On Wednesday, June 14, 2006, at 11:16 AM, Glen Barrett wrote:
> This is a good conversation and deserves a lot of thought.
> Glen
I've spent a good bunch of time on two-wheelers and have taken five
high-performance driving schools on 'em, too. And now that you mention
it - never once have I seen serious discussion of how to get off a bike
at speed. I've read that the rider, upon falling, should roll into a
ball, I've read that he should (attempt) to lie flat with arms and legs
outstretched so he'll slide on back (or belly) without flopping. I've
seen lots of video of bikers in the process of crashing -- and those
pretty much show that if the crash occurs I won't have a whole hell of
a lot of choice in how I go through the process of coming to a stop.
But did the schools mention how to (attempt to) survive a crash? No,
they didn't. Do we ever discuss it in driver meetings? None that I've
attended. (Maybe it's not appropriate for such an "open" forum). Do
we have someone in the group (here) that can bring some good
information to the table? Please speak up if you can - I'd like to
have some guidance.
ECTA rules require hard body armor for bikers running in classes where
the record is over 175. I've got the stuff built in to my leathers.
It probably won't save me from some of the damages that would happen in
a get-off, but it might help. What can we do with about the helmet
bouncing around on an unprotected neck? You tell me -- I don't know
what'd work.
Jon Wennerberg
Seldom Seen Slim Land Speed Racing
Marquette, Michigan
(that's 'way up north)
|