Riding gear - the times when it saved you - xBhp.com : The Global Indian Biking Community

Godspeed · 01-17-2009, 12:59 PM

Let’s recount the vicious accidents where you managed to see a new day singularly by virtue of safety gear.

One
As a youngster, after months of constant pestering, my father finally bought me a Bajaj Pulsar. Due to my rather casual approach to riding back then; I thought swerving through traffic, braking late, accelerating too hard were synonymous with control. There was a crying need for me to learn a lesson which I did, pretty soon. I was zig-zagging through peak hour traffic at perilous speeds, foolishly relying too much on those miserable drum brakes and the feather light front that hardly provided any traction under heavy braking. I must have been riding at 60-80km/h on the left of an auto rickshaw when it violently swerved towards me. I responded by turning towards the left too and hit a patch of dust.

The bike skidded and I landed on my face and shoulder, sliding for at least 30 to 40 meters. My helmet and shoulder rubbed against the road. When I stopped, there just was a thin film of plastic on the left of the helmet preventing my face from coming in direct contact with the tar. Sans the helmet, my head would have busted open on the very impact with the asphalt. If I managed to survive that, the dynamic contact with the rough tar would have shredded my face enough to look nothing better than Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight flick. My shoulder muscles were ripped open and ruptured and I was bedridden for about two months.

Two

We was leaned over around a rather tricky corner on a Pulsar 180. It was a left hander. As I made the corner and tried to lift the bike up again, a canine friend suddenly shot out of a gate (at the exit of the apex), making me brake hard. I lost balance, ended in a high-side, got flung and landed on my back. I was wearing a leather jacket, thankfully, with a spine protector that took almost all of the impact allowing me to get back on my feet. Without the back protector, a bone or two from my spine would surely have broken. My back was sore for a few days with red and black blemishes all over, but that was about it.

Three

Riding in the rain is always treacherous. The situation becomes all the more perilous if your bike's brakes don't have the bite and the tyres don't have the grip. I was riding the Pulsar 180 for a trip to Mumbai from Pune. The brakes were fading and I got a hint of the fact early on during the ride. But they still seemed good enough so I was not overly cautious. After exiting the expressway, (the only stretch where two-wheelers are allowed) I joined the old highway once again. I was taken for a surprise as I braked while taking the corner through the first rain soaked underpass. The brakes didn't work progressively, requiring me to squeeze the lever and the skittish front rubber didn't help either.

I decided to take a wider circumference but to my misfortune, the road had loose gravel and grit on the edge. I had scrubbed off a good amount of speed, so I slid the bike on purpose to avert a direct impact with the barrier on the left. My hand scraped against the sharp pebbles that are so fond of entering your flesh, making life difficult for the surgeon who picks them out. Leather gloves made sure my palm didn't even have a scratch. No damage done, just a torn pair of Levi's worth Rs 1400. My Nokia 6233 lost its screen and battery to protect my thigh (not that I recommend using it for safety).

The moral of these stories is always wear protection, it'll help you survive. With no reference to AIDS, I am one of the living proofs!

Aryan · 01-17-2009, 01:06 PM

Topic Approved.

rx100.7050 · 01-17-2009, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Godspeed

Let’s recount the vicious accidents where you managed to see a new day singularly by virtue of safety gear.

One
As a youngster, after months of constant pestering, my father finally bought me a Bajaj Pulsar. Due to my rather casual approach to riding back then; I thought swerving through traffic, braking late, accelerating too hard were synonymous with control. There was a crying need for me to learn a lesson which I did, pretty soon. I was zig-zagging through peak hour traffic at perilous speeds, foolishly relying too much on those miserable drum brakes and the feather light front that hardly provided any traction under heavy braking. I must have been riding at 60-80km/h on the left of an auto rickshaw when it violently swerved towards me. I responded by turning towards the left too and hit a patch of dust.

The bike skidded and I landed on my face and shoulder, sliding for at least 30 to 40 meters. My helmet and shoulder rubbed against the road. When I stopped, there just was a thin film of plastic on the left of the helmet preventing my face from coming in direct contact with the tar. Sans the helmet, my head would have busted open on the very impact with the asphalt. If I managed to survive that, the dynamic contact with the rough tar would have shredded my face enough to look nothing better than Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight flick. My shoulder muscles were ripped open and ruptured and I was bedridden for about two months.

Two

We was leaned over around a rather tricky corner on a Pulsar 180. It was a left hander. As I made the corner and tried to lift the bike up again, a canine friend suddenly shot out of a gate (at the exit of the apex), making me brake hard. I lost balance, ended in a high-side, got flung and landed on my back. I was wearing a leather jacket, thankfully, with a spine protector that took almost all of the impact allowing me to get back on my feet. Without the back protector, a bone or two from my spine would surely have broken. My back was sore for a few days with red and black blemishes all over, but that was about it.

Three

Riding in the rain is always treacherous. The situation becomes all the more perilous if your bike's brakes don't have the bite and the tyres don't have the grip. I was riding the Pulsar 180 for a trip to Mumbai from Pune. The brakes were fading and I got a hint of the fact early on during the ride. But they still seemed good enough so I was not overly cautious. After exiting the expressway, (the only stretch where two-wheelers are allowed) I joined the old highway once again. I was taken for a surprise as I braked while taking the corner through the first rain soaked underpass. The brakes didn't work progressively, requiring me to squeeze the lever and the skittish front rubber didn't help either.

I decided to take a wider circumference but to my misfortune, the road had loose gravel and grit on the edge. I had scrubbed off a good amount of speed, so I slid the bike on purpose to avert a direct impact with the barrier on the left. My hand scraped against the sharp pebbles that are so fond of entering your flesh, making life difficult for the surgeon who picks them out. Leather gloves made sure my palm didn't even have a scratch. No damage done, just a torn pair of Levi's worth Rs 1400. My Nokia 6233 lost its screen and battery to protect my thigh (not that I recommend using it for safety).

The moral of these stories is always wear protection, it'll help you survive. With no reference to AIDS, I am one of the living proofs!

Godspeed:
very nicely written brother!!
riding gears have saved lives / prevented us from having some ugly marks on our face & body / prevented us from becoming paralysed & it will continue to do so.

So this is for those a w****s (sorry here) who can afford to buy an R15 but doesnt bother to buy atleast a good helmet. Chu****!

jayprashanth · 01-17-2009, 04:19 PM

Nice article.

Jonak · 01-17-2009, 04:51 PM

Very nice and useful article indeed.
Thanks GS.

spiderweb · 01-17-2009, 05:43 PM

A very well placed article... On xbhp I mean!
Where most of the riders are present n can learn from words like yours...

Just bought a pair of FOX Raptor Knee guards... the most important gear after a HElmet!!! correct if am wrong...
Fox Raptor Knee Guards - Fox Clothing

manav · 01-17-2009, 08:41 PM

My Alpinestars kit has helped me survive about 3 crashes till date. Walking away from all off them without a scratch. Dont want to mention what happened, just want to say it just reassures the fact that after the money spent on the bike that was the only money well spent by me. DSG is one of my favourite places where I keep pondering to get new gear or add higher protection to my existing setup, my GPR and NOLAN have fared well but the GPR is at its life end now, it will be kept on a shelf and replaced by a nice new lid soon!

Godspeed · 01-19-2009, 01:05 PM

That's just three of the numerous incidents. I still remember once I was thinking of not wearing gloves as I had to ride for a distance of only 2 km. A commercial three wheeler swerved right and made me crash. I landed on my palms. As you would imagine, not wearing those gloves would have peeled the skin off my palms. Never relate wearing riding gear with the ride distance. Crashes can happen anywhere

gautam · 01-19-2009, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiderweb

A very well placed article... On xbhp I mean!
Where most of the riders are present n can learn from words like yours...

Just bought a pair of FOX Raptor Knee guards... the most important gear after a HElmet!!! correct if am wrong...
Fox Raptor Knee Guards - Fox Clothing

nice pair of knee guards. How much did u get it for ?

praveenkm · 01-19-2009, 03:39 PM

Guess the following pix say it all!

01-17-2009, 12:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
Godspeed Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 3	Riding gear - the times when it saved you Let’s recount the vicious accidents where you managed to see a new day singularly by virtue of safety gear. One As a youngster, after months of constant pestering, my father finally bought me a Bajaj Pulsar. Due to my rather casual approach to riding back then; I thought swerving through traffic, braking late, accelerating too hard were synonymous with control. There was a crying need for me to learn a lesson which I did, pretty soon. I was zig-zagging through peak hour traffic at perilous speeds, foolishly relying too much on those miserable drum brakes and the feather light front that hardly provided any traction under heavy braking. I must have been riding at 60-80km/h on the left of an auto rickshaw when it violently swerved towards me. I responded by turning towards the left too and hit a patch of dust. The bike skidded and I landed on my face and shoulder, sliding for at least 30 to 40 meters. My helmet and shoulder rubbed against the road. When I stopped, there just was a thin film of plastic on the left of the helmet preventing my face from coming in direct contact with the tar. Sans the helmet, my head would have busted open on the very impact with the asphalt. If I managed to survive that, the dynamic contact with the rough tar would have shredded my face enough to look nothing better than Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight flick. My shoulder muscles were ripped open and ruptured and I was bedridden for about two months. Two We was leaned over around a rather tricky corner on a Pulsar 180. It was a left hander. As I made the corner and tried to lift the bike up again, a canine friend suddenly shot out of a gate (at the exit of the apex), making me brake hard. I lost balance, ended in a high-side, got flung and landed on my back. I was wearing a leather jacket, thankfully, with a spine protector that took almost all of the impact allowing me to get back on my feet. Without the back protector, a bone or two from my spine would surely have broken. My back was sore for a few days with red and black blemishes all over, but that was about it. Three Riding in the rain is always treacherous. The situation becomes all the more perilous if your bike's brakes don't have the bite and the tyres don't have the grip. I was riding the Pulsar 180 for a trip to Mumbai from Pune. The brakes were fading and I got a hint of the fact early on during the ride. But they still seemed good enough so I was not overly cautious. After exiting the expressway, (the only stretch where two-wheelers are allowed) I joined the old highway once again. I was taken for a surprise as I braked while taking the corner through the first rain soaked underpass. The brakes didn't work progressively, requiring me to squeeze the lever and the skittish front rubber didn't help either. I decided to take a wider circumference but to my misfortune, the road had loose gravel and grit on the edge. I had scrubbed off a good amount of speed, so I slid the bike on purpose to avert a direct impact with the barrier on the left. My hand scraped against the sharp pebbles that are so fond of entering your flesh, making life difficult for the surgeon who picks them out. Leather gloves made sure my palm didn't even have a scratch. No damage done, just a torn pair of Levi's worth Rs 1400. My Nokia 6233 lost its screen and battery to protect my thigh (not that I recommend using it for safety). The moral of these stories is always wear protection, it'll help you survive. With no reference to AIDS, I am one of the living proofs!

01-17-2009, 01:06 PM	#2 (permalink)
Aryan Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New Delhi/ Shillong Posts: 18,274	Topic Approved. __________________ ...in search of that perfect world - My Travel Blog :)

01-17-2009, 04:51 PM	#5 (permalink)
Jonak Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Kolkata -> Seoul, South Korea Posts: 1,001	Very nice and useful article indeed. Thanks GS. __________________ Facebook Fan page - Check, 'Like' and be in touch. https://www.facebook.com/Jonak.Photo

01-17-2009, 05:43 PM	#6 (permalink)
spiderweb Aggressive Ripper Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: the Maximum city - Mumbai... Posts: 2,706	A very well placed article... On xbhp I mean! Where most of the riders are present n can learn from words like yours... Just bought a pair of FOX Raptor Knee guards... the most important gear after a HElmet!!! correct if am wrong... Fox Raptor Knee Guards - Fox Clothing __________________ ..The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination... >>> spideRweb http://twitter.com/BeingSpiderweb

01-17-2009, 08:41 PM	#7 (permalink)
manav the fastest gun in the west Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Pune, Delhi, Nainital, Daman Posts: 224	My Alpinestars kit has helped me survive about 3 crashes till date. Walking away from all off them without a scratch. Dont want to mention what happened, just want to say it just reassures the fact that after the money spent on the bike that was the only money well spent by me. DSG is one of my favourite places where I keep pondering to get new gear or add higher protection to my existing setup, my GPR and NOLAN have fared well but the GPR is at its life end now, it will be kept on a shelf and replaced by a nice new lid soon! __________________ Locking the front and flipping is the worst experience you could err experience.

01-17-2009, 04:19 PM	#4 (permalink)
jayprashanth Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: bang-bang bangalore/ Pune Posts: 357	Nice article.

01-19-2009, 01:05 PM	#8 (permalink)
Godspeed Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 3	That's just three of the numerous incidents. I still remember once I was thinking of not wearing gloves as I had to ride for a distance of only 2 km. A commercial three wheeler swerved right and made me crash. I landed on my palms. As you would imagine, not wearing those gloves would have peeled the skin off my palms. Never relate wearing riding gear with the ride distance. Crashes can happen anywhere

01-19-2009, 03:39 PM	#10 (permalink)
praveenkm Speed Demon Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Posts: 510	Guess the following pix say it all! __________________ The truth is out there. Get out of ur couch!!! 'My Escapades - The Blog'

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