Motorcycle Riders?

[melensdad]

I think the really good news is that the hit from the car was far enough forward that most of your body did NOT take the hit.

 

[melensdad]

I got my Bell Vortex for a steal because it was recently discontinued but in hindsight of it saving my life, money is no object.

BTW, when you look for a new helmet, look for a helmet that has a SNELL 2015 or SNELL 2020 rating. ECE ratings are the European standard, its also considered a good rating.

DOT ratings are worthless. Helmets are not tested by the DOT until after they are already on the market for a year, 2 or even more. But manufacturers are legally allowed to claim their helmet is DOT certified. 43% of the DOT helmets tested FAIL the test, many of those helmets are already off the market. Its a game with low end helmets. Put it on the market, sell if for about 3 years. Change the model. Sell that for another 3 years. Change it again. Etc.

DOT Failure Rate LINK => https://www.webbikeworld.com/dot-helmet-failure-rate-is-now-43-percent/

 

[JCSR]

Snell or Sharp 5 star for me. And you don't have to spend big $ for a 5 star rating.

https://sharp.dft.gov.uk/

 

[melensdad]

Snell or Sharp 5 star for me. And you don't have to spend big $ for a 5 star rating.

https://sharp.dft.gov.uk/

My wife rides with a Snell 2015 certified lid that is made by HJC and was under $250.

There are plenty of safety tested helmets on the market that meet real standards. No need to mess with the DOT bull.

 

[JCSR]

My wife rides with a Snell 2015 certified lid that is made by HJC and was under $250.

There are plenty of safety tested helmets on the market that meet real standards. No need to mess with the DOT bull.

Like most .gov regulations DOT ratings are pretty useless. Snell has always been the standard as long as I've been involved in motorcycles. After hearing about the Sharp testing I think it's top notch as well.
Interesting video here.....
[video=youtube;ew3twFmAcWc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=120&v=ew3twFmAcWc&feature=emb_ title[/video]

 

[bwframe]

I get that logic. But my wife and I ride multi-week long trips, I look at the comfort factor. Quiet without earplugs, Ventilation channels so I'm not sweating on 80+ humid days. High grade fabrics that wick away moisture and resist bacteria. Padding that doesn't create pressure points. Quite literally all day comfort. I'll pay $125-150/year for that comfort and luxury and replace it every 5 years.

I was talking to a barber about the my helmet, he rides with a $100 lid. *****es about it. Typically doesn't wear it at all. Has a do-rag to catch his sweat. Hates it.

So choose your poison. Putting on an Arai is slipping into the seats of a Bently GT. Cheap helmets are closer to riding on a wooden crate seat in a pick up that has bad suspension.

I don't argue that Arai makes a good helmet. I had an XD, when they were new. When I went to replace it, after 7 years, the price went from $500 to $700. I could justify the $500 when I was naive, thinking the helmet would last the rest of my life.

As far as comfort and build, sure Arai is top of the line. I wouldn't say that the competition is far behind though. I've had an Icon and a Scorpion. Icon had poor CS/warranty, but both rode well. At notably less than 1/2 the money.

I've been fortunate to have never been down in any of these lids. I work very very hard to study, practice and stay focused on everything that will keep me upright though.

 

[tv1217]

The Bell Vortex which is what I was wearing in this crash is Snell rated just don't remember the year.

 

[melensdad]

The Bell Vortex which is what I was wearing in this crash is Snell rated just don't remember the year.

Bell Vortex is Snell 2010 approved.

Snell updates their ratings every 5 years. So that helmet is rated to the year 2010 standard. A 10 year old Snell rating is probably still a good bit better than a current DOT rating.

 

[melensdad]

. . . As far as comfort and build, sure Arai is top of the line. I wouldn't say that the competition is far behind though. I've had an Icon and a Scorpion. Icon had poor CS/warranty, but both rode well. At notably less than 1/2 the money. . .

I think a lot of it depends upon how you use your helmet and how much you value comfort and safety.

A lot of people have no need for a helmet that is comfortable for all day long rides, when you wake up and do it again the next day, and the day after that, and again for another 14 to 21 more days after all those. If someone needs a 2 hour helmet for local recreational rides that maybe is a whole different shopping list of helmets than an 6-8-10+ hour helmet. But you can still find Snell/ECE/Sharp rated helmets for modest prices, so you don't have to sacrifice protection, but you probably will sacrifice premium comfort.

My wife's HJC is one of their middle line models, she adjusts her helmet every couple hours. We literally have to stop riding so she can take it off. Funny thing was that her helmet was personally fitted by the midwest HJC representative. She has another HJC that is in the same middle range models, but a 3/4 open face with full shield. That sits unused 100% of the time. So I've spent as much on her 2 helmets and she is not as comfortable as if I had spent the $ on an Arai, Shoei or AGV. HJC now has a new modular that is getting amazing reviews. HJC is neither a premium brand, but its upper range products are certainly a couple steps above LS2, Icon, and many others.

 

[melensdad]

Study is from 2016 but is one of the most complete studies and most current studies available for moto crashes. Interestingly it took NEAR-Crashes into account. Had 100 people with multiple cameras mounted on their bikes.

https://www.msf-usa.org/downloads/msf100_2016/Risk_Factors_From_MSF_100_Study_Paper.pdf

A lot of crashes are motorcyclists running into objects. Far more than you'd guess. In fact more than the dreaded "left hand turn/crossing my lane of traffic" situations.

 

[k12lts]

This accident is a good time to review your own insurance coverage on your bike. Consider increasing your uninsured and UNDERinsured motorist coverage to $250,000/500,000. This coverage protects you when the other driver does not have insurance or carries low limits. You are legal in Indiana with $25,000 of liability coverage, I'll bet the rider in this accident blew thru that in the first hour. When their insurance runs out you are on your own to either sue the other driver personally or use your coverage if it is higher. Typically, drivers that carry low liability limits don't have any assets so the law suit won't help.

The hospital, ambulance and doctors are usually first in line to get paid. If there is anything left over for the injured rider they are lucky.

 

[JCSR]

After much research I have ordered my new helmet. My Shark RSR2 Carbon and my HJC CL-17 are both over 5 years old and I'm riding more this summer so I ungraded. My new lid is a HJC I-10, new release for 2020 and has DOT and Snell 2020 ratings. Matte Black of course.

 

[tv1217]

I'm no expert but I've gotten pretty good handle on not running into stationary things. It's the little old ladies in grand marquis' jumping out of the bushes that I haven't quite figured out yet.

 

[jfed85]

After about a 10 year hiatus from riding, I'm back on 2 wheels.

Picked this up last week.
2007 Suzuki Boulevard C90 with 13,000 miles on it.
Found out the hard way (after I bought it) the stator was shot, So I slapped a new Stator and regulator on it this weekend. On the bright side, thats now something I know how to do.
Ordered LED lights for all the head/tail and signals today.
Ive already put 350 miles on it in a week.
Its a far cry from my previous rides (Kawasaki ZX-9R and Honda CBR600RR) but she sure is comfy.

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[melensdad]

Nice new bike!


I don't have anything nearly as exciting. Picked up a pair of new riding pants. KLIM Outrider Pants with knee/hip armor and abrasion resistant fabric, but they basically look like a khaki colored pair of Carhartt work pants. Got them at a $35 discount on sale from MotorcycleGear.com I have other KLIM pants and jackets and their stuff is top quality. Haven't ridden in these yet.

 

[JettaKnight]

I'm no expert but I've gotten pretty good handle on not running into stationary things. It's the little old ladies in grand marquis' jumping out of the bushes that I haven't quite figured out yet.

That's what did it, huh?


[video=youtube;pqNmrpLHDQk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqNmrpLHDQk[/video]

 

[tv1217]

Scary accurate

 

[jfed85]

I went through yesterday and took out all the bulbs to see what I needed to order for LED replacements. Earlier today I decided I was going to ride to work tonight so I put all the old bulbs back in...now my spotlights in the light bar aren't working. Looks like I get to chase a bad wire or loose connection down.

 

[EyeCarry]

I went through yesterday and took out all the bulbs to see what I needed to order for LED replacements. Earlier today I decided I was going to ride to work tonight so I put all the old bulbs back in...now my spotlights in the light bar aren't working. Looks like I get to chase a bad wire or loose connection down.

Stick with it jfed85. It'll be a sweet ride for you once you get the "used" bugs out. I bought an older Honda Nighthawk years ago to get re-aquainted with riding. It would run great until the conditions were right and then the whole thing would shut down. Found out that some spade connectors would get loose enough as they heated up (loose=more amps?). The garage was just dark enough I could see sparking across the connectors. Once I had that fixed the bike served me well.

 

[jfed85]

Stick with it jfed85. It'll be a sweet ride for you once you get the "used" bugs out. I bought an older Honda Nighthawk years ago to get re-aquainted with riding. It would run great until the conditions were right and then the whole thing would shut down. Found out that some spade connectors would get loose enough as they heated up (loose=more amps?). The garage was just dark enough I could see sparking across the connectors. One I had that fixed the bike served me well.

Ya I agree. The annoying part is the lights in the light bar were working yesterday but now that I put it all back together they dont. Previous owner put about 500 miles on the bike in the year he owned it (he was the 2nd owner)...I did 400 miles on her the first weekend I had it. Ill ride it til the wheels fall off.