Mcycle injury stats.....where to protect??

MacDoc

MacDoc

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After dinging my shoulder a few months off road back I'm considering a bit more sophisticated armor that fits a bit closer than the jacket provides and lets me ride with the jacket open but the armor in place.
I'd fallen off road before with no issue but I suspect this time the armor was not completely around the joint and did not cushion the hit.

Came across this informative site from Australia. Shows the stats for where most injuries occur.

http://www.roadsafety.mccofnsw.org.au/a/91.html

Legs are the part of your body most likely to be injured but are least likely to be protected (de Rome et al, 2002)
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for instance spinal injuries are quite low ( less than 1 per cent ) yet many riders spend significantly on a spine protector.

The info here may let you determine where to boost your armor.

Also I'm trying to find that frame armor that Daught was considering - not the shirt type but held in place with velcro straps the way most knee armor is.
Anyone got a link thanks.

BTW discussion on this is aimed around casual and touring riders not track or SS.

I only want armor that is not intrusive on enjoying the ride....one reason I've liked the mesh jacket over the years...it's light - multi-weather ( with a liner ) and up til April this wear absorbed some minor off road spills ( usually zero speed in mud or some such ).

I got the under pants knee protectors for off road and they've worked but considering something a tad more sophisticated as my straps are getting worn and something that will stay in place a bit better I'd consider.
 
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An interesting read, thanks for sharing.
 
I tend to say knee then shoulder head and hip last - depends on some factors.
My knee and shoulder took the hits, nothing on the hip, helmet was just muddied
Ankle gets hit as the bike lands on it
 
MacDoc said:
Also I'm trying to find that frame armor that Daught was considering - not the shirt type but held in place with velcro straps the way most knee armor is.
Anyone got a link thanks.
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A compression suit?
pressure_suit_1967.jpg


The shirt style works better than just velcro straps. All the pieces are tied together better with the shirt style and less likely to move around in a fall.

I've had velcro strap knee gaurds rotate completely out of the way in a fall, rashing up my leg.

There are a few brands that make them. 661, Dainese, Forcefield, Alpinestar, Thor, EVS, Leatt, etc.
 
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I'm pretty big on protecting my skin.

Spine injuries might be rare but I'd really rather avoid one at all costs.
 
People are probably sick of me posting about the Icon Styker stuff and seeing this pic...


I am waiting for the Velocity Kevlar Jeans to come in which will give me some more abrasion protection. Not matter what the armoured shorts and knee guards come on every ride. Not sure what else I could use once I have my kevlar jeans and textile pants (looking at Olympia Airglide 3). I might get some leather overpants for spring and fall riding.

Other than upgrading my boots what else is there to do?
 
I would like to see the stats about where most head hits happen as I got to thinking about this the other day in the thread about the guy who got a 1/2 lid and loved the openness of it.

I've only crashed on dirt (knock on wood), and thinking back to every time I've crashed, it has been my knees, then hips, then elbows and hands that took the impact. Only a couple times has my head made contact with the ground -- and both times it was my chin that took the impact and the chin guard that saved my face. I've not come close to banging my skull off the ground. That's why I can't see doing any aggressive riding at all without a full faced helmet. Even now that I have a modular helmet, I only open the chin guard when I am stopped (fuelling, etc).
 
Helmet Impact Zones
 
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Thanks for the link OP. Some really interesting stats and info there.

This graphic says it all for me. Full face all the way. Over 1/3 right in the chin area:
 
MacDoc said:
for instance spinal injuries are quite low ( less than 1 per cent ) yet many riders spend significantly on a spine protector.
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You have to consider both the frequency and the severity of the injuries involved.

Your head has to be protected beyond all else. If there is a severe head injury, you are done, either dead or incapacitated for life. Wear a helmet.

The spine is almost as important. Spine injuries might not be common but the consequences are extreme for the rest of your life. Wear a back protector.

Then there is road rash. Get enough of it, and the blood loss will compound the severity of any other injuries that you may have. Good gloves, good boots, slide-resistant clothing of some sort.

While limbs may be commonly injured, most people can recover from broken bones.

It's pretty likely that no reasonable surface protection can prevent your legs or arms from being broken if you are involved in a situation that is going to do that.
 
While I agree in general if you have reasonable funds to spend you do have to look at frequency and severity.
Australian studies have shown in serious accidents that aside from helmet the level of gear does not determine outcomes and anything that would impact the spine sufficiently would be in that category.

As I said I'm exempting track and SS in this discussion.

Given a limited amount of funds available ( and most jackets have some spine protection )

Armored gloves certainly are cost effective.

I'd be supporting knee protection for the casual rider next as they are inexpensive, overlooked and also crippling and it's the one area ( and me included until recently ) that is not often covered off by riders yet knees take big time hits even in low speed falls.

Jackets generally have reasonable protection for shoulders and elbows.
 
Zoodles95 said:
People are probably sick of me posting about the Icon Styker stuff and seeing this pic...


I am waiting for the Velocity Kevlar Jeans to come in which will give me some more abrasion protection. Not matter what the armoured shorts and knee guards come on every ride. Not sure what else I could use once I have my kevlar jeans and textile pants (looking at Olympia Airglide 3). I might get some leather overpants for spring and fall riding.

Other than upgrading my boots what else is there to do?
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How comfortable is all that with those Velcro straps? I'm looking into upgrading the armor in the knees / hips / elbow area and I'm interested in this. I've also seen some pull on type knee / elbow guards which may prevent uncomfortable feeling from the Velcro straps shown here. I think BlueStreak may have some but can't remember the name at this point.
 
If you crash head-on into a car, there is no reasonable level of protective gear that will make a difference. Granted.

But protective gear or the absence thereof, can make the difference between a minor spill requiring a hospital visit, or dusting oneself off and walking away from it. Or even if a hospital visit is required, it can make the difference between going in for a broken collarbone, and going into shock because of bleeding from road rash, severely complicating the treatment.

Looking only at the serious collisions misses what happens in the vast majority of minor spills - many of which are never reported and will never show up in anyone's statistical analysis.

I don't know why you want to exclude supersport riders from your "analysis", because the same crap happens when you hit something or go off the road. While there is no shortage of supersport riders who are not wearing proper gear, touring riders and cruiser riders seem to be almost excluded from ever wearing proper gear. By "proper gear" I don't necessarily mean roadracing leathers, but it does mean a full face helmet at a minimum (see other posts above - the chin area is important to protect) and no unprotected skin.

I'll do coffee runs, customer site visits, or Burrito Boyz trips wearing jeans and a hi-viz jacket, but on any "real" ride, I use two-piece zip-together leathers with the built-in (limited protection, but better than nothing) back protector and padding on the elbows and forearms.
 
Mine have been comfortable - I hardly know they are there as they are very light.
I just have simple ones along these lines.

2010-Thor-Motocross-Sector-Knee-Guards-Black.jpg


No issue riding but they do get hot sitting around.

Kid wears much more sophisticated ones I'm interested in as well - his are more along these lines.

brand-new-high-quality-motorcycle-knee-protector.jpg


My thinking is on shoulders and elbows that strap that hold the armor in place instead or relying on the jacket to do so is a better approach.

He wears an armored shirt something along these lines
blackfront.jpg

that does the same and is optional on wearing a jacket.

I'm looking for more of a frame style ala the knew pads without the mesh.
 
That's the one I was thinking of. The Bohn Armor looks pretty good actually. As for the knee pads, my moto boots come up fairly high so I'd need a short type of knee so it doesn't interfere. Thanks for the link.
 
I don't know why you want to exclude supersport riders from your "analysis", because the same crap happens when you hit something or go off the road.
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Because it requires a different level of gear assessment and the risks are higher - just ask any insurance company.

I agree that many touring and casual riders including me are gear light and that includes full face. I prefer open face tho If I could find a truly light convertible I might try it but 90% of the time I travel with the chin bar up when I wear it in Australia.

Cost and ease of use and comfort all come into play.

With 86% of crashes with leg injuries knee pads would seem a no brainer.

I suspect armored gloves versus touring gloves are another area where risk could be reduced without much change in comfort.
 
MacDoc said:
My thinking is on shoulders and elbows that strap that hold the armor in place instead or relying on the jacket to do so is a better approach.
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It will have the opposite effect of what you're intending. It is MUCH easier for strap on armour to rotate out of the way as opposed to those found in a proper fitting jacket. I have the scars prove it.

Because all the armour is more or less joined together is a jacket, it is much less likely to move in a crash. As I said, I've worn both and crashed both, the jacket worked much better.

The other disadvantage of using a compression suit without the shirt and only the velcro is that it chafes a lot.
 
Okay - good info - the trouble with "proper fitting" jacket is what works in 8 degrees is loose in 30.
I would be wearing dryfit underneath the armor.

What's your opinion on the armored shirts then for staying in place.
I was just going to lose the hard armor on the JR mesh ( the soft is permanent ) and get into a better set for shoulder and elbow to wear under the mesh
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