I'm here to tell you that at 45 mph those brakes work great and don't lock up. I grabbed front and back as hard as I could and the bike stopped and it stopped fast! There were no wobbles, slides, skids, no fear of the rear wheel lifting, nothing but seriously fast stopping power!
The drill was great because I left with more confidence in what the bike can do in that situation. My desire is to stay on the bike always and I will do all I can to make sure that happens.
Just keep in mind that was straight-line braking on perfect, dry pavement. Things are often not that perfect. Practice is good, though. The hardest thing to do is dealing with avoidance and slowing in a corner.... and that is often what wipes people the most. Least visibility, most likely place to have unnoticed debris or sand/leaves, bicycle, deer, whatever.
He claims that wearing the gear I currently wear is like wearing nothing. I disagreed and said it's better than nothing but what he did say was that in a sliding crash the material in those jackets tends to "melt" into your skin! Thoughts...Maxtog ?
I agree with you, not them. The Tourmaster might be nylon, and yes, it will melt under high friction. But it is *armored* in the places that matter the most- the back, the shoulders, the elbows. That armor not only protects from impact, but it also protects from skidding and also absorbs energy (all while isolation from the outer nylon layers). Nothing is black-and-white, just shades of grey. My favorite answer to such questions is "it depends"
I am sure that a super-expense, very heavy, non-water resistant, hard-to-maintain armored leather jacket would be better overall protection, but it isn't necessarily a realistic option for everyone (for the first four adjectives I listed).