Wearing the right gear...

[Tiger]

 :) Wearing the right gear can save you a lot of pain and aggravation, as we all know. However, on a superb riding day like yesterday, I still see these wing nuts riding anything from sports bikes to cruisers in million dollar helmets and....... shorts, muscle shirts/boob tubes, etc :o ::) I am not aware of any brand or model of motor cycle that gives you God given protection in a spill situation...not even a VISION!!!

Point in question...
        The only low point in Good Fridays ride was a wee bit of mixed communication between Canadian_Lou and I at an intersection!!!...and "The Mistress" and I paid the penalty and ended down on the pavement   !!! "The Mistress" now sports with embarrassed pride, her 2010 battle scars to start the season... Scar to upper fairing, bust signal indicator and a couple of scrape marks to the right side foot pegs, hard bag, etc...nothing to bad I'm pleased to say.

Me, hmmmmmmmmmm, right knee was up like a balloon and today is wrapped with a knee support...(I felt it "give" when I went down), a couple of minor scratches/scrape marks to the left leg, right hip and right elbow... :P

Gear Damage...minimum...The right boot has road rash around the toe area, right elbow armour took the major thud as I hit my elbow on the pavement, and the Yamaha branded riding jeans are complete and intact. My Kevlar summer gloves have a very slight "rash" mark on the palms and Shark Helmet is totally untouched!!!

Although this was a very low speed spill...without the right gear I may have been doing this thread from a hospital bed, rather than the comfort of my own home!!!!!

Be aware boys and girls...YOU are not IMMORTAL...pain does exist in varying degree's, to all of us ::)

8).......TIGER....... 8)

[YellowJacket!]

You make a very good point Tiger.  I went for a haircut the other day and it was about 80 degrees outside.  I was removing my riding jacket and one of the oldtimers in there commented about it being so hot out and wereing a riding jacket "on a day like today".  My comment was "roadrash burns a lot worse than the heat inside my jacket".  He just gave me a dumb look.  I'll probably see him in the hospital some day getting skin grafts.  Actually, its really not too hot inside my jacket and its pretty well ventillated.

Most importantly of all, I am very glad you are OK.  We all learn something every day while we are riding and I'm glad you are OK to talk about it.  While its painful and frustrating to talk about the damage to our Visions, it much more painful to talk about a seriously hurt brother (or sister) ROV'r.

Heal quickly my friend!  :-)

David

[kiawrench]

as most long time members know, i tend to damage myself quite often, at times, i damage other things too. my last meeting with semi solid structures left me with a definate need to get others to stop riding in pajamas, shorts ,skimpy stuff and get to buying suitable riding gear.
it may not be the Biker" thing to do or say, but i would much rather sweat than bleed any day.

  sorry to hear you got a rash or two, hope both you and the bike heal quickly--
 
one way to ease the hurt of it all:
poke bottom lip out,, get lady tiger to rub shoulders, freshen wobbly pop and hand you tools as you fix the bike. helps the healing process
(the bottom lip thing is to get the back rub)

[Brian_Matthewson]

Ouch!! Sorry to hear about your mishap....get well soon!

[funkamongus]

So glad youre ok Tiger!!!! Its been said, many times, many ways, dress for the crash, not the ride. Im working on it. 

[xswheels]

Hey Tiger, sorry to hear about your lay down. If your knee is swollen be sure and ice it 20 min every hour. Don't set the knee brace too tight when there is swelling. Knees can take a long time to heal. If you don't think it necessary to see your Doctor, book a consultation with a physiotherapist right away. He will get you back in the Valentino Rossi position sooner.

[don_vanecek]

There are times I just want to hop on the bike and go for a quick ride and then I think of getting into the all the gear and change my mind. Yes, it is sometimes a hassale getting all the gear on and sometimes it's a problem what to do with it when your off. But I always remember flying with my older brother, that airplane does not leave the ground without an inspection even though it was in perfect condition at it's last flight, you inspect it or in our case, put on all your gear everytime before that key is turned. I shiver sometimes thinking about would have happened to me in my younger days had I had an accident! NOT that I hope to EVER test how well the gear would or would not work! 

[YellowJacket!]

I even inspect my bike before I ride it.  I learned the same as your brother Don when I was learning to fly.

David

[Ron_McCoy]

Sorry to hear of your incident Tiger. We've all been there. I'm also looking at some cosmetic repair and a knee problem though mine are not related to each other. Knees can take a while so try to be patient.
Best of luck and hope you heal quickly,
Ron

[Tiger]

 :) Thanks for all the kind words of support, much appreciated.

Yesterday I went to my doctor, who gave it a good going over... :o :'(  ...!!! She confirmed that there were no broken bones or serious damage done. However, I won't be riding anytime soon. The right knee and groin are still quite sore and make getting on and off "The Mistress" ...hmmmmm... trying!!.

"The Mistress" is more or less fixed...just the fairing scar to repair/re-paint and she should be good as new.

              8).......TIGER....... 8)

[Raj1988]

You are in luck, if you can call it luck that is!! We seem to be in for a spell of pretty crappy weather ... you can recuperate without loosing too much time off the bike.
;)

[akvision]

 T, sorry to hear about your crash.... and am glad your well... maybe you have reduced your odds in the future.
Here is a recent story..
My nephew, whom was planning to join Rhpaw and me for our great ride east and south in May, bought a GSXR-750 and proclaimed it was a race bike!!!.  Yeah!!  I proclaimed, that is NOT A GOOD TOURING BIKE!  ---- "Yeah, it's fast and handles good."  I warned.. "Watch your attitude boy!"  (He is like a little brother to me.)

My nephew has been riding a long time, maybe 30 years, has track time.. Kaw550GPZ  way back when... he also has a commuter Honda 750 Nighthawk.... , so loads of road experience.  I now believe that these sport bikes give riders and optimitist sense of security.. sticky tires and all.

So about 5 weeks ago on a solo Saturday morning ride up the Columbia Gorge on the WA side entering a decreasing radius 30mph turn on an out of camber road going to the left.. he lost it and the bike highsided and crashed him into a posted guard rail.

He is now on the mend.  But it was a scare.  He broke every rib and some more than twice. Fractured spine, broke collar bone. Recieve a concussion, josseled his gut.  He is alive and can talk, walk, count and remembers who his girlfriend is.  He is really lucky.  He is not laughing much for the pain.

He was wearing leathers, helmet, gloves, jeans, and tennis shoes.  Major cuts on his legs.

I get to rebuild the bike. and he is not going to be riding for a while.

He was going way to fast and the bike damage is evidence to the speed.  The back end is wiped off and the wheel rim is bent, the case on the left side is squashed.   The fairing is cracked.   No damage to frame or front end.

It makes you think on it.

akv

[Lucky]

Glad to hear your ok, & on the mend.  this gives yo a chance to scout for #147 & #148!  :> :>

[fret not]

AKV, your nephew is lucky to still be alive after a splat like that.  Guard rails are great for cars but not so good for bikes.  May we all learn from other's experiences like this, and not have to learn the hard way.  Real flogging is for the track, not on the public roads.  It took me several years to learn that, so hopefully I won't be testing the "out of boundries" any more. 

In 1971 I took the rear bumper off a Ford station wagon with a side swipe of my Norton Commando.  Got into a lot of trouble for that and haven't had a ticket since.  Life is SOOOO MUCH easier when you don't push the limit.  I still enjoy some spirited riding from time to time but not to the edge anymore.  Like the aviators say, "there's old pilots and there's bold pilots, but there ain't no old bold pilots".  Keep it safe please.

Tiger, heal well.

[funkamongus]

 Like the aviators say, "there's old pilots and there's bold pilots, but there ain't no old bold pilots".  Keep it safe please.


NICELY SAID.

[Tiger]

...this gives yo a chance to scout for #147 & #148!  :> :>

Hahahahahahahahaa... ;)

Thanks again guys...your a great bunch... 8)

[Kenny]

  Hey Tiger,
    Sorry to hear of your tussle with the ground, I had one myself this past summer -during a drive to work I contacted some fine sand on the Wooler Road  entrance to the 401. No damage done to me although the right fairing & tank caught some flack, I wear my Aerostich riding suit all year so I didn't feel or see any damage to my bod.
     Hope your knee is healing & you and Cdn Louie have "kissed" and made up !!
                  Cheers Ken S. ;)

[kiawrench]

redundant , i know,, but for benifit of newer members ,as well as those that may have forgotten:

http://www.discount-leather.net/

nice gear, great explanation of fitting procedures, even better section on leather quality and types .
my favorite part - less than half the price of many other sites, and after tumbling a few times while wearing stuff i bought there, my go to place for leather stuff.-- except that leather bikini they offer in summer months,,, just didnt fit right ( lol )

[Tiger]

 :)
Still having to wear a knee brace, (neoprene type), to get me through the working day and still haven't got to cock my leg over the Vision...however, it is a wee bit better ::)

Although it wasn't high on my need list, I invested in a nice Nexo brand leather jacket today...The reason being, my Wilson leather, that is really comfortable, which Cathy bought Stateside a couple of years ago for my birthday, doesn't have any armour. The textile jacket I wore the day of the spill had full armour and saved my elbows from any damage. Sooo, I decided to change out...you never know, riiiiiiiight!!!

             8).......TIGER....... 8)

[kev10104]

Always better safe then sorry.