Look twice for bikes

DavidWhite

DavidWhite

Final Approach
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This happened to a friend I went to school with and his dad when they were riding in the Texas Hill Country. He's a new rider, got the bike about 2 weeks ago.

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And here's the bike.

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Here's what he said further down in the comments section
"the paramedic told Will that he was one of the few Harley riders he ever treated wearing a full face helmet, and not a rag, goggles, or skull cap. I am taking a picture of the helmet and posting it. It saved his life, and that is why I say from a very personal perspective, wear your helmet, and make your friends wear one too."

Here's what it looked like.

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Very good points.

Motorists are unaccustomed to looking for motorcycles. The biggest problem is when car and truck drivers make a left turn.

A full face helmet saves lives.
 
i'll stick with my cage. glad your friend is OK
 
Beyond a full face helmet, there's ATGATT. All the gear, all the time.

The helmet saves lives. The rest of the gear saves injuries like road rash.

Armored jacket, armored pants, armored gloves, boots that cover the ankles and lower shin. That plus the full face helmet is ATGATT.

But at least, wear the full face helmet.
 
Last year, a few of us were on a long ride and one guy crashed into the center divide after he rounded a curve on the freeway, found traffic backed up and locked up his rear brake and subsequently highsided. (Fatigue, cold and get-home-itis strikes again.) his life was saved by a full-face helmet. The chin bar and face shield had deep gouges. As it was, he still had a TBI, but he fully recovered. His jacket and riding pants prevented any other injuries.

I had just switched from an open-face to full-face helmet a few weeks before, and that was convincing that I will always stick with it. Had it not been for the full helmet, most of his face would have been ground off on the concrete.
 
I have to admit, I get lazy putting on all my gear sometimes. ALWAYS a helmet and pants, sometimes ill wear my armored pants but they are hot and not comfortable. The jacket is nice when it's cold, but even with the liner out and vents open its still hot as hades on a warm day. I always wear gloves too.
 
Bikes can be pop-up targets. Riders need to wear everything they own, including a St. Christopher thingie.

I almost nailed a Harley in a parking lot a couple weeks ago. Black bike, black costume, cornered quickly in the shade. I was into the sun, simply no way to see him or react in time when he popped out into the sunlight.

NoHeat said:
Very good points.

Motorists are unaccustomed to looking for motorcycles. The biggest problem is when car and truck drivers make a left turn.

A full face helmet saves lives.
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I literally can feel his pain.

I love full-face helmets.

I also loved the Tourmaster motorcycle jacket I was wearing.

Good to hear that the injuries were not too severe.
 
wabower said:
Bikes can be pop-up targets. Riders need to wear everything they own, including a St. Christopher thingie.

I almost nailed a Harley in a parking lot a couple weeks ago. Black bike, black costume, cornered quickly in the shade. I was into the sun, simply no way to see him or react in time when he popped out into the sunlight.
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Yeah I have a bright red bike with a bright red jacket so I try to be as visible as I can. I think all be wearing the jacket all the time now.
 
Uh, we only have one side of this accident. From a father, of an admitted new rider, in the hill country, on a Harley. Something tells me there's more to the story that hasn't been told.
 
docmirror said:
Uh, we only have one side of this accident. From a father, of an admitted new rider, in the hill country, on a Harley. Something tells me there's more to the story that hasn't been told.
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Well if there is I certainly don't know about it.

They also aren't typical Harley riders. The dad is a band director and the son is an accountant.
 
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...speaking of motorcycles I've got a nice 2007 CBR1000RR for sale near Louisville, KY if anyone's interested? :D
 
As a avid rider I have seen this many times. I ride in the Malibu hills, I have seen both bike riders and cages causing accidents, some fatal and some that all were able to walk away.

Last week a 70 something lady crossed the double yellow lines at Mugu Rock and took out a man that was in full gear, he did nothing wrong but paid the price.

I don't like seeing riders down but in this sport it will and does happen. I do wear full Alpine Stars leathers, Arai helmet, Alpine Stars gloves and boots in hope that when it is my turn I have done all I could do to lesson the injuries.
 
I cannot say this enough times. On a motorcycle you are invisible to most car-bound motorists except a very few who will see and actively try and murder you. Assume every car on the road will do the stupidest thing imaginable to cause and accident. Sooner or later they will.
 
steingar said:
I cannot say this enough times. On a motorcycle you are invisible to most car-bound motorists except a very few who will see and actively try and murder you. Assume every car on the road will do the stupidest thing imaginable to cause and accident. Sooner or later they will.
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Generally correct. However, two-wheelers sometimes don't help the situation. Last Friday, a motorcyclist found a blind spot on the right side of my Ford Explorer that I wasn't familiar with. I knew he was there because I saw him coming up on my right in the mirror before he got into blind spot and I could hear him while he was there. Nothing bad happened, and I adjusted my mirror to remove the blind spot when I parked next.

If he had weaved within his lane or otherwise rode "bigger" I probably would've have lost him visually. Please note I'm not blaming him for anything- he followed all traffic laws and was doing nothing stupid. I only note there are things motocyclists could do to help whatever few cagers are actually looking for them.
 
I wish your friend's son a speedy recovery.

I am a low-time rider of a 2004 HD Roadking...20,000 mi. I installed bright flashing LED tail/brake lights and 3 HID's in the front after I brought it home. I always wear full gear no matter the weather. If nobody is behind me, I am usually 10 mph below the speed limit for better reaction time/control/scenery enjoyment. It is red/chrome with lights on 100% of the time, so pretty visible. Just like in the plane I practice emergency procedures...quick stops on wet/dry pavement, gravel and grass. Also sharp turns. With and without my wife on board, just like a plane they feel/control differently. I had a pilot friend get killed in 2008 riding in a group of four close together in a head on with a DUI/Camaro. Most bikers go as fast or faster than when they are in a car and wear very little around here. No helmet law. The girls in their shorts, tank tops and hair blowing do look nice....for now anyway. My baby is covered from head to toe until we arrive at the destination. We don't ride much anymore after my friend died, got my PPC, built the plane and now choose the "safer" method of traveling for the whole family.
 
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He's not my son (he's actually older than I am) but I will send well wishes his way.
 
As a rider, I'm sending my best wishes his way too.

In 30 years of riding, I agree with Steingar that you won't be seen by everyone. Hi vis gear helps, but don't use it as a crutch. Assume the other guy can't see you. If you're on the road and there is a place he can go, don't go there.

Kept me alive for the last 30 years.
 
If you guys are riding and anotherdriver doesn't see you just send them a text telling them you are nearby they are already looking at their phone.
 
My first flight in EMS was a motorcycle accident. Someone pulled out in front of the guy and he went flying over the handlebars. Broken leg and other bumps and bruises but he survived. I've seen far worse since then. Unfortunately in HEMS, bike guys and ATVs are regular customers. From driving too fast, no protective gear, or someone just not looking out for bikers. It happens.
 
DavidWhite said:
I was thinking skullcap and goggles - no helmet with chaps and a leather vest.
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Gtocha.

Well, in the summer, I wear a half helmet with cloth skullcap, t-shirt, jeans, boots, and fingerless gloves.

I always wear a helmet.

David
 
Does anyone know if the son had taken the required MSF safety course?
My wife and i have several DPS/MSF schools andWe teach the students how to handle this exact situation, every school does.
Sad to hear what happened, but real glad the ending was good.
 
Full face helmet saved me from a lot of pain and 20k worth of dental work when I got rear-ended by a drunk while stopped at a red light 5 years ago. Face smashed into the handlebars hard enough to break the chinbar on my helmet,.

Then again, my girl got T-boned by a left-turner last October while wearing full gear, including kevlar pants from Motoport and Alpinestars racing boots. Ended up with a dislocated shoulder, broken femur, broken tibia, 5 broken metatarsals in the foot, (lisfranc fracture they call it) broken calcaneus, broken talus, broken cuboid, and oh BTW the sole of her foot was 3/4 ripped off... It was 2 months before the doc was 100% confident he would not have to amputate. The best gear you can get won't save you from a collision with a vehicle that has 10 times your mass, so assume every cage is trying to kill you.
 
Aerostich Roadcrafter, Combat Lite boots, FF dirtbike helmet for the USFS trails, white Schuberth C3 for the pavement.

Why? Because people fail to see freight trains on a regular basis. What makes me think they're going to see me?

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Any helmet is better than no helmet, but a full-face is absolutely the way to go. The number of friends I have who've walked away from what would have been massive amounts of damage thanks to their full face helmets are more than I can count.

They're all out to kill you. I liked it when I only had to worry about deer.
 
DavidWhite said:
I have to admit, I get lazy putting on all my gear sometimes. ALWAYS a helmet and pants, sometimes ill wear my armored pants but they are hot and not comfortable. The jacket is nice when it's cold, but even with the liner out and vents open its still hot as hades on a warm day. I always wear gloves too.
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How much do you have invested into a career that DEPENDS on good physical health? :mad2:


Wanna work as a Wal-Mart greeter after an accident? That's about all that commercial pilots license will be worth if you get seriously injured.
 
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I've come close to hitting deer and all kinds of things. Cars worry me the most - they're less predictable than deer!
 
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