View Full Version : Extreme road rash - Wear your protective clothing!
Hysteria_UK
19-07-13, 08:37 AM
Not sure if this has been posted before but I think its definately worth a read/reread if you have seen it before, especially in this heat.
http://fzronline.com/wiki/doku.php?id=extreme_road_rash-cause_effect_and_lesson_learned
Aye, I posted that on my Facebook wall earlier in the week. Brutal stuff.
It was also mentioned on the Essex Bikers FB group with one particular fellow piping up with "Who are you to tell other people what to wear when they ride?" which was generally countered with "The guy who pays for their moronic carcass to be scraped up and looked after in hospital, that's who." No sympathy for people who ride around in tees and shorts like they're special snowflakes.
Hysteria_UK
19-07-13, 09:24 AM
I would have replied on the same lines.....its our taxes that pay for peoples acts of stupidity. I think there is a ounce of "it wont happen to me" and a sprinkle of "I'm a safe rider" too.
To be honest, I felt sorry for her (and still do a bit to be fair) until I found out she was a biker too. She should have known better!
You have to allow Darwins theory to take its course.
I have lost two friends because of the "I'm invincible " mind set.
You have to accept you can't save every one.
Yes its hard but it's life .
shiftin_gear98
19-07-13, 09:42 AM
Owch, bet she won't do that again. Didn't read it all, those pictures speak for themselves.
Good post, thanks for sharing.
Just as I had started to wear jeans instead of my textiles. Think i'll put them back on and suffer.
At least sweating at the lights is only temporary. That looks like it took ages to heal.
Wearing shorts and a T is pretty fooked up.
Hysteria_UK
19-07-13, 09:46 AM
Just as I had started to wear jeans instead of my textiles. Think i'll put them back on and suffer.
You and me both. Everything went back on this morning. If you get chance, read it. It really wakes you up to what can happen. She talks about what the crash felt like and the whole road to recovery. Really interesting reading
Just as I had started to wear jeans instead of my textiles. Think i'll put them back on and suffer.
.
Of to the shops for some Dragin jeans
https://www.dragginjeans.net/Mens/View-all-products.html
Hysteria_UK
19-07-13, 09:58 AM
Definately be getting some for next summer!!
My leathers have been OK so far in these temps but 75% of my ride to work and back is at 60-70mph which helps.
Deffo looking at some kevlar camo combats soon though!
I've got a mesh jacket & Hood kevlar jeans that get used atthis time of year as my commute is 15 miles of London rush-hour gridlock and airflow is not exactly significant.
What you wear should be appropriate, but London especially has a high percentage of people wearing very little, and generally travelling at some pace. Fingers crossed they all get away with it.
Jambo
Fallout
19-07-13, 12:06 PM
I would have replied on the same lines.....its our taxes that pay for peoples acts of stupidity. I think there is a ounce of "it wont happen to me" and a sprinkle of "I'm a safe rider" too.
I don't agree with that argument, otherwise all the fatties eating themselves into heart disease, all the smokers smoking themselves to lung cancer ... in fact anyone doing anything with any risk opens themselves up to telling us what they can and can't do because we'll all be paying for their medical care.
While I always wear gear, and do shake my head at people in t-shirts and shorts, I think it's totally up to them to be as retarded and oblivious as they choose to be. All we are entitled to do is express an opinion and offer advice.
Hysteria_UK
19-07-13, 12:16 PM
I don't agree with that argument, otherwise all the fatties eating themselves into heart disease, all the smokers smoking themselves to lung cancer ... in fact anyone doing anything with any risk opens themselves up to telling us what they can and can't do because we'll all be paying for their medical care.
And what is wrong with that? Its about time people are held responsible for their actions when it is costing other people money. Maybe the NHS would be in a better state if people who have self inflicted ailments had to contribute to their correction.
Thats a whole new motorcycle unrelated discussion though.
Like walkers/Climbers, all moto sports , people who eat at Mc D's and drug users ?
Were you drawing the line.
Little Jhonny at the scate park???
To me "Offer advice" = "Telling them what to do" ;)
I do see people wearing no gear from the neck down and I really do think it reflects really badly on the rest of us. A lot of people who have never ridden or have no interest in bikes seem to think that we're all inconsiderate loonies that cut through tiny gaps laughing in their faces as their cars sit in traffic frustrating the occupants. It doesn't matter if some of us are sensible and considerate riders, as 'bikers' we all get lumped in together. One of my friends here at work was saying that bikes are astoundingly dangerous and filtering should be banned - I pointed out that filtering only eases congestion, as do bikes overall, is fairly safe when done at a resonable speed and all drivers have to do when moseying along is to check their mirrors every so often and move over a bit to let us past. Her response was "I'm not moving my car over into the kerb with all the crap ready to stick in my wheels just so some idiot can fly out of nowhere up the middle, scare the crap out of me and then speed on to annoy everyone else". Beh. Seeing daft people riding sports bikes in tees and shorts only compounds the negative opinion of us lot, especially if/when they come off, are seriously hurt as the result of wearing no protective gear and then everyone on the road is held up for longer than they normally would be while a nee-naaw turns up to clear up the mess instead of giving them a once-over. Regardless of who is actually at fault, whenever most people drive past a crash rubber-necking and see a downed bike they often assume that it's the biker's fault. I'm probably preaching to the choir here as a lot of us know that it's an uphill battle to convince most 'normal' people that bikes are a good thing but y'know, I like to think that the better we are perceived the more regard and respect we'll be given and we'll be a bit more safer for it.
But then I am a bit of an idealist. lol
And what is wrong with that? Its about time people are held responsible for their actions when it is costing other people money. Maybe the NHS would be in a better state if people who have self inflicted ailments had to contribute to their correction.
Thats a whole new motorcycle unrelated discussion though.
I know what you mean but I'm with Fallout on this one.
The "state knows best" is not something I encourage because in my experience once you make defining safety the state's responsibility they never stop doing just that.
Remember asking for laws to determine how people should dress on a motorbike when you're being told that you can only purchase a certain number of units of alcohol a week because it's bad for you and the NHS is fed up of paying for drunkenness.
Jambo
Hysteria_UK
19-07-13, 12:47 PM
Like walkers/Climbers, all moto sports , people who eat at Mc D's and drug users ?
Were you drawing the line.
Little Jhonny at the scate park???
Never said I had a perfect blueprint for David Cameron to sign off in parliament. There is a big difference to someone who like to walk and someone taking recreational drugs. There is also a difference between some who likes a Mc D's at the weekend and a lazy fat **** eating themselves into an early grave.
Hysteria_UK
19-07-13, 12:51 PM
I know what you mean but I'm with Fallout on this one.
The "state knows best" is not something I encourage because in my experience once you make defining safety the state's responsibility they never stop doing just that.
Remember asking for laws to determine how people should dress on a motorbike when you're being told that you can only purchase a certain number of units of alcohol a week because it's bad for you and the NHS is fed up of paying for drunkenness.
Jambo
I appreciate what your are both saying, its always going to be one of those things where its a case of dammed if you do dammed if you dont. I guess privatisation with medical insurance is the only way to change it but then look at the USA. They leave people laying in the street that cant pay for medical care.
I definately agree with food, drug and alcohol abuse be tackled though. Things that people have control over with support
Never said I had a perfect blueprint for David Cameron to sign off in parliament. There is a big difference to someone who like to walk and someone taking recreational drugs. There is also a difference between some who likes a Mc D's at the weekend and a lazy fat **** eating themselves into an early grave.
The trouble is to differentiate you need flexibility and common sense.
These are not always found in abundance in government legislation.
The other issue here is what would be determined a minimum safe level of clothing. You'd be amazed how few motorcycle clothes are actually CE certified (as opposed to having some CE armour in them). Most clothing that's affordable is sold as lifestyle clothing, not safety equipment so it doesn't need to meet any particular criteria. The cost of buying full CE gear before you step on a bike would put a lot of people off.
Honestly I cringe when I see someone come past in a vest on a Honda Hornet as happened yesterday on my commute, but getting the government involved in any capacity at all beyond funding some advertising campaigns is not going to end as well as you might hope :)
Jambo
Griff-SV
19-07-13, 12:56 PM
I find it absolutely mad that anyone would consider riding in shorts t-shirt combo however it is their choice at the end of the day.
Like the NoSquidding guy says, dress for the slide not the ride :)
It was also mentioned on the Essex Bikers FB group with one particular fellow piping up with "Who are you to tell other people what to wear when they ride?" which was generally countered with "The guy who pays for their moronic carcass to be scraped up and looked after in hospital, that's who."
If that argument stands, then motorcycling should be banned as there are less hazardous alternative modes of transport.
By riding a motorcycle we are all taking an unnecessary risk. Are we all retarded? Shouldn't it be banned? The majority of tax payers are not motorcyclists so why should they be paying for our carcasses to be scraped up at all? Or is there a dress code?
We have a National Health Service because we want equal medical treatment for all, free at the point of use. It's existence is not a good argument for further infringement of liberty.
All this is just a load of preachy ******** IMHO. If people knowingly choose to sacrifice some protection for comfort then they can get on with it as far as I'm concerned.
Most of the gear, some of the time.
if that's how they want to ride their bike then let them get on with it or should we all be wearing protective clothing to walk across the road or play footie down the park. the UK has gone safety mad. personally i will suffer the sweat as i have come of a bike with jeans and jumper at very low speed and i can tell you it was soooore.
or play footie down the park
That's already been banned.
Hysteria_UK
19-07-13, 01:22 PM
lol i thought you were just getting charged for the privilege...well in London anyway
If that argument stands, then motorcycling should be banned as there are less hazardous alternative modes of transport.
By riding a motorcycle we are all taking an unnecessary risk. Are we all retarded? Shouldn't it be banned? The majority of tax payers are not motorcyclists so why should they be paying for our carcasses to be scraped up at all? Or is there a dress code?
We have a National Health Service because we want equal medical treatment for all, free at the point of use. It's existence is not a good argument for further infringement of liberty.
All this is just a load of preachy ******** IMHO. If people knowingly choose to sacrifice some protection for comfort then they can get on with it as far as I'm concerned.
Most of the gear, some of the time.
Well no, your comparison is flawed. Yes motorcycling is a more hazardous form of transport which is exactly why we take steps to protect ourselves with armoured clothing. People who do so accept the fact that we are more likely to be harmed while travelling but the important part is that we take the responsibility ourselves to mitigate the potential for harm as much as possible without sacrificing the activity itself People wearing next to nothing do not; it's selfish and irresponsible but I agree that it's also their choice. If comparing this point to obesity and junk food then banning motorcycles is like banning burgers: rubbish. Feel free to eat bad food but take steps to mitigate any potential harm that may come from it; go for a run and don't eat loads of crap. Go for a ride and wear the gear. At no point have I said that people should be forced to wear more protective gear, just that people who choose not to are daft for doing so.
It's absolutely preachy ******** on my part, 100%. I was taken off my 125 by a new driver while I was wearing a crappy old JTS leather jacket with no armour and I still got a nice gribbly hole in my elbow with a 3-hour stint in A&E on my girlfriend's birthday and that was without any road rash. It's all well and good saying that they can get on with it but when it happens to you or someone else close to you who rides without gear and you see the effect on them and their loved ones then usually that "let them get on with it" attitude takes a bit of a dent. I don't expect any attitudes to change and I'll gladly sit and drink with people of many differing opinions to mine without any issues most of the time - I look forward to doing so on any ARs I might get to attend - but if my preachy ramblings and the thread up in the first post prevent lost flesh and tears for someone else then I'm happy.
Hysteria_UK
19-07-13, 02:09 PM
.....but when it happens to you or someone else close to you who rides without gear and you see the effect on them and their loved ones then usually that "let them get on with it" attitude takes a bit of a dent.....but if my preachy ramblings and the thread up in the first post prevent lost flesh and tears for someone else then I'm happy.
Thats the exact reason I put the link up to be fair. Its just gone off on a tangent. Such is forums I guess.
I cannot tell you how many discussions I've had with people about gear. Mrs Jambo would quite happily get on the back of the bike in a sarong and a smile because she knows I'm a safe rider and we won't crash.
I appreciate the vote of confidence but having ended up on my backside more than once, I don't share her confidence. I've had to say she can't go on the bike without a minimum of gear and she's now (mostly) accepted that. More blog posts like the initial posts can only help, and I'm glad it got shared, I just think it's easy to say people shouldn't be allowed without understanding how that well-meaning statement can be turned into another piece of legislation to make biking, and the rest of our lives less enjoyable.
Jambo
You have to sometimes make a comprimise between level of comfort and level of protection. Wearing full leathers is just not practcal if you are riding in 30 degrees plus around town at lows speeds, you are more likley to suffer heatstroke or dehydration than road rash.
Hysteria_UK
19-07-13, 02:26 PM
I might of missed it but I dont think anyone actually asked for motorcycle equipment to be tighter controlled so not really sure why the discussion is happening lol.
SvNewbie
19-07-13, 03:28 PM
Taking this conversation on a bit of a tangent...is it just me or is her story a little bit odd. It sounds like she was blown off the back of the bike by the wind. Really?
I know its possible to come of the back of a bike, but this is usually due to acceleration rather than speed.
a very sore lesson to be learnt but it still comes down to the individual's choice at the end of the day. if they are willing to take the risk then that's up to them. you could also say the same about Lycra clad cyclists who only wear a crash hat but the rest of them are covered in very very thin material that is like tissue paper and they get up to speeds of 40mph sometimes more. i'll bet there are more cyclists treated for road rash in a year than motorcyclists.
Posts 2 and 3 on this thread make the point that those who pay taxes are entitled to tell others what to wear on their bikes. Perhaps not what was meant by the posters, but that's where the debate came from.
I'm carrying a knee injury from a low side 20 odd years ago in jeans. Permanent pain ever since and it will sometimes buckle without warning. Unlike many however, I don't think my clothing choice made me an idiot - what I was doing 5 minutes before the accident might though :)
Would it be facetious to point out the girl in the OP wouldn't have come off in the first place if she hadn't been wearing a helmet? ;)
Red ones
19-07-13, 04:15 PM
Surely it all about the original intent of the post? She thought she was cool, she thought she was comfortable. The result was continual pain. The lesson was learnt and the plea is being made for others to learn from her mistake.
Fair do's. Sadly the guy on his 125 cutting me up on the way home should read it.
Trickster2445
19-07-13, 04:38 PM
Got to page 1... certainly made me think.. too warm for gear lately, but gonna go fork out 100 quid or so tomorrow for summer pants, always wear my jacket but been riding in jeans.
Time to wake up, 100 quid is a night out but skin is for life.
Not preaching, each to their own but that hit home for me.
The odd thing about her story is that I read it and wondered "Do GXSRs have grab handles?" lol
IMO - if it's got a passenger seat it should have handles for the passenger?
I read the whole report and this bit i find......well interesting.
I felt a rush of wind hit my face like a brick and our bodies separated in an instant; my visor had come completely open. The force pulled on my face and helmet so hard that it sent my head up and backwards, ripping my entire body off the back seat with it. I remember thinking that if I grabbed Sean's t-shirt I would pull him down with me.
imoho If she had tugged his t-shirt would he have slowed down ?
And i thought of the times i had my daughter on the back of my bike, tug my leather jacket, if you feel your moving. And i'll slow down.
Certainly a moving story, seen quite a few people recently that should give that a read.
Including a guy an a bright red pointy I saw last night on the way home from work taking a series roundabouts in a T, shorts and teeny trainers at speeds and a manner I wouldn't in full gear.
I always wear my full leathers, the sweat is horrible but the pain from an off is far worse. Learnt my lesson from mountain biking years back. Lid and leather only way forward for me. Obv decent textiles are ok but they aren't in my wardrobe.
Fallout
20-07-13, 08:53 AM
I've seen a few guys that wear MX armour with nothing else on top, so bare chest but with back protector, chest protectors, shoulder and elbow pads held together by a thin mesh. Can't help thinking some skin is gonna touch down if they come off, but overall it looks like a reasonable solution if you can't stand the heat, can't get out of the kitchen, and are buff, or don't give a feck.
GHollis
20-07-13, 08:55 AM
The odd thing about her story is that I read it and wondered "Do GXSRs have grab handles?" lol
IMO - if it's got a passenger seat it should have handles for the passenger?
Tthe GSXR doesn't have a grab rail of such just a band across the rear seat, so basically your sitting on the only handle.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/20/u6umujym.jpg
SV650 K9 and lovin it,
Tthe GSXR doesn't have a grab rail of such just a band across the rear seat, so basically your sitting on the only handle.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/20/u6umujym.jpg
SV650 K9 and lovin it,
Yup the itty bitty triangle of doom as is standard on most sports bikes!
My mate just got an r1 with handle like that but unless you are tiny or stick your legs out really wide you have a snow ball in hells chance of using it
GHollis
20-07-13, 09:12 AM
I've just put a deposit down on a GSXR750 k6 and ther is no way my wife will be able to hold on to that handle so when she does come out on the bike I know to take it easy.
I think that the rider didn't have respect for her as a passenger, and probably rode like he was on his own or showing off.
SV650 K9 and lovin it,
Red ones
20-07-13, 11:45 AM
Learnt my lesson from mountain biking years back. Lid and leather only way forward for me.
Mine was a similar lesson, but on a road bike (cycle). Bought a replacement cycle helmet the day after my off and less than 12 hours after the cosmetic surgery to my face. Suddenly an £80 cycle lid seemed far more reasonable.
The old lid was in 4 pieces when I took it off my head, one of those pieces saved the front of my skull from being shattered. Still have the facial scar - helps me look evil to the children!
Tthe GSXR doesn't have a grab rail of such just a band across the rear seat, so basically your sitting on the only handle.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/20/u6umujym.jpg
SV650 K9 and lovin it,
I always thought those handles were for pushing the bike out of the garage, not for the pillion.
Matt-EUC
20-07-13, 01:34 PM
I think you can get a grab rail put onto most sports bikes.
Might have saved her skin.
GHollis
20-07-13, 01:36 PM
You can get something like this for most super sports but they don't normally come as standard.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/20/emu4u2yq.jpg
SV650 K9 and lovin it,
Tthe GSXR doesn't have a grab rail of such just a band across the rear seat, so basically your sitting on the only handle.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/20/u6umujym.jpg
SV650 K9 and lovin it,
Gaddamn :(
Fallout
20-07-13, 01:56 PM
This is why you only let fit women pillion with you and why you demand a reach around on the grounds of safety!
This is why you only let fit women pillion with you and why you demand a reach around on the grounds of safety!
Reacharounds from ugly girls can be fun too!
Matt-EUC
20-07-13, 02:50 PM
Not seeing there face is an advantage.
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