Food for thought

Nutter67 · 11-10-2007, 10:24 PM

Hi all,

I "borrowed" this from another forum, but it makes you think.....

Riding Without Gear - A Personal Choice
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Riding without boots and crashing might cost you some road rash or foot mash or even in an extreme case might lead to amputation. You might never walk without a limp. You might battle a weight and fitness problem for the rest of your life. You might never walk with pain. But it probably wouldn't kill you.

Riding without gloves and crashing might cost you some road rash or a Munched hand or the severe, excrutiating pain of mangling a body part rich with nerve endings. Or you could lose a finger or two. It could cost you the ability to play ball with your son, to properly feel the gentle curve of a womans breast, or to hold a beer. But it probably wouldn't kill you.

Riding without at least an armored jacket and leather trousers or full leathers or an Aerostich or even just a leather jacket and jeans and crashing might cost you serious road rash. You might grind off a nipple. You might embed gravel in your elbow. You might get beef jerky all over your back. You might grind off your kneecap or have a scar resembling Australia on you calf like a friend of mine does. You would be scarred for life and not be able to walk on a beach shirtless without feeling self conscious. You might end up like Kevin Spacey's character in "Pay It Forward" and have to deal with the same awkward moment every time you remove your clothes with a new lover. But it probably won't kill you.

Riding without a back protector and crashing in all but rare crashes would be inconsequential. However, there are so many variables out there- curbs, fenders, poles, guardrails, debris in the road- any one of these could be the golden BB that nicks your spinal cord in just the wrong way and leaves you in a wheelchair for life. Or, maybe you just have constant sciatic pain in one leg. Or you can't move your legs. Or you have to wear diapers for when you @#%$ yourself, and/or a colostomy bag you have to pull out of your pants leg and squeeze your waste out into the toilet at a bar like a guy I know. Or you can't move from the chest down. Or from the neck down. Are you good at working joysticks with your mouth? Or maybe you might need a respirator? Or 24 hour care? Certainly, there are impacts that are completely forseeable that would permanently injure you even with the best back protector in the world. But there are crashes and subsequent impacts that even mediocre back protectors can make that little bit of difference in- the ones you get up and walk away from, sore all over, but *walking*. Do you want the last time you walked to be when you walked out of 7-11 with a pack of smokes and then got on your bike? Those precious few steps out the door and over to the bike to be the five steps you remember the rest of your life because the next time you were off the bike you were lying strapped to a backboard staring at the headliner of an ambulance, tears running down your face because you couldn't feel the little piggies and you were almost ready to vomit at the stench of your @#%$ because you lost control of your bowels? Riding without a back protector and crashing might not make a difference, or it might make all the difference in the world. It might not kill you, but it might make you wish it had.

And, finally, helmets. Riding without a helmet and crashing might be of no consequence. You might never even touch terra firma with your head. Or you might give yourself an asphalt facelift. You might get a concussion that results in only a bad headache the next day. You might get a serious concussion that lands you in the hospital for endless CAT scans and MRIs, and for the rest of your days be plagued by migraines. You might fracture your orbital and lose your vision. You might fracture your skull and end up fully functional but with a horrible Frankenstein like scar and a metal plate that bothers you on cold days and sets of metal detectors in airports. You might have a closed head injury from which you don't awaken from for hours or days or weeks or months- all the while your mother, father, sister, brother, children, workmates, and/or riding buddies come a visit you, filling an utterly depressing hospital room into a gauche jungle of flowers and bright card saying "get well soon!" that you never see or smell. Sure, you might awaken completely normal besides the hole drilled in your head to reduce pressure. Or you might awaken a little fuzzy, unsure who these people are. Or you might awaken and have to re-learn everything it took you all your life to learn, eventually returning to normal or even better like Harrison Ford in "Regarding Henry". Or you might awaken a man-child, drooling and laughing as you try to stack blocks, wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt signed by your mother, father, sister, brother, children, workmates, and/or riding buddies- which you will never read. Or you might have an open head injury, from which the "you" you know will most likely never return. The rest of your life -be it a day, a week, a month, a year- will consist of feeding tubes, the endless beep and whoosh of the heart monitor and respirator, and the drip-drip or IV fluids, catheters in your rod, and feeding tubes. Of course, you won't mind all of this, you'll be in a dream land no one knows about. Your body will waste away and atrophy. Eventually, the shell that used to be you would give out, and your loved ones would have to make the most grueling decision of their life. Or, you might die on the road, fluffy gray brain matter mixing with blood and cerebro-spinal fluid. Perhaps you last ride would be twenty miles an hour down the street by your house combined with an impatient young driver and an ignored stop sign. Or perhaps it would be a ride on the freeway and a pothole denting your rim and popping the front tire off the bead sending you into the guardrail. Or you might go out in a blaze of glory qith a 100 mph wheelie ending the wrong way. Whichever way, would make maybe a 10 second news story depending on where you live, maybe a paragraph buried on page 32B of the paper. Riding without a helmet could be of no matter- or it could mean the difference between going on as you are now, or having life taken awy from you as if God flipped a switch.

I can live without toes or a mangled foot- but I choose to try and prevent that. I can live with a hand that looks like a burn victim's and maybe relearn to write with my left hand- but I choose to try and prevent that. I can live with a scar in the shape of Australia on my calf- but I try and prevent that. I can live with road rash on my torso and arms- but I try to prevent that. I could live in a wheelchair, agonizing through every day, but I chose to try and prevent that.

I can't live as a man-child. I've already played with blocks. I only drool when I sleep.

We all make choices. Gear can't always save you. All the best leather, denim, Cordura, Kevlar, fiberglass, and plastic is useless when fate throws the Immovable Object or the Irresistible Force in your path. But I choose to stack the deck in my favor. If it all ends up for naught and the stacked deck and the cards up my sleeve end up losing to Fate's royal flush, so be it. But I'll try.

-Author unknown-

PJNXX · 11-10-2007, 10:36 PM

Good reminder on the importance of gear. I often get double-takes from people on the road when they see me wearing my leathers and the temp is 90 degrees. I'd rather be a little hot than lie in a hospital bed with road rash, or worse.

lois · 11-10-2007, 11:23 PM

Same here, when I ride down in Arizona every year, I always get the "you must be really hot and uncomfortable in that get up"

I just smile and tell them, not it's not that bad.

I'd rather be hot than dead.....that plus the ventilation factor @ 160 is pretty unbelievable

..... that is unless your a Utard

Banshee · 11-11-2007, 6:53 AM

I'll take the heat over the chances of terminal gravel rash every day.

After all, it was an ordinary commute home in warm weather on a straight road that saw me hit the road at 100+km/h just for touching the front brake to keep my distance from the car in front. Not braking hard, no front lockup, just touch & then the superman impersonation along the freeway. Lucky for my my '98 sacrificed itself by sending me to the left & going to the right into the cheesecutter alone.

The bastard of it is, had there been no cheesecutter, the bike would have slid on it's side into a wide grassed ditch & I probably could have picked it up & ridden home. As it was, it was a writeoff.

raymondo · 11-11-2007, 7:15 AM

Thanks Nutter
At the very least I always wear my armored Jacket,gloves, helmet and boots.
No matter what the temp is..

CanadianBird · 11-11-2007, 10:53 AM

Agreed, however there are methods to keep cool in very hot weather while armored. Don't wear a black helmet they suck up too much heat. Wear a perforated jacket, Joe Rocket and the like, they are ventilated. Pull a white long sleeve hi tech breathable t-shirt over your jacket. It will reflect heat away and lower you body temp. wear a camel back, get a cooling vest. These are things I do in hot weather. Wear "under armour" or any wicking t under your jacket. Not cotton. Never ride without protection, especially if your not married.

Nutter67 · 07-16-2008, 1:05 AM

Being that it is riding season again, I thought I would return to this post.

slowens07 · 07-16-2008, 1:18 AM

i agree with you all. i cant afford a riding jacket or fancy gloves. but i never ever ride without my helmet. (had a friend die in a 10 mph accident with no helmet on)it doesnt take speed to kill, just the wrong fall

CanadianBird · 07-16-2008, 12:45 PM

You can't afford a riding jacket or gloves??????????? My God, riding gear goes with owning a bike and it should be factered in when purchasing a bike. Riding gear is affordable and you should quit every luxury, beer, smokes, candy, fast food, whatever to get proper gear.

jsfrv6 · 07-16-2008, 1:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Banshee

After all, it was an ordinary commute home in warm weather on a straight road that saw me hit the road at 100+km/h just for touching the front brake to keep my distance from the car in front. Not braking hard, no front lockup, just touch & then the superman impersonation along the freeway.

I'm Intrigued... What caused the launch?

Also, We need to take up a collection for slowens07

... I have an old jacket and gloves I will give him for shipping...

bullet · 07-16-2008, 4:31 PM

...this is a common situation in my country and that makes me very sad....you can see unbearable things such as supersport riders with t-shirts,short pants,and slippers..(!!!!!)..women wearing skirts waving only few cm from the chain ...and sharp looking girls filled up with make up riding their scooters..with total absence of any safety gear...

Partsguy · 07-16-2008, 5:15 PM

Good article Nutter.We all need a reminder now and then that the bikes we ride can lead to dangerous situations and all we may have is luck and what we wear to save our asses.
As mentioned in other columns,I work at a bike dealer,have for over 20 years,and this year we have already lost 2 people,possibly more,I don't always recognize the name.The last one was about 10 days ago and it hit the hardest as it was someone who I'd talked to in detail a few times,my wife knew him and his girlfriend for the last few years through the dealer she worked at.It gives you a dose of reality,unwanted but sometimes needed.I took her GSXR1000 to work a few days ago and kept it safe in town,a little fast on the highway but not anywhere near I often reach and only in short bursts.
I have had 2 impacts with cars and a few off road excursions,most my stupidity.The corn field was a good one.
Al

Banshee · 07-16-2008, 9:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsfrv6

I'm Intrigued... What caused the launch?

As far as I can tell, there must have been some oil/diesel/glycol on the road. But I couldn't see anything when I walked back as far as I could see. I could follow the scrapes where the alloy had ground into the road, I could see the rubber from the front tyre scraping once the bike was on it's side after that, but no sign of it having locked before the alloy scrapes appeared on the road.

I also didn't feel it lock, done that before, know how it feels. Just braked slightly and the front dropped out. The only other thing I can attribute it to would be the pirelli dragon GTs that were fitted at the time. Although I had been riding in traffic for over 1/2 an hour already and been braking harder than I did when it dropped out. One of lifes little mysteries...

Oh yes, except for my gloves, all my riding gear is fine & still in use. The gloves lost the 1st layer of leather on the palms, the kevlar is a little frayed but the 2nd layer of leather was untouched. All I ended up with was a few bruises & a friction burn where my left sleeve twisted as I hit the ground on a lane marker and took a small chunk out of my left forearm.

It takes a lot less time to cool down with a few drinks after getting home, than it does to regrow skin!

docsevicz · 07-16-2008, 10:03 PM

Banshee, what is a cheesecutter? Is it the guardrail?

jsfrv6 · 07-16-2008, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Banshee

As far as I can tell, there must have been some oil/diesel/glycol on the road. But I couldn't see anything when I walked back as far as I could see. I could follow the scrapes where the alloy had ground into the road, I could see the rubber from the front tyre scraping once the bike was on it's side after that, but no sign of it having locked before the alloy scrapes appeared on the road.

I also didn't feel it lock, done that before, know how it feels. Just braked slightly and the front dropped out. The only other thing I can attribute it to would be the pirelli dragon GTs that were fitted at the time. Although I had been riding in traffic for over 1/2 an hour already and been braking harder than I did when it dropped out. One of lifes little mysteries...

Man that sux....I rode 4 wheelers a lot without front brakes so I'm use to using the back brakes more than the front. I generally slow down with back and use the front as needed... Don't know if that is better or worse.

wigo · 07-16-2008, 11:47 PM

Yea I have gone down once on my hurricane at about 15 mph. Went into the asphalt face first with palms out. Front of my helmet took a huge hit and all my skin on my palms was gone(no gloves... on my way home from church) but I rode off.
What did I learn...
Always wear a full face helmet and after peeling my skin off my palms... wear gloves.
I wear a joe rocket jacket but no pants. I think I may want to get a pair of pants.
One more thing...
I rode for years without ever having a deer come at me from the side of the rode but yesterday, something new happened. A yearliing with spots came right out in front of me. I mean right out in front of me. No time to stop or brake or anything else, but by the grace of God I watched this deer pick up speed, after our eyes met, on the asphalt. I watched this deer miss my front fairing by inches. I don't know about you but that brought a new perspective to obstacles while riding. I began to run scenarios through my head about what would ahve happened if I had hit that deer. I was only going about 35mph but still it would have been bad.... Wear your gear... always. When I got home I thanked God for his protection, just another bit of armor I wear.

Nutter67 · 07-16-2008, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by docsevicz

Banshee, what is a cheesecutter? Is it the guardrail?

The "cheesecutter" is a type of safety rail used here on highways and freeways. It is made up of four wire ropes that are approx 1" in diameter and 18" apart (like the ropes in a boxing ring) setup inbetween plastic posts. The idea is that when a car hits the barrier, the post will snap and the wire rope will absorb some of the impact and re-direct the car away from oncoming traffic (or embankments, etc). Unfortunately with motorbikes it can be a human body hitting these ropes at 100+ kmh, which will do a lot of damage to the body, possibly cutting the body into multiple pieces, or just inflicting a lot of internal injuries.

ArmyStrong · 07-17-2008, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raymondo

Thanks Nutter
At the very least I always wear my armored Jacket,gloves, helmet and boots.
No matter what the temp is..

Same here, but since my asphalt superman rendition at somewhere between 40 and 60mph , I've added leather or armoured pants to the list. Only damage I received was where I wasn't adequately protected, which resulted in a 3/4 in. hole in my knee and a little ass rash. Jacket and gloves were tore up a bit, but they worked!! I probably could've slid for another 50 feet or so.

Thanks again for the reminder Sir Nutter. I'm gonna cut and paste and send to all my riding buddies.

(and keep a hard copy in the pocket of my "hot ass" jacket)

SilverBrd · 07-17-2008, 2:38 AM

So flip flops, shorts, and a doo rag is unacceptable?????

bullet · 07-17-2008, 11:18 AM

...and this is a very lucky fellow....

YouTube - FZ6 vs Deer

wigo · 07-21-2008, 10:20 AM

I watched a few of those after my near miss. Saw a guy brake too hard and go over and saw a few just hit the thing. Looks like the best thing to do with an animal is just hit it, just like in a car.

Nutter67 · 08-02-2008, 8:19 AM

************************** SPOILER *******************

Website with very graphic content.

Live to Ride - Ride to DIE

Link was borrowed from OzBB.

Be warned. The pictures on this website illustrate the importance of ATGATT. These are real photos. To some, post # 1 might sound like a good idea for others but not for them because they are a good rider/always alert/it will never happen to them/you cannot tell me wha to do. This is a real reminder of what will happen when if and when your time comes. To others, this is a visual reminder of why we wear gear.

I thought long and hard about posting this link. It is graphic, it may even be upsetting, but in the end I thought if it can protect anybody by getting them to follow ATGATT then it is worth it.