@Dreamchaser
Thats correct, its always better to hurt some one with words and to make him feel responsible than to see him hurt with legs and ribs broken. Its india, we wait for a thing to happen and then work out a solution, Prevention is better than cure, the line is cliche but so so practical.

Perfectly said....

Can any one tell me where i can get a balaclava in Bangalore.Here is the link of what it looks like........

Oh, so that's the reason people stare at me... Hehe, bunch of morons, ppl who dnt wear protective gear!!

I always wear a helmet wherever I go, for regular use it is Rhyno(Red graphics), even seeing this kinda helmet people make some idea of the rider
1. "Bare bapka bigda hua beta"
2. "Race lagane ja raha hai"
3. "Stunt dikhake ladki patana chahata hai"
3. "bikers gang main hain, ladki o ko chedta hai"

we even heard some people saying this kinda infront of us.....

check out orion motors near forum or balaji helmets,jc road...you do get it in a lot of helmet stores i guess...

btw,to the topic now,I ride a white RTR and with the full gear on,ppl have an other reason to give a second look...it's a general thing that is built inside a human brain.Something different will surely catch a persons interest.I hvnt faced any comment passing till now but weird stares remain.Since my helmet almost saved me one day,even my dad realizes the importance of safety gears...no matter what other ppl think about us with all the gear on,it's for our benefit and their reactions hardly matter until you start to think about it...

Why? Perhaps if we reverse the question "Why don't people stare?", maybe we can find the answer.

There was a time when wearing dark glasses was a big deal. Yeah, you need guts to wear one cause everyone will stare at you.

Remember the excitement when one sees a lady driver. Or wearing seat belts. Wearing seatbelts could invite comments gee .

The general public (as well as authorities) has a long way to go as far as safety is concern. Maybe it'll catch up eventually. Well at least helmets has become a norm as far as mumbai is concern. Am aware it will invite staring in some places.

I'll finish off with my own experience. Just got my riding jacket two days back. It was a typical hot Mumbai afternoon. Wasn't planning on wearing it from the shop to back home, but it won't fit inside my bag so decided to wear them. On my way back, I was concious of the stares, then I came to a signal. There was this taxi in front with two foreign (ladies) tourists inside. And then a small digital camera sneaked out the window, pointing back....at me . Now I may look cool in black helmet, black riding jacket, black riding gloves on a black bike. Did I mention I was wearing a black trouser as well. Anyway I'm not naive enough to imagine that's the reason. What those two ladies saw is a nutcase wearing a jacket in hot afternoon I look Cool, ..mmm..maybe thats not what people think. May be hot...yeah, thats it, steaming hot in mumbai heat . Any way, I metioned this incident to my wife and we had a good laugh. My wife's comment "I told you" ..sigh!
Yeah! those tourists will also be having a good laugh..

Great said dcs, I salute to you

You want more stares and laughs, try riding a cycle with MTB helmet, Gloves and other gear.

EDIT: The thread is inspirational, I have decided to buy Probiking gloves, full-visor helmet and the mentioned jackets whenever I will buy a bike. I have even sent this thread link to my friends in email with subject: How to be intelligent and make people laugh at you

Guess white ladies are used to seeing bikers with the gear in their countries. I guess they clicked you neither cos u looked cool nor that u were wearing it in hot weather. But for like 'Even Indian motorcyclists wear riding gear'

take it easy guys, human being = opinion, more human beings= more opinions.we cant hinder this. lets live our lyfe the way we like.as long as we are contented with what we do in our daily lives, the opinions issued by others barely make ne difference.

Here's my experience so far in mumbai.
Helmet: People are used to it unless your helmet really stands out.
Gloves: Just some curious glances.
Jacket: Seems to depend on the weather . On cold days, its mistaken for normal jacket. However it seems to invite more stares than Helmet & Gloves.
Knee Guard: Invites a lot of attention. Today was the first time I put on my knee guard and boy..its kinda uneasy with all the stares.
Boots: Don't know. Does not have one.... yet.
One piece riding gear: Don't know. Does not have one.

Maybe its the total package that seems to attract more attention than if you were wearing just one of them. Say only jacket without helmet, glove etc. may attract less attention than were you wearing them all.

Thankfully no comments so far.

man thts retarded! :is this Jaoan?" lol! seriously you should have argued or reported or something!

and wait!...he switched off and took the keys of your R1? god!

Because people aren't that aware about safe riding and safety gear , they stare as though we are from some other planet altogether . Its kinda nice to have people's attention on you feels like you are some superstar

mmmmm....naaahh! sure, its nice to to be admired. Though most time you get this..WTF look. certainly not the ...WOW kind of superstar attention .

No additional post since I posted last time, so just doing 'edit' and adding my experience.

Yesterday while going back home from office in a traffic signal. A rider stop along side me. He kept looking at my bionic knee guard, then at me and then the knee guard then me. Then he finally asked me..'does it fold?' So I happily obliged and demonstrated it. He grinned ear-to-ear and I grinned back. Well, at least that seems one impressed rider .