SuzukiSavage.com - Lets talk about gear

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Re: Lets talk about gear
Reply #45 - 04/30/13 at 23:22:12

Low speed side impact collision. One was a member of a riding group I belonged to. One was a very good friend of mine's father. One was an assistant coach of my grade school baseball team. One of them was the girl I was married to before my current wife.

The one thing they all had in common? Their heads were knocked to the side by the impact and the excess weight was sufficient to break their necks.

The above were on Knucklehead HD, early Goldwing, Evo HD and Evo HD.

When I was in college in eastern WA, as soon as I hit the Idaho state line my helmet came off and either went into the ditch on the opposite side of the road, or was strapped to the backrest if I was taking a different road home.

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On 2 wheels since 7/87

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Paladin.

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Re: Lets talk about gear
Reply #46 - 05/01/13 at 00:05:50

Jiggyfly wrote on 04/30/13 at 23:03:26:

... Of the 100's & 100's of crashes I've seen at the racetrack, I've never seen, heard, or known of anyone breaking their neck "because of" a helmet....

The race track is reasonably safe -- mostly just slide until you come to a stop. On the street you can hit stationary object that will break your neck: http://www.ncrider.com/Truth_About_Helmet_Laws_v1_10-22-04.htm

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justin_o_guy2

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What happened?

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Re: Lets talk about gear
Reply #47 - 05/01/13 at 12:45:03

I can tell you without any doubt that had I been wearing a helmet when I crashed in La. I woulda broken my neck. I landed on the right shoulder & slammed my head onto my left shoulder & cracked 3 vertebrae. Had the width of a helmet side been in there for a fulcrum, it woulda been just like being hung with a rope. I only found out about the cracks a few years ago, when I had a cat scan.,

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The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.- Edmund Burke.

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Serowbot

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OK.... so what's the
speed of dark?

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Re: Lets talk about gear
Reply #48 - 05/01/13 at 13:24:40

Paladin. wrote on 05/01/13 at 00:05:50:

The race track is reasonably safe -- mostly just slide until you come to a stop. On the street you can hit stationary object that will break your neck: http://www.ncrider.com/Truth_About_Helmet_Laws_v1_10-22-04.htm

That "Truth about Helmet laws" article, quotes stats from the Motorcycle Industry Council...
"The following tables from the Motorcycle Industry Council show that the states with voluntary helmet laws actually do have fewer fatalities per accident, and fewer accidents per motorcycles registered in 1993."

This is obviously a distorted reinterpretation because the MIC recommends, and supports helmet use...
Here's their helmet video... they have download link to it on their site...
PS... I can't find the full 5min video on youtuibe, this is just 3min...
You can download the full video here...http://www.mic.org/mic.cfm?spl=2&action=display&pagename=MIC%20Downloads

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Ludicrous Speed !... ... Huh

...

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LANCER Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Savage Beast Performance Parts Posts: 10667 Oklahoma Gender:	Re: Lets talk about gear Reply #49 - 05/01/13 at 19:32:12 Serowbot, the speed of dark is Warp Factor 13
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Serowbot YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline OK.... so what's the speed of dark? Posts: 28663 Tucson Az Gender:	Re: Lets talk about gear Reply #50 - 05/01/13 at 19:43:04 Mine's only 12... I must have a miss... ...
Back to top	Ludicrous Speed !... ... ... IP Logged

arteacher Serious Thumper Offline Ride as if your naked and invisable! Posts: 2581 London ontario Gender:	Re: Lets talk about gear Reply #51 - 05/02/13 at 06:21:54 LANCER wrote on 05/01/13 at 19:32:12: Serowbot, the speed of dark is Warp Factor 13 No it's not- it's the inverse of the speed of light.
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Jiggyfly

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Re: Lets talk about gear
Reply #52 - 05/02/13 at 23:39:36

One of my best friends crashed twice well north of 125mph, one time flipping like a rag doll from brake marker 3 in turn 12 at Road America (Canada Corner, for those familiar) to well into the gravel trap. Flipping.......every side of his $750 Arai helmet had scuffs. Not even a headache.
I landed on the side of my head, having been catapulted over the bars at 65-70 mph.....fully inverted.....feet in the air, bammmmm! My head completely bent sideways, far enough for my helmet to break my collar bone in 2 places, chunk out of my $700 Arai helmet. No headache, neck a little stiff for a day or so. There is no doubt that is something that I would probably either be drooling on myself, or dead, without a helmet.
Trust me, your neck will bend significantly further than you think it will, without breaking.
A helmet can actually limit how far your neck rolls.....think football neckrolls. Of course, they may break your collarbone doing so.... Grin

There's no way to say, "a helmet did this to me", when you don't know if it would happen without the helmet.
(Then add brain trauma, minus the helmet!)

I crashed in turn 1 at Road America Briggs track on a Supermoto bike.
I hit the ground so hard that smacking the pavement broke my thumb.
Also broke 2 ribs, & bounced my dome off the track hard.
Again....not even a headache. (I grabbed my spare helmet, & raced 3 more races that day....then the adrenaline wore off. Ribs hurt me for 4 months!)

I have too many personal testimonies. I'll wear one, & strongly encourage others to do so. This is America, and were free to choose to do as we please.....if you choose not to, I hope you don't ever hit your head as hard as I have, cuz it's a high probability the lights will go out.

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Jiggyfly

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Re: Lets talk about gear
Reply #53 - 05/02/13 at 23:49:01

Paladin. wrote on 05/01/13 at 00:05:50:

Jiggyfly wrote on 04/30/13 at 23:03:26:

... Of the 100's & 100's of crashes I've seen at the racetrack, I've never seen, heard, or known of anyone breaking their neck "because of" a helmet....

The race track is reasonably safe -- mostly just slide until you come to a stop. On the street you can hit stationary object that will break your neck: http://www.ncrider.com/Truth_About_Helmet_Laws_v1_10-22-04.htm

Read my above testimonials. There's one thing we usually hit our head on...the pavement. & we usually do it with significantly more force, at a higher speeds, and more frequently than anyone does (or at least should) on the street.
That's called "testing". Lol
If it works at 115mph, it will likely work @ 35mph.
I've also been hit by a car, that was going about 40-45mph, directly into the side of my bike. I put a dent in the hood where my helmet impacted.
Imagine that.....go out and headbutt a Buick Lesabre hood with your head
one time, & put a 1" dent in it. No headache. Wink

I either buy good helmets, get lucky, or don't have anything up there to hurt! Grin

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Serowbot

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OK.... so what's the
speed of dark?

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Re: Lets talk about gear
Reply #54 - 05/02/13 at 23:59:37

Jiggy,...
... and I've never seen you drool once...

I drool,... a little... but I always have... Huh

...

...

I've had three, ...really spectacular crashes... and never bonked my head,... that hard...
Just dumb luck...
... but, every time... I was glad I had the helmet on...
One, saved a nasty, eye, nose and chin, burn...(possibly an eye, nose, chin,... "adjustment"?...)...
One,... saved me having an early bald patch on the back of my head...
... and one,... saved me from showing my embarrassment, at being so stupid... (although,.. in that one,.. I did header a traffic light pole)...(HELMET!)...
(that was many years ago,.. when I was young and stupid)...
... now,... I'm older...

... stupid,... is hard to shift... Huh

...

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Ludicrous Speed !... ... Huh

...

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justin_o_guy2

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East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.

Re: Lets talk about gear
Reply #55 - 05/03/13 at 08:04:15

Well,, my neck Did break, in 3 places, just not bad enough to ruin my life or kill me. They did have me set for HALO surgery when they decided to have another MRI run & they discovered the breaks were old.
Your opinion is yours, mine is mine. I Dont see how anyone could replicate that "Get Off" on a track. How I hit, I was rolling off the bike, in La. In the dark, cuz I lost it in a corner & in La, thers LOTS O TRees,, & I didnt wanna hit one, so, I was actually bailing off, then, realized I didnt turn the bike, when I pushed it away, it stopped my Roll, I hit on my right shoulder, in grass & started flipping, after my head folded flat to the left shoulder. A helmet in that area would have been a fulcrum & Finished snapping my neck. No Helmet still managed to crack 3 vertebrae.

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The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.- Edmund Burke.

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Jiggyfly

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Re: Lets talk about gear
Reply #56 - 05/03/13 at 09:31:07

That's exactly what happened to me when I broke my collarbone......
My head bent all the way to the left, against my shoulder. The bottom edge of my helmet broke the bone. If I put a helmet on, and bend my neck to the left, you can see a perfect indentation where if I could naturally bend my neck that far, it would hit & break it. If I didn't have a helmet on, my neck would've bent even further.

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justin_o_guy2

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Re: Lets talk about gear
Reply #57 - 05/04/13 at 07:53:25

Did your neck break? Mine cracked in 3 places. I hear what youre sayin, I know youve had a ride down that road, so have I. I Did crack vertebrae, add a fulcrum,, then what? My thinking is, those cracks get bigger. My collar bone didnt break, my vertebrae cracked. Maybe our bones are different & maybe 2 necks given th same crankin would act differently? I had one vertebrae stacked just to the side of the other, like placing your fists knuckle to knuckle, just not lined up. It took a chiropractor literally putting his feet on my shoulders & pulling my head out straight till there was no slack & then yanking to set that right. I suffered for years before anyone figured that out. I came within a fraction of being paralyzed or dead. I believe a helmet woulda ended it for me. Your landing may not have been as Head down & you didnt get the immediate traction of "Lawn Dart" in the dirt that I did> I was catapulted up & came down on my forehead, feet over my back like a scorpion,, thats all I remember, cuz that knocked me out,

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The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.- Edmund Burke.

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jcstokes

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Re: Lets talk about gear
Reply #58 - 05/04/13 at 22:22:25

I can't speak with the authority of the many real high mileage/years of experience of many on this forum. I note that in the recently posted Isle of Man TT video clips, not one rider was without a full face helmet or full gear. The IOM is a road circuit, so you can impact with trees, poles, kerbs, stone walls and other motorcyclists all at 160 - 180 mph plus. I would never try and force anyone to wear a helmet or protective gear. I used to ride in shorts and an ordinary shirt, but have stopped that since I retired.

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Completely stock 2010 S40, aftermarket rev counter and back pack, Airhawk seat pad

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old_rider

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Re: Lets talk about gear
Reply #59 - 05/05/13 at 10:01:13

I wear what I wanna wear, but callin' folks names or such because they don't adhere to your standards is well, disrespectful and you won't get respect from me. If you are going to state something you believe in strongly a simple "I strongly suggest" would at least earn you some respect, rather than "you are a dumb*ss if you don't".
And the comback from most folks will be "you are arrogant", simply the same... name callin', no respect given back.
Door swings both ways for me, so if ya jump someone about what they wear, some, all or nothing, no respect... don't disrespect someone because of what they wear or don't wear, its a free county, lots of us have made sure it stays that way.
And by that I mean services (mil and civ) and voters....
This topic has been put on every motorcycle forum that i've been on and always ends the same....badly
LOL also the "i ride a sportbike, harley riders suck!" and the "its a lifestyle you rice burner!"
None of that matters to me, its my life, I just wanna ride and enjoy, I hope you do to

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We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.

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