[Ducati_Don]

Hello all!
Well, I thought I would pass on a little story about protection (not that kind of protection).  I was in an accident last year in early June.  I was out for 9 months!!!  I severed the peronial tendon in my right foot.  Including the initial accident I had 3 surgeries over the summer, including a skin graft!  I almost lost my foot!  I had excellent insurance that paid close to 50k for all of the medical bills! 

I was damn lucky!!!  I was taking my wifes Sporty in for a little maintenance, when I was tagged by a beast in an SUV, I was only doing about 8-10 mph when she decided to take a quick left turn on me.  I was able to react quickly and for that I believe I did not have more damage.  Well, I was wearing a t-shirt, plain jeans, short helmet and ankle high nylon hiking shoes.  I thought since I was only going down the street a few miles from my house it was no big deal!   Now I have been riding since I was 11, I am now 45.  I have taken all the MSF courses, and I taught motorcycle safety while in the Air Force!  That was my first, and if I can help it my LAST dump on the road!

Riding is such a big part of my life that I decided if I was going to continue to ride then I would have to change things.

I now own the following:
-Fieldsheer mesh armored summer jacket
-APS fully armored leather track jacket
-APS fully armored leather track pants
-SIDI Tempur Air Strada boots
-Alpinestars carbon fiber gauntlet track gloves
-Draggin jeans Kevlar padded jeans with detachable armor
-H.D. FXRG nylon jacket and pants with armor
-Shoei RF-1000 helmet

I have also signed up for track days to include instruction and I now have the most extensive collection of motorcycle riding/skills/racing/track/touring etc.....  books you could imagine!

What's my point?  There is so much good gear out there, it would be a shame to read on the forum about someone else going throug the pain I went through just because they couldn't or wouldn't get the gear.

Ride safe

just my 2 cents worth!! 

[thumbsup] [thumbsup] [thumbsup]

 

[davidbeinct]

Thanks for letting us learn from your misfortune, and I'm glad you're well mended.

IMO this ought to be stickified.

David B.

 

[mmoore]

Made it sticky!

Don, good post. Sorry about all the pain & surgery. You really never do know when fate will smack you upside the head. We all know it would be nuts not to gear up for a track day (and would, in fact, get us booted off the track) but apply different standards for the street. We assume lower speeds = more safety, but as your story illustrates speed is not the whole story. It surely is a hassle to pull on all that crap for a quick ride, but waiting to be seen by doctors, dealing with insurance companies, and physical limitation are all much greater pains in the butt.

 

[Ducati_Don]

I have no problem putting on whatever gear I need for even a short ride now! I am going to the track to learn more about riding and how my bikes will act in that environment.

"Knowledge is good" - Emil Faber

 

[stevey]

thanks for the reminder. sometimes i have to force myself to
suit up for a shorter trip. accounts like this will make it
easier to do the right thing.

 

[BrutaleS]

I feel your pain brother! 10 years ago I was riding home from work (1.5 miles) wearing just an unarmored leather jacket, gloves and helmet when I was hit head on by a drunk driver. Long story short, I ended up with 2 broken toes, broken knee, shattered patela, and a messed up helmet. I finally worked up enough guts to start riding again 5 months ago and now never leave home without my armored pants (mesh and leather), armored jacket, SPidi boots, gloves, and helmet. Motorcycle gear has come a long way in 10 years and there is a lot of comfortable stuff to wear. Absolutely no excuse to leave the home without the proper attire!

 

[SForza]

I was just talking about this stuff w/ my Dad, last night. I was sweating pretty good in my pref. Vanson yesterday, but my Dad was glad to see me wearing it.

You need leathers and a helmet no matter when, or what distance you ride, b/c you usually crash or get hit when you least expect it.

"All it takes is a a little tap on the head to change your whole personality."

 

[Ducati_Don]

Good for you! It's getting hot out now and it will take a little more to make sure we all wear our stuff!

I have an armored mesh jacket, you may want to look into one.

Don

 

[asf]

I used to ride with just a jacket. Now I ride with a full oversuit so I can take it off and putit in a bag when I get to wherever I need to go. Try on an oversuit if you have the chance. They are now pretty affordable and for me the way to go [thumbsup] For some reason I don't see why people value only their top half

My bottom half is pretty valuable to me.... >

 

[cookiemonster]

i came off at 80+ and went into a canyon wall (after sliding along the non-forgiving asphalt). I had leather jacket (thick), leather gloves and riding boots. I wish I could post a pic of what the gravel did to my boots. I believe that if i didnt have them on I wouldnt have any toes on my right foot.

observers didnt think i would survive, let alone walk away! I replaced everything, and upgraded. Im still paying it off, but it is worth it.

 

[Cookie]

Remember thar most car accidents happen within a few miles of your own home. That applies to motorbikes too! I go to pick up some groceries on my bike, I'm in my gear...

 

[akducati]

This is a bit hard to type as my right wrist is in a cast. My first broken bones! I was coming around a corner down a hill at about 35mph. A truck load on teenagers was stopped in the middle of the road because they missed their turn. It's possible they may have even been backing up. All I saw was white tailgate! I hit the brakes and because I was in corner front washed out and down I went. FF helmet has scratched shield, Vanson jkt is pretty scraped up, had Sidi vented Vertebras on but left ankle still got bad sprain, Firstgear Meshtech pants show no scuffs at all, and had on ICON TI-max gloves which got scraped up. Only thing I may have done is to have really snugged up the gauntlets of gloves for more wrist protection but thats only speculation. No bruises or roadrash! Cracked the wrist end of the radius and broke the ulnar tip but I'M ALIVE. Yes, gear works! MH

 

[test-reg]

Ouch!, sorry to hear that. Take care of that paw. Thanx for the post.

 

[AndyK]

In the early 80's I buried a Yamaha XS1100 in hwy 67 in Saucier Ms. It was Feb. and I was wearing boots, jeans, full face and military A1 jacket. Notice anything missing?

Walked away with my hands dripping. Spent weeks walking around not being able to tie my own shoes.

 

[M900Wes]

Great post, thanks for the reminder. Hope things heal up for you in the long run. I washed out on some gravel/salt and smacked the side of a mountain in Jan. Totaled the bike, but was in full leathers, Alpine Star two piece, Sidi's, RF 1000, and walked away with a dislocated shoulder. Was back on a bike in six weeks, but if I had been without gear... would have been much worse. I had debated when buying gloves to get the full on "track style" with protected knuckles or just the leather ones. The crack in the plastic part of my Alpine Star GP's has convinced I made the right choice. That would have been my knuckles..... and I play guitar for a living. Stay safe and thanks for the post... WES

 

[test-reg]

I wear full gear all the time:

AGV TiTech full face
Dainese Bora jacket
Dainese Wave Wave G2 back protector
Alpinestars GP Pro gloves
Dainese P103 leather pants
Sidi Vertigo boots.

I'm a fairly new rider, I have ~2200 miles on my S2r.

To all of you guys that have had accidents, I'm glad you're still here to tell us about it and to learn from you.

Dan

 

[Dynamic213]

Wow great stores guys. This is definitely a good wake up call for everyone here.

Another issue I think that everyone missed about "protection" is the VISIBILITY. I noticed too many rides out there who wears full black leather gear for the "cool" factor... myself included.

My wake up call came around a few days ago during one afternoon, when my co-worker almost ran me over at an intersection. She was trying to make a left hand turn while I'm approaching from the opposite direction. Well apparently she failed to see me and made the left hand turn right into me! I had to swerve out of the way from this 6000lb hunk of metal as quick as I can. She finally saw my bike in the midst of her turn, and quickly swerved away in order to avoid a nasty collision.

After the incident, she told me that she did not see me at all because I was in full black outfit, sitting on a black bike (dark actually), riding on black road, which was about the worst combination ever. The worst part was that she didn't even see my high beam headlight!

I don't know if she's just one of those careless drivers or what, but it's people like this that gets riders seriously hurt or killed!

Since then I have decided to purchase a red KBC Racer retro helmet, and a red/white leather jacket for more visibility.

 

[mmoore]

good point on visibility. I used to be an all-black guy, but now have a red helmet and red/white Ducati Corse jacket. Hoping it makes a difference. (Oh, and the Termis coudn't hurt either [laugh])

 

[test-reg]

Visibility is why I have a bright helmet. When I buy peforated leather next year I'll be getting brighter than straight black too.

The whole "not seeing the motorcyclist" thing doesn't just come down to colour, there are other factors involved including the attentiveness of the driver.

Dan

 

[GS750E]

I will not ride without my gear. I do not have pants but jacket, gloves nad helmet are a staple. I once moved my bike 150 feet without a helmet on. It felt weird.

Jim