Biker's Cafe Chatroom

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Foghorn Leghorn said:
From experience, air bag vests are a huge step forward in rider protection. I've had the misfortune to test mine on two occasions, both high speed, I've also had similar crashes with regular armour (the good stuff too) I'll take the airbag vest anyday of the week.
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Ah well I don't do 'high speed' any more, my next bike was made in 1953 in Plumstead with drum brakes, and doesn't need tax or an mot. :D
I wear the armoured stuff these days, which is a step up from the t shirt and patch of my youth. That'll do, at 60 I don't really care any more.
 
Uther said:
Ah well I don't do 'high speed' any more, my next bike was made in 1953 in Plumstead with drum brakes, and doesn't need tax or an mot. :D
I wear the armoured stuff these days, which is a step up from the t shirt and patch of my youth. That'll do, at 60 I don't really care any more.
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There's a story out on the Internet of someone with an airbag vest tho had multiple broken ribs and other chest and abdominal injuries due to the force of the airbag inflation and the manufacturer wanted nothing to do with him, or their gear. Can't quite remember the manufacturer though.
 
MissChief said:
There's a story out on the Internet of someone with an airbag vest tho had multiple broken ribs and other chest and abdominal injuries due to the force of the airbag inflation and the manufacturer wanted nothing to do with him, or their gear. Can't quite remember the manufacturer though.
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Are there any safety regulations that cover them? I know airbags used to be lethal in the US.
 
MissChief said:
There's a story out on the Internet of someone with an airbag vest tho had multiple broken ribs and other chest and abdominal injuries due to the force of the airbag inflation and the manufacturer wanted nothing to do with him, or their gear. Can't quite remember the manufacturer though.
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Yikes! I wonder if they wore it under a suit that wasn't designed with airbags in mind, as suits have expansion panels etc for when the vest inflates iirc
 
Scort said:
Yikes! I wonder if they wore it under a suit that wasn't designed with airbags in mind, as suits have expansion panels etc for when the vest inflates iirc
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It’s a post on Reddit, if you search ‘my life was changed by an airbag vest’ it should show up. Seems it was Alpinestars.
 
hornetstinger said:
Are there motorbikes that look like motorbikes but have the twist and go transmission of a scooter?
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Not really, no. That being said, if you don't mind a scooter, then go for it. I've ridden scooters all my life and I'll never be without one. For commuting and practicality they can't be beat, no matter how hard anyone tries. I can fit a weekly shop in mine, I've got heated grips, traction control, ABS, 2x USB chargers, and it's like riding a sofa. And there simply isn't a faster mode of transport in London. As scooters go, mine does look pretty badass tbh (it's a 350 though, so you'll need a full licence for it.

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Diddums x said:
Not really, no. That being said, if you don't mind a scooter, then go for it. I've ridden scooters all my life and I'll never be without one. For commuting and practicality they can't be beat, no matter how hard anyone tries. I can fit a weekly shop in mine, I've got heated grips, traction control, ABS, 2x USB chargers, and it's like riding a sofa. And there simply isn't a faster mode of transport in London. As scooters go, mine does look pretty badass tbh (it's a 350 though, so you'll need a full licence for it.

QTj1a4n.jpeg
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I get the appeal of scooters, constantly changing gear in car/motorbike where you move 20 feet, change gear, maybe another 100 feet stop for red light etc...it gets monotonous. Once on the open road between towns etc gear changes are fine.

Think if I had the space I'd have scooter and motorbike.
 
hornetstinger said:
those are pretty horrid looking speed bumps, some are peeling upwards "bolt on speed bumps"

nice posh area and they just look terrible.
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I also read somewhere that they're great at prematurely wearing out bushes on suspension as they force the wheels out laterally rather than up and down. Having lived in London and gone over them a billion times, I find very little truth in that statement tbh. Might be an old wive's tale, I'm sure @JonRGV250 would know better.
 
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hornetstinger said:
Are there motorbikes that look like motorbikes but have the twist and go transmission of a scooter?
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Some motorbikes have automatic transmission. It's not quite twist and go but more like driving an automatic car. Honda have several including the NC750 and Africa Twin (both have auto or manual versions).

Or you can get more powerful twist and go scooters like the Honda ADV350 or XADV 750.
 
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MissChief said:
There's a story out on the Internet of someone with an airbag vest tho had multiple broken ribs and other chest and abdominal injuries due to the force of the airbag inflation and the manufacturer wanted nothing to do with him, or their gear. Can't quite remember the manufacturer though.
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Having worn and had an ixon vest inflate during crashes and worn an alpinestars and seen the aftermath of friends crashes whilst wearing the alpinestars, I find it really difficult to believe this isn't user error. Most likely a suit that was far too tight and had no expansion panels, added with the severity of impact. Having no expansion panels is not an issue as long as there is enough room across the chest and abdomen. My suit has no expansion panels but I had it altered to allow room as per the manufacturers instructions.
It's also worth remembering that all safety equipment has a limit, no matter how good it is there's only so much it can do to reduce the impact, they are huge improvement over regular armour like Knox and Forcefield though.
 
Foghorn Leghorn said:
Having worn and had an ixon vest inflate during crashes and worn an alpinestars and seen the aftermath of friends crashes whilst wearing the alpinestars, I find it really difficult to believe this isn't user error. Most likely a suit that was far too tight and had no expansion panels, added with the severity of impact. Having no expansion panels is not an issue as long as there is enough room across the chest and abdomen. My suit has no expansion panels but I had it altered to allow room as per the manufacturers instructions.
It's also worth remembering that all safety equipment has a limit, no matter how good it is there's only so much it can do to reduce the impact, they are huge improvement over regular armour like Knox and Forcefield though.
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Have a read: https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycle/comments/1kds0xm/my_life_was_changed_by_an_airbag_vest_and_the/
 
MissChief said:
Have a read: https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycle/comments/1kds0xm/my_life_was_changed_by_an_airbag_vest_and_the/
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I've had a brief scan through it, the original post is gone and I hate trying to decipher Reddit threads they're a complete mess :D
People tend to lie when they mess up too.

I've been in and around racing since before air bags were a thing and I was an early adopter myself with the ixon vest. Tested it myself and known many many people using ixon, alpinestars, dianese and helite. I've never known anyone suffer injuries from the airbag system itself, however there's been a few that haven't triggered in a crash for various reasons. I'm not saying it didn't happen but I wouldn't be surprised if it was user error.
 
Right read a bit more. They're talking about the alpinestars tech air 5, a very good system that is very popular world wide on the racing scene.
They also went up one size on their jacket, which is not what the instructions say, there's specific measurements to ensure correct sizing.

Apparently this is the damage his airbag caused

"22 broken ribs and a ruptured spleen/ broken pelvis"

If that's what they're claiming then it's utter horse****

They've had a big crash, big enough to break their pelvis (which is a huge chunk of bone) the broken ribs are due to that same impact (as I mentioned before, there's only so much safety gear can do) and now they're looking to pass the blame on because it couldn't possibly be their own fault.
 
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