How far will you slide in a crash?

[tara1234]

Heya BCF wondering if there is any way of calculating how far you will slide if you come off at a certain speed. Trying to figure out if I need top quality leather or whether textiles/kevlars will do.

I have seen the charts showing how much road you get out of each material but no context to how far you will travel at speed when coming off.

[recman]

What constant speed were you thinking of traveling at?

[Ste]

Slide further in leathers.

[grr666]

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

A calculation won't exist, as grr666 says. RIDE magazine do abrasion and seam-burst tests now and then, and there is some info HERE which apparently suggests that cheapish leather can be better than posh textiles. On the road a slide may be stopped by a fixed object whereas on a track day you might slide further and leathers are mandated. I choose to wear leather jeans (because you're gonna land on your arse), good boots and gloves every trip, with armoured textiles or leather for the torso. A good fit will prevent armour from moving out of position in a crash.

[Howling Terror]

[Teflon-Mike]

Err... the idea is NOT to fall of in the first place......
No crash, no need hat, gloves and coat, really.....

BUT as follow on from your tyres connundrum.... yeah.... it depends how far away the kerb-stone/lamp-post/bus/other hard immoveable object happens to be, really..... at least it was in my experience of failing NOT to crash.........

Somewhere upstairs in the wardrobe, I have probably as much abrasion resistance as money can buy, in a tailor made one-piece... NEVER actually put it to the test in quarter of a century TBH... probably because I have so seldom worn the damn thing, but still.

My 'usual' riding atire, from top to bottom is either a cheap open-face, or if I am going further/faster a Shark 'Flip'; Generic BLJ I bought in, err... 1992 I think... whatever denim jeans I happen to have on, and a pair of Sears & Robuck cow-pat-kickers.... (I spent my yoof in Alberta, they aren't square-dance or cruiser kit, they was generic 'work-wear'!).... I DONT tend to go all that far out of my way to 'tog-up' to ride a bike... its a way to get around fer-gawd-sake, not a ruddy fashion show! I might chuck a pair of water-proof over trousers on if its wet and or cold, but that's about it, really.

Leathers or Textiles? This is all rather to specialised for my taste..... ish.

I actually had one of the first Kevlar riding jackets by Scott, back in 1993, I think; wonderful thing, apart from pockets that filled with water. Never crashed in that either though....

Anyway... when choosing kit, IF you are worried about its protective qualities... leather is wonderful, IF you expect to slide a long way at a highish speed on something rather more grippy than typical corporation macaddam, like race-track DeluGrip... on the road? You should NOT be going that fast (Especially on am SR125)to have the momentum to slide an awful long way, the surface is likely not all that grippy, A-N-D as qwuip at top... you'll be brought to an abrupt halt by something hard and immoveable, pretty soon anyway.... impact with an ovlov or lamp-post tends then to be rather more concerning than how quickly your elbows wear through.....

A-N-D fit is probably more important than material, and construction more important than all.

As said, upstairs I have that tailor-made one piece, fits me like a glove 'cos it was made to fit me like a glove.... leathers of the highest quality, real cow-hide, in large, thick panels cut to avoid imperfections by a master, and stitched together lovingly by his mum.... I have a pretty high degree of confidence I could slide a long way in that, and it wouldn't wear through none-too soon, or come apart at the seems before it did....

One of the few accidents I have had on the road, where I did actually slide a fair way, maybe, twenty yards.... before taking a bit of air off a kerb, missing a signpost that halted bike, by a few inches, sliding rather faster along the grass-verge... and coming to rest at the bottom of the drainage ditch by the hedge growing in it.....

I was wearing a nylon over-suit over Levis... the injury I sustained, was MOSTLY from the bludy nylon melting from the friction! I spent a week having the cling-film changed every day down the local doctors.... BUT after I put some tent repair patchyes over the melted bits of over-suit.. carried on wearing the thing for another three years!

If whatever you are wearing 'moves' as you crash... its hit and miss whether any protection is going to be anywhere it can do any use anyway....

DONT put your faith in what you put ON your head to save your skin, put your faith in what you put IN your head... go do some training!!!!

You come off, its pretty much in the lap off, how hurt or cut up you may get... how fast you are going before hand, even isn't that influential, it IS down to fate and circumstance, and what's around you when you come off... so try not to! Thats your first line of defence!

Otherwise? Textiles tend to be a tad more practical, and possibly a bit less uncertain vis material quality or constuction, but, there's leather and there's leather, and something made out of goat-skin in india, 'cos they remember the bullets in the Mutiny, and want to avoid both cow and pig products, and probably stitched in lots of small panels of questionable thickness and quality,isn't going to stand up to a crash like something made from good quality cos hide, in big panels and stitched contientiousely with double-over seams where stressed....might not be any more 'protective' than something sold on the high-street as fashion wear, whether leather or not! A-N-D buying from a bike shop, buying from a known brand, DOESN'T give you an awful lot of added confidence that it IS any more protective in a motorbike 'off' than something from the out-door stoor sold to hikers...

There REALLY is a LOT more to worry about than what material, or what lable....

Like not crashing!!!!

And I SUSPECT that shaken after a couple of offs, its something of a hot topic to you... BE WARNED... its easy to be over-sold 'safety', on your own fears of the severity of outcome you HOPE it might reduce, especially if you have experienced a bit of that safety....

Forty years of this, and the most severe injury I have sustained in biking... was tripping over, walking back to the car in a quarry at a trial, and impaling my arm on a bit of steel re-bar poking out of a pile of smashed up concrete!

Rather embarassing actually; I'd headed out that morning, and Garry & Howard were loading up the MX bike on Howards pick-up, as I was loading the Cota on the rack to go triazin.... I was trying to unload the thing with one arm when they came back, and Howard wandered over, and then said "Oooh... that's a bit bent!" (I'd looped the ruddy thing on every attempt on section 5! Bike was a BIT mangled..) "Err... where's the BLOOD coming from!" and helped me into the house, whilst Garry saved the bike, before I passed out....

Beware Nurses... My Gran... and ex nurse! Came into the kitchen, shood Howard out the way, had a look, and spent the next half hour lecturing me about how she'd T-O-L-D me bikes were dang-russ... as I tried to get a word in and explain I'd not been riding the bike, just fallen over in the ruddy car-park! Nurse that tended to the melted over-suit was even less sympathetic! Old joke about the three Squaddies and the nurse, with the wire-brush comes to mind!!!! I think she hurt more, scrubbing 'wounds' than falling off TBH! But anyway....

Point is DANGER is everywhere... we cant always avoid it, all we can do is manage it, and as said, whats IN your head is far more important than what you put ON your head, you cant 'buy' safety, its a state of mind, an attitude and an aproach... and MOSTLY just common sense.. like watching where you are going when walking accross a car-park not marveling at how other fellas manage to 'clear' section 5!

If you are a BIT sensible... and a bit lucky, you could ride in a ruddy bikini... If NOT, how much protection is 'enough' and whether that is old fashioned denim or cotton, Leather or man-made fibre, and weather that has any brand name or badges on it, makes not a lot of odds... Falling off HURTS... try NOT to fall off... but IF you do? Its pretty much in the lap of...

I have seen brand-name bike-wear leathers burst at the seems, or ripped to shreds, in seeminly low-speed offs, you wouldn't expect to do that much damage, I have seen every-day street wear, that's stood up to pretty audaciouse accident, that's written off multiple vehicles, BUT the rider's walked away from without even dropping any blood, and the garments have merely been relegated to 'gardening' wear cos of the hole or rip or whatever!

You pays your money and takes your chances.... really, and theres very little assurance that anything will provide much if any more protection in any off than anything else... A-N-D how far you may slide in any off remains pretty accademic... depends how far away the nearest hard and unyealding onstruction in your path happens to be!

Dress sensibly for the weather first. Be comfy, that's your first defence, you cant be in control if you are distracted by a tight collar of the gusset riding up your crack, or the cold, or the wet creeping in.

Apply common cocum for the roads. And here the irony is that so many will leave the kit at home to pop to the shop, cos its only 1/4 mile away... and tog up to the 9's to ride down the motorway, when that 1/4 mile cross town low speed enviroment is inordinantly more likely to see them have an off in that 1/4 mile, than mile upon mile upon mile, on a motorway... when even if they do come off... far less hazards to bring them to that abrupt halt!

And tip? Layers is good. 3mm of leather is only 3mm of leather. 1mm of nylon might be as strong... but 1/2 inch of wool will take a heck of lot of time to get worn through.

And anything loose that will ride up or ruck away when put under stress and leave flesh exposed isn't offering protection, whetever its made from.

Like I said, so much is down to common sense, not the material, not the lables.
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[tara1234]

[UncleFester]

The noddy answer to this is - until you hit something that stops you. Which is far more likely than an a big slide unless you bin it in a perfect straight line.
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[stinkwheel]

https://youtu.be/GpRTY43uqc0
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[Bikeless]

Pointless question, you're more likely to hit something or bounce and hit something, no amount of protection will work if you're going fast enough, I broke a collarbone at about 10mph with full Dainese leathers and back protector on.

[Riejufixing]

[bacon]

I came off at roughly 30mph last October ish, I lost the front end, I slid on my right hip for a bit (few metres at a guess), I thought I was slow enough to stand up. I was wrong and went into a roll instead for the rest of the slowing down.

I was wearing Alpinestars Andes II textiles and a backpack. Most of the pain caused was from the initial impact with the road on my right hip / butt cheek. The rolling just caused damage to my helmet and scuffed my boots.

I don't believe the outcome would have been different in leather. So just wear the right kit for the weather conditions.

These days I wear textiles predominantly and only use a leather one piece when I feel like going on a faster ride in the sun.

[talkToTheHat]

Untill you hit a solid object. CE textiles that are A rated are likely good upto 30mph. Whilst the median crash speed in the HURT report was in the low 20s, I'm not convinced textiles are going to do much at motorway speeds.

is there any textile kit out there that actualy meets AA or AAA ratings/

https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/news-and-views/features/product/motorcycle-clothing-the-ce-approval-law-explained

https://www.bmf.co.uk/news/show/personal-protective-equipment-ppe
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[Val]

[Suntan Sid]

However far you slide your bike's going slide further!
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[recman]

[thx1138]

I fell off at just over 0mph and slid a hundred yards on my arse down a hill

[mentalboy]

[Suntan Sid]

I crashed at more than a few mph more than 45, , in wet conditions.
My abiding memory of the incident is sliding down the road, on my side, feet first, watching my bike getting further away from me, also on its side and admiring the volume of sparks that metal can produce whilst scraping along wet tarmac!
I reckon I slid around 15 yards, the bike ended up a further 20 yards down the road!
Fun times!
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[chickenstrip]

Never did slide in any of my crashes. Just thump, bump, crack, crunch, then off to hospital in an ambulance usually. Maybe I should have gone to a school to learn crashing technique!
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[Teflon-Mike]

In Road-Rash-School I think I should have got an A+, just for hilarity....

In my first 'road' off, a SMIDSYing twit in a Triumph Spitfire in the inside lane at a set of traffic lights decided to do a U-Turn across the outside lane, as I was passing...

He came out so sudden I didn't even have time to brake before I was doing a rather nice Super-Man impression over his bonnet, wondering why there was no bike beneath me.... then I hit the ground and slid, about 20 ft, (from at best 25mph given it was a moped!) before I was brought to an abrupt halt by a cast iron litter bin....

And was then run-over by my own bludy bike!

Which had taken the long way around the Spitfire nose, and chased me!
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[JamesSanii]

Depending on the crash but would suggest know your limits and always remember safety more than anything else!

Live your life and enjoy your ride to safety!
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[Nuno YB]

If you are in the mood to fall off, i guess there migth be tests to those things, like the ones they do to measure the distance of the tires while braking...

[Kentol750]

Why the fuck has this gone beyond grr666... answer is as he states..too many variables. And, if you want to be petty, unclebfester was bang on.... until something stops you.


End/
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