CCW & Motorcycles

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Ryanxia

Ryanxia

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This is just an observation but I just took and completed my two day Motorcycle course (with license at the end) concealed carrying the whole time and although I was printing (new attire for course) no one noticed/commented.

Most probably don't care but I thought it was interesting to mention especially where the evaluations require you to be very precise on handling and having the extra weight on one side (for me with a decent size gun) could have had an impact.

If I DIDN'T carry I probably would've done worse because I'm so used to that extra weight, I wouldn't have even walked to my bike normally :D

Anyone else have any riding/testing comments regarding to Concealed Carry?
 
Keep it in appendix cary in front of your hip like the IPSC speed shooters. If you go down on your bike the last thing you want near your hips and spine is a chunk of metal. A friend fell off a 4 wheel ATV and landed on his pistol years ago and really messed up his siatic nerve. Also, wearing your pistol in front ensures that it will not show when the wind gets under your jacket.
 
Theirs a couple companies that make motorcycle jackets to help you carry concealed. I don't remember the company but one that i've seen is called the pistol pete and it's very well made. Doesn't help much in the summer though.
 
I have no issues with my normal EDC IWB while riding.

I wouldn't use any method that allows the weapon to move around, and I would only use a flatter gun to spread impact in the possibility of laying the bike down, and carrying SOB would be a terrible idea.

But carrying a slim autoloader behind the hip in the soft spot is really easy, I highly doubt anyone is looking at my waistline anyway, even less so than when I'm walking around.
 
Congrats on joining the riding club! I assume you took the BRC? I recommend full gear etc. What kind of bike are you looking at getting? If you're riding a cruiser it will probably be easier to hide a gun behind your hip than if you're on a sport bike where you're bent forward a bit.

The best I've come up with for carrying while riding is a shoulder holster. It lets you balance the weight of the gun with mags on the other side and you don't have to worry about landing on it if you go down (or at least you won't hurt your hip/spine). And most jackets have vent pockets on the chest and if you cut out the mesh "pocket" you can have access to your gun while your jacket is still zipped up.

I would also advise against appendix carry, especially if you're on a sport bike. A common injury when a rider hits something (car, wall, something that stops the bike cold) while still vertical is a fractured pelvis because of the tank. I wouldn't want to add a gun into that...



Also (shameless plug here) if you are interested in a standard/sport bike, I am looking to sell a Suzuki SV 650. If you're interested send me a PM and I'll give you some details and pics. If not, no problem. (offer's also open to anyone who's interested)



Have fun and ride safe!
 
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I just use a shoulder carry when I ride, like others have said you dont wanna bail ontop of your firearm.
 
I wear a Brooks Leather Coat, and it has a nice inside pocket that fits my 380..
 
Ditto for my Fox Creek leather jacket. It has a gun pocket that places the gun in position similar to that of a shoulder or cross-draw holster. My Ruger LCP fits perfectly, and in the event of an accident (I've had 3), it's flat and secure.

My biggest concern with motorcycle carry is stopping somewhere for a bite to eat or a beverage. Oftentimes it's too hot to leave the jacket on, and one cannot leave it on the bike without hard sided bags. If you can discreetly slip it into a pocket holster in your jeans when dismounting, all the better.
 
tank bag is what i would use....small magnetic bag - wouldnt want to fall off the bike and have my gun jam into me....ouch...plus, i pocket carry so drawing while riding would be pretty much impossible - another reason for a tank bag
 
I have been riding over 50 years and have never noticed anything I have carried with me on the bike. I have strapped a rifle to my sissy bar many times while surfing the pawn shops. Now, that you have taking the riding plunge, ride safe....chris3
 
I used to carry in a shoulder holster until I was riding home from work in the fog one morning after working night shift. I hit a rock in the road and busted my front rim, I went down and slid up the road for a few yards. The beretta in the holster broke three ribs, I wouldnt have got a scratch if not for that. now I carry a glock 27 in a iwb in the front, (still cant bring myself to carry one in the chamber though, so 2watch out for those shoulder holsters.
 
carry without one in the chamber makes a gun useless....whatcha gonna do, pistol whip your attacker? lol

look at that guy who just got attacked while pumping gas in dayton....if he didnt have one in the chamber he woulda got messed up...you dont always have 2 free hands, especially if youre getting attacked up close


**edit...unless youre a baller like this guy
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2009/11/16/racking-a-glock-slide-with-one-hand/
 
carry without one in the chamber makes a gun useless....whatcha gonna do, pistol whip your attacker?
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I carry as you suggest, but it's not a "one size fits all" solution. Riding a motorcycle can be pretty physically dynamic, even if you don't go down. Should bad things happen and you find yourself sliding down the pavement at 50 or 60 mph, having a chambered round in a gun that's possibly going to be subject to impact or snagging might not be optimal. It's certainly a reasoned measure.
 
I generally just stick a snubbie in the pocket of whichever jacket I have on. Of course if your the tank top and shorts type of rider, concealment may be a challenge. I find concealment less of an issue on the bike because you have an excuse to have some sort of overgarment on no matter how hot it is. Mesh is your friend.
 
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I'm one of the lucky ones to live through a pretty tough motorcycle wreck. A Cadillac hit me head on at around 55 mph. I will say that I would think very carefully about where you carry.

As far as printing goes, I've had lazy days where I just threw a tshirt on to go to the store in the middle of a day working in the yard. No one ever seems to notice anything, even a large glock 19 sized bulge with a bit of holster poking out. I've done a bit of experimenting at walmart and crowded malls, which led me to discover I that I really don't care if I print a little. I was paranoid about "concealed means concealed" in the beginning, but not so much anymore.
 
^ i dont think most people notice.....i have a pair of climbing shorts (basketball shorts with a heavy duty elastic band) and i drop my p2000sk in the pocket of them quite often....the end of the grip sticks out about an inch, along with the obvious bulge of having a .40 in basketball shorts lol...nobody has ever said anything or given me any funny looks....i even stood right next to a cop inside of a gas station saturday night around midnight buying some milk and he didnt mention anything to me....CC is legal here, as well as OC....not sure how it would be clasified, but im legal to carry either way so i dont worry about it
 
I carried for 24 years rideing. Front pocket when not rideing at all or working. Appendex carry when i was rideing or dressed better. Try not to change location around your body if you can or not buy much then. Don't use firearms that operate differently, keep as much the same as possible. I started with a 5 shoot revolver, 20 years later a kahr cw9 or cm9. All have a DA trigger and about the same weight. Don't carry in a shoulder holster while rideing just because you have on a jacket and then on your waist when not. My biggest change was straight up a couple inchs only. I allways tried to carry so it did not matter if i was rideing in florida in the heat or rain or in NC mountains and it was 25* out same place all the time. If worried about a firearm going off in a wreck get a stricker firered pistol.
 
Carrying while riding is kinda tough for me, being a sportbike guy. No good place to carry a 1911 or such while wearing full leathers. A Ruger LCP and IWB seems to be the most manageable.

I'm the admin of the local sportbike forum, and I have tons of friends that carry while they ride (some of them use their bike as primary form of transportation). One friend lost a Springfield milspec 1911 when he went down a couple years ago. Slid for a ways on his hip, and the slide, beavertail, and ambi safety were almost ground flat. Amazingly, it didn't hurt him that bad, but the gone was completely destroyed.

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Thanks for all the responses, some good info here.

Telekinesis - yes I took the BRC, it rained hard all the first day which was good practice for riding in the rain :) I'll most likely be riding a cruiser, not a fan of sitting in the fetal position for hours at a time :)

hardluk1 - I completely agree with trying to keep the carry the same, that's why I'm leaning towards pocket carry because at work that's the best for concealment, even IWB holsters seem to show or print more with a tucked in dress shirt :)
 
I'll most likely be riding a cruiser, not a fan of sitting in the fetal position for hours at a time
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Sitting for hours at a time on ANY bike in a straight line sounds like a chore to me.

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I'm a life long rider and also agree with not having a hard lumpy object next to any bones in case you go down. A cell phone in a chest pocket can break ribs... a shoulder holster :eek:?

If anything, I'd go for a flat single stack pocket auto in the front pants pocket on top of my thigh, something in a tank bag, or as mentioned above, appendix carry (but only condition 3 for me ;)).

I don't like to carry while riding though - the bike takes me across state lines were my permit isn't valid, and even if I stay within the state, the paces I like to ride can put me in close encounters with the law... would just rather not complicate that discussion while carrying.
 
I'm learning to ride on a Yamaha XT350 dual sport. I couldn't tell the weight difference between carrying a full Glock G20SF and not, no matter how precise the turn needed to be. I don't have to conceal (Washington) so that isn't an issue. I was riding through town one Saturday morning with the Glock on my belt and some guy with a silly grin took my picture with his cell phone.
 
Sitting for hours at a time on ANY bike in a straight line sounds like a chore to me.
Click to expand...

Dang sounds like you should move out of Florida then (although NC ain't too far :cool:).
 
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