What do I think? Sometimes 2, sometimes 3 and sometimes 4. It also depends upon how they are riding. When I see someone riding "responsibly" (keeping safe distances, taking corners carefully/not crossing the centerline, etc.), I think that they are foolish for not wearing proper gear, but it's their choice.
When I see squid-like behavior, I don't care if they are wearing gear or not. My opinion changes then to more like "if he crash, he has only himself to blame".
During my ride yesterday, I came to the conclusion that I am a technial rider. I was riding some very tight twisties, not going very fast, but looking that I take the curves correctly - concentrating on my line, keeping my body on my side of the center line, etc. About halfway down the mountain, I had about 5 guys on racing bikes come fly past me, taking the twisties much faster than I was going. Sure, they were all in full leather ... But as I watched them fly past me, going around blind turns on the wrong side of the road, I was preparing to slow even more because I was expecting to see one of them splattered across the hood of an oncoming vehicle around the next bend. Fortunately, there was no traffic coming in the other direction.
Even the best gear won't protect someone from irresponsible behavior and stupidity.
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