A word on safety gear

[Standby diver]

I recently got an amazing opportunity to work in the Los Angeles County ER for 3 weeks. There were a pretty solid amount of trauma patients, but one thing stood out a lot of motorcycle crashes. There were at least 2 motorcycle crash patients a day.

Taking care of these patients certainly reenforced that safety gear works. There was one patient who was t-boned while going 35-40mph, full pro-gear, discharged in 20 minutes.

People wearing jeans, they didn't leave so quickly. A lot of wound debridement needed for these people.

Every once in a while though there is that patient that no amount of protective gear will help. No matter what you wear hitting a concrete wall at 60mph will be bad for you. If you hit a street sign with your leg your expensive pants will not keep your femur inside your leg.

Everyone at the start of my 3 weeks there said I would sell my motorcycle when I done with my rotation there. They were wrong, I still love riding and will continue to commute on my S10. It was really just a solid reminder that you need to be alert. And exercise good judgement out there.

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[Dogdaze]

So true! Thanks for the reminder, but also another reason I ride less and only on a Sunday.....................

 

[Gregory]

Can't agree more... I hit a Peugeot 406 side on (Crossed into my lane) at 60mph and i'm still here, back on a bike and full of expensive metal but still here.

I was wearing Rukka

Good gear works.. At least give yourself half a chance..

I see some of those crashes from over the pond... Idiots pulling wheelies and stuff on the highways in T shirts and trainers then falling off... Makes me cringe..

Greg

 

[Nissbird]

Thanks Standby diver, messages like this give the attention needed to possible consequences of riding a motorbike.

 

[AVGeek]

So were you at "Rampart" (Harbor UCLA)?

My dad was a firefighter for LA City, so when he started my brother and I riding (in the desert), safety gear wasn't an option, and it carried over when I started riding the street.

 

[Sierra1]

So true! Thanks for the reminder, but also another reason I ride less and only on a Sunday.....................

I don't know about over there, but here, that's the same day all the grandmas/grandpas take THEIR weekly drive too. I still know a few guys around here that don't wear helmets because of the heat. I've NEVER understood that logic. Whether it's a "slide" crash, or an "impact" crash, a helmet is the minimum safety equipment. ::001::

 

[Dogdaze]

I don't know about over there, but here, that's the same day all the grandmas/grandpas take THEIR weekly drive too. I still know a few guys around here that don't wear helmets because of the heat. I've NEVER understood that logic. Whether it's a "slide" crash, or an "impact" crash, a helmet is the minimum safety equipment. ::001::

Nothing open on Sundays in Switzerland, except restaurants and a few gas stations (most are all automated now) so the Swiss are late risers, and average Swiss drives about 6k miles per year, so roads early are very quite. Rode for 2 hours about two weeks ago in new area, maybe saw 20 cars...... maybe!

 

[Checkswrecks]

Thanks for the good post!


I wear all the gear almost all the time and we just came back from vacationing in Maine. It's all Harley all the time with virtually nobody wearing helmets, with some Ricky-Racer sport bikes thrown in. They'll generally have a helmet and that's about it. Karen looked about like this:


???

 

[Rambler]

Video on Safety Gear from Australia:

https://www.facebook.com/TransportAccidentCommission/videos/1559614707432535/?hc_ref=ARTqLiR2_NyI8alWpnd1GxvhdipvxBb3g9ebwdtdynv1rg39J9VbWudEN5ZUD05qWsE

 

[bob dirt]

I am a believer. After getting mauled by a big Ford on a dirt road, I had only two broken bones in my leather boot and a fractured bone in my glove. No blood or road rash on my body. I generally don't ride with the fools in town. I use my bikes for trips and adventures.

 

[Standby diver]

I never understood the heat preventing people from wearing helmets. I commuted daily in Florida year round and now in Hawaii. Pretty hard for me to think of more hot and humid places in America. Still I wore all the gear all the time.

AVGeek I was at LAC+USC.

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[Sierra1]

Nothing open on Sundays in Switzerland, except restaurants and a few gas stations (most are all automated now) so the Swiss are late risers, and average Swiss drives about 6k miles per year, so roads early are very quite. Rode for 2 hours about two weeks ago in new area, maybe saw 20 cars...... maybe!

And with all that scenery....sounds like motorcycle heaven! ::001::

 

[trikepilot]

I work in the OR at a level 1 trauma center. I have yet to see a motorcycle accident that came in off an ADV bike wearing all the gear. 99.999% of all the victims are your stereotypical Harley riders and the few outliers are squids on their Busas. ATGATT does not compute for these riders as they are fully subscribed to the "style" of their genre which precludes them from doing so.

No matter... Darwin always finds a way to cull the herd...

 

[greg the pole]

::026:: for AGATT

I commute everyday 55km round trip from the burbs into downtown Cow town. Full Klim gear, and a Airbag hi viz vest. I look like a total dork ::015:: picture of said dork below!
but, the airbag has become like a seatbelt for me. I have harnesses on both bikes. It's heavy, and doesn't let the air flow as well on hot days, but in retrospect, eating my supper out a straw is out.

Alternately, when riding my XC off road, it's full mx boots (5 saves at least and counting) carbon knee braces (saved my knee once at least), helmet, goggles, gloves, chest/roost protector with full arm protection.
The amount of time you bail on a dirt bike, and are exposed to tree branches, rocks and anything else that could hurt you, you'd have to be completely retarded to ride without gear. Yes dirt bikes are light, but 270 LB on your foot, bending it the way it's not supposed to, is still stupid heavy.

If I show up to the lot and say I forget my mx boots. I go home.

 

[x-box]

I'm from the Gold Coast in Australia, and passed a crash scene on the freeway a few days ago very near where I live. Some guy with "issues" were spotted about 100km from this scene already speeding on his bike - reportedly doing 160km/h, drinking from a can and throwing it into traffic, weaving in and out (legal speed limit varies between 100-110km/h). Kicker is he was wearing shorts, singlet, thongs (or slip-ons/flip-flops, whatever you call it) and no helmet!!???? When he eventually crashed he lost half a leg (about 25m from him on the road) and is in hospital in critical condition as you can imagine. Makes me look tame even when going down the road to the shops, I wear all the gear, even in summer - the alternative is just not worth it!! As Greg said, eating through a straw is not on.... ::001::

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Good reminder why I do what I do.

Of course the memory of my wife low-siding, getting partially run over by an F150, sliding down the road about 100', watching them tow away the F150 (and her bike), then having her home that night because the gear did its job, is indelibly imprinted in my mind. Still good to have other reminders.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Cher's a trooper!!!

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Yep, slept on the couch that night. I went downstairs and the first thing she said was, "what kind of bike are you going to get me?"

Shook me up enough that I wasn't so sure I wanted her back on a bike. That led to our brief ownership of a Spyder.

 

[Donk]

As I posted in another thread; Fortunately I've only tested gear once. Guy blew a stop sigh directly in front of me as I was headed down a divided road at 50mph. I had on a Joe Rocket jacket and Rev-it pants in addition to all the other gear. I would not call either of those items high end but both worked better than I could have hoped. No broken bones, no road rash although I had a concussion.. 22 Deputies there could not believe I survived. Yes the gear works

 

[ADKsuper10]

Thanks for the good post!


I wear all the gear almost all the time and we just came back from vacationing in Maine. It's all Harley all the time with virtually nobody wearing helmets, with some Ricky-Racer sport bikes thrown in. They'll generally have a helmet and that's about it. Karen looked about like this:


???

Sounds like Old Orchard Beach!

Never understod why someone would ride a $20-30K bike and wear a $25 half helmet or no gear at all. To each their own I suppose.