Motorcycles

[B3XD]

You might want to look at http://www.sabergear.com/index.html for carrying whilst riding.

[gregthehand]

Well I just picked up the bike on Saturday. I must say it's a lot faster that I had thought it would be and I didn't even give it half the throttle yet. Some observations I have noticed in only one day of riding out at the ranch on some nice soft grass.

- Balance is not the hard part like I thought it would be for me. Turning sharp, and getting it going (ie working the clutch in conjunction with the gas) is the hard part for me.

- This thing can pop a wheelie very easily, even at 60mph.

- Shorts on this bike are a bad idea even if your just tooling around the ranch.

- I need to either wear goggles or I will have to wear my glasses while riding as my contacts started giving me proplems (I was wearing safety glasses but that wasn't enough)

I think as far as carrying I'm probably going to use a tank bag that has some kind of strap I can carry it around with. Either that or when I ride I'm just going to carry my Kel-Tec and leave the big guns at home. One thing I had not thought about is the vulnerability I have to bike-jacking, and just people walking up (bums) at red lights and hassling me. Having a gun in a tank back where I can get to it easily would be helpful. I'm thinking if it comes down to it I can keep it in the tank bag and then also strap a backpack on the rear. When I get where I'm going just take the part of the tank bag that zips off (I found one that had a compartment just big enough for say a 1911 in commander length that snapped or sipped on and off the main bag) and slip it in my back pack. Therefore I can carry it with me and I'll still have the Kel-Tec in my pocket and if need be I can go into the bathroom and put it on my person. Also the gun will be on the very top of the tank bag and easier to get to then a backpack should I need it and can't get to my pocket gun.

I will post pictures very soon.

[Wildscar]

One thing I had not thought about is the vulnerability I have to bike-jacking, and just people walking up (bums) at red lights and hassling me.

The best thing you can do on a bike when if something happens is to just go. Leave the area as fast as you can. Before I started carrying I was the attempted victim of a bike jacking. This all happened at about 2 in the morning. I ride a sport bike and so did the other rider in the story.

I was escorting another female rider home and while she turn off for her exit I kept going down Preston towards Northwest HWY. When I was stopped at a light I notice the black truck pulled up my right side. I get the uneasy feeling and then a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. That’s when it happened.

I glance over and see the passenger door fly open and over the hood I see a pistol coming over the hood. I only heard half of what he said because I let the clutch out and gave it the gas. I was sure the bike was going to fly out from under me and I would be done for. The front wheel did come off the ground but I was able to put my body weight over the bike and keep it down. Maybe I was hearing things or mistaken in what I heard but I thought I hear about 3 shots. I expected to get hit in the back and then be spattered all over the road. I would have crawled in the gas tank if I could have. I ran the next 3 lights and made a left turn on to North West HWY. I was hoping that at any point there would have been a cop at one of the intersections. Had I been riding like that for fun I’m sure there would have been. I finally pulled over in a well lit connivance store to catch my breath and let the adrenalin run but about the time I came to a stop I remember who I had left just moments before. I torn out for her place to make sure that wasn’t the trucks next stop. I took Northwest to Central up to Royal where she lived. She was just putting the garage door down when I flew into the drive way. I put my bike in there and then used her phone to call in a report. She thought I was crazy and made the whole story up. Then the cops got there and while I was making my report the LEO’s asked if it was a black Toyota truck. When I looked back over at her, he mouth was hanging open. One of those looks of ‘He wasn’t lying’ moments. Apparently I wasn’t the only one that got to meet them. I was just one of the lucky ones that got away. Never heard if they got them or not. I never saw that truck again.

Later that night(morning I should say) after the cops left and I was pulling my bike out of the garage to head home I started to put my helmet on. I got one of those clarity moments of what really happened. There was a scuff on my brand new helmet. One that left by a bullet grazing off it. I rolled the bike back in the garage and decided to stay the night on the couch.

Believe what yall want. If yall don’t believe it so be it. I don’t have a video of it and nothing to back it up with. Best advice I can give it to learn your bike as you would you firearm. Develop that muscle memory that will one day possibly save your life. I know today that if that same encounter happened when I started riding it might not have ended so well.

[dukesean]

Wildscar, wow that is one heck of a story. I'm surprised that it happened around Preston/NW Highway. That is a nice part of town, but that just goes to show you that no area is 100% safe.

Glad you made it out of there alive, sounds like you could have been on the evening news. How bad was the damage done to your helmet? I always ride with full gear, even in August, but never figured the helmet would be used to save your life like that.

Anyways, thanks for sharing. Lesson to apply: practice my takeoffs more

[gregthehand]

So who makes a good cool riding jacket that still offers a lot of protection?

[Kalrog]

Leather is still best for abrasion resistance. With that said, I went with a First Gear nylon/kevlar jacket that was fairly comfortable even in the summer (as long as I was moving - nothing was comfortable if I was sitting still). It had some padding in appropriate places and a removable very warm liner for when it got cooler. Almost no "warmth" without that liner though.

[gregthehand]

Well I researched lot this afternoon and now I'm leaning towards a Joe Rocket jacket that is Honda red and white and a white Bell helmet. The helmet I bought the other day I just don't think I'll wind up using.

[Kalrog]

Well I researched lot this afternoon and now I'm leaning towards a Joe Rocket jacket that is Honda red and white and a white Bell helmet. The helmet I bought the other day I just don't think I'll wind up using.

With the helmet - comfort is everything. Do not buy a helmet without trying it on. Ever. If you think a good belt and holster are important for CHL comfort - well, it ain't got nothing on a good helmet. I ended up with a Nolan. It fit my head and could open up (mimic an open face helmet for summer stop and go traffic or put the shield down for more protection). But get one that fits.

Joe Rocket is a good name, but I never ended up with one so I can't really comment on them.

[Wildscar]

yeah who would have though street racing would actually payoff. But I would recommend now going out to one of the local Drag strips to practice that kind of stuff. At least they have medical staff on hand to scrape you off the pavement.

Leather is good but it has a saying. "You might break every bone in your body but you will still look good at your funeral"
Anything but bare skin is better than nothing at all. The worst wreck I had was when I on my way home. It was in November and I guess some one went and got some fire wood and didn't tie it all down good and one fell out onto HWY 30 just under the GusThompson Bridge. Well as luck would have it the street lights where out due to construction in the area and I didn't see it till the last second. I hit it hard and was sent air born. Well what I didn't know was that when I hit it the fire log it bent the front rim so bad that it locked up on the brake calipers and basically made an 80mph catapult. I went over the front of the handle bars and the bike came right over with me. I was trapped under the bike for about 30 yards before something grabbed and cause it to finally tumble off of me. I then tumbled for about another 50 yards. When I finally came to a stop I jumped up(I so thought I was going to fall back down due to broken bone or something) since I was still in the middle of the HWY and ran to the shoulder when I collapsed. There just happen to be a Firetruck on the service road that saw the whole thing happen. Ill never forget what the first fireman said as he ran up to me. He said "Man we can believe you jumped up on your feet after that. We thought for sure you where going to be dead when we got over here." apparently when they say it happening they where already calling it in and told the ambulance to be sure and have a body bag on hand. Well that helmet that saved my life once save it again that night. I must have spent close to a thousand bucks on all my riding gear and the only thing I got out of it was road rash on my knee. It was pretty bad though. Could see the knee cap and all when I moved it. I didn't get any broken bones or concussion or crushed ribs or broken color bone that normally goes with a wreck of that nature. All the gear did it job. My First Gear ballistic jacket, Teknic gloves, Steel toes boots and Shoei helmet where all trashed. The only reason I got the road rash on my knee was due to wearing blue jeans instead of the leather ones. Oh and a good leather wallet can go along way too. It saved my butt cheek. You can see the marks on the wallet that would have been on my butt cheek. So don't skip on gear. One day it might safe you life. Maybe even more than once.

Every time I see a person riding in a tank top with short shorts and flip flops with no helmet just makes me want to go smack him up side the head for being so stupid.

[The Annoyed Man]

When I was still racing, I wore a set of Freddie Spencer replica Dainese leathers. I still have them, but I sure can't fit into them anymore!

But pretty much any of the better riding gear manufacturers will be able to satisfy your needs for leather. Also, you can get pretty good "enduro" style jackets made out of synthetic materials that have layers of kevlar and internal armor and such. Those would probably hold together pretty well for a lower speed get off. Whatever you buy, make sure it has an internal back protector. These not only protect your spine from a direct impact, but they help to spread the impact forces over a larger area, thereby reducing the probability of injury.

DO NOT SKIMP ON HELMETS! Do some reading on Snell ratings and stuff like that. From a strictly safety perspective, full face is better than open face. You can get full face helmets with flow through ventilation systems. Generally speaking, it is better to spend more on a helmet than less, but any helmet, open face included, is better than no helmet at all. Those are the kinds of apparel and helmet details that are really more important than how cool the whole package looks.

[Wildscar]

Forgot to add to my last post. When I tell people the story about how much I spent on all my gear and how it was trashed after the first wreck. They all look at me like I am crazy. Then I explain that I would much rather have $1000 loss than thousands of dollars in medial bills or funeral costs. That normally brings then around. SO please don't skimp just to save a buck or two. I have seen some people say on this forum that they would not trust their life to a $100 dollar gun. Take the same advice and apply it to helmets. I could tell you Shoei but they all fit different. What works for me might not work for you. Another poster recommended not to buy without trying on the helmet. Thats good advice.

Another piece of advice. invest in a few Doo-rags to wear under your helmet. They are a lot easier to wash than the liner of you helmet will be. I probably have close to 200 different ones. I have more of them than I do shirts. Not to mention you wont have to worry about helmet hair.

[KBCraig]

There is some debate about Snell v. DOT ratings. I tend to side with Snell, but the argument is interesting.

The argument says that Snell is a high speed racing standard, designed for impact at speed. The shell is stronger, but the padding is firmer, meaning it can actually transfer more energy to your noggin. A DOT-spec helmet is designed for lower speed impact, has softer padding, and will (theoretically) transfer less energy at speeds it was designed for.

[The Annoyed Man]

There is some debate about Snell v. DOT ratings. I tend to side with Snell, but the argument is interesting.

The argument says that Snell is a high speed racing standard, designed for impact at speed. The shell is stronger, but the padding is firmer, meaning it can actually transfer more energy to your noggin. A DOT-spec helmet is designed for lower speed impact, has softer padding, and will (theoretically) transfer less energy at speeds it was designed for.

It is true that there is such an argument, but I can offer the following personal anecdotes:

1. My lowest speed get off was at 0 mph. I was sitting feet down on my bike in the middle of an intersection, with an oncoming car which was slowing and signaling a right hand turn, waiting for him to make his right turn before I made my left turn. A 16 year old driver, reaching for a fallen tape on the floor of his car, rear ended me going 25-30 mph. My bike was launched across the intersection onto the sidewalk. I went up in the air maybe 2-3 ft above the car and came down next to the left side passenger door, where his left rear tire ran over the back of my head. I was knocked out cold, and there was a large tire mark across the back of my helmet. I was wearing a Snell rated Shoei. I awoke laying in the street, staring straight up, with a circle of faces all looking down at me. I had a pretty nasty leg injury, but my head was OK.

2. My next lowest speed get off was at probably under 10 mph in the parking lot of the Rose Bowl in California. I was wearing a Snell rated Arai helmet. I was turning and apparently rolled my front tire through a small oil or sand patch I didn't see, and it was like somebody yanked the bike out from under me in a low side. My head and shoulder hit the pavement first. The only way I can describe the impact was that my head was struck a mighty blow. I remember thinking at the time "MY GOD!" The impact was tremendous, but I never lost consciousness, and I never exhibited any symptoms of a concussion.

3. A friend of mine killed himself in a sort of freak accident riding his Moto Guzzi on the Angeles Crest Highway when he took too tight of an inside line on a turn, leaned waaaaaaaaayyyyy over, and collected a snow marker pole on the crown of his DOT rated Nolan helmet. The pole pretty much caved in the helmet and his skull underneath it. Knowing the turn in which it happened, I would guess his speed to have been somewhere between 65-80 mph.

FWIW, my opinion is that the argument about Snell versus DOT ratings in high and low speed impacts is largely academic. In my personal experience, a Snell rated helmet has saved my own life in a low speed impact, and a DOT rated helmet has killed a friend in a high speed impact. I wouldn't wear anything other than a Snell rated helmet. Can you get killed wearing one? Sure. But the odds are better in your favor than with a DOT rating. BTW, it is my understanding that the DOT rating is mandatory for ALL helmets sold for street use in the U.S. "DOT" stands for "Department of Transportation." Thus, your Snell rated helmet must pass a DOT test in order to be sold in the U.S., but a DOT only rated helmet might not pass the Snell test. OTH, DOT only rated helmets, while street legal, generally cost less than Snell rated helmets because the manufacturers pass the added expense of both the Snell rated construction AND the actual Snell sticker along to the consumer. So it boils down to a simple question, "What is your head worth to you?"

I don't believe that bikes are particularly inherently dangerous, but the world in which you ride them IS. Wisdom and discretion would seem to dictate buying the best protection you can get, and chalking it up to the price of admission. That's just my 2¢.

[gregthehand]

Thanks for all the advice guys. It is taken in! Right now I am looking at gettin a Bell Moto 8 Helmet which is a big step-up from the dealership ones I was looking at. For a jacket I'm looking at a leather Joe Rocket/Honda red jacket with ventilation built in. Of course a good pair of gloves, I'm leaning towards Joe Rocket for those too. For boots I have a lot of pairs of steel toed boots from working in the oilfield so I'll probably try those out. All this is a big step up from what I was looking at and is mostly due to people such as yourselves who are responsible telling me "Don't compromise".

I too see some of these younger guys on bikes (they always seem to be younger) wearing nothing but shorts and a t-shirt with sneakers and a hat turned backwards. I always see them in town and my only hope is that they learn their lesson the easy way and not the hard way. Personally I'd rather take others word for it that have been there and not sacrifice some skin or health to learn it.

As far as warning lights I was considering getting some TIR-3 amber light for the back and front that I could hit a switch for to grab someone's attention. I can get these through work for cheap and they are very small and easy to install. My question is do you think it's worth it? I'm not going to hit them at ever intersection, I just think it would be nice to have if I see someone coming up behind me who is coming a little too fast. Or if someone is edging out of an intersection in front of me. I have been told that most people will look right at you and then pull right on out in front of you as if they didn't see you. It does not suprise me as I had this happen in my full-size white truck in the middle of the day, and I have day-time running lights! People just daze off I guess.

[Wildscar]

As far as warning lights I was considering getting some TIR-3 amber light for the back and front that I could hit a switch for to grab someone's attention. I can get these through work for cheap and they are very small and easy to install. My question is do you think it's worth it? I'm not going to hit them at ever intersection, I just think it would be nice to have if I see someone coming up behind me who is coming a little too fast. Or if someone is edging out of an intersection in front of me. I have been told that most people will look right at you and then pull right on out in front of you as if they didn't see you. It does not suprise me as I had this happen in my full-size white truck in the middle of the day, and I have day-time running lights! People just daze off I guess.

Do not trust a 4 wheeler to see you. PERIOD. I ride a smokin Joes replica and its bright yellow and purple. I thought the bright colors might help. They dont. I still get cut off and pushed out of my lane more times than I care to rememeber.