Anyone who enjoys powersports please read this.

[Oneslowz28]

I just want to take a second to stress the necessity of safety gear while riding any type of motorcycle, atv, or any land based non automotive vehicle. You should always wear proper riding gear because your life depends on it. Sure you think you wont wreck, or get injured because you're a "safe rider". The sad truth is that no one is a "safe rider" because there are things that are out of your control.

I lost a friend this week due to her not wearing a helmet while riding on the back of her husbands bike. She left behind her husband, a 5 year old kid and lots of loving family and friends. A dog or something ran out in front of them while he was going fairly slow at about 30 mph. They hit a ditch and she was ejected from the bike and her head struck something hard. I don't know what but it could have just been the ground. She died 3 hours later at the hospital due to severe head trauma. If she would have been wearing a helmet she would have made it. That's straight from the Dr's mouth.

I don't care how cool you think you are and how uncool it is to wear protective gear. There is no use in being cool if your dead. Don't think it can not happen to you. All it takes is one idiot on a cell or messing with the radio to pull out in front of you, swerve into your lane or even a deer or dog jump out in front of you while your trail riding on your atv or dirtbike. Those are just the things you can see. Lets talk about the things you can not see. All it takes is a tiny bit of sand, little bit of oil or water, or couple pieces of gravel in a curve to make you wipe out on a bike and send you head first into a guard rail or tree. What if your going straight at 60mph and run over a piece of glass and cut your front tire down? You will it the pavement. You can be the best rider in the world and lose focus for 1 second and that be it.

So what is the proper riding gear? Proper gear consist of: (this is motorcycle based but most of the gear is universal.)

A full faced helmet. Not one of those half face pos that only half protect you. What would happen if you landed face first on a rock or guard rail?
A purpose made riding jacket with armor sewed in the right places. An every day ordinary leather jacket wont last long at 60mph on pavement. It would be a good idea to get one that will zip to your pants for added protection. A back protector is a plus too.
A pair of purpose made riding pants with armor sewed in. Jeans will shred on contact with pavement. Remember falling off a bike as a kid and skinning your knee because the pants ripped? Imagine that at 60mph.
Full gauntlet riding gloved. If they don't have wrist protection leave them.
Riding boots. Riding boots have hard plastic / metal molded in areas that take the most abuse in a crash.


If you think that gear list is excessive then you do not belong on 2 wheels.

[simon275]

Safety on bikes is very important we lost a dear friend of the forum In a freak accident on a motor bike.

Please please everyone be careful on bikes. I don't think I could take attending another funeral for one of you.

RIP Bucko

[Luke122]

I'm with you 100% on the importance of safety equipment.

A few years back, one of my friends was riding a four wheeler out west with a small group. 2 of them were heading back to camp on a fire road, not racing, but moving at a decent speed. Steve was riding a Yamaha 450YZF (I think that's the one) racing bike, as he had just bought it.. his dream bike. He'd been racing for 2 seasons on a Honda 400EX, and this one is/was a BEAST!

Steve was hanging back behind the other guy, due to the dust he was throwing up on the road. As they rounded a curve, Steve was around 1km behind the other guy. Coming the other way, were two young kids, both riding with no gear at all, and probably doing 80-100kmh. They were brothers (12 and 16) racing back to their campsite.

The younger one was quite a bit ahead, and passed Steve who was "at the bottom end of 4th gear" (around 70kmh). The dust from the lead rider, and then from the passing the young kid was so thick, that when the older brother came around the corner at full speed, he hit Steve head on.

The kid was thrown right over Steve, and landed down the road, on his face. He slid for probably 200 feet or so. Steve meanwhile was crushed between the two quads. If not for all his safety equipment, he would have died instantly.

His helmet took the biggest of the impact, but his face was still completely shattered (yes it was a full face helmet), his goggles luckily kept his right eye in tact, since the socket was completely crushed, and it popped out of his head.

His chest protector and back protector both completely shattered (a few broken ribs! that's it!), his armored gloves kept his hands from bring crushed, but he still broke 2 fingers, and his right thumb literally exploded from the impact.

His right foot was crushed against the engine, and his ankle broken, but he still has both feet/legs, and is walking today.

If not for his equipment, he would have died. Doctors have confirmed it, police investigating the crash confirmed it, the shop he got his equipment from confirmed it (and gave him new gear for free!).

The kid who was thrown over? He looked like he slid face first down a cheese grater, shattered his jaw, and nearly bled to death, but survived also.

No amount of safety gear can replace being careful, but they are called "accidents" for a reason... wear a f*cking helmet.

[Omega]

I've talked to a few bikers and they all say the same thing.

"It's not if you'll get in a crash, it's when."

Hell, I wouldn't even exclude automobiles -- I lost a friend to a car accident because he wasn't wearing a helmet. He got t-boned by a truck and his head smacked itself in to the rollcage he had installed (he was driving his autocross/track car that day). Cracked his skull.

But yeah, never underestimate the value of safety equipment -- those who use it often live to tell about it, those who don't, well...

[msmrx57]

Biggest thing to remember is that no matter how good or safe you are accidents still happen. It's also quite often that someone else wasn't paying attention can get you hurt or dead.

[Airbozo]

Have to concur with this.

I used to wear a shorty helmet until I laid my bike down in a corner (hit a patch of diesel fuel). I got lucky and only watched the ground slide by inches from my face . I now wear a full face helmet ALL the time.

I also lost a friend when I was very young. She was riding on the back of her BF's bike, and had given him the helmet to wear since he did not have any eye protection. Old lady turned left in front of them, she got launched and died at the scene.

While I was in Kauai this last month I was always amazed at the kids on sport bikes wearing only shorts, sandals and tank tops, with no helmet.:facepalm:

My best suggestion? Attend the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course. It will make you a better rider and decrease the cost of your insurance. ( just don't try and bunny hop the motorcycle over the cones...)

[The boy 4rm oz]

I am really sorry for your loss mate, I know how it feels and I have seen many many horrific motorcycle crashes around where I live (Adelaide Hills, lots and lots of windy roads).

I have 2 friends who are bike nuts and we always joke about how at their funerals we will bury them in a Tupperware container, the sad thing is it's probably true, especially around where we live and with the amount of dicks from the city that come and abuse our roads. Around where I live we have some of the worst crash statistics in the state, the thing is, it's not the locals who do the crashing.

[Kayin]

ATGATT, plz.

I'm handicapped from a bicycle vs car collision in college. Frontal lobe injury, closed skull fracture, replaced shoulder and knee, broken ribs, broken jaw, orbit busted (my face slid down, they tacked it back up though) and my right hand was shattered. It's still a claw, I have massive back damage and I walk with a permanent limp and can only pick up 10 pounds with my left arm.

Also, on a related note, turn your phone OFF in the car. He hit me cause he wasn't paying attention and was on the phone. Three cops SAW it. Research hospital on campus, probably why I lived. I still swear uncontrollably sometimes, lose words when I talk about once a week and have anger control issues from the hit to the head I took.

Wear your gear.

[Oneslowz28]

I just got back from the funeral. I borrowed my old bike from my uncle to ride with a group of people to escort the funeral precession to the grave yard. There were about 30 of us on bikes and all of them knew how she died and even still I counted 8 people with out any gear on period and 12 total with no helmets. I wore a pare of my uncles overpants, my olf HD jacket, my helmet and some gauntlets I borrowed from a friend. All over a suit. It was hot as hell but at least I was safe. I am going on a memorial ride in her honor tomorrow morning with a few friends. Its going to be a short 200-250 miles through the country to Charleston and back. I have been wanting to get back on the road for months now but not like this.

[Airbozo]

Please express our grief for your friend to the group. Implore them to wear gear in her honor.

I commute daily on my sporty and even though it is hot right now I still wear leathers and a full face helmet. During our monthly rides, _everyone_ wears full riding gear or they get sent home. None of us wants this sort of thing nagging at us while we ride.

[Oneslowz28]

I mentioned it before we left for the funeral home today and the people with out gear on (mostly older guys) said it was a free country. I didn't push it any further because of why we were riding together.

It will be nice to be on the sporty again for a couple hundred miles.

[Airbozo]

I mentioned it before we left for the funeral home today and the people with out gear on (mostly older guys) said it was a free country. I didn't push it any further because of why we were riding together.

This is why, even though I ride with full gear, I would never vote for or support a law that told them they had to.

It will be nice to be on the sporty again for a couple hundred miles.

Ask your butt this the next day...

[Datech]

I just bought a helmet for Girlfriend last Sunday, should be here this next week sometime. I will be teaching her the basics of motorcycles with my buddy in the parking lot with the engine off so she isn't overwhelmed when she gets to the MSF course. After that we are going to start learning how to ride together, basically going over the MSF course with her on the back.

A buddy of mine laid down his brand new ZX-6R the other day. Going through an increasing radius curve at safe speeds, but it had gravel in the middle. Low sided the bike on the gravel and rode it into a lip on a drive way. He basically surfed on top of it until the lip, so he got really lucky as far as physical damage goes. He ended up with a broken finger, bruised ribs, and a bit of road rash, but the lip and road ripped the entire left side off the bike.

Could have been much worse.

[Oneslowz28]

Just want everyone to know I made it back ok.will be on in a little bit. On Ipod now

[Oneslowz28]

Ask your butt this the next day...

You are right about that. I know I will be paying for it tomorrow. I had to make the last 30 miles in hard rain @ about 20mph. We were in the middle of nowhere with nothing in site but a narrow 2 lane road and it was getting dark so no one chose to stop. Man am I going to be sore tomorrow. There is one road on the way down there that you are on for about 40 miles and it was 40 miles of tar snakes every 10 feet. I swear that I thought my teeth were going to bounce out. My butt did go numb about 20 miles in on the return trip. This "comfort" seat he installed is not so comfortable once compressed.

[Crazy Buddhist]

I first came off a bike when I was 17. Doing 50 mph wearing a full face helmet, jeans, a T shirt and a plastic jacket.

Grinding to a halt on the road on my back and side I felt the plastic of the jacket melting into my skin, the grit and dirt being pushed into the wounds. I was lucky, no broken bones but it took about six months before all my skin was skin again the plastic bits that had melted in were gone.

Be safe.

Oneslowz, sorry to hear of this loss. Life throws some horrible spanners at us sometimes. You and your friends are in my thoughts.

Matthew

[Oneslowz28]

Thanks CB