Motorcycle rider protection and stuff
Gee that's weird, how come every sanctioned motorcycle racing organization on the face of the planet uses full face helmets? Must be to break the rider's necks? Completely false. Utter BS. Worse than useless information. :violent1:
The info that moparlover posted is great stuff. Defensive riding is a must, at ALL times. It doesn't take as much imagination as defensive driving, because everyone out there really IS trying to kill you. #-o Seriously. Those clueless minivan and SUV drivers with their phones and tv screens are trying to kill you.
Bright gear helps does help, but its more important that you wear gear all the time. I ALWAYS wear a leather jacket, kevlar reinforced riding jeans (at the minimum), gloves, boots, and a full face helmet. ALWAYS. If I'm going for a long ride to enjoy some mountain roads I will usually wear full leathers, same as on the track. I don't even understand how people ride in shorts and a t-shirt. Sunburned, wind chapped, burned from your engine and pipes, I fail to see how its more comfortable even when it is 100* out. Regardless, it won't be more comfortable when they're taking a deck brush to your roadrash.
Typically for armor you want stuff that is CE rated. Quality still varies some, but that's usually an indicator that's its decent. It has a hard outer shell with softer foam inside. Most motorcycle jackets will have shoulder and elbow armor, some have back armor. I put a CE rated back protector in my jacket, it originally just had a foam pad, not CE armor. Padding is good, but CE armor is better, especially in a slide. My jacket is an older ICON and has held up wonderfully, even through an accident where I was hit and punted over the handlebars. I wear Dainese gloves, they're expensive, but they have better dexterity than the Alpinestars I used to wear. Nothing wrong with the Alpinestars, they also survived that same crash just fine, but the Dainese's are more comfortable for me. My race suit and boots are Alpinestars. My street boots are just old steel toe work boots.
I have several helmets, ranging from ICON's and HJC's up to a Suomy that I use on the track. I look for helmets that are both DOT and SNELL, since DOT also endorses those completely useless half helmets. Snell doesn't, its a higher standard. My Suomy also meets British Standard. Get a helmet that fits, all of the different manufacturers use slightly different shapes, so some helmets will fit you better regardless of price, because they will have a shape that matches your head better. Some manufacturers, like Arai, use different shapes for their different model lines. If you're just riding on the street any helmet that fits you well and is DOT/SNELL will work just fine. Cheaper (usually in the $200-$300 range) helmets are fine for the street, but typically will start to cause problems at higher speeds. If you're going to do trackdays, you may want to go out and get a Shoei, Arai, or Suomy. Yes, they cost 3x as much, but they also are aerodynamically tested and won't start buffeting at 100+ mph like the cheaper ones can. I have an HJC that I use most of the time on the street. Its great, but buffets starting at about 75mph. My Suomy has been good up to 140+ :D (on the track).
I've now been hit twice. First time was 7 years ago right after I bought my bike, some A-hole rear ended me while I was stopped for traffic while making a left turn. Tossed me over the handlebars, subluxed my shoulder, and almost totaled my bike. I was wearing all my usual gear, so other than the shoulder and some bruises I was fine. Last week I was merged into on the freeway at 65 mph by some guy not paying attention. I saw him out of the corner of my field of vision as he came in, I accelerated and turned away, and just got clipped on my foot. Took half his plastic bumper off, tore up my boot, and tweaked my ankle. But I stayed up and the foot isn't bad. Had I been wearing something other than steel toe boots I may have lost some parts. Wear all your gear.
And have fun. Accidents and close encounters aside, I still love riding. :D
Gee that's weird, how come every sanctioned motorcycle racing organization on the face of the planet uses full face helmets? Must be to break the rider's necks? Completely false. Utter BS. Worse than useless information. :violent1:
The info that moparlover posted is great stuff. Defensive riding is a must, at ALL times. It doesn't take as much imagination as defensive driving, because everyone out there really IS trying to kill you. #-o Seriously. Those clueless minivan and SUV drivers with their phones and tv screens are trying to kill you.
Bright gear helps does help, but its more important that you wear gear all the time. I ALWAYS wear a leather jacket, kevlar reinforced riding jeans (at the minimum), gloves, boots, and a full face helmet. ALWAYS. If I'm going for a long ride to enjoy some mountain roads I will usually wear full leathers, same as on the track. I don't even understand how people ride in shorts and a t-shirt. Sunburned, wind chapped, burned from your engine and pipes, I fail to see how its more comfortable even when it is 100* out. Regardless, it won't be more comfortable when they're taking a deck brush to your roadrash.
Typically for armor you want stuff that is CE rated. Quality still varies some, but that's usually an indicator that's its decent. It has a hard outer shell with softer foam inside. Most motorcycle jackets will have shoulder and elbow armor, some have back armor. I put a CE rated back protector in my jacket, it originally just had a foam pad, not CE armor. Padding is good, but CE armor is better, especially in a slide. My jacket is an older ICON and has held up wonderfully, even through an accident where I was hit and punted over the handlebars. I wear Dainese gloves, they're expensive, but they have better dexterity than the Alpinestars I used to wear. Nothing wrong with the Alpinestars, they also survived that same crash just fine, but the Dainese's are more comfortable for me. My race suit and boots are Alpinestars. My street boots are just old steel toe work boots.
I have several helmets, ranging from ICON's and HJC's up to a Suomy that I use on the track. I look for helmets that are both DOT and SNELL, since DOT also endorses those completely useless half helmets. Snell doesn't, its a higher standard. My Suomy also meets British Standard. Get a helmet that fits, all of the different manufacturers use slightly different shapes, so some helmets will fit you better regardless of price, because they will have a shape that matches your head better. Some manufacturers, like Arai, use different shapes for their different model lines. If you're just riding on the street any helmet that fits you well and is DOT/SNELL will work just fine. Cheaper (usually in the $200-$300 range) helmets are fine for the street, but typically will start to cause problems at higher speeds. If you're going to do trackdays, you may want to go out and get a Shoei, Arai, or Suomy. Yes, they cost 3x as much, but they also are aerodynamically tested and won't start buffeting at 100+ mph like the cheaper ones can. I have an HJC that I use most of the time on the street. Its great, but buffets starting at about 75mph. My Suomy has been good up to 140+ :D (on the track).
I've now been hit twice. First time was 7 years ago right after I bought my bike, some A-hole rear ended me while I was stopped for traffic while making a left turn. Tossed me over the handlebars, subluxed my shoulder, and almost totaled my bike. I was wearing all my usual gear, so other than the shoulder and some bruises I was fine. Last week I was merged into on the freeway at 65 mph by some guy not paying attention. I saw him out of the corner of my field of vision as he came in, I accelerated and turned away, and just got clipped on my foot. Took half his plastic bumper off, tore up my boot, and tweaked my ankle. But I stayed up and the foot isn't bad. Had I been wearing something other than steel toe boots I may have lost some parts. Wear all your gear.
And have fun. Accidents and close encounters aside, I still love riding. :D
