PPE Tips

dec_82

As some of you will have seen I had a silly accident a few weeks back which resulted in surgery and put my right arm and leg out of commission

I'm now at the stage where it's time to face the fear and get back on the bike so I'm reviewing my PPE to see if I should change anything to help limit any repeat And yes top of that list is not to have another brain fart.

My current gear:
Richa Gloves, RST ventilator jacket and trousers, Shoei GT Air, M-Star GTX boots https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/98183 (As Im a short arse on a 700GS and need all the help I can get

So that gives me protections on knuckle, calf, ankle, knee. elbow, shoulder, back, head. And yet from a minor incident I still ended up with a tibia having to be reattached to the ankle with a plate and screws and my arm in a sling

I'm thinking that if theres enough force something has to break regardless of PPE but in case I can do any better on the protection front I thought I may aswell ask if anyone has suggestions for changes that might help in a repeat situation

For reference, I dropped the bike while trying to drive it from my back garden to front garden. It fell to the right, I hit the ground and the bike came down on top of me. Fractured a humorous and broke the corner of the tibia off.

Wonda-Boy

Sorry to hear about your off m8 hope you are on the mend. All you can really do is try to minimise the risk which in fairness your gear is quite good. I would add a chest and back protector to your PPE.

I personally would never ride without the two I have listed, I admit the 1st few times I rode with them I did feel very arkward and bulky but after 2-3 times out you really feel snug and secure. I can honestly say I have never left the house on a bike without them in about 7 yrs!


https://www.planet-knox.com/product/chest-protector/

https://www.planet-knox.com/product/meta-sys-back-protector/

dec_82

Wonda-Boy wrote: »

Sorry to hear about your off m8 hope you are on the mend. All you can really do is try to minimise the risk which in fairness your gear is quite good. I would add a chest and back protector to your PPE.

I personally would never ride without the two I have listed, I admit the 1st few times I rode with them I did feel very arkward and bulky but after 2-3 times out you really feel snug and secure. I can honestly say I have never left the house on a bike without them in about 7 yrs!


https://www.planet-knox.com/product/chest-protector/

https://www.planet-knox.com/product/meta-sys-back-protector/

Thanks man. The jacket has a basic back protector but was defo thinking of taking it out and going for something more dedicated. Good call on the chest protector. Might look into a kidney belt too. I'll be like robocop

dartstothesea

Some back protectors sort of seem to cover kidneys, I have the Forcefield L2K Pro and it's good. Took a slide in it once already and not a scratch.

Wonda-Boy

Yeah the good ones tend to have it, I have the older aegis and the new one both have a adjustable kidney protector.

Interceptor

I hope you are recovering nicely and I'm glad you are getting back on your bike. From a risk assessment perspective, which of the items in your current PPE list do you reckon failed you? The padding in the sleeves of your jacket may have shifted due to the arm straps not being tightened or maybe the jacket wasn't fastened and that contributed to the arm injury? Your jacket is at the budget end of technical protection and might be worth upgrading when the time comes.

Your boots are top of the range in terms of waterproofing, comfort and added height but I had a pair of Traveller GTX and they had no torsional support - they were as protective as woolly socks. I wear Sidi Adventure in winter and they have much better ankle support - lots of boots have plastic hinges which prevent hyper-extension of the ankle. Is your bike lowered at all and would being able to put a foot down earlier have prevented your accident?

It sounds like you had a low speed, single-vehicle accident on a non-traffic surface (grass?) and you were wearing full bike PPE but sustained relatively significant injury (bone fracture/break and soft tissue). I've seen several of these and often no amount of PPE will help because its not designed for that type of accident - you were just unlucky! Often the injuries associated with this type of accident result from riders trying to stop their bike getting damaged!!

The addition of chest/back protectors is worth considering but make sure they fit properly and suit your other gear. Wear PPE to suit the risks, so long as the PPE doesn't compromise your ability to ride the bike safely.

thos

The other alternative to chest/back protector would be an airbag jacket Helite or similar.