Upgrade gear

[dduelin]

Didn’t mean to imply they can’t make decent stuff, cause they do. Unfortunately some “brands” put profits way ahead of quality, which results in SOME real junk coming to the market. Folks need to do their homework before buying gear. A cheap jacket that disintegrates when it is in a crash is NO bargain, nor is a cheap helmet that fails to protect your head. In this life you “may” pay for a Cadillac and get a Yugo, but you’ll Never pay for a Yugo and get a Cadillac. Caveat emptor

Wasn't this made clear like 20 posts back?

 

[Bskicrash1]

Look at your suit. What is the stitching like, single row or double row? What is the material, corduroy or ?.. what about armor, knees, hips, elbows, back? Is it CE approved armor or foam pads? The quality of theses things will tell you a lot about your gear. Also check and see if you can find any crash reviews for this suit. Good luck!

All the stitching is double stitched. I emailed the company looking for specifics on the material used and what the rating, if any, is applicable. There is no armor in the clothing. I don’t mind spending money on gear that will help me stay safe and keep me warm and dry.

 

[dduelin]

My son in law is a first responder. He tended to a motorcyclist the other night that hit a mattress in the road or got hit by a mattress that blew off a vehicle in front of him. No witnesses stopped so only the rider knew what happened and he wasn't talking.

By all reports the rider was "all geared up" but his right leg was badly crushed and there was barely enough femur left to tie a tourniquet around. The smell of alcohol was apparent. From his injuries it is thought the bike went airborne and came down on him. The speed limit is 65 on that road but most people are doing 70-80 mph. It is 4 travel lanes and traffic was light.

These threads can get tedious about what gear is best what brand is best how much to spend and what color to get and all that stuff is good and applicable to decision making but when the rubber meets the road it is the rider than is responsible for everything right up and including his own accident avoidance skill. Wear the best gear you can afford then don't drink and ride and give vehicles with crap hanging out the back a wide berth.

 

[Rabbit]

Good methodology in the studies try to account for assumptions like "wears safe gear = safe rider behavior" or "doesn't wear helmet = unsafe rider behavior" and represent them properly. Critical thinking is hard.

Good methodology is a huge assumption for many studies. Most of these observational studies don’t account for many variables.

 

[RC24F2]

Aerostich. Used. Picked up a much newer Roadcrafter for $300; still using my 25+ year old one also. Made in USA. Excellent quality. Pockets not so good. Have involuntarily crash tested my old one due to an un-insured tweaker. Doc did not believe I had been in an accident on a bike. Get the optional hip pads and spine protector (regardless of which suit you get, if they have them).

 

[Oldbear]

All the stitching is double stitched. I emailed the company looking for specifics on the material used and what the rating, if any, is applicable. There is no armor in the clothing. I don’t mind spending money on gear that will help me stay safe and keep me warm and dry.

With no armor it’s not going to be very protective. Good gear typically costs more, but it’s up to you. I know that Aerostich and Motoport make quality gear, but it’s pricey. Olympia gear is, in my experience, very good gear at a reasonable price. Dianese and Alpinstar, Klim and others make decent stuff. I’ve ridden in Olympia for many years and have used an Aerostich Darien coat and pants for the last 6 years. Good stuff, not cheap, but it lasts. Helite and Dianese now make jackets with the built in airbags, and if I was shopping new today and could afford it I’d be going with a Helite with the Turtle airbag built in. Great back and neck protection in addition to the regular bike gear stuff. Do your homework and find what works for you. Check online reviews before you buy ANYTHING (buy once/cry once).

 

[dduelin]

Good methodology is a huge assumption for many studies. Most of these observational studies don’t account for many variables.

Like I said, critical thinking is hard. Read the study and make your own conclusions about the methodology. If it is a published paper it's not hard to find.

 

[Rabbit]

Like I said, critical thinking is hard. Read the study and make your own conclusions about the methodology. If it is a published paper it's not hard to find.

Unfortunately Ferret only stated the last study he saw which isn’t terribly descriptive with regards to searching out that particular study.

 

[dduelin]

Unfortunately Ferret only stated the last study he saw which isn’t terribly descriptive with regards to searching out that particular study.

Then who knew it was an observational study?

 

[Rabbit]

Then who knew it was an observational study?

You’re right. I don’t know it is. However, I find it highly unlikely that a significant group of riders were followed and tracked, then observed with the only variable being their high viz clothing. Thus prior experience says it’s most likely observational with all the pitfalls those entail

 

[the Ferret]

Here's one

Motorcycle rider conspicuity and crash related injury: case-control study

Objective To investigate whether the risk of motorcycle crash related injuries is associated with the conspicuity of the driver or vehicle.Design Population based case-control study.Setting Auckland region of New Zealand from February 1993 to February ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Objective To investigate whether the risk of motorcycle crash related injuries is associated with the conspicuity of the driver or vehicle.

Design Population based case-control study.

Setting Auckland region of New Zealand from February 1993 to February 1996.

Participants 463 motorcycle drivers (cases) involved in crashes leading to hospital treatment or death; 1233 motorcycle drivers (controls) recruited from randomly selected roadside survey sites.

Main outcome measures Estimates of relative risk of motorcycle crash related injury and population attributable risk associated with conspicuity measures, including the use of reflective or fluorescent clothing, headlight operation, and colour of helmet, clothing, and motorcycle.

Results Crash related injuries occurred mainly in urban zones with 50 km/h speed limit (66%), during the day (63%), and in fine weather (72%). After adjustment for potential confounders, drivers wearing any reflective or fluorescent clothing had a 37% lower risk (multivariate odds ratio 0.63, 95% confidence interval 0.42 to 0.94) than other drivers. Compared with wearing a black helmet, use of a white helmet was associated with a 24% lower risk (multivariate odds ratio 0.76, 0.57 to 0.99). Self reported light coloured helmet versus dark coloured helmet was associated with a 19% lower risk. Three quarters of motorcycle riders had their headlight turned on during the day, and this was associated with a 27% lower risk (multivariate odds ratio 0.73, 0.53 to 1.00). No association occurred between risk and the frontal colour of drivers' clothing or motorcycle. If these odds ratios are unconfounded, the population attributable risks are 33% for wearing no reflective or fluorescent clothing, 18% for a non-white helmet, 11% for a dark coloured helmet, and 7% for no daytime headlight operation.

Conclusions Low conspicuity may increase the risk of motorcycle crash related injury. Increasing the use of reflective or fluorescent clothing, white or light coloured helmets, and daytime headlights are simple, cheap interventions that could considerably reduce motorcycle crash related injury and death.

 

[Rabbit]

Here's one

Motorcycle rider conspicuity and crash related injury: case-control study

Objective To investigate whether the risk of motorcycle crash related injuries is associated with the conspicuity of the driver or vehicle.Design Population based case-control study.Setting Auckland region of New Zealand from February 1993 to February ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Objective To investigate whether the risk of motorcycle crash related injuries is associated with the conspicuity of the driver or vehicle.

Design Population based case-control study.

Setting Auckland region of New Zealand from February 1993 to February 1996.

Participants 463 motorcycle drivers (cases) involved in crashes leading to hospital treatment or death; 1233 motorcycle drivers (controls) recruited from randomly selected roadside survey sites.

Main outcome measures Estimates of relative risk of motorcycle crash related injury and population attributable risk associated with conspicuity measures, including the use of reflective or fluorescent clothing, headlight operation, and colour of helmet, clothing, and motorcycle.

Results Crash related injuries occurred mainly in urban zones with 50 km/h speed limit (66%), during the day (63%), and in fine weather (72%). After adjustment for potential confounders, drivers wearing any reflective or fluorescent clothing had a 37% lower risk (multivariate odds ratio 0.63, 95% confidence interval 0.42 to 0.94) than other drivers. Compared with wearing a black helmet, use of a white helmet was associated with a 24% lower risk (multivariate odds ratio 0.76, 0.57 to 0.99). Self reported light coloured helmet versus dark coloured helmet was associated with a 19% lower risk. Three quarters of motorcycle riders had their headlight turned on during the day, and this was associated with a 27% lower risk (multivariate odds ratio 0.73, 0.53 to 1.00). No association occurred between risk and the frontal colour of drivers' clothing or motorcycle. If these odds ratios are unconfounded, the population attributable risks are 33% for wearing no reflective or fluorescent clothing, 18% for a non-white helmet, 11% for a dark coloured helmet, and 7% for no daytime headlight operation.

Conclusions Low conspicuity may increase the risk of motorcycle crash related injury. Increasing the use of reflective or fluorescent clothing, white or light coloured helmets, and daytime headlights are simple, cheap interventions that could considerably reduce motorcycle crash related injury and death.

I stand corrected! That’s really cool that they tried to correct for the variables. Always good to know. Thanks for finding that. Moral of the story kids: high viz and light colored helmets save lives. I think I’m going to get a permanent high viz vest now.

 

[dduelin]

Here is about 90 cited studies. Not all apply of course but they have to be read to be dismissed as observational.

Motorcycle conspicuity: An evaluation and synthesis of influential factors

Motorcycles are overrepresented in fatal motor vehicle accidents: The death rate for motorcycle riders of about 35 per 100,000,000 miles of travel com…

www.sciencedirect.com

 

[Rabbit]

Here is about 90 cited studies. Not all apply of course but they have to be read to be dismissed as observational.

Motorcycle conspicuity: An evaluation and synthesis of influential factors

Motorcycles are overrepresented in fatal motor vehicle accidents: The death rate for motorcycle riders of about 35 per 100,000,000 miles of travel com…

www.sciencedirect.com

Nice but looks like it’s behind a paywall

 

[dduelin]

Nice but looks like it’s behind a paywall

I can access them.

 

[the Ferret]

The Vest I have is made by Olympia about $80 on revzilla. Will go over any jacket you currently own.

 

[Rabbit]

The Vest I have is made by Olympia about $80 on revzilla. Will go over any jacket you currently own.

Going to pick up one from Motoport. I have one already as my club vest. This one will be for general wear. Thank you for the recommendation though.

 

[MZ5]

Nice but looks like it’s behind a paywall

Yep. Sciencedirect requires paid (including organizational) access for at least lots of their papers. You can see the abstracts, but not the full publications.