Motorcycle Accidents and Riding gear

[FJR-RemingtonRider]

Interested in opinions/experiences.

Wondering about riding gear. On many sites you can read about motorcycle accidents(bummer subject), never been down myself (BGG).

Had a friend go down only wearing a helmet. He needed graphs, broke femur, 1yr later, still walks with a limp.

When you have people who require skin graphs, would that be because they did not have proper riding gear on?

Did the gear they wore fail, to where they slid so violently on the pavement that it was grinded through?

Anyone go down, riding gear that did not protect them properly?

I wear armor, even made my own summer wear armor shirt. I just feel totally naked without the armor. Have ridden on very short rides in 110 degree heat without the armor, but felt uncomfortable in doing so.

For me, having armor on, makes my confidence go up.

I am considering a leather jacket in a week or so, instead of the riding jacket with the fabric. Read somewhere that the leather was the best against road rash. I am also replacing my helmet, looking for modular, I like the way they look.

But, I definetly want a leather jacket with armor though and also riding leather pants w/armor. Don't want a full body suit though.

One thing I know, is that road rash is ugly to deal with and sounds more painful than a broken bone.

Thoughts?

 

[sporto]

There is a good reason racers wear full suits. If your fancy leather jacket ends up bunched up around your ears during a crash, then it isn't doing much protecting of your torso.

I low sided at 70mph in a fully padded Roadcrafter Aerostich suit and only lost skin due to fabric burns on the inside of the suit on shoulder and knee. Broken collarbone, CBR1000F totalled, Arai Quantum trashed, everything else OK.

I have heard good things about HELD gloves for protecting your hands during a crash. They are pricey at over $150 per pair but probably worth it if you should ever need the protection???

 

[v65]

I bought a rev'it Cayenne jacket this summer to replace an older textile jacket that was too hot for summer use. On really hot summer days I would ride sans jacket: I was unimpressed by the pure summer jackets and couldn't take the heat from the jacket I owned. The Cayenne proved to be much more comfortable as the temps rose and proved it's worth in my little get off.

So leather is the best for abrasion resistance, but it's not worth a hoot if it's sitting on a hook in 90 degree temps.

 

[Harvey]

Clicky

 

[gregorytx]

I wear the Cycleport kevlar mesh jacket and pants year round. I wore it on all the 100+ degree days here in north Texas this summer, and albeit a little warm, it wasn't unbearable. For my longer jaunts I would wear my evaporative cooling vest. In the winter if it's too cool I will wear my heated jacket liner and heated gloves. I did have the Cycleport Kevlar gloves, but they didn't fit me right and I just replaced them with the Lee Parks deerskin gloves with the long gauntlet. Very comfortable, but probably not as durable as the kevlar gloves in case of a wreck. Whatever you get, try to ensure the jacket and pants can be connected, either via zipper or snaps. The jacket and pants will help a little with impact protection, but not much. Hard to prevent broken bones when the body starts bouncing off hard objects. As far as road rash, good gear is the best defense. Road rash takes a long time to heal, sometimes longer than the broke bones. Most of the time, with riding gear, you get what you pay for. If you pay bargain basement prices, you are probably getting bargain basement protection.

 

[Sagebrush]

I've been down once and of course it was when I had only jeans on with my Killi 4.0 and Held gloves.

I had a 60 mph???? high side in NC avoiding another crashing bike (my Dad) in front of me in a narrow curve and hit the rear brake too hard in a lean while exiting a sharp curve. I was trying not to run over my Dad laying in the road around a blind corner. I did my best superman with the thought of the pants on my mind and slid on my hands enough to spin around and get my legs up. Slid on my 3/4 jacket's tail about 20' more and came to a stop. All was fine till a second later the bike slid into me pinning my leg underneath it. :blink:

My textile jacket still looks good and I still use it, my Held Steves are scuffed up but still good to go. The rivets are not black and smooth anymore. But the Held gloves did very well when I put my hands down, no rash at all, The seams all stayed together. But the gloves are now a back up pair, they probably won't perform so well the second time.

My helmet was totaled as I hit face first then right shoulder/ right hip. Boots were HD/Red wings that actually held up fine for plain leather boots. Took me a month with a walking cane to recover, still have a limp. As a daily rider most of the time I don't always wear full gear, I sometimes wear red wing work boots when going to and from work and jeans. Its a risk and its up to you to manage your risk. Gear is always going to lower your risk and may allow you to walk away from a high side like mine. I rode home to put the bike away and headed to the hospital in a truck to see my Dad who broke ribs. His jacket stopped the road rash but didn't save his ribs.

His jeans wore through, cracked his helmet and the boots and gloves are still in use. His helmet kept him alive that day, his mesh tex jacket did not wear through a whole lot, it did good for mesh. The fabric around the mesh did fail some but, the mesh did not wear through. With no gear at all he wouldn't have survived, every piece did its part.

This is what I wear most of the time when riding the FJR for fun, Boots, Pants, Jacket, Helmet, Gloves, Ear Plugs. I should wear it all the time:

 

[Gerry.GEG]

I always wear; full face Shark helmet, leather gloves, balistic nylon jacket (Yamaha or my Olympia W/ armor), and SIDI riding boots. ALWAYS, no matter the temp. The only place I skimp is the pants. Longer rides get the Joe Rocket pants but many times I just wear jeans - not good but I just do.

I don't believe that leather protects better in all cases and a good riding ballistic jacket with armor is very tough. I've seen pics of people who went down with this gear and were ok. Surprisingly, my Olympia jacket is somewhat heavier and was very comfortable on my 2300 mi. trip in early summer due to venting even though it was 95-100 degrees.

I just shake my head at sportbike riders who are in shorts/muscleman shirts, no gloves but guess what, the flip-side of that is the bone head cruiser riders who are 30 years older and wear essentially the same thing except they wear half helmets and no full face protection.

Just wear the gear and you won't have to worry about yourself as much and just speak to anyone in an Emergency room who has had to brush rocks and dirt out of an accident victim's wound and any rational person would AGATT.

 

[etepjavelin]

i always wear full gear, boots, leathers full zip 2 piece, helmet and gloves. got hit by a drunk at an intersection ( tboned me)

wearing leather pants and jacket, cop boots, gloves and full face helmet in 1979. no cuts any where on me, helmet was totally stuffed, boots with cuts in them, jacket and pants knocked around. full gear is the only way to go, when i checked my gear at a later date and saw the damage to it all i would say my chances would have been zip without it. leathers back then did not have the amour but double layer of leather in the critical places.

 

[BwanaDik]

Clicky

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I love this one but couldn't find it. Thanks!

 

[Scarman]

I've had two accidents in my riding years. First was a highside in a corner. Hit some sand and rear slid out for a second then grabbed again. Over the top I went at 35 mph. I slide about 40' across some asphalt and then into the dirt where I landed up against a 10" fence post. Unfortunately for me, my ST1300 followed me into the fence post and the front tire hit me square in the chest. Not much any gear will protect you from that kind of impact. Turned my innards into a scrambled mess. I was helicoptered into the hospital for emergency surgery. I coded once on the flight. When my wife got to the hospital, they kept asking her if she was sure I was in a moto accident. I didn't have a scratch on me from the outside so it was hard for them to believe I was in a moto accident. There were three other riders brought in by helicopter that day all with similar injuries. I was the only one who survived. The doctors said it was because I had full riding gear thus they didn't have to manage major road rash on top of my internal injuries. Road rash can be every bit as serious as any internal injuries. Infection can set in fast and or your body could go into shock which really complicates things for the folks trying to save you. I ended up spending a week in ICU and had a fractured left ulna. If I wasn't wearing gear, I seriously doubt I would be hear today.

Accident number 2 was with a car at 40 mph. Lady in front of me making a left turn in front of me around a blind corner. I couldn't stop in time and boom. I bounced off the asphalt a couple times shattering my face shield and taking a huge divot out of my helmet. My helmet hit the ground so hard, I was surprise I was still conscience. I don't think you could have hit me in the head any harder with a baseball bat if you tried. After the second bounce I slid about 40' on my back across the asphalt. The leather on my boots was ground down to the armor underneath the leather. If I wasn't wearing good riding boots, my feet could be a serious mess. Gloves were tore up a bit but my hands were fine. I was able to get up and walk away from that one. Only injury was a small amount of road rash on my right forearm. Doctor said the road rash was from the initial impact. The pressure between my jacket and skin was enough to tear the skin from my forearm. Ever have an open wound scrubbed vigorously with out anything for pain? Wow! If I wasn't wearing gear I might have a broken arm and major road rash to deal with. Just that patch of road rash on my forearm was really difficult to deal with. They didn't want it scabbing over so I had to scrub it raw several times a day. I'm not talking about a light gentile scrubbing. It was wicked painful, but you do what you gotta do. I can't imaging going through that all over my body just as Tyler is going through. Instead of scabbing over, I quickly grew new skin from the outer edges inward. Very cool.

For me riding gear is well worth the effort and the expense. If it's too hot to wear my gear then it's too hot to ride. I find that keeping myself hydrated with a hydration pack is the key to keeping cool. The air blowing through my vented jacket does a great job of cooling me down as well, but I have to stay hydrated. If you wait until you feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated. I keep drinking water so I don't get thirsty and I can stay reasonably cool.

 

[wfooshee]

A local kid (squid) died recently from infections which developed in his road rash. Started in his leg, which they amputated, but it had already spread and could not be stopped.

He crashed his sportbike while wearing a good full-face helmet, and of course suffered no head injury whatsoever.

I simply don't understand riders who don't put on the gear. "It can't happen to me," "It's my risk to take," or even worse, "I've got the insurance and a good lawyer," are just plain stupid answers.

I suppose it's a feeling of false safety. A bike at speed and stable has no feeling of risk. It's upright, it's not gonna dump you, what can happen? I put my stepson in gear by asking him to dive headfirst from the roof onto the driveway. Of course he looked at me like that was really a stupid thing to ask him to do. He got the point when I told him he would only be moving about 17 miles per hour when he hits, what's the big deal?

I am an ATGATT guy. The one time I cheated and rode to lunch with just the lid, boots, and gloves a car pulled out from the curb in front of me, going the wrong way (towards me) after parallel parking facing traffic. Of course they were looking over their shoulder to pull out, not at oncoming traffic. Cured me of cheating on ATGATT!

 

[TheBlueStreak]

For the most part road rash comes from people who wear not protective gear. Road rash is still possible with gear but it may only amount to a "rug burn" type of injury.

Protective riding gear consists of a helmet, jacket, gloves, over the ankle boots, eye protection, long pants. The whole point of riding gear is resist againest abrasion with the helmet for impact resistance. Alot of my students think that gear helps with impact since there is a little piece of palstic around the joint area's of jackets and or riding pants. This is OK for SMALL impacts but other than the helmet, gloves, jacket, etc really protect againest abrasion more than impact.

Heavy, thick leather gives the best abrasion protection, even better than Codura. Why do you think the racers use it!

My thoughts.

 

[FJR-RemingtonRider]

Great stories and experiences. Believe it or not, accidents and the details surrounding them really help riders with their psyche.

I think I'll be going with leather with the attachment zipper to the pants, that would kinda cover the main basis. Can't see dropping $800-$1200 dollar for a leather riding suit.

Been doing some reading and shopping and Leather-up seems to be a good place, but no koodos to them yet, I haven't ordered.

I commute on my fjr every day to work, and for recreation ld riding. But here in Texas, the heat wave is almost over- now getting some 80 temps in the evening.

Sure glad you guys shared your experiences, and the biggest element of consistency that I really love, is that you still ride; that's awesome.

So many give it up after a wreck, if we all did that then, there wouldn't be many cagers driving on the road still.

I think the assessment is right, no armor, no protection is a recipe for pain and suffering once you add the final part; -- 'a mistake'. Risk is risk, no matter how you take it.

Keep it safe.

 

[ALDAWG]

Motoport/CycleportHave'nt gone down, but if/when I do I wanna be wearin this...

 

[Knifemaker]

...I am considering a leather jacket in a week or so, instead of the riding jacket with the fabric. Read somewhere that the leather was the best against road rash. I am also replacing my helmet, looking for modular, I like the way they look..........

What kind of helmet do you have now? The reason I ask is most will admit that a full face helmet is the way to go if you are looking for the best protection. Modular helmets have been known to open up in crash. I don't buy gear on looks.

That said, leather is good stuff, but many modern fabrics will do a good job at abrasion resistance, and work well wet, are cooler on hot days, and can cost less too.

My only serious malfunction on a bike happened many years ago on the track. I was dressed head to toe in leather (Bates two piece leathers) Snell helmet , boots and glove. I never slid anywhere, instead got out on the rough and had the front end grabbed by a furrow in the ground...launched me forward off the bike , did a flip landing on my back. My chest hit the instrument cluster on the way over , cracking a rib, my right wrist got badly sprained, (think it got caught up in the brake lever)

This was before they started putting armor in leather jackets, and even it had armor..most do not have in in the chest area.

The lesson here is you can not pick your crash. Leather is good to have if you go sliding down the roadway without your bike under you, but there are no guarentee that is how your possible future accident will happen. You might just get hit from behind , you might get tossed into a wall, or a whole host of other nasty things could happen that would still injure you no matter what you are wearing.

(And I will tell you a broken rib is alot more painfull than road rash)

I am not saying you should not wear protective gear...what I am saying is you have to make your own desicion on what level you wish to protect yourself and not let anyone elses horror stories, opinions , or choices in their own gear effect what you feel comfortable with.

My only recomendation here is if you wear armored pants and jacket..the kind that zip together...zip them together. So many have this option and never seem to use it. I have seen very tough leather/nylon jackets become moot items when they get shoved up under the wearers armpits.

(makes that one piece alot more attractive now?)

Real world crash reports are still somewhat anecdotal , I have seen reports of a particular jacket failing and others praising it. (I have yet however seen a bad report of the cycleport gear..)

If I had the money I would have a custom one piece Dainese suit....just to walk around in ....

KM

 

[madmike2]

Motoport/CycleportHave'nt gone down, but if/when I do I wanna be wearin this...

Amen, brotherr ALDAWG! At least it worked for me. Of course, unconscious @ 4o mph and sliding head first into a guard rail support doesn't do good things to one's vertebrae and shoulder blades BUT there was no road rash, zero, nada, zilch, uh-uh, nope. Bruises from impact outlining the armor, but no rash.

YMMV.

 

[Fz1Pilot]

Interested in opinions/experiences.
I am considering a leather jacket in a week or so, instead of the riding jacket with the fabric. Read somewhere that the leather was the best against road rash. I am also replacing my helmet, looking for modular, I like the way they look.

But, I definetly want a leather jacket with armor though and also riding leather pants w/armor. Don't want a full body suit though.

One thing I know, is that road rash is ugly to deal with and sounds more painful than a broken bone.

Thoughts?

Definitely leather and make sure its 1.3mm or better, forget about the modular helmet and go with a full face, if you ever go down you won't regret it. You get what you pay for and safety is not something to try to save a few bucks on.

I went down this past July 7th in Napa Vally after having attended MotoGP. I was going 50-60 in a left hand sweeper when I hit a patch of sand and lost the front wheel. I was wearing a leather jacket, held gloves, a Shoei X-11 helmet, jeans and riding boots. I blew out my spleen, broke 6 ribs, broke my Scapula and clavicle. Punctured and collapsed my left lung. I planted the helmet face first, the shield was so scratched you couldn't see out of it. the helmet was shattered on the left side, the front vent was ground completely through the shell. If that had been a modular it would have popped open for sure. The helmet without a doubt saved my life. The Gloves and jacket (heavy duty cow hide), while significantly tore up, completely protected my hands and body. Not a scratch on me from the waist up.

Both of my knees had road rash from sliding across the asphalt and of all the injury's they hurt the most. and took the longest to heal (still red a sore as a write this). I'll never wear just jeans riding again.

I'm back on the bike this week with a brand new X-11 helmet, the jacket and gloves will work until I can afford to replace. Besides, I'm kinda proud of the scars on them, I earned them. I'm thinking about picking up some body armor and I now ride with Kevlar reinforced pants or Daren overpants depending on my circumstances.

I never saw this coming, they call them accidents for a reason. I was really lucky because it could have been a lot worse. I've learned to be prepared 100% of the time I ride and its nothing but leather for me. I don;t care how hot it gets...

 

[Slappy]

What I know I know from experience.

First bike, 1987 FZR. In my mind it was the cats ass. Fast and fun for a 19 year old Marine temporarly stationed at 29 Palms. My first real bike. Coming back from weekend liberty in LA at night I enter an S turn just outside the main gate to the base. 35 MPH and I learn what LOW SIDE is. Slide across the road and flop around in the weeds. Leather from head to toe and a Bell helmet. Bike totaled due to a large boulder cracking the frame. Not an issue, got orders to Hawaii.

Second bike, 1988 FJ1200. New love of my life. Second month on the island I am cruising the northern shore just outside chinamans hat. It starts to rain. LOW SIDE AGAIN. Bike and myself slide across the road and bounce off a palm tree. Bike totaled. I am once again in leather from head to toe and a Bell Helmet.

6 months later I get a 1988 FZR. Back to the cats ass. Start pushing my limits. Get deployed for 8 months. Come back. Huge party down town honolulu. I am wasted. Try to ride home but I am to drunk to even sit on the bike. I call a friend. He comes down and we two up back to base. The Top of the Like Like hwy just before the tunnel a mongoose decides to play chicken and looses. Guts spray and the bike goes down. We are doing at least 60. Sparks fly and my butt and back start to get really warm. Leather from head to toe and a Bell Helmet. We, the riders, slide to a stop while the bike slides and bounces off the walls of the tunnel. Yep Totaled. So I take a break from riding.

A year later I get a still new 1989 FJ1200. I figure I will stay away from sport bikes. I ride that thing almost a year. Coming home from the girl friends place going up the Like Like Hwy. Its midnight or after. Not especially focused. A pickup passes me on the right, I am in the left hand lane. I dont know if I was to close to the center of the lane or what but I get pulled into the truck. Before I know whats happening the front tire makes contact with the bumper and I am airborne. I remember seeing the spedo at 70 mph. This pickup has a rack in the bed and two ladders are on it. I fly up and over the pickup doing a slow flip. I land on the edge of the road on the back of my head and upper shoulders. My body slapps down like a whip and I begin to bounce and roll and bounce and roll. It seemed like an eternity. After I finally come to a stop I see dust light up by headlights. I thought I was dead and in heaven. As I lay there I try to wiggle my feet and hands. Yep they work. I am not dead and not paralized. The the elephant came and sat on me. Pain all over like I have never felt before. I look up and there is this huge Samoian dude looking down and me. "Brah, you ok." No, get an ambulance. I lay there forever waiting to die. Next thing I am on a table with a lot of lights and the doctor saying I am a lucky man. Turned out the leathers were a half size to small for me. It held me together during the spill. I ended up with a fractured hand, fractured foot, dislocated shouder and dislocated hip. No rash and no real serious injuries.

Flash forward 20 years. I get a brand new 2006 FZ1. Just like the FJ1200 but much more fun. I get that bike in May. Coming home from work in November following a white ford f250. Now I dont know who teaches yoiu californians to drive but you DO NOT SWING LEFT TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN. Well I slide left because its an intersection and its dark and I dont want to get hit but some on coming car making a left in front of me. Just then I notice the car making a left in my lane. Still doing 30 mph I grab to much front brake and down I go. I roll up under the car that was making the left. I try to get up fearing the car that I am under is going to back up. The helmet is pinched between the bumper and the road. I push myself out from under the car. I am wearing a Cortech GX Air Jacket with liner, Dockers because I am coming home from work, Cortech gloves with leather palms and hiking boots. The textile part of the jacket tore at the seam where it connected to the leather shoulder but did not go through the liner. Small hole in the knee of the pants and I feel like I broke my little finger as it was pinched between the brake lever and the asphault. The KBC helmet has a small hole where the exhaust pipe went in. Slight cut to the top of my head but no real damage. Bike totalled. Gas take can openered, Completed rashed on one side. Cost of repair more than the bike was worth.

So what did I learn from all of this? If you really want to be safe and have absolutely no fear of road rash the Moo Cow leather is the answer. Its hottier than hell but it absolutely protects. Also all leather gloves will protect better than any textile glove even with leather palms. Also, wear a high quality boot. I have been lucky wearing leather and gortex hiking boots when I ride. Finally, dont skimp on a helmet. The KBC I wore was DOT and SNELL and it still failed in a low speed crash. Just because it says DOT and SNELL doesnt mean they are all alike. Someone posted a link to an article all about helmets. Read it, it could save your life. (BTW I dont use my own advice. I ride wearing an Olympia neon yellow jacket, a Shoei X-11 and still wear dockers to work and blue jeans on weekends, hiking boots and leather gloves. I am also very aware of the concequences and am prepared to live with them.)

 

[johnny80s]

Slappy I am not riding with you anymore. You are trouble.