps, and steel toe boots. Safety should be your first concern, not because your driving ability, but because of all the other people who yammer on the cell phone, and forget to use their mirrors, or figure they can pull out into an intersection without looking.

[Wolfhawk]

I will have to agree with my fellow colleagues in not wearing anything but jeans and chaps, jackets and vest, gloves and helmet. Carry the kilt and change.

[Bigkahuna]

Hello again, gettin my bike soon, then after that, building my first Kilt.

However, as much as I wanna show off the goods, I don't want to get tickets while I ride. Any advice on how I keep the Kilt from flying all around?

You'll be showing off the goods all right!!!! Be safe and wear pants instead.......and a helmet. 45 years of riding and still in one piece.

[bigdad1]

I hate to throw cold water on your dream but I think anyone who rides a bike in less than long pants, long sleeved shirt and helmet is being very foolish. Road rash doesn't bow to fashion and a kilt is a very good way to have rash on parts of your body that don't heal very fast and are very tender. As has been suggested either put on pants under the kilt when you mount the bike or leave the kilt off until you have arrived. Just use some common sense. No insults intended just concern for your health.

[CDNSushi]

Never really have adequately resolved the kilted motorbike issue... Mainly because whenever the question gets asked, about 2 dozen of the rabble choose not to answer the question at hand, but instead just answer "Don't do it!"

The problem with a motorcycle or even any kind of bicycle is that you have to straddle it in order to operate it (hence the comment earlier about horses). The easiest way around that would be to trade the motorcycle for a scooter (unfortunately for some)...

Something like this:



I ride something that looks like a Vespa here in Japan - a lot smaller than the above HOnda 600cc... I -- ride it kilted all the time. The key is to tuck the pleats well under your butt.

The scooter looks something like this:




Now, mind you, when people talk about motorcycle riding in a kilt, they probably aren't talking about the same kind of riding I do here in Japan... My scooter won't even go over 70km/h, let alone any highway/freeway-speed driving. What I use it for is strictly commuting within a relatively small area.

[Buckskin]

The Harley Owners Group road in the Saint Patrict's Day Parade. Probably 6 were kilted. That was 1 1/2 miles at Parade speeds. That I would do, and hope to next year.

As has been said, a thin piece of denim or a cotton shirt is no protection from road rash. Few wear chaps and leather jackets in the summer. I do wear knee high leather boots that would look funny with a kilt. Also wear a leather vest and full leather gloves. That is about as well covered as you will get in the summertime.

One day, I'll probably get on the bike in a kilt and ride up to the neighborhood grocery, just to say I did it. That's about as much as I want to chance riding on public roads.

[ronstew]

Pants. Preferably armoured.