The Obligatory "Lowside" Thread

[dturpen]

Well, I had my second wreck 2 nights ago. First one was a highside on a Ninja 250. This one was not as bad.

I was practicing emergency breaking on a street very near my house, when I gave her too much front brake, locked up the front wheel, and BAM, next thing I know, I'm on the ground.

I have a cracked radius in my left arm and some rash on both of my knees because I was only wearing jeans:spank:. Good argument for health insurance!

I was wearing my helmet, gloves, and jacket, and they all did their part, to a certain extent. My jacket was a size too large, so I can't really blame my injuries on that, but I did think the armor would have done a bit better job. The left glove wore all the way through, and I still got some rash on my hand. The helmet, however, was GREAT! It does suck, though, because I just bought the helmet a few weeks ago.

As far as the bike goes, the T-Rex sliders did their job! I'm SOOOO glad that I bought these. I literally just installed them 3 days before the wreck. I did end up with some scratches on the front fairing, case cover, rear peg, and the plastic piece below the seat. My fairing is going to take some work to get it back straight. Right now, it's not aligned correctly. It's really making me want to do the FZ1N conversion, although I really like the Euro spec FZ6N headlight better. Oh well, we'll see how bad it is to get it aligned, and if it's not too much, we may be seeing yet another streetfighter thread at some point in the future. Anyway, here are the pics of the damage to the bike.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Think about getting some riding pants too.

I don't know why a lot of members have taken on the responsiblity of wearing gear, but most seem to not care about their legs.

Try getting the Kevlar Racing Gloves by Cycleport. I posted a review of them. They are guaranteed not to tear. According to the owner of the company that makes them, over 3000 pairs sold, not one has ever been returned for replacement. I guess that they are that good or the rider is RIP.

Thanks for posting. Very nice review of your gear.

 

[dturpen]

Think about getting some riding pants too.

I don't know why a lot of members have taken on the responsiblity of wearing gear, but most seem to not care about their legs.

Try getting the Kevlar Racing Gloves by Cycleport. I posted a review of them. They are guaranteed not to tear. According to the owner of the company that makes them, over 3000 pairs sold, not one has ever been returned for replacement. I guess that they are that good or the rider is RIP.

Thanks for posting. Very nice review of your gear.

I really should look into getting some riding pants. It's hard for me to justify the purchase because I live less than 5 miles from work, and it takes a long time to take the pants off, etc. But, I know it wouldn't have been as bad with riding pants on. I wear my jacket, gloves, and helmet everytime I ride my motorcycle, and it takes long enough to get ready for a ride.

If I did buy some pants, I would definitely wear them on longer rides, but unless I can find some riding pants really cheap or some that are more convenient for me, I might just keep wearing jeans. The only 2 reasons I don't wear riding pants is because of the inconvenience and because there are no vital organs in my legs. I can take the rash on my leg better than other places.

I know, I know these excuses are lame, and if I find a really good deal, I may just buy some riding pants and suck it up and wear them everyday. I'm a reasonable guy, and I know it would be a good idea.

Edit: I need to research those gloves, one of the requirements for my gloves is that they have to be waterproof, because I use my bike as a daily driver. Are they waterproof?

 

[Wavex]

Thanks for the review. Good luck with fixing everything!

What brands were those POS gloves?

About pants, you could always look into those overpants... they aren't the best for protection, but it's better than nothing and may be just convenient enough for you to use them...

Good luck with fixing the bike and yourself!

 

[MarinaFazer]

yup, the leather pants are worth their weight in gold if you like your booty

 

[Moses195]

My Cortech pants take 25 seconds to put on and 15 seconds to take off. That's not TOO long is it?

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Most crashes occur within the first 5-10 minutes of your ride. So more the reason to put them on.

 

[FZ1inNH]

Sorry it happened but nice to see you OK and the bike fixable!

Yes, overpants... I wear them every day. They take seconds to put on and pull off at my desk. Dockers under them. Listen to Kenny too. within 5 miles is where a rider gets "comfortable" because they are in familiar surroundings. This is where a rider is paying less attention and accidents happen. Would have saved the knees!

 

[Pickax]

I might just keep wearing jeans.

If you can wear jeans to work (or wherever you end up going), you might want to look into reinforced riding jeans. Some have aramid, leather, or kevlar.

They're not perfect and most don't have armor (though you can get some that do) but they're better than an average pair of jeans and take no additional time to put on or take off. When you look at internet pictures of them they may sometimes look dorky but I find the pictures make them look worse than they actually are so don't count them out just on that if you're worried about it.

I wear full leather every time it's feasible but I'm a sucker for a certain degree of convenience. For convenience, I don't think riding jeans can be beat. You don't have to have somewhere to keep them when you get off the bike and you don't have to carry them with you.

As you know, a full set of racing leathers does nothing for you when they're sitting at home. Riding jeans give you at least a minimum of protection that you'll have almost no reason not to wear.

 

[C-bus Biker]

I appreciate the story. So many things in there struck a cord with me. My jacket's too big and will probably end in the same result, my gloves are cheap, I usually wear Dockers, and I thought those sliders were for those stunt-guys. Lesson learned. Thanks!

 

[dturpen]

Thanks for the review. Good luck with fixing everything!

What brands were those POS gloves?

About pants, you could always look into those overpants... they aren't the best for protection, but it's better than nothing and may be just convenient enough for you to use them...

Good luck with fixing the bike and yourself!

The gloves are Shift Torrent SS waterproof gloves. The helmet is a Scorpion EXO-400. Jacket is a Tourmaster Saber textile. Probably should have mentioned that in the original post.

The gloves seemed like they were thick enough to do the job, but the stitching had started to come out, and I guess the materials just didn't hold up. I'm definitely going to be getting a different brand of gloves.

 

[FZ1inNH]

Grab some Held Steve gloves. They have kangaroo palms... very thin hide but tougher than leather and they are extremely well constructed.

 

[cv_rider]

I really should look into getting some riding pants. It's hard for me to justify the purchase because I live less than 5 miles from work, and it takes a long time to take the pants off, etc. But, I know it wouldn't have been as bad with riding pants on. I wear my jacket, gloves, and helmet everytime I ride my motorcycle, and it takes long enough to get ready for a ride.

For a brief while, I'd somehow convinced myself that jeans were okay for around-town riding at low speed. Probably read enough posts by Vegasrider to finally get my head straight about that. Another factor that put me firmly in the ATGATT camp was an essay about safe riding I came across. The author was commenting about the extra time it takes to put on all the riding gear, and he said that he used the time to reflect upon the fact that riding a motorcycle is a serious business, and that the habit of gearing up reinforced that. I've not ridden a yard without full riding gear in a year and a half now. The time it takes to gear up/down is just one of the prices you pay to have the enjoyment of riding. If it bugs you too much, take the car.

 

[fz6Soldier]

For a brief while, I'd somehow convinced myself that jeans were okay for around-town riding at low speed. Probably read enough posts by Vegasrider to finally get my head straight about that. Another factor that put me firmly in the ATGATT camp was an essay about safe riding I came across. The author was commenting about the extra time it takes to put on all the riding gear, and he said that he used the time to reflect upon the fact that riding a motorcycle is a serious business, and that the habit of gearing up reinforced that. I've not ridden a yard without full riding gear in a year and a half now. The time it takes to gear up/down is just one of the prices you pay to have the enjoyment of riding. If it bugs you too much, take the car.

I know a guy that would always wear full gear. The one day he decided not wear his jacket and pants is the same day he crashed doing 80 mph. He spent 11 days in the hospital and now refuses to get on a motorcycle.

 

[Wavex]

Grab some Held Steve gloves. They have kangaroo palms... very thin hide but tougher than leather and they are extremely well constructed.

+1 to HELD gloves... they are AWE-SOME... but expensive

 

[ELIZABETH]

I'm glad you are (relatively) OK. And so far, I haven't heard any one say "KUDOS" for practicing your emergency stops!!
I have some overpants that zip fully up the sides, and are very easy to put on/off. I wear them whenever I ride now, whereas the others I had that were not Zippered were a pain to put on, so they sat at home most of the time. I know they aren't cheap, but imagine if you had your spill going 30 or 40 instead of practicing a stop?? They are worth the price if it saves your skin. (I spent $200 for Olympia Air Glide 2)
I hope you heal up quickly. :thumbup:

 

[necrotimus]

Sorry to hear about your fall but glad you are ok. I ride with overpants (and all my other gear everyday to the train). Someone asked me how long it took me to get all that gear on so I timed it one day without hurrying. 3 mins total and that includes unlocking, unzipping, unpacking and repacking my saddlebags with work stuff.

Make sure when size-ing pants you get them long enough. The easiest way is to put on a pair of normal pants go sit on the bike and see how far they ride up when seated. You may need to add two inches to your normal pants size.

 

[Dennis in NH]

Sorry to hear about this. Advice: shave your legs before applying the bandages (it will be easier to change them when you clean/change bandages).

I wear Sliders (Kevlar in knees, butt, hips area) -- they make me feel safer but I don't think they give complete protection. On my fall (different bike), I scratched my right knee because the Kevlar tore.

Sometimes I wear my Tourmaster Touring pants with plastic knee protectors (with shorts underneath).

The more I read this stuff, the more, I look at good riding pants I can wear everytime.

Heal quick!

Dennis

 

[brico]

Sorry to hear you got hurt man, bit it seems not too bad afterall. I myself am healing a broken small bone in left lower leg but hope to be back on the bike next weekend. I just bought a pair of Shift Havoc pants (3/4 leathera nd 1/4 textile) as i used to ride in jeans which did not protect my knee from scratching.
I noticed that even with frame slider fitted you have some scratches on your crankcase cover, or is it from earlier misshap?
Get well soon!!

 

[dturpen]

Sorry to hear you got hurt man, bit it seems not too bad afterall. I myself am healing a broken small bone in left lower leg but hope to be back on the bike next weekend. I just bought a pair of Shift Havoc pants (3/4 leathera nd 1/4 textile) as i used to ride in jeans which did not protect my knee from scratching.
I noticed that even with frame slider fitted you have some scratches on your crankcase cover, or is it from earlier misshap?
Get well soon!!

Crankcase cover scratches are from this accident. This is the first time I've gone down on this bike and it's pretty depressing. I should be able to fix most of it myself, though, for pretty cheap. I'm also still considering doing a streetfighter conversion.

I should be able to sand down and repaint almost everything that is scratched, except maybe for the headlight shroud/mole thing. A new one is 60 bucks, though! I'm going to look around and see if I can find a can of Color-rite that will match the frame/crankcase cover and I'll probably just end up sanding/repainting.