Member Contributer GP Paul Posted October 13, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted October 13, 2008 I guess those whose gear hasn't saved their butts/faces/heads/knees /shoulders/elbows can't give their opinions now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AB-Oz Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 Saved me? Definitely. 15km/h drop in some gravel in a carpark. $2500 damage to bike. helmet 1" diameter gouge, 1/4" deep. Leathers rashed all over the lhs. I ended up with a sore shoulder and thigh. Leathers are full armored Dainese 2-pc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 I went for a ride with my son this last weekend, ended up meeting up with another friend. I'm riding the VFR, my son was on the GSXR ,friend has a 750 GSXR. After riding most of the day we took a freeway off ramp to go our seperate ways to home. Our friend took off at a higher rate of speed, said he hit something in the corner. Next thing we saw was him sliding towards the curb of the off ramp. Still on his bike, that is until he hit the curb. Then he went flying. The speed I was going and the rate he was pulling away from us, we figured he was going around 90. Seemed like slow motion, he flew through the air, hit the grass and rolled like it seemed for ever. He was wearing Boots, jeans, leather jacket and gloves, and full face helmet. Besides being so sore the next day he couldn't get out of bed, all he got was some nasty deep road rash on his hip and a small one on his elbow. His helmet was completely thrashed. He was very very lucky all that was in front of him was grass, or I truly believe it would have been much worse. Now that we can talk about it as a learning experience instead of a death, it was great for my son to see what happens when you do something stupid on a bike for just a few seconds. It will eventually bite back. He has grown up on the dirt track but is fairly new to the road. So if any of you out their have kids who want to ride the road, all you need a crazy friend to show them what can happen.. I don't think mine wants to do it again for a long time!! Plus he dosn't have a bike any more... Oh ya, not supposed to remind him about that.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer VFR Capt.Bob Posted October 30, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted October 30, 2008 Arai helmet saved my life. Hit the side of the mountian at 75mph then the street at roughly the same speed. Very deep abraisons on the helmet leather jacket. Stayed tangled with the bike and oddly no abrasions to my leather chaps. Yeah I wore chaps back then. Jeans and thermals saved the skin on my a$$. Gloves wore through the finger tips and palms. Cheap motorcross gloves. Hip still bothers me from time to time. Even marginal leathers and work boots improve survivabitlity. Real padded armoured leathers would have made it a lot less painful. Walked with a crutch for about a week till my right leg recovered from kicking off that mountain to get the bike pointed back at the road. My poor 82 CBX never got over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFR4Lee Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 15km/h drop in some gravel in a carpark. $2500 damage to bike. helmet 1" diameter gouge, 1/4" deep. Great example of how fast you don't have to be going to get snuffed. :angry: I must be getting old, feel like I should wear my gear 24/7 to protect against falling of the back porch and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer KevCarver Posted November 10, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted November 10, 2008 I have a slightly different take on answering the question. I can see where the less expensive gear I had in the crash probably lead to injury that better a quality may have prevented. Track crash, first of all. My gloves were Fieldsheer full gauntlet race style. They did the job for a while, but were a lower price point model. The big plastic covered carbon fiber looking knuckle guards worked fine. The index finger on my right glove got twisted and pulled enough to wear through an unprotected part to my knuckle on that finger. Ended up with a skin graft to cover that one. Same with the thumb on that hand, not as bad and didn't require graft. My new gloves fit tighter, and look like they won't twist and move around. Should keep the protection on the pointy bits. I broke the outer bone in my right hand, below my pinky, probably due to impact with the ground while tumbling through the grass. My new gloves have some harder plasticy-rubber things in that area that may have helped absorb and spread that impact to not break a bone. Boots were Alpinestars, but bought on ebay for a good price because they were pretty old. Never gave them much thought until the crash and the right boot came apart exposing the sole of my foot to the track at a very rapid pace. I was able to pick it up after a very short drag, but still required three skin grafts. One patch on my big toe, another smaller one on the next toe, and I flattened out the ball of my foot below the big toe. Leathers were brand new Kobe, and I had no skin injuries on the rest of my body. Helmet was Shoei X-11, and no concussion. Just dizzy from the tumble :491: Luckily that helmet was the first one I have owned that was properly sized! I had been buying L because they felt comfortable. Really should been in a M. Nice and snug! :fing02: I feel that the only unpreventable injury I sustained that day was a broken collar bone. Hard to get away from those, I guess. Nicky Hayden did his at least twice. Nori Haga sustained his first ever broken bone from a race crash this season and it was his collar bone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 Yes, I low sided into a guard rail. Broke my collarbone, shoulder blade, and wrist. Knocked clean out and had a concussion. Dr said the head trauma would have been fatal without the helmet. There where also some nice big scratches down the shield and chin bar. So the FF was worth it over the 3/4 or 1/2 helmets. My leathers did not save me from broken bones, maybe the shoulder armor and gloves did lessen the damage, my leathers did do there job with abrasion resistance, I did not have a single scratch on me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 This being my first post, I felt this thread was a good start. I was hit by a car 2 weeks ago at an intersection. 4 years of riding 50mi a day in Houston traffic and I get hit two days after purchasing my first VFR. My gear saved my ass, plain and simple. I was only going a bout 15-20mph, but we all know it doesn't take much. A couple bruises and some soreness, that's it. I saw a girl in a string bikini top on the back of a Harley a while back. I can only imagine..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer jeremy556 Posted November 11, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted November 11, 2008 Although my leathers did not save me from broken bones, although maybe the shoulder armor and gloves did lessen the damage, I did not have a single abrasion on me. Don't expect them to. Armor can maybe prevent a couple of small fractures, sometimes, but leathers are about abrasion resistance. Nothing can really help you when it comes to impacts. I think of it like this: Helmet will save my head when I fall from bike height and hit my head on the ground, and will take the abrasion when sliding. Leathers will keep my skin intact from the slide. Not much is going to help save my bones from breaking from the fall from a high side, or an unexpected impact during a lowside. Nothing is going to save me from death or at least severe, permanent, life altering, injury should I encounter any sort of fixed object during my slide and deceleration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer oyama Posted November 11, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted November 11, 2008 Helmet will save my head when I fall from bike height and hit my head on the ground, and will take the abrasion when sliding.Leathers will keep my skin intact from the slide. Not much is going to help save my bones from breaking from the fall from a high side, or an unexpected impact during a lowside. Nothing is going to save me from death or at least severe, permanent, life altering, injury should I encounter any sort of fixed object during my slide and deceleration. Yes, this is sad and true. A lot of people think that the reason they need a helmet is to protect their head in a high speed crash. The forward speed does not matter that much in this case. What the helmet can protect is that the injury their heads would get from a 6-8 feet (2 meters) fall. That is the distance from the head to the road. Once they are on the road surface let's hope they can slide to a stop without hitting anything or tumbling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer YellowFuzz Posted November 13, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted November 13, 2008 If your insurance allows it, get an equipment add-on rider. I had an "incident" on the interstate up in Phoenix a few years ago where I had to get off my bike doing around 65 mph. I went skidding down the HOV lane. I was wearing a two-piece Aerostich Roadcrafter II suit helmet, gloves, boots. I walked away without a scratch. I took my gear to my insurance company and they traded me my gear for a check for $1000. I bought another Roadcrafter II suit, helmet, etc. As a former MSF instructor, I would tell my students, "You wouldn't go scuba diving without tank or skydiving without a parachute. WEAR YOUR GEAR!" Living in Tucson, especially during the summer, it might be 110 degrees out, but laying on the pavement that's about 150 is like laying on a griddle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer keithbob Posted November 13, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted November 13, 2008 Yep. I had a head-on (at about a 45-degree angle) with a Jeep in 1976, and went clean over the vehicle. Landed heavily on the back of my head and my shoulders. Came away with a left leg injury that healed up fine, otherwise was only badly shaken up. The heavy dirt-riding boots saved my lower leg, as it was smashed between the bike and the Jeep's front end. Helmet was toast, but it did it's job, otherwise I'm convinced the back of my head would have been crushed in. Also, I apparently hit my head against the hood of the Jeep before flipping over it, so the front was cracked. I had just switched to one of those cool orange Bell Star full-face helmets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN_VFR_Girl Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 You tell me ... I walked away with nothing more than some serious bruising and a torn rotator cuff ---thank you Joe Rocket (Ballistic textile jacket & pants), HJC helmet and Alpinestar sporttouring boots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 As a former MSF instructor, I would tell my students, "You wouldn't go scuba diving without tank or skydiving without a parachute. WEAR YOUR GEAR!" Living in Tucson, especially during the summer, it might be 110 degrees out, but laying on the pavement that's about 150 is like laying on a griddle. I'm not sure if it was MSF or Honda's Stupid Hurts campaign or something else but there was a poster that showed a fully geared up diver next to a guy with cheap flippers and a mask, a guy with a parachute and one of those birdman suites along some guy that I think was just holding and umbrella, and a photo of a pro racer next to a squid. One column was labeled armature and the other pro (i think). It was on my old work computer that I did not have time to get personal files off of after a unexpected change in the contract left me without a job. I may have backed it up previously though ill have to dig around. Unless someone remembers where it came from and posts up first. I had it printed up in my old cube and would like another copy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer elizilla Posted November 18, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted November 18, 2008 As a former MSF instructor, I would tell my students, "You wouldn't go scuba diving without tank or skydiving without a parachute. WEAR YOUR GEAR!" Living in Tucson, especially during the summer, it might be 110 degrees out, but laying on the pavement that's about 150 is like laying on a griddle. I'm not sure if it was MSF or Honda's Stupid Hurts campaign or something else but there was a poster that showed a fully geared up diver next to a guy with cheap flippers and a mask, a guy with a parachute and one of those birdman suites along some guy that I think was just holding and umbrella, and a photo of a pro racer next to a squid. One column was labeled armature and the other pro (i think). It was on my old work computer that I did not have time to get personal files off of after a unexpected change in the contract left me without a job. I may have backed it up previously though ill have to dig around. Unless someone remembers where it came from and posts up first. I had it printed up in my old cube and would like another copy. That is from the Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center. They have a lot of good posters like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyST Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 October 20, 2007 while 2 up on the ST1300 we hit a stoped Buick while doing about 45mph. Me- fractured vertabrea, pelvis (2 places), 5 ribs, left wrist. No road rash. Wife- concusion, fractured elebow, 4 ribs, bruised tail bone. No road rash. EMT's and ER docs said it would have been a double fatality if not for all the gear. I was in full gear, full face helmet, jacket, pants, boots and gloves. Wife was in full face helmet (HJC flip-up), jacket, gloves, jeans, tennis shoes. The gear saved our lives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer The mailman Posted November 18, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted November 18, 2008 WEAR IT PEOPLE **** PLEASE WEAR IT!!! I have a very close friend in his mid sixties, very calm guy, slower driver, responsible type person who has had an HD for longer than I can remember and today he is wishing he and his wife had put something on this past Sunday. They decided to do a very short cruise since the weather has been summer-like here in Colorado. Long story short, a line of cars stopped suddenly and they didn't. He tried to miss the stopped cars and hit a guard rail instead. Gear won't stop everything but it does help. Accident results = she has a broken/rashed hand, goose egg on her head and a sudden distaste for motorcycles. He has six broken ribs on the right, 3 broken ribs on the left, broken tail bone, two very rashed hands - tops and bottoms, concussion, stitches and rash all over his face. No pics required. We have all heard the pitch for gear over and over until our eyes glaze over. Broken ribs and tail bone would probably still have occured but the rest could have been prevented with a helmet and some gloves. Come on people, for cryin' out loud - put some gear on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer landlover Posted November 25, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted November 25, 2008 To me, gear=never leave without it! Never had to use it and hope I never do! Nuff Said! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I got rear-ended by a drunk driver sitting at a light. The four people involved had to be taken to the hospital. I got thrown over the bike and on to the highway. All I got was a raspberry on my side. The other people had broken noses, airbag burns, and glass in their face. Me, a totaled VFR and a pissed-off disposition. On the bright side, nobody was seriously hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer VolsFan Posted November 25, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted November 25, 2008 I have a neighbor, a hard core HD rider, who might possibly be the reason I bought a bike. I bought my VFR and told him about it. He hadn't seen my bike or me ride it for about 3 months after I bought it. I rode up, he came out to look at the bike and me in all my gear. His first words were " Well, you look like a sports bike rider", commenting on my head to toe safety gear. After that comment and me reading posts like this, I started to think about his gear. Now, take in mind he is a motorcycle safety instructor..... His idea of safety equipent is a bandanna, sleeveless shirt and jeans. His wife, on the back, is the same. I would rather look like a "sports bike rider" and come home alive then take my chances having a bandanna keep my brain matter in my head after an accident!!! GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! GO VOLS!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer gmtech94 Posted November 25, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted November 25, 2008 As a roadracer I have used the gear a lot and it has saved my life ,some broken bones but would have been much worse without top quality gear .Crashed at high speed at Daytona and other tracks and ususally walked away with only minor abrasions and or broken collarbone due to helmet design n Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifttruck Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 As a roadracer I have used the gear a lot and it has saved my life ,some broken bones but would have been much worse without top quality gear .Crashed at high speed at Daytona and other tracks and ususally walked away with only minor abrasions and or broken collarbone due to helmet design n I had a little get off in T7 at Mid-Ohio last year and I slid a long way with the bike chasing me. Luckily we both returned later that day to run again. Wthout proper gear it would have been a ride in the blinky wagon for sure. I had just gotten my Knox back protector and was glad I was wearing it under my leathers. I had not a scratch. I wish I could say the same for my track bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I had a get off in 2005 at the dragstrip doing 125 (me sliding through the traps :cool: ) Only problem I had was my glove (palm) blew out the instant it touched. Destroyed the jacket and helmet, but the boots and pants came out real well. I'd rather break a bone than deal with rash. It took months to heal the hand and hurt like heck and still pings me now and then (even now). Can't really fault the gloves, you are asking a LOT of any gear to protect you at 125. The day after... Fairly recent... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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