Motorcycle Explorer November 2016 Issue 14 | Page 44
Feature: norman magowan
Biking apparel in these climes is the very antithesis
of the ATGAT crowd at home (All-The-Gear-All-The-
Time) where road safety concerns are extended not
only to expensive and extensively tested-for-safety
crash helmets but all manner of body armour and
protective clothing. Most of the countries are hot
and humid so flip-flops with T-shirt and shorts are
‘de-rigeur’ for most riders. There is a weird fashion
too in Thailand and Malaysia to wear a long-sleeved
shirt or light jacket back-to-front and leave it
unfastened at the back. When it rains and you need
to go out on the bike?
Well just hoist an umbrella in your left mitt,
especially useful on little automatic scooters with no
clutch to worry about. Umbrellas can also be used as
sun-shields or simply raise the back of your left hand
to shield the suns glare as a substitute for wearing
sunglasses. Few of these lands seem to enforce any
kind of helmet law. Helmets, where they exist tend
to be cheap, ‘plasticky’ things and are rarely
strapped on if worn at all. We witnessed the
aftermath of a couple of minor spills in India
involving ‘wee bikes’ in low speed tumbles and both
occasions resulted in head injuries with a lot of
blood spilled as the victims weren’t wearing
helmets.