Chute or no Chute............

[Sumner]

Chute or no chute post your comments on this thread,

Sum

[Milwaukee Midget]

Smart move, Sum -

I was about to post the following --

"I was a witness to several MC crashes at El Mirage, Muroc, and Bonneville. . . "I don't think the chute would have made any difference in either case. I have looked at the videos probably 50 times and still feel the chutes would not have changed any thing."

"I think there's an awful lot of unfounded speculation going on in this thread by people who've never met anyone who has worn a personnel drag chute in a land vehicle or seen a bike being ridden by someone wearing a personnel drag chute."

This raises an interesting question, and perhaps we can bring it all back to topic.  And I would pose it to those who race bikes, because I haven't, others of us haven't, and the people who have the most to risk are on the bikes. 

If offered the option of wearing a chute (bike configuration permitting), would you, or wouldn't you, and why?

[Ratliff]

John Dixon didn't wear body armor (it was 1982), yet no broken collar bones, no broken shoulder blades, and no broken ribs. Only road rash. In previous runs at the meet where he separated from the bike, Dixon had clocked 6.5 at 230, 6.4 at 240, and 6.017 at 225.5.

[willieworld]

franklin  listen to this----i dont wear a bulletproof vest and ive never been shot --that makes the same kind if logic as your last statement---if you stick to the subject and give positive imput  you could be an asset here with your vast knowledge otherwise your just being a pain in the asset  thank you franklin  willie buchta

[Ratliff]

franklin  listen to this----i dont wear a bulletproof vest and ive never been shot --that makes the same kind if logic as your last statement---if you stick to the subject and give positive imput  you could be an asset here with your vast knowledge otherwise your just being a pain in the asset  thank you franklin  willie buchta

Willie - That is the only factual data on the performance of a personnel drag chute when a rider separates from a bike. Anything else is speculation.

[Milwaukee Midget]

Chute or no Chute - that is the question.

Slings and arrows can be discussed at www.shakespeare-online.com

[Dean Los Angeles]

Just to clarify, are we talking only motorcycles?

And are we talking rider or vehicle?

[Milwaukee Midget]

Just to clarify, are we talking only motorcycles?

And are we talking rider or vehicle?

The previous discussion was motorcycle riders, under "Safe Motorcycles LOL". 

[MCR]

If the rider's chute accidently deploys, can a truly "naked" bike set a speed record?

[Stainless1]

Wow, I don't look at the computer for a day and the crazies come to life.  Sum, you should have moved a lot more over here...

Dean, from what I can see it could be either... here is something for fun... with the mandated +/- 15 degrees of steering allowed, maybe we need to require a system that deploys a bike parachute if you hit the stops... wanna ramble on that one a while Frank...    I know it is as hairbrained as comparing apples and oranges.... 

[Sumner]

..........  Sum, you should have moved a lot more over here............

I can see how to split a topic, but can't see how to move individual posts to a different topic that is already there.  Do you or someone know how we do that?

Sum

[Stan Back]

What personnel is the personnel chute made from?  Is it just skin grafts from the team members assembled in some patchwork quilt manner?  What about tattoos?

[Blue]

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.

[SPARKY]

I have not witnessed a chute on a bike rider deploy---but I have witnessed a 2 driver dismounts on drag boats---one with and one without a personal chute---he is the one that was able to walk around drinking beer and recounting the wild ride---the other left by ambulance with severe injuries and several broken bones from the tumble and digging in--vs. the prone linear "sudden stopping" more or less on top of the water.

[willieworld]

eric  would you do me a favor and repost your last post here on-- safe motorcycle LOL -- this thread was originally split from that one  thanks  willie