No protection, why?

[leedee]

the other day I was unfortunate to see a kid get knocked off his bike (oh it was so shiny, before the front got smashed into a million pieces). He wasn't going too fast, the van driver was pulling out of a really bad junction and in my eyes no one was really to blame, just an unfortunate accident.
But i dont understand why some people like the rider only wear t-shirts when out and about! (he did get up from it,just v.badly cut and grazed. v.lucky)
so is it that some people just get complacent if there only nipping to the local shops so dont bother with protection or are they people out there that just don't bother at all!
Have you ever done it?

[Chriss]

Do it all the time. I just enjoy it.

If I'm nipping down town/going to work, I'm not going to wear full leathers/protection.
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TheShaggyDA: I've got 3 or 4 pairs that predate my wife, so at least 11.5 years old.

[leedee]

[matthab]

If its a trip to work or its wet ill wear TExtile trousers Jacket gloves and of course helmet.

If its just a trip into worcester I wont wear the trousers but everything stays on.
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2005 - 2006:Peugeot jet force 50 TDSI (sold)
2006 - Present: Yamaha YBR125 06 (extras:pilot sporty tyres and screen)

[Chriss]

Have done, but that does get very uncomfortable with the wind and flies. A lot of it is yes, I may crash, but I'm more worried about the financial consequences than the physical consequences to me. I get fixed at no direct cost to myself my bike, I have to pay for.
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TheShaggyDA: I've got 3 or 4 pairs that predate my wife, so at least 11.5 years old.

[stinkwheel]

[tony532]

always wear my leathers and boots and gloves. no matter how far i'm riding.
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bikes owned :-

aprilia rs125 - suzuki gsxr400rrsp 1990 - yamaha yzf600r thundercat - honda hornet 6

[Ben.]

always wear gloves and lid, 90% of the time i wear jacket and boots as well, but if i only nip down to the shops im only going to put my lid and gloves on, simply cant be assed to spend 5 mins putting it on for a min journey
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follow my racing season
Race bike - R6
Road bike - sv650

[bish777]

Textile jacket, gloves, lid and army boots every time.
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GSXR1100J

[T.C]

As some of you know I am heavily involved in the study of motorcycle protective clothing and I have to act as a consultant to various bodies on what is good, what is bad and how clothing reacts in crash situations.

I have just been going through some old files, updating and adding to the reports which have been ongoing for nearly 20 years, and I came a cross a few real cases which i thought you might be interested in, and which may convince some the importance of being properly protected, but without the sales/racing/ publicity hype that tends to be rammed down the throat particularly to those of you who are perhaps new to riding. So, I hope you find them interesting and of some help.

Case study 1

An experienced rider having recently passed his RoSPA advanced riding test, is riding to work one morning on his Honda CBX550. He is wearing his leather jacket and leather trousers purchased a few weeks before, having previously not been convicned of the value of leathers!

As he commenced to overtake a slower moving vehicle on a main A class road, he misjudged the speed and distance of an approaching vehicle and collided head on with a closing impact speed of about 120 MPH. The rider was found lying in a ditch about 200 yards from point if impact suffering multiple fractures to his left leg, knee, right arm as well as severe internal injuries.

He was conveyed to hospital where his family were advised that if he survived they would have to consider the amputation of both his arm and leg, particularly his leg. He was admitted into theatre and as they commenced cutting of his leather trousers he lost in excess of three pints of blood in less than 30 seconds. They also found that his leg was more severely injured than they at first thought, but due to the close fitting of his trousers, they had actually acted as a splint and restricted the loss of blood giving him vital time to get Hospital treatment. Because both his trousers and jacket had fitted so well, this the requirement to amputate either his leg or arm was eliminated.

An estimated 12 month stay in Hospital was reduced to 6 weeks, and within 10 weeks he was driving again, albeit an automatic, and within 16 weeks he was driving manual gearboxes.

His speedy recovery was attributed to good well fitting leathers. Had he been wearing anything else, as he had done only a few weeks earlier, it is thought that he would have bled to death at the side of the road.

Although he is now permanently disabled, he is for the main part able to live a normal life although he will never ride a motorcycle again.

He was not wearing any armour, and this accidentt occured about 18 years ago!

This was my Brother in laws accident, and he now lives happily in Austria with his second wife and young son. I am delighted that I was able to talk him into wearing the correct kit.

Case Study 2

A Police rider was issued with a very expensive pair of black leather full length touring boots as part of his riding uniform. They took about 2 months to break in due to the hardness of the leather, but as soon as they had bedded in they started to collapse and fold reducing the support around the ankle. However this particular force only issued 1 pair of boots a year, and therefore the rider had no option but to continue wearing the boots until he received his next issue.

About 4 months after the date of thses boots being issued, the rider was involved in a crash and received serious injuries to his left leg. Despite the high purchase price of the boots, they had failed to afford the full degree of protection that would normally be expected.

The sloppy fit had not held his foot together or prevented crush injuries. This accident caused 5 ligaments to become detatched, calcifying of the bone amongst many other injuries, as a result of which he was pensioned off from the Police service with a registered 25% disability.

The rider to this day still walks with a limp, has a size 14 left foot instead of a normal size 11, is in constant pain and will require the foot to be amputated at some time in the future. there are also other associated back and joint problems as a result of this injury.

Specialist safety footwear manufacturers examined the boots worn at the time of the accident along with medical professionals, and confirmed that had the rider been wearing footwear even a cheap but protective boot, then the chances are that the rider would have ade a full recovery and would probably still be serving to this day.

The rider in question was me!

Case Study 3

A young man was out riding his motorcycle (not me this time ) one sunny summer afternoon, wearing a pair of jeans and training shoes. He was travelling at a speed when the bike lost power despite the fact that the engine was revving quite freely. The rider coasted to a hgalt at the side of the road in order to investigate the problem. As he stopped, he put his left leg down to support the machine and promptly fell onto the floor with the motorcycle falling on top of him.

The mechanical problem was due to the final drive chain snapping. As it broke, it smashed its way through the left hand engine casing and then sliced through the riders lower left leg like a knife through butter.

As it had happened so quickly and suddenly the rider had not felt his lower limb being suddenly amputated and had tried to stop normally. His foot and ankle were found some 250 yards back down the road still wearing the training shoe and a rather bloodied sock.

The surgeons were unable to reattach the severed foot, but they went onto confirm that had the rider been wearing a good quality leather boot, it would have been unlikely that the chain would have managed to penetrate the leather, although he would have probably been very bruised, but! His foot would have remained attached to his left leg.

Case Study 4

A rider wearing proper protective clothing and lightly padded leather motorcycle summer gloves is travelling down a main road, when another motorcycle in front throws up a loose sharp stone chipping from the back wheel, hitting the following riders middle finger. The rider flinches at the initial impact but gives it no further thought until he arrives home an hour or so later, although he did find it increasingly difficult to operate the clutch lever.

On arriving home he notices that his middle finger is becoming quite painful and swollen, and severe bruising is starting to appear. Examination of his glove reveals a razor sharp cut from just below the knuckle of the middle finger to the tip of his finger with the cut extending through the full layer of leather and the lining, althoughthe skin on his finger had not been broken.

The finger took about 10 days to heal properly, but the question is still asked to this day, how much more severe would the injury have been had the rider not been wearing gloves, motorcycle or otherwise.

Heavily padded gloves would have made no difference at it was the section from the knuckle to the tip of the finger that was injured.

Case Study 5

In another case relating to helmets

A Police motorcyclist with over 20 years operational experience (Not me I hasten to add, but a good friend) attended his annual audiometric test, only to be told that his hearing was at least 30% defective at certain frequencies.

During his service, he had never worn any form of ear defender, and in the days of issue open face helmets, no noticeable degradation of his hearing had been recorded, although he had been wearing a flip style helmet for the previous 3 years.

Because of the type of helmet, his helmet radio earpiece volume varied according to the type of riding. The two tone horns/sirens required the radio volume to be louder than would normally be expected, the wind noise passing through this particular style of helmet also increased the wind noise level well above that accepted as a safe level.

He was subsequently suspended from riding and his condition was recorded as an industrial injury.

It was then made a condition of appointment to the motorcycle wing that all riders must wear some form of ear defender, and flip front helmets were withdrawn from service.

The rider who first raised the problem is now retired and is currently inthe process of suing his force for his disability which was ignored by health and safety experts within the force.

On the subject of riding without any protective clothing on at all.

Case Study 6

One hot summer afternoon, a young female provisional licence holder who rode a 100cc machine decided to nip down to the local shop on her motorcycle for a packet of cigarettes. Rather than change into suitable clothing, she decided to put on her crash helmet as was required by law, but otherwise she was dressed in nothing more than a bikini.

about a mile into her journey, she was travelling at about 50 MPH on a national speed limit road. A car pulled out of a minor road into her path causing her to brake and lose control. She fell fromthe machine and slid for about 100 feet rolling over and over as she went. On arrival at Hospital it was found that not one part of her body had escaped being either torn, burnt, bruised or otherwise damaged. For three years after the accident she was admitted to Hospital on a regular basis for plastic surgery and skin grafts.

It is probably fair to assume that had she been wearing clothing a little more substantial than her bikini, whilst she may still have been injured, the long lasting damage would have been far less severe.

I attended this accident, and I have to say that the young lady had a body to die for, she was drop dead beautiful prior to the accident (and I don't mean this in any sexist way, it is just a fact). I still see her from time to time even now and she still bears the scars of that horrible day.

Not surprisingly she has never ridden a motorcycle since, but before the accident she was a bike nut, but was one of those believed that accidents always happened to other people, she learnt the hard way.

All too often riders will spend large amounts of money on the latest high specification motorcycle and pay scant attention to the equipment they wear. many times a rider may have nothing more than a plastic shell on his head, covering his body with a pair of jeans, trainers and a lightweight jacket.

Too many riders think that the helmet and jacket are the most important items of kit, rather than recognising that head, legs and feet are the parts of the body that receive 90% of all serious injuries, not the upper body.

It should perhaps be remembered that a motorcycle can be repaired or replaced, but your skin is a dam site harder to put right.

The advice should always be,

Buy the best quality at a price you can afford, not because it is a fancy label.

Ensure that it fits correctly.

If it becomes damaged or worn, replace it straight away.

If you have friends or family considering taking up motorcycling, then advise them to consider buyingtheir protective clothing first, and then use the balance of their budget to buy the bike rather than the other way round.



These are all true cases, albeit some of many I have on file, but all cases that I have personal knowledge of or an involvement with
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It is better to arrive 30 seconds late in this world, than 30 years early in the next

[olionel]

Thanks TC for the interesting read.

I just wear what I think is suitable for the occasion, if Im off to uni or "just nipping" to somewhere local I wear dragging jeans, trainers (or just normal boots - not riding boots) hoodie and leather riding gloves,
If Im off for a shortish 60mile "developing my skills round trip" around Holmfirth and back its my cheap Spada textile jacket with its latest addition Forcefield back protector, trackies plus draggins and proper riding boots and leather gloves, if its a longer or wet trip I wear all my kit (Inc textile trousers). I dont own any leathers as I couldn't afford any at the time, and still can't... hate being a student sometimes
____________________
1989 CG125 - Childhood Sweetheart (she got kidnapped by baddies)
1998 ZXR400 - Teenage Love (lasted three years, then she turned lesbian and left me)
2001 XRV750 - Wife Material (still getting to know her but head over heels in love)

[colin1]

leathers can be really cheap on ebay

take a look

https://motors.search.ebay.co.uk/leather_Full-Leathers-Sets_W0QQcatrefZC12QQfromZR34QQsacatZ122216

try stuff on in shop first of the same make if possible to be sure of a good fit
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[qthetape]

too much reading above but i guess id agree

footwear is very important as ankles/feet get mashed
any extra protection is good and can make the difference if the worst happens, i wear ce and better as much as possible
(unfortunately the feeling on your body when its sunny and you stop at the lights when wearing a t-shirt is awsome)

although there is a thought that youll take less risks when under protected - would you do 60mph with no helmet?would you do over 100 in your pj's? hitting the road hurts like fuck so wear the best you can afford.

wish theyd make a good neck protector, maybe rear view cameras would help but nothing beats a "life saver"

(ive seen guys riding ducatis/blades/r1's in (hot)europe wearing shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops)

[st3v3]

This gear thread is different... Again, Thanks TC for a very interesting and educational read.

I wear standard black cotton trousers for my work commute, with leather gloves, lid, textile armoured jacket and trainers.

For out of work, I'll wear my leather trousers, leather jacket or textile top, lid. leather gloves and motorcycle boots(cheap SIDI type) I'm was one of the "It'll never happen to me" wearing trackies and jumper on a ped, but then I got a 125 and was hit. This minor bump was enough to change my attitude, I saw the damage done to my clothes and thought it could have been my skin.
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Roger wrote: Women don't get damp for clingy puppies. Get some better happy pills, hit the gym & buy a medallion the size of a dinner plate. Job done

[super-duper-moto]

I usually just wear jeans and a light jacket, even though ive got a big alpine stars jacket (£220) and snap-on engineers gloves which are really protective as they are made for engineers and people that work on cars.
I must stress that I'm about to change my ways, any guesses why...........TC you have been a breath of fresh air and may of saved many serious injuries with that post.
Thank you
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Current bike: FZ6 Fazer (08) (2008)
Previous bikes: VFR400 (D) (1987), CG125 (Y) (2001), Gilera Runner 50cc ('05)

[G]

Or you can get leathers from ebay then get them altered to fit for a much cheaper made to measure suit.

To add to what TC was mentioning, in my recent highspeed accident on track (brakes failed at around 130, reckon got it down to about 100 until I hit the tyre wall which I flew over and landed on grass behind it):
My leg was broken, this was quite possibly caused by the boots. The break was where the ankle protection was centred. Don't know what would happen if I'd had different boots on, but suspect something bad would have happened regardless as I landed at some speed.
The bone, unbeknownst to me at the time, was actually sticking out of my leg. However, everything was held in and together.
I was out of Hospital in two days and can now put some weight on it, though the bones haven't started to nit yet.

[qthetape]

ok ct, just read the posts - shit, ouch, fuck

why not set up a wee company that only sells the good stuff
or supply us with a list of your findings

shops will sell anything for a profit

most worrying for me is the chain snap, have you found a way of minimising the potential damage of a snap? or at least make it shoot out the back rather than crankcase, foot, back wheel etc

[ncrn]

That was an interesting read and the bit about the guy getting his foot cut off made me cringe.

But I have to say there are times when I just want to ride without my jacket, its jeans boots gloves helmet. I know its stupid, I know if I had an accident I'd regret it.. but at the same time its a very different experience and I do enjoy it.

I don't ride in national speed limits with no jacket on, restrict myself to just buzzing round town, I'm probably more likely to end up in an accident in this environment, but I don't fancy a high speed off in full gear let alone no jacket.

Each to their own is the way I think about it. Biking is a dangerous sport, I can control factors as to how dangerous it is, but in the end, there will always be a situation where no amount of gear would save me.
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Past: 55 Sym Jet, 91 ZZR250, 03 NSR125R. Present: 97 ER-5.
https://www.nsr125.co.uk - NSR Owners forum.

[Kara]

All though they aren't the top top brand, my Frank Thomas Jacket and trousers, all leather cost me £80 from BMF. I paid £20 to have the trouser zips repaired.
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NC30 + Bandit 6
www.eabikers.co.uk

[Louise]

Im a bike rider - I can not afford top quality biker clothing. I make do with what I can afford - If its 2nd or 1st hand.
I love riding, weather it be a hot sunny day or shitty flood rain. with, if it be leather bottoms or a top - even textiles if I have too.
Down to the lowest of rubbish quality gear - I know when I go out i have at least - so much % of protection.

But we shoudlnt judge someone by there % of protection gear.
I know, if it were 80 degrees going to work (2.5 miles away) I wouldnt put 100% gear on and im almost 95% you lot wouldnt.

[bazza]

Just to go off at at a slight tangent, I tend to gear up for 99% of journeys for a couple of reasons.

One - being an oldie, any off I have is going to take longer to recover from.

Two - the chances of being admitted into the standard filthy NHS hospital with road rash-type open wounds and not picking MRSA or some other secondary infection are slim to non-existent.

I'd rather play Russian roulette with an automatic pistol.
____________________
"That's it. You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college."
'98 Ducati 750SS, '08 Suzuki GSX650F ©2004-2014, Bazza's Harmless Banter

[LeeR]

I'm perhaps strange in that I'm one of those people that thinks it will happen to them! I'm not negative/pessimistic I just appreciate the odds and the amount of exposure I have to traffic related incidents/mechanical failure. Hence I always wear the full gear top to bottom protection you name it I've got it and I'm always looking at ways to enhance what I've already got i.e. armour upgrades and the like. Also when I discussed returning to bikes with my wife she was "happy" for me to do it so long as I "did it right", doing it right in our opinion is being protected at all times in the best way I can. Personally I'm ready for her to receive the phone call telling her I've had an accident... but survived with injuries, rather than the phone call that tells her she's just inherited my life insurance

PS> Good post T.C. very informative as ever.
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My claim to fame: Austin Vince nicked my pen...

[Ichy]

[nynfortoo]

The least I've worn is just a helmet (and normal clothes, though you can picture me without, if you're that way inclined), but that was just to slowly test a couple of minor things on my bike, in my lovely, quiet cul-de-sac.

Every other time, I gear up 100%; though I could do with some proper boots when I get the money; and either some armour inserts for my Draggins, some new pants, or both.

[Ichy]