I feel that it's a the individual rider's perrogative as to how much gear to wear.

Being a newb rider, I ride with full gear. Helmet, jacket w/armor, riding gloves, jeans, and over the ankle boots. I want to avoid injuries like this:










(Full story of this rider's crash can be found here: http://www.hondashadow.net/forum/vie...=48914&start=0 )

I guess it just depends on how much you value your skin.