Freshman Rider
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Post by chihuahuas on May 20, 2013 13:38:19 GMT -5
You get Hit or Crash sooner or later, Knowing when enough is enough is the question.
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Post by scootnwinn on May 20, 2013 14:07:40 GMT -5
I guess I'm lucky. ... I've more than once felt, if I would slide, I would get serious road rash, even on a 50cc. So I wear long sleeves. Doesn't matter what, just a t-shirt with long sleeves. Something is better than nothing! Not so, some fabrics can make road rash worse I still don't wear a helmet, thinking I can protect my head with my hands should I slide (at least most of it). I don't know, never been in an accident before). But I do think a lot about it while riding. I think most helmets are just too bulky for 50cc's. What I need is a helmet that will protect me from road rash, and minor accidents, say, hitting an object at 20-30MPH. Not the DOT helmets, they're too heavy. You can not protect your head in the event of a crash. The forces at work even in slow speed accidents like you mention are so great that you would need superhuman strength and response time to make a difference. DOT helmets are not all heavy. Remember physics does not care what size of motorcycle spits you onto the pavement. I highly recommend that no one use the Prodigit recommendations on safety ever. They are not in any way based in fact or reason. When it comes to safety don't think for yourself look at actual test data. Look at racers notice how they are dressed. When I see people dressed like Prodigit describes himself, I pray for them because that is the only thing that could possibly save them in a crash. ATGATT! |
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Sophomore Rider
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The PartsForScooters Guy
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Post by fugaziiv on May 20, 2013 15:39:04 GMT -5
Every rider eventually has a "moment". Sometimes that moment results in an accident or a near accident, or it is just something while riding which brings your mortality to the forefront. Some people come to terms with it quickly, some it takes a bit more time and some never do.
Take some time off, drive the car for a bit, and see if the scooter starts to speak to you again. If you decide you'd like to ride again and you haven't already, the MSF course recommendation from SylvreKat is a very good idea.
Matt
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Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
The PartsForScooters Guy
Posts: 211
Likes: 15
Joined: Feb 25, 2013 14:44:11 GMT -5
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Post by fugaziiv on May 20, 2013 15:47:20 GMT -5
You can not protect your head in the event of a crash. The forces at work even in slow speed accidents like you mention are so great that you would need superhuman strength and response time to make a difference. DOT helmets are not all heavy. Remember physics does not care what size of motorcycle spits you onto the pavement. ATGATT!This, by the way, is 100% correct. Matt |
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Post by prodigit on May 20, 2013 15:50:16 GMT -5
I've actually seen people get long term problems because of wearing a helmet. A whiplash that could have been avoided should they have not wore a helmet.
All I'm saying is, that most helmets are made for the 1000cc sports bike, as well as for the 50cc scooter. I think there should be grades in helmets.
Thin, lightweight helmets for 50cc's, normal helmets for city riding, and more strong and tough helmets for high speed races.
As far as fabrics, not a single fabric makes roadrash worse, unless you wear toxic chinese clothes with lead paint or something in.
Whatever you're wearing is a layer of protection you wouldn't have if you where going on a short sleeved t-shirt.
Even a long sleeved shirt helps. Of course no woolen sweater, unless you want to peel all the fabric particles out the wound.
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Post by scootnwinn on May 20, 2013 16:20:29 GMT -5
I've actually seen people get long term problems because of wearing a helmet. A whiplash that could have been avoided should they have not wore a helmet. All I'm saying is, that most helmets are made for the 1000cc sports bike, as well as for the 50cc scooter. I think there should be grades in helmets. Thin, lightweight helmets for 50cc's, normal helmets for city riding, and more strong and tough helmets for high speed races. As far as fabrics, not a single fabric makes roadrash worse, unless you wear toxic chinese clothes with lead paint or something in. Whatever you're wearing is a layer of protection you wouldn't have if you where going on a short sleeved t-shirt. Even a long sleeved shirt helps. Of course no woolen sweater, unless you want to peel all the fabric particles out the wound. Denim adds about 5 feet of skid, cotton t-shirts are basically not there. Polyester in some cases can melt into your flesh. Helmets are made to protect you head not motorcycle. Whiplash is preferable to a vegetative state, i.e. any injury sustained instead of the whiplash likely would have been lethal. Your opinions are unfortunately based in ignorant assumption. You admit having never crashed or worn helmets. I have crashed with a helmet on and off road and also with out a helmet (in a car) and I can assure the helmet is vastly better. |
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Post by SylvreKat on May 20, 2013 17:35:42 GMT -5
And I can assure that even at stupidly slow speed (maybe around 5 mph, definitely less than 10 mph), there's no time to cover your head when you go down. My rear wheel slid out, we went down, the curb stopped us. At no point during this did I have any chance to think of anything at all. Blank brain.
But then again, I didn't need to. I wear a full face (modular) helmet. Mesh armored jacket and pants. Gloves with knuckle guards and extra leather and padding on the palms. Boots.
The scoot lost plastic and the passenger footpeg on the left floorboard. The helmet got scraped along the chin. I took zero damage from the slide.
Of course, it's always your choice. Me, I choose to keep my skin where God put it and not on the road. ATGATT for this 'Kat, no matter how overprotected it appears!!
>'Kat
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Post by spandi on May 20, 2013 18:10:44 GMT -5
And I can assure that even at stupidly slow speed (maybe around 5 mph, definitely less than 10 mph), there's no time to cover your head when you go down. My rear wheel slid out, we went down, the curb stopped us. At no point during this did I have any chance to think of anything at all. Blank brain. But then again, I didn't need to. I wear a full face (modular) helmet. Mesh armored jacket and pants. Gloves with knuckle guards and extra leather and padding on the palms. Boots. The scoot lost plastic and the passenger footpeg on the left floorboard. The helmet got scraped along the chin. I took zero damage from the slide. Of course, it's always your choice. Me, I choose to keep my skin where God put it and not on the road. ATGATT for this 'Kat, no matter how overprotected it appears!! >'Kat Well the "Road Warrior" look IS back in fashion. ;D |
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Post by prodigit on May 20, 2013 18:17:00 GMT -5
Things are just different when you're in hot S-Fl.
First of all, it's not a requirement over here to wear full body armor,
second, it's not even bearable to go full body protection. It's just too hot.
You guys up north don't seem to understand that.
When I was living in BE, we have about the same weather than NY, a nice leather jacket and pants where cool! But in S-FL, with temps well over the 80's and scorching sun, riding anything without airco is not a pleasant experience!
And that would be from ~April to ~November, so not just 2 weeks a year.
Trust me, if continental drift happened again, and FL had avg temps back in the 60's to 80's; I'd be wearing full body armor all the time! It looks cool too!
Wearing long sleeved t-shirt is already unbearable in the summer. So let alone a leather jacket, or protected vest.
At best, a mesh vest with plastic pieces serving as crutial body armor (like elbows, spinal, and knee protection).
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Post by scootnwinn on May 20, 2013 19:23:35 GMT -5
I live in a southern desert, not up north. The proper kind of gear actually helps cool your body.
As long as you look cool right? I hope you never get to see what a bunch of lousy excuses you are paying for while lying in a hospital bed prodigit. I can ride in my underwear with a pair of shades on here in NM though I never will. I won't wait for the government to figure out what I should do I'll just go ahead and be as careful as possible with out their help. Prodigit you have rather irresponsible, uninformed, and dangerous attitudes towards safety no matter what your excuses are. You should refrain from recommending them to anyone. If you want to be an organ donor go for it, don't recommend it to anyone.
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2013 20:18:10 GMT -5
Now that im driving my car more Im paying attention to scooters and motorcycles and bottom line is you just cant miss them. I see them just fine. Perhaps mine was a fluke.
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Post by rockynv on May 20, 2013 21:01:50 GMT -5
I live in Hot Southern Florida and summer gear is not unbearable and anyone who tells you otherwise is misleading you with an unsafe assumption. Summer gear keeps the searing heat of the sun isolated from your body allowing a cooling airflow in the mesh layers underneath the outer fabric to circulate keeping you cool and dry. Much cooler than wearing a soggy t-shirt stuck to you like glue, etc. I ride in South Florida 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day commuting to work all year round.
It was 92 degrees (that means 110 plus degrees in traffic on the roadway) when I left the office today wearing an Xelement Silver Ignitor armored jacked with level 3 armor and double back protection, Bilt Apollo full face modular helmet, Sedici leather mesh carbon fiber armored gloves, boots and long pants with a long sleeve shirt underneath. It was not too hot for the 45 minute ride home and only got a bit warm at a long traffic light while the rest of the ride was comfortable. It actually started to get a bit cool the closer I got to my house at 4:15 PM almost chilly when riding through patches of shade.
Just wash your gear regularly so it does not get greasy and it will keep you cool and dry. Dirty, oily gear does not keep you as cool as a clean gear so you get double points for hygene. I just removed the armor from my jacket last night and tossed the jacket along with my helmet liner into a front load washing machine last night (added a couple of towels to help balance the load to allow a high speed spin dry) hanging it to air dry and it was all refreshed from the 1,000 + miles I put on last week daily crusing the beaches, going fishing and riding via the Skyway from Tarpon Spings to Ellington while on vacation.
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Post by SylvreKat on May 20, 2013 22:33:30 GMT -5
Things are just different when you're in hot S-Fl. First of all, it's not a requirement over here to wear full body armor, second, it's not even bearable to go full body protection.) It's not a requirement here, either. And that's not why I wear it. Just like I don't wear my seatbelt because it's the law, I wear it 'cause it provides protection in a crash. It's just too hot. You guys up north don't seem to understand that. . And to say that is, well, sorry, but it's ignorant. Research weather in other states before making a comment like this. KS summers are notoriously humid and hot. Upper 90s temps with sometimes upper 90s% humidity. So, just how does a FL day differ from this? Oh, wait, you said But in S-FL, with temps well over the 80's and scorching sun, riding anything without airco is not a pleasant experience! Gosh, 80s sound lovely. Send me some of that later this summer when we're sweating to the 90s, please. Like rocky, I've never felt overly-hot riding in July in stop-and-more-stop traffic. I'll sometimes lift my chinbar at a red light, but that's it. Didn't even get too hot at the MSF class (end of July or early August, forget which, but pretty much same weather either one). That was an all-day heat-fest in a big asphalt desert. Wearing long sleeved t-shirt is already unbearable in the summer. So let alone a leather jacket, or protected vest. At best, a mesh vest with plastic pieces serving as crutial body armor (like elbows, spinal, and knee protection). And not once did I mention wearing leather. I keep saying a mesh jacket with armour. But like I also said, you may ride in whatever gear you want. Ride in a Speedo if that's what you think keeps you cool. Just don't try to convince anyone it's for any other reason than your own personal preference. And don't come whinging here if you ever go down and road rash. Which I pray for your sake never happens--trust me, going down suxed in my full gear. Can't imagine how suxier it would be with no protection. >'Kat, trying to picture how a vest would be able to have elbow or knee protection anyways.... |
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Post by prodigit on May 21, 2013 0:01:29 GMT -5
Can we lower on the sarcasm please SylvreKat? No need for that!
Summers here can reach over 100 degrees too; no need to prove a point by acting up.
I understand many of you will want to only hear the right advise, but it's like telling a russian guy he should use a welding machine on a pipe to fix it, not duct tape.
Well, duct tape works, and is cheaper, so no reason not to use it.
Same here,
We all know what we should do,
all I'm saying is, I put goggles, long sleeved t-shirt, and gloves, and it works for me.
I just purchased a 125cc motorcycle. On that one, I will be wearing my helmet, jeans jacket and pants (don't tell me jeans does not protect, it does!), and boots, and gloves.
Perhaps body armor if I ever plan on going on the highway with it; but since most of my riding is in town, I won't need it.
Been riding since I was 5 or 7, on two wheels, only have 1 x 1in scar on my chest when I slid in a turn, and the handlebar hit my chest. Other than that, I never had any remaining scars or permanent or long lasting effects due to an accident.
It works for me, and I'm glad I don't have to wear all that bulky stuff, and gear up.
Besides, a helmet limits my hearing.
So, yes, unconventional, but it works for me. And don't give me that BS from 'you'll speak different when you're in the hospital', we all know SOME people end in the hospital, not the majority, and MOST riders never have a serious accident; most scooter accidents are minor, and SOME riders never have a scooter accident in their lifetime, so don't take all that out of the equation.
You can say what you want, but until now I NEVER have needed ANY safety gear except for goggles/sunglasses, and I've NEVER been in the hospital. Thus your hypothetical assumptions of me ending up somewhere there, just don't count.
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Post by scootnwinn on May 21, 2013 0:11:36 GMT -5
The point was that we hope they never become unhypothetical. We aren't saying you can't do what ever you want we are just saying you are not an authority so you shouldn't determine what is needed. Lets leave that to people who actually have studied it. Like the MSF, who vehemently disagree with you. If you ride the potential for a crash exists if you love your family you should take precautions. Hope that was easier for you to understand. I think though that you say this kind of crap just so you can be attacked you have done it before and know we don't appreciate your views on safety courtesy would dictate that you refrain from wreck less determinations of what gear is needed.
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