Somebody went down today... A case for good gear

[pashnit]

This was posted on SuzukiHayabusa.org, and thought I'd repost: This is not to start a thread to assail those that don't wear gear, or even to be a gear-nazi and get all preachy about gear- it's just quite simply a good read:

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I lived in Texas before I retired in 2003. I raced motorcycles on the road and track for 25 years. My last bike was a 2002 Hayabusa, prepped with chrome and some moderate mods. The only safety apparel I have ever used on the road when racing and chasing was a helmet. Heck I thought that was all I ever needed, I never went down on a bike before, and as far as I was concerned only idiots crashed due to their own negligence. One day I seen a post on this board about people who did or did not have safety apparel on while riding and then they crashed and either were killed or severally, horribly disfigured for life. I mean I have heard of people who out in the middle of know where would run off the road and hit a telephone pole and kill them selves, how unlucky was that idiot, (So I thought).

I started reading post from people who did and did not wear their gear. It really made me think about me. For some reason I started to remember my past friends who died from crashes and didn’t have any gear on. I started having some very vivid thoughts about what would happen to me if I were to crash. I even dreamed about having a crash. It was on my mind every day. So I decided to buy a complete set Field shear riding gear, every thing, reinforced Kevlar boots, armored pants and jacked, padded gloved and my $500 Aria helmet. For some reason I did not want to ride my bike until I received my gear, I do not know why but it was a very strong feeling of me being in a crash and then what would happen to me.

Well I received my gear on Friday. On Sunday afternoon, June 2002, I decided to go for a ride. It was only around 90F, and my wife and two children has gone to California to visit her family. I was bored so I dressed up in my full gear and went for a ride by myself. I first noticed that my full gear was kind of hot, I mean I was sweating pretty good, but I decided to kept it on. Texas has some of the nicest long and straight roads you have ever seen. I was riding on just one of those roads. I drove for miles without so much as seeing another vehicle. I was traveling at around 135mph to 145mph, not to terribly fast for myself and my bike until I came up onto a 90 degree Sharpe bend in the road, the same one I have driven through countless of times. But for some reason today this corner snuck up on me before I could react appropriately, I went off the road at a speed of around 130mph. I slid sideways over a steel road sign and started flipping sideways. At this point I broke my left femur. I then hit a telephone pole with the right side of my helmet then moved forward to hitting the pole with my right shoulder, my right clavicle was now was fractured.

I bounced 80’ to 90’ straight to the left of the telephone pole and my bike, resting on my back in a large prickly thorn patch, which just happened to be out in the middle of now where land. I remember waking up and looking out of my helmet which was missing the visor. I so remember how bright the sun was shining into my eye, the sweat running down my face. I could only move my head to the left or right, but could not raise my head. I reached down with my left hand to try to reach my cell phone, but I just realized my wife had the cell phone so they could call me in case they had an emergency. As I went in and out of consciousness, I knew I was in big trouble, for I would probably die their. But then I heard a guy yell out to me saying hey are you OK, I will call for an ambulance.

I remember the helicopter landing near by. I was then immediately airlifted to the nearest hospital. Besides asking for more pain medicine, the nurses said they were sorry but they had to cut off all of my gear, including my boots. I told them don’t worry just cut my cloths off for I knew as bad as I was hurting, the pain would increase proportionally if they tried to remove them without cutting them off first. I was then X-rayed and rushed into the operating room to be pined back together. Later that day, when my Orthopedic Surgeons came to visit they said they were amazed that after crashing and breaking so many bones, I did not have so much as a scratch from the accident.

My Doctor then told me that I was the second motor cycle accident this week end. He said the other guy however was not wearing any gear and will have horrible scars and be disabled for missing fingers, head trauma etc for the rest of his life. The Doctor’s said he was a challenge putting him back together again. Now let’s look at my life today. My wife got pregnant just 6 months later in December. I retired that next April, 2003. On September 21 my wife gave birth to our third child, a beautiful little red haired girl, named Morgan. After numerous surgeries on my legs I can walk most of the time without a noticeable limp. I have leg pain on most days, but I manage well.

I cannot imagine what life would have been like if I didn’t have my full gear on. I am sure that if I didn’t have my helmet, my head would have been busted open, and I would have died or been a vegetable for life, burdening my family all because of my stubborn stupidity, always making up excuses why I didn’t have to wear full gear. My right foot would have been ripped off for sure, no doubt if not for my armored boots. The moral of this story is, Use your own conscious when determining if you will wear full riding gear. You must look at your family or future family because they would want you to be around to take them to the movies or to play in the park. Just think, I rode and raced bikes for over 25 years with out so much as a scratch, to then have a life threatening accident and to owe my life, My daughter Morgan and my future, all because of riding safety gear. -Doug Nelson



Rest of the thread is here:
http://www.suzukihayabusa.org/phpbb/...ic.php?t=43352

[deaconblues]

People say it all the time, but sometimes it takes something like this to really put things into focus.

"Dress for the crash, not the ride."

This guy did good. I hesitate to say he was lucky, because he DID crash. But whatever it was that pushed him to buy (and wear) the gear, good looking out.


And no, I don't wear a helmet because the law says so. I wear it because I regard it as an essential piece of equipment. Same goes for the rest of my stuff.

Ultimately, each person determines the amount of risk they're willing to juggle. Wearing safety gear is part of that. Same goes for how you ride, where and when you ride, how many classes you take to improve your riding, and so forth.

[Backmarker]

One day we pulled up to the lake on a quick close by ride. Both of us in full gear. Never leave home without it. A woman was getting out of her vehicle and started asking questions about it. Isn't it hot, etc. We pointed out the venting, etc. She then said 'well what about when it's summer and super hot here'. We said, we either get up really early and head for the mtns or just don't bother to ride. It's not worth the risk. She then suddenly did this 180 and said 'GOOD! I'm an ER nurse and my last shift I spent picking road grime and denim out of some guy! I'm glad to hear you guys play it smart!'. whew!! Glad we answered everything right. Personally, I won't even test ride around the block without at least a helmet, gloves, jeans and a jacket. But I've made the major mistakes on a bicycle in my early years...

[CRASH]

I used to road race many years ago. Rode Superbike and GP500s. I am a firm beleiver in the proper gear. I think that everyone here is right to think this guy did the right thing and change his habits to wear the proper gear ... but lets put this in just a LITTLE perspective. The man was riding 145 MPH on A PUBLIC ROAD! The guy got damn lucky. He hit a telephone pole with his head because he went off the road at 130 MPH. I hope it knocked some sense into him.

I know a lot of you guys are sport bike riders and ride with enthusiasm. I ride my big old lumbering Road Star now faster than I should a lot of times. But if you go off the road at those speeds, you gotta get up and the first thing out of your mouth must be THAT WAS MY FAULT. I was there when I was younger, I did those stupid things, I rode way too fast for the conditions, I wrecked doing it more than once. I have earned the right to say this guy is a knucklehead because I was once just like him (except I have ALWAYS worn full gear). Unless I missed it, no where does this guy admit that he was just riding stupid. The moral of his story is wearing the right gear, nothing about driving at a speed that is safe for the conditions and environment you are in or your own riding capability. I commend him for dressing appropriately, I have little positive to say about his riding habits.

I will step off of my soap box now, sorry.

[Fastfar]

Crash, point taken and agreed with.

Me too.

[Warrior]

I too have recently gotten very safety conscience lately. Be it I'm only 22, but when I was younger, (16) I would try to emulate my father who was hard core biker back then. Half helmet, sunglasses, t-shirt, and jeans. We'd ride every where like that, canyon's, highways, deserted roads. In the winter we'd wear leather jackets because it was cold, not for the protection. Same thing with chaps.

Last winter I purchased a full face helmet because riding in the cold sucks with a halfie. After winter comes spring, and all the bugs. So I kept wearing the full face because taking bugs at 80mph to the face starts to hurt. But when summer came the same old routine happened. No more jacket, way too hot, same with the full face, too hot. So I was back to riding with a T-shirt and jeans. But like I said earlier I'm 22, so my riding style didn't change, hardcharging around every bend, trying to get that last little chicken strip on the tire worn.

That fall, we had a guy in my squadron die in a motorcycle accident. He just bought the bike that summer and it was his first. So inexperience was a key factor, the other not wearing a helmet. Arizona is a no-helmet law state, but the Air Force has a strict policy on safety gear. He was riding down a suburban street when he lost control and hit his head on the curb. He was going 60mph in a 25 zone.

Like deacon said earlier, it takes something tragic to get your attention. So currently I'm buying another full face helmet, (better venting for the summer) and plan to wear it exclusively. Also to handle the heat I'm getting a vented textile jacket to wear all summer. Riding pants aren't very far away.

Good news is that with my safety gear awakening, my dad is also starting to get into it too. As well with my brothers. And every airmen in my unit that goes out to buy a bike, I always make sure they get at least a jacket and helmet thrown into the deal. With the rider mentor program on base we are trying to reduce accidents due to inexperience. They still happen, but it's due more to stupidity than inexperience.

Sorry for the rambling, but this one hit a note with me.

[Backmarker]

I agree completely! There's a really good reason I call myself Backmarker. I be slow. I have a sportbike because I like the style and ride position. I feel most comfortable on it. But I still wear full leathers (I'm the one in the helmet ). People may look at me and think I'm some sort of crazy speed demon, but just watch me ride. That'll clear things up! Like they say, dress for the crash, not the ride... I hope I never have to test it out.

[Law Dawg (ret)]

He expected to get into a crash and it happened...self fullfiling prophesy. With his style of riding it was only a matter of time anyway. All it takes is one brain fart at 145 and yer there.

There is really not any good excuse for not wearing gear anymore. When I was a pup, riding gear was rare to nonexistant and so we made do. Now the selection is HUGE with everything from full race leathers to mesh wear. Wear gear or don't...the choice is still yours. But if you ride like this guy, or in general, you will crash someday. Own the responsibility if you don't wear gear.

[NorCalBusa]

The gear thing has been beaten to death- and I agree with wearing it.

I'm more curious about how this crash occurred; the speed, the brain fart to not handle what was described as a 90 degree turn that he's been on before.

While not the point of his writing, and certainly taking some poetic license extracting here;
- he mentioned being hot and sweating
- droning along the highway straight for miles (we all know how that can be hypnotizing "road drone")
- perhaps some dehydration caused some mental processes to slow and inattentiveness?

Seems a takeaway is to heed little clues that manifest and take good care of yourself.

[HIGHLANDER]

Well along the same lines as the Busa... This poor bastard is going to be hurting for a while!!