safe motorcycles LOL

[narider]

On the airbag thing... I'll take my chances with the concrete and salt thank you, I don't need to be a bigger target (or weapon) then I already am, let alone need another system that can fail or cause me to prematurely eVacuate.

Deb and Willie, I believe you are both correct in your footpeg thoughts. They fold up and rearward (all except some of the Harley's that fold straight up Willie - the faster the bike the farther they fold rearward,  so it's a fall over thing for an FL and knee drag thing for the sportbikes - seriously.. bopards only need to fold up and as it's only the rear corner that gets tagged in turns)... if pegs only folded up they would still catch at speed from not folding back.
But no matter what the design factor was in the 20's and 30's on American twins, they are now also designed to fold rearward to help rider release in a spill (Jack opened my eyes to this in a long conversation relating to MC safety progression by OEM's over the years). I reccomend everyone(including myself) do the same with their add on pegs (i have an extra set on my liter bike for the dragstrip and the ones on my sporster are solids that both need updated to fold backs). I machined the Buell pegs Deb put on her Hayabusa to stay in once retracted (a bit of pressure lets them springload back down as normal), this is good for loading up as well as if it gets hit in a get-off.
Todd

[willieworld]

tod -------that wont work for sheri and i as the soles of our shoes are vertical and from our ankle to our knee is horizontal and we are pushing straight back on the pegs---the up and back folding peg are on all my dirt bikes and a great idea and i would think the more they folded back the better in LSR-------willie buchta

[Peter Jack]

Willie:

Is it worth making them fold straight up with a slight spring load to bring them back down. The most likely happening for you is that your foot may drop beneath the peg if dislodged and that would give you a better chance of getting it back up even if dragged underneath. Even a very slight forward motion might be desirable to ensure that a peg didn't accidentally pivot.

Pete

[Seldom Seen Slim]

In 2007 I made a run on the long course on Bill Warner's (Wildbro) V-Max.  I had sat on the bike before my run -- but not in the full tuck.  So -- I left the line and tried to lift my gangly long legs and put my feet on the pegs.  I had a heck of a time finding them (he's got shorter legs than I do), and once I found the pegs, the pressure of my feet rubbing on 'em was enough to fold them up-and-back as I tried to settle in so I could shift.  In that case I would rather have had the pegs not movable so I could have got into proper position sooner.

I know, it's not a common problem -- but thought I'd add a real-life experience.  I'll keep the pegs on our bikes flexible but adjusted so we can ride -- and I'll point out any unusual things to someone else that might ride one of ours.

[Dean Los Angeles]

[willieworld]

sounds like that would be under --make sure the controlls are adjusted to the rider  --its on the list  thanks jon   f y i --im going to stop signing my last name  im tired of typing it and there no other willie  thanks  willie

[Sumner]

....................im going to stop signing my last name  im tired of typing it and there no other willie  thanks  willie

Hey you could be like Burt and just sign it with one "L" and save ink and time,

Sum

[Super Kaz]

OK OK ill go first--well we have all seen the video of ron cook like a upset rider with his foot caught in the stirup --we should have learned something from that ---keep your leathers and boots in good shape --my boots are lace up and i have thought about getting the laces caught on the bike and my leathers were a little short on the bottom so it had them lenghtened to cover the top of my boots and cover the laces--one time my shoe lace got wound around my shifter on my road king i came to a stop i  always lean the bike to the left (break on right)stopped went to put my foot down left foot down wellllllllll you know the ending --nothing broken but did i feel stupid ( i had been riding for 30 years ) some times the problem is something you would never think of maybe we could post them all here   ---thanks everyone   willie buchta

Willie,  I am not sure what boots you are using but I am hoping they are just not lace up leather work boots.  I do not believe boots like that will give enough protection.  The safety rules we go by are only part of what we do to be safe.  The next step is to find the best gear we can for the money we are able to spend, and sometimes buying very good used stuff is the best answer.  As for boots, just because they will pass tech does not mean they will give us the protection we deserve.  Just like in a post a few back...the race grabbed his ankle...  there is a good chance that race would not have hurt his ankle as bad if he had better boots on (or for all I know, he had the correct boots on and they save him from picking his foot up off the track and hopping back to the pits with it.
I guess what I am getting at is look for a boot that protects not only from front to back motion, but side to side.  I have a good pair of sidi boots right now(you can see the side brace in the pic I posted back a few)  I am in the market to upgrade these to a better ankle protection system made by Dainese. Here are pics of the Dainese and a newer Sidi boot. 

Bill,
1 Of the perks I get for being Nationally Sponsored by CYCLE GEAR USA is a Deal on the Finest Racing Gear available and the New DAINESE BOOT are the $hit ! Had my Rossi Leather's redone so they Cover the boot and Velcro together{Thanks Jason for the Speed Tip} !
Speed and Safety Cost Money, whats your Life worth ?
Mine is PRICELESS !
Let me know your size and I can see what I can do ?
DAINESE is the Best Racing Gear Made IMHO !
Stay Safe and Fast,
Kaz...................................................

P.S Can you get me a "Deal" on a Motec setup complete with all the data logging sensor's we talked about?

[isiahstites]

Kaz - Did you get all dressed up just for us?

[Blue]

OK, here we have the inverse of the Dainesse system:  It protects everything BUT the head, neck, clavacal, and shoulders.

IM<HO, I like the Dainesse concept.  I'll wait for some more data before declaring it better than anything else, but I would wear it before going "naked" in standard leathers.

We need to be looking at the statistically most likely injuries and protect against the majority.  Anecdotal BS only leads to no solution and no progress.  Can an airbag protect against ALL possible injuries?  Of course not.  Can it help and not hurt?  That's a question worth our time.

[DahMurf]

We need to be looking at the statistically most likely injuries and protect against the majority.  Anecdotal BS only leads to no solution and no progress.  Can an airbag protect against ALL possible injuries?  Of course not.  Can it help and not hurt?  That's a question worth our time.

That's sort of what had me thinking about the airbag gig. While I was replacing gear I did a lot of looking. A broken collarbone is a very common MC injury but there isn't much I've seen to protect against that specific injury. I was thinking the airbag covering the shoulder might could help. Not sure I'd wear it but if it could help avoid that injury and not cause other issues, I might.

Love the Nerf! LOL

Deb

[Super Kaz]

Kaz - Did you get all dressed up just for us?

Scott,
JUST FOR YOU STUD MUFFIN !
No I had them redone and had to break them in ASAP !
SLEPT IN THEM for a couple NIGHT's , AND DID YARD WORK IN 115 Heat just to soften them up! !
If I'm 5LBS HEAVY .
I can't move my arms in them. Or Breath very well.
I WAS 20LBS Heavy a week out and had cut 18lbs in 6 days just to be able to fit in my Leather's,and go Fast!
So it makes me Have to cut weight before I race just to be able to Breath in those Tight Azz Things !
 I can only be 4%+/- B/F"138-142lbs" for a week Max then I'll get sick.
So I gain about 10-15lbs between races.
My Old setup would Burn through my PLASTIC Alpine Star's .
So I fabbed up a custom heat shield and went with the Jason Mc Vicar tucked in boot setup.
Love those new Boots!!!
Not sure how it will be since I didn't get to run her this past weekend
Will try some stuff later in the week if it ever Cools down.
Kaz..................

[Blue]

(I originally posted this on the Chute thread, Willie requested a re-post here)

I have a great deal of experience in both extraction and ejection systems for air vehicles.  That said, I don't think that aeronautic solutions apply to LSR.  I also have gone off my superbike at 120+ MPH and been a lot worse for the wear.  Lots of people here are speculating about what they would or would not like to have attached to them under such a circumstance based solely on WATCHING VIDEOS of departures at 100 to 250 mph.  I don't believe for a second that my falls (multiple) give me all of the answers.  I do believe that I actually have some experience to balance the theory behind a lot of recent safety equipment "advances".

If (and that's a big IF) I decided to ride again and switched from superbikes (where I'm too old and slow to be competitive) to LSR (where age seems to create speed), I would personally wear the Dainesse system, but not the other "vest" or "jacket" inflatables.  I believe that protecting against hyperflexion of the neck and shoulders and head impacts outweigh the additional hazard of the inflatable "shoulderpads" causing more tumbling than I have previously encountered.

I would absolutely wear a chute.  On me, not the bike.

Having taken more than one too many trips down the asphalt on my leathers (I'll bring them to Speed Week for the doubters), I think that the faster we stop a rider with an aero decelerator (chute), the better.  Yes, the rider can get hung up on the bike.  IM<HO, a chute would decel the rider and put the bike out in front where it would have a harder time wadding up the rider.  Perfect? No.  Better? Yes.  Could it all get tangled up in a big mess? Yes!  Could it be better than what we have now?  Bigger yes.

The scariest thing I ever saw was my bike passing me at 100+ after one get off while I was lucky enough to physically miss it.  I remember thinking at the time, "That looks just like MY bike, except it's scratched."  I wasn't scared then, but later, when my hands wouldn't stop bleeding.

[Ratliff]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vT5MSWi9GU

Early in this video (Waco, 1989) is good footage of deployment of an aerodynamic decelerator on a drag boat driver.

The chute keeps the driver stable after hitting the water, prevent tumbling.

[Glen]

Ratliff, why do you have to double post. Get a life