Crash Bar Report

[ShinySideUp]

After a car in the lane next to me whipped an illegal left turn, my front wheel kissed the car, didn't like the taste and spit me out to the asphalt. Other than my ego and wallet, nothing was broken. After 40 years of riding, my moto/car collision virginity was lost.

I was very impressed with the capabilities of my new Atlantis 4 suit. The nylon of my Kriega pack was abraded through in 3 places, but on the two contact points (hip and shoulder) the black suede finish on the suit now shows only faintly lighter areas and I'm fairly certain that the armor kept my trochanter intact. Verdict: BMW Atlantis Suit a winner.

The Hepco & Becker engine guards: not so much.

The glancing impact with the car (I was doing about 25 mph) bent the right bar all the way back and the joint where the bar is held to the forward part of the mounting separated. The left bar contacted the asphalt and also bent back enough to allow the valve cover to be ground through. As I lay on the pavement surveying the damage, the first thing I noticed was a large pool of oil under the bike.

So, when I get the bike back (or a replacement if the insurance company totals it), I will be switching to the SW-Motech bars which appear to be more substantial.

[Tarmac]

Is that the $1800 Atlantis 4 suit?

Glad to hear your ok.

[angellr]

Glad you are OK!!! Glad the suit worked. One reason I went ahead a few months back and got the Motoport Kevlar suit. As far as I am concerned, the more you mitigate the odds, the better. I also have the SW Mototech guards and really like them.

Keep us posted on the how things progress. Best wishes.

[ShinySideUp]

Is that the $1800 Atlantis 4 suit?

Glad to hear your ok.

That's the one.

Thank you.

[ShinySideUp]

Glad you are OK!!! Glad the suit worked. One reason I went ahead a few months back and got the Motoport Kevlar suit. As far as I am concerned, the more you mitigate the odds, the better. I also have the SW Mototech guards and really like them.

Keep us posted on the how things progress. Best wishes.

The problem with all this protective stuff is that it's painfully difficult to test adequately! I too have the Motoport stuff which I mainly use for hot weather. Since I live and work in always-cool San Francisco, the idea of waterproof leather seemed too good to pass up.

I did wonder how the Kevlar would have fared in this get-off, but I hope I never have to test it!

And thanks for the good wishes.
Bill

[tobes]

Glad to hear you are okay. Thanks for posting up this accident report. It's always helpful to hear what gear was used and how well it worked.

[Mark_1]

Glad to hear you are all right. I just went through something similar, so know how you feel. Good luck dealing with the insurance.

Mark_1

[r12gecko]

Glad you made it through in good shape. I installed Motech bars this summer. They are relatively solid, but under 400+ pounds, I'd expect them to give as well to some degree. Main reason I have them is to mount highway pegs.

[dav]

Sorry to hear about your off mate, glad you walked away from it.

[ka5ysy]

...
I did wonder how the Kevlar would have fared in this get-off, but I hope I never have to test it!

Bill

I crash tested the Motoport Kevlar. It works really well ! No road rash at all, and mitigated the rest of the damage to some cracked ribs. Doc said the chest armor prevented shattered ribs or worse . All my other gear feels like I am naked in comparison.

[ShinySideUp]

I crash tested the Motoport Kevlar. It works really well ! No road rash at all, and mitigated the rest of the damage to some cracked ribs. Doc said the chest armor prevented shattered ribs or worse . All my other gear feels like I am naked in comparison.

Good to hear on the Motoport. Now I don't have to crash test mine!

I also took a hit to the ribs. X-ray says they're intact, but it sure feels like a fracture to me: when I take a deep breath, a feel a popping sensation of a bone moving out of place and back. They only took a frontal view, not a lateral which is where the pain is.

Ibuprofen, ice, and a chest binder are my friends.

I'm also having a flareup of asthma and coughing makes the ribs sing a tune that is very much dissimilar to a lullaby. What's needed now, of course, is that old medical standby: TOT. Tincture of Time.

What's miraculous (other than our own healing) is that the brain forgets pain. Otherwise no woman would have more than one of us crazy bastids!

Bill

[websterize]

From another urban commuter, get well and hope you're back in the saddle soon.

[sunny72]

I'm glad you are ok.

I appreciate your sharing. I made the mistake of searching "high side" and "mulholland" where I ride a lot on YouTube. Result: looking at dropping a grand on better gear.

Any other motoport opinions out there?

Is this a fair article? http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/motoport/

[ka5ysy]

I'm glad you are ok.

I appreciate your sharing. I made the mistake of searching "high side" and "mulholland" where I ride a lot on YouTube. Result: looking at dropping a grand on better gear.

Any other motoport opinions out there?

Is this a fair article? http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/motoport/

That is a fair article. Both 'Stitch and Motoport are top-grade manufacturers, and both have outstanding customer service. I went with the Motoport stuff simply because I live in south Louisiana. That means in the summer we get temperatures in the mid and high 90's routinely. This past summer, on many days, we had 98 degree / 120 heat index situations. The net result of this is that a 'Stitch cannot be used in temps over 80 degrees here, whereas the Airmesh II kevlar of the Motoport is useful throughout the year, high temps and low. I simply zip in the proper liner(s) and go. I do have an electric liner (not motoport) that I routinely use inside the rain liner for cold temps. I have used that setup down into the 20's with nice comfort, and it is considerably less bulky than the insulation liner inside the jacket.

The current jacket I have is the hi-vis with the "quad" armor. This armor adds one additional layer of some kind of mesh-looking fabric that apparently instantly hardens on impact. My crash tested jacket had the tri-armor which did its job, so when I ordered the hi-vis (it is much cooler in the summer than the black stuff) I specified the quad armor.

Fitment of the Motoport gear requires you to download and fill out a measurement form and it takes about 30 minutes to get it right with an assistant. If done correctly, it results in a custom-fit and the armor is properly centered on the appropriate areas. They have a long warranty period, and if you crash and anything gets messed up, they fix it free or replace the jacket. Cant beat that !!

One thing they will tell you is that the armor takes a day or so to mold itself to you. When you first put it on new, it feels bulky, stiff and weird. After an hour or so, things begin to feel quite normal. After several days of use, it feels like a second skin and is quite comfortable. I would also suggest that if you or anyone orders the jacket, you also purchase one of the wide hangers (Shoulder Saver Ventilator is the brand I have) like we use to keep dive gear from developing creases in the shoulders from narrow hangers. It keeps the shoulder armor nice and rounded if you leave it hanging for long periods of time.

In summary, for protection, either is excellent. The Motoport kevlar gear is the only fabric approved for use on race circuits because it is stronger than leather. If you live in cold, wet climates, the Stitch is a great choice, and I have a friend down here that has and loves his, but he can use it only about 3 weeks a year unless he is cruising in the mountains on his Goldwing. If you live anywhere the temperature goes over 80 for any long amount of time, you will be cooked, and the suit cannot be justified due to its costs vs use time.

The Motoport has a far wider use range due to its design, and is , for me, the best tool for the job. I can highly recommend the gear. It is worth the expense, and once you use it, anything else will make you feel naked in comparison.

[ka5ysy]

I also took a hit to the ribs. X-ray says they're intact, but it sure feels like a fracture to me: when I take a deep breath, a feel a popping sensation of a bone moving out of place and back. They only took a frontal view, not a lateral which is where the pain is.

Ibuprofen, ice, and a chest binder are my friends.

I'm also having a flareup of asthma and coughing makes the ribs sing a tune that is very much dissimilar to a lullaby. What's needed now, of course, is that old medical standby: TOT. Tincture of Time.

What's miraculous (other than our own healing) is that the brain forgets pain. Otherwise no woman would have more than one of us crazy bastids!

Bill

I would almost bet you have the same damage I had: The cartilage at the spine, and the chest area probably suffered flex stress fractures, and the popping you describe is a perfect description of what I felt. My Doc said it is hard to see on x-ray, and even the MRI scan was not really good at seeing it.

Coughing, laughing, sneezing etc. hurt ! Grab you ribcage and give yourself a big tight hug before you do these, and it helps. I also found that I would press my back into a convenient wall while doing this, and it really helped the pain. Also tilt you head up to open the airway and DO NOT try to restrict the cough in any way. Heal time estimate to no pain: 9 weeks or so.

I feel your pain

[lynnboyd]

The Hepco & Becker engine guards: not so much.

+1 on the Hepco-Becker driving light mounts. I tipped mine over in the garage the other day on the smooth cement floor and scraped up the valve cover. I'm pretty sure the ad said crash bars but they don't really seem to protect anything.

[Bodes]

So this thread starts out with the report of one of us who gets nailed by an idiot cage rider - sad but all too common. Glad to hear you're well and the suit saved you.

An opinion regarding the useless Hepco Becker crash bars. Thanks for the heads up.Shiny side will move over to SW Motech because ....

Then a diversion about clothes and other stuff?

I'm not unsympathetic BUT ... Who can recommend some good protection bars after an experience of laying her down?

Forums are good but keep being diverted and its hard to get the good info when you type in search topics because of the stray comments. Arghhh !!!

I know the OEM only work for a virtually stationary garage drop - cosmetics. Sadly.

What's going to protect my engine covers if I come down and slide ... Pleeeeaasse

[AncientMariner]

Bill/ShinySideUp,

I'm just now getting around catching up on my mail. So sorry to hear about your crash. I'm glad your unjuries are not any worse. But soft tissue damage can take a long time to heal. I hope you beat the averages.

As for your bike, I'm interested to read about your crash bar lack of protection. I had been wondering what if any benefit my own bike would have enjoyed had it been sporting some crash bars. None, I now believe.

It will be interesting to compare insurance company findings over the next few days.

Bruce

[angellr]

SW Crash bars only really work on slow speed topples ... lost footing driveway one day and it rolled onto the bars ... and breaking the lens on the turn signal. On both crashes that I have seen, they might not have helped too much, but one will never know.

Once again, glad both of you are ok.