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What is ATGATT and why should you do it?

Words to live by.

EJ Punsalang EJ Punsalang on Jun 22, 2021
What is ATGATT and why should you do it?

If you’re a motorcycle rider, you’ve probably heard the term ATGATT before. Well, it’s an acronym that stands for All The Gear, All The Time, and it means exactly what it says. Under the principles of ATGATT, it doesn’t matter if you’re riding around the block, or going on a 5-day motorcycle tour. As long as you’re riding your motorcycle, you should always wear full gear. 

Now we get it. Not all rides require you to wear a full racing suit or even an armored jacket. However, it is important to wear adequate riding gear every time you ride your motorcycle. That being said, let’s walk through a few reasons why riding ATGATT is actually a very good idea. 

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What is ATGATT, anyway?

Yamaha YZF-R7

From a technical standpoint, the literal definition of ATGATT is All The Gear, All The Time. However, there are different approaches to what “All The Gear” really is. For some riders, all the gear means donning a full leather suit. For others, it means wearing at least an armored jacket, motorcycle boots, gloves, and of course a helmet. Whatever it means to you, there are a few reasons why it’s a good idea to ride ATGATT, no matter how short your ride may be. For the sake of discussion, let’s categorize full riding gear as a helmet, riding boots, jeans, motorcycle gloves, and a motorcycle-specific padded jacket. 

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Our only protection from the elements

All The Gear, All The Time

At this point, it’s no surprise to anybody that our riding gear is quite literally our only protection from the things around us which we cannot control. While the way we respond to the things around us, as well as the way we ride our motorcycles should, for the most part, prevent us from having to put our riding gear to the test, consider donning full riding gear as added insurance. You know, nice to have, but hope that you’ll never need to use it. 

Apart from keeping us safe in the event of an accident, our gear, particularly our helmet and gloves can help protect our eyes, face, hands, and other sensitive parts of our bodies from getting hurt by flying debris and even rain. As it would turn out, a heavy downpour can be rather uncomfortable when pouring on bare skin, especially when you’re traveling at speeds in excess of 60 kilometers per hour. 

Things can go wrong, really fast

Motorcycle Full-Face Helmet

As is the case with many things in life, we can try our best to be as careful as we can possibly be. However, there are simply situations wherein the outcome is out of our control. There are more than a thousand different ways your motorcycle ride can go awry without you doing anything wrong, so it’s always best to be prepared for the worst. 

The unfortunate reality of riding a motorcycle is that we motorcyclists are simply more exposed and therefore more vulnerable as compared to our four-wheeled siblings. A seemingly harmless fender-bender for a car can be a potentially life-threatening ordeal for an unprotected motorcyclist. 

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Set a good example

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Last but not least, wearing your full riding gear sets a good example to beginner motorcycle riders who are just getting started on their two-wheeled journey. With the demand for motorcycles increasing especially now, more and more younger riders are coming into the fold. That said, as experienced motorcyclists, we have the opportunity to set a good example to the younger riders, especially when it comes to aspects relating to motorcycle safety. 

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