Topic: Everyone should read this before riding.....

[andy750]

Warning graphic images....

http://web.archive.org/web/20061126070829/http://www.speedfreakinc.com/content/articles/riding/roadrashqueen.html

[Ryan 550k]

Thanks for posting this andy.  Great message.

[Really?]

Wow, she had plenty of road rash.  She is doing what she wants to do.  Glad she is able to do what she wants to do, ride.  Her choice.

Been there, well not near that bad.  Made my choice to get back on and ride.  I wear my gear too!

Good message when it comes to wearing the gear.

[okie]

I notice no mention, after the accident, of the guy she was riding with.  What a jerk!  If you want to endanger yourself by going crazy speeds, fine.  Her life was in his hands and there was absolutely nothing she could do to change the situation.  Hopefully somebody beat him to within an inch of his life.  Then when he got up, did it again.  Rinse. Repeat as needed.  If I were that girl's father, I probably would be in prison right now.  Can you tell I am Pi$$ed?

[eldar]

That makes its way around every year or so. Certainly nothing wrong with reminding people of what can happen. They should show more stuff like this in schools. If you gross the kids out enough, they will sometimes actually get the clue BEFORE they crash.

[BobbyR]

Jeeze Andy, where were you in 1968 when I started riding these things.

[cbr-eric]

its why I ride gear, and I have never had a bad thing happen to make me realize it is a good idea. guess I am lucky that I am smart enough to just decide that it is the way to go!  always have my padded leather jacket, leather gloves, full face helmet and steel toed boots. as of now I have double layered "logger" duck pants, but am going to have leather next summer and some nicer boots.  just not worth it at all!  sweat washes off, roadrash does NOT!

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Remember guys, 2 kinds of riders.......   

1) Those that have been down
2) Those that will go down. The odds get worse the more you ride. Be prepared IF it happens.

I was #2 for 35 years until 8-8-2002. I consider myself lucky.

[cbr-eric]

holy... I assume you were ok after denting the front bumper on that old ford??

[dpen]

I may be a sweaty mess inside all my protective gear on a hot day but I laugh when I see all these riders (harley?) in shorts, t shirts & thongs
  These clowns have never felt road rash
Don't get me started on the little honies on motorscooters in the city

[tramp]

never let myself or wife ride without boots long pants and leathers
the article never said how fast they were going
i would guess for a young girl to be blown off the back they had to be screaming
always tell my friends the bike is smarter than you, it knows when it's going to lay down
you won't till it''s to late

[eldar]

Well as  idid a lot of crashing while off roading, maybe I have build up my anti-crash barrier!

[fuzzybutt]

as much as i hate losing 5 pounds of sweat if i go on a 60 mile ride during the summer months i ALWAYS wear protective gear. i haev a nice joe rocket, armoured mesh jacket and good heavy gloves, high boots with steel shank in the soles for support. even when the temps get over 100 with 90% humidity i either dont ride at all, or i wear all my protective gear. i have no health insurance yet and i already owe over 100k to palmetto richland hospital.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

holy... I assume you were ok after denting the front bumper on that old ford??

Yeah, coulda been MUCH worse. Snapped arm, 5 ribs, and cracked and smushed left heel. The old van was totaled along with my Fat Boy. Pretty much the whole front end. The Harley took a better hit 

[cbr-eric]

good to hear!

[nickjtc]

Part of our riding course is a theory component, which includes riding strategies and an overview of appropriate riding gear. If there are any cruiser or sportbike types in the class we can see their eyes glaze over...the cruiser types because no matter what we say they are going to wear an ashtray on their heads. The sportbike types will blow their hard earned $$ for a Valentino Rossi replica helmet, then ride around in the t-shirt/thongs on feet/shorts gear.

Personally I believe that, like smokers who will not give it up, it all boils down to  an "it will never happen to me" attitude.

The tragedy is that statistically the majority of riders will get to the end of their riding careers without any 'incidents', and will therefore perpetuate the myths that appropriate gear is not a huge issue.

[cbr-eric]

yeah, the thinking it won't happen to me thing seems crazy, but to each his own.  I ride a sportbike and think it is even more crazy to not wear gear as it is sooooo easy to get to warp speeds.  even if you were not hit by anyone or thing, if I had a blowout at 120mph and hit the ground to slide it would be the end.  why wouldnt you wear gear?!?!?!

[Really?]

One of the perks to wearing a helmet is plugging into the on board stereo or your iPod for the tunes.

Gotta have something to listen to and/or talk to another bike and/or passenger.

[toycollector10]

I'm 56 now and my bones will break easier and my skin is thinner and I'm generally less likely to survive the trauma of a big off/road rash incident.

 Stuff like that can kill ya, you know!

This is a recurring theme, rider protection, on the local N.Z. biker forum I'm on. Basically, until you've had an off and realise how shocking and painful it is you are riding in la-la-land.

[cbr-eric]

my neighbor got his license this past summer. he is a real level headed guy and took the course. seems liek a pretty good rider.  this past late fall he was going for a little ride around his neighborhood and a car pulled out in front of him like nothing, but it was pulling out from a carwash... the carwash was running off into the street making a slippery slightly iced spot (it WAS late fall!) and he lowsided.  luckily it was cold so he was wearing a decent amount of clothes, but during the summer he was all about wearing a tshirt....  he even had his son ride with him on occasion with shorts...  scary stuff!   maybe he will be better dressed next year!

[kpier883]

1986.  Kawasaki LTD 1000.  I hit the gas hard from a railroad crossing, popped over a hill and locked up the front tire when an oncoming gray hair made a left into a parking lot in front of me.  When the tire locked up I hit the ground at probably 60 mph.  I missed the car but wound up looking a lot like the girl in the pictures.  Broke my right ankle, needed stitches in a couple of places, and was skinned up all over.  I remember doing a pushup while sliding feet first to get my body off the ground.  It ground all my fingertips down and there was only a little skin left on the palms and fingers.  I tried to stand up before I stopped and did a back flip (thats when the ankle broke) and landed on the back of my helmet.  It saved me from crushing my skull I am sure.

I didn't do skin grafts - I didn't have health insurance and my Mom was a nurse.  She would disinfect the bathtub with clorox and fill it with hot water and epson salts.  I soaked almost every day in that stuff.  I will always measure pain based off the feeling I got when getting out of a hot epson salt bath and lathering on antibacterial ointment over areas with no skin.  The worst part is when the meat starts drying out after the bath.  They gave me strong antibiotics and strong pain killers.  You will go into spasms when drying out if you don't get the pain killer working in time.  I was very fortunate not to get any infections . 

I was young and dumb but I learned some.  I don't ride in shorts and a tank any more.

The first time I got back on a bike was nerve racking.  The sound of anything sliding - like someone peeling out while I was riding would make my heart jump.  My mind associated the sliding sound with me sliding down the road.

Leather is good and so are helmets.
 

[cbr-eric]

those cows gave up their skin to save yours, it would be insulting not to wear it

[nickjtc]

those cows gave up their skin to save yours, it would be insulting not to wear it

Wow, that's a great line. Thanks.

[cbr-eric]

sure, if you pay the royalties you can use it! ;-)

[HondaMan]

I was fortunate to be off the hiway, in a track situation, with at least a denim, when I learned this lesson. I have NEVER ridden without leather or helmets since.

The sport bike rear seats appear to me to be a driver's ego trip, in any case. At speeds above 40 MPH, there is simply nothing for the passenger to hang onto unless it's the rider. While I fully understand the '60s mentality of the guy driver and scared girl passenger, the high road I took after my first crash was to always warn her (whoever "her" was) that she would have to consider that she was going to have to hold onto me snugly if she really wanted to experience the Four that day, and give her the chance to back out first. Then, I'd make her wear a helmet, and I carried an extra jacket in the Vetter. And, she could not ride with me "for real" unless she had at least pants and shoes.

Oddly,...in the crowds where I was, I got more passengers. They would wait unti the next weekend after my "comments", but they would show up, ready to ride 'the course' we all shared, for real. That was fun! I still remember one girl in particular, who must have been a weightlifter or something, who kept my under 110 by inadvertently squeezing all the breath out of me every time the needle went above it...