Friend had a crash

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thearcticsea

Rocker
So I know these posts are up pretty often on forums, but a lot of you dudes have helped me out a lot and most seem like cool dudes that I wouldn't want to get hurt.

Soooo...

My friend got sideswiped by a humongous dump truck on a 4 lane road while traveling 45 miles an hour. Completely the truck drivers fault and my friend is mostly okay. He broke a small bone in his leg and that's it. He'll probably end up getting a shit ton of money from the insurance company and I'd be surprised if he didn't end up putting down a downpayment on a house with it, so all in all, not a bad thing for him.

HOWEVER,

The reason he can do all this and reap whatever rewards he may get for his misfortune, is that he was wearing a Dainese leather jacket with full padding, boots, and a full faced helmet.

His helmet is completely fucked. The entire front of it was grinded flat over the chin and visor. You can see the filling inside the helmet, that's how much of it was ground away. If he wasn't wearing a FULLFACED helmet he would certainly have lost teeth, broken, or ripped off his jaw, and possibly had his nose ground off.

I'm just saying this to suggest that if you're open to a full faced helmet, I heartily recommend it.

I was considering getting a bell, or ruby classic 3/4 helmet to wear with some goggles when I go to bike shows, or for the occassional jaunt to the coffee shop.

I thought it would look cool, and I'd cut a dramatic figure while rumbling onto the grass at the auto museum for the European Bike Show.

After my friend brought his helmet in to work to show me the damage I can say with 100% confidence that I'll never, ever wear any helmet that isn't full face.

Fuck that.... not worth it.

So thanks for your time, sorry to be a downer kind of, but stay safe dudes.

Also, MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Happy Holidays!
 
AceT100

AceT100

Rocker
Always ride with a full face....always.

Glad the friends ok and his gear did what it was supposed to.
 
T

Trebo

Scooter
Hey TArcSea - Coincidentally, I was asking on a thread
I started this evening for Rec's on Full-faced helmets. What was your friend wearing, and what will he be buying to replace it? Glad this crash story has a Happy ending.
 
B06Tang

B06Tang

Cafe Racer
I'm glad to read that your friend is healthy and ok and that his gear worked. For my money though, I will keep to my 3/4 helmet. I got t-boned about 12 years ago wearing my full face helmet. If I had been wearing my 3/4, then I would have stood a much better chance of seeing the truck coming out of my peripheral. I choose to have a more open and unobstructed view...neither is full proof and comes down to a choice. Thankfully we as adults are still able to make that choice for ourselves.
 
Sal Paradise

Sal Paradise

Hooligan
First articsea - Holy Shit! So close to death dammit. I don't know man, gotta think about that.... I almost always wear a FF helmet and armor jacket and gaunlet gloves, boots, etc. I do sometimes wear an open face for low speed in town joy riding. Now as to what BO6Tang wrote=

B06Tang said:
I got t-boned about 12 years ago wearing my full face helmet. If I had been wearing my 3/4, then I would have stood a much better chance of seeing the truck coming out of my peripheral. I choose to have a more open and unobstructed view....
Click to expand...


This is true. You get more peripheral awareness with an open helmet. I actually have a half helmet with ear flaps and I can HEAR around me. My point is this - your friend got hit from the side. You have to think about that. Different safety strategies for different conditions. The analogy I think about is Prey versus Predator. Prey need peripheral vision more because their strategy is to avoid and outrun. Sometimes we are the hawk and sometimes we are the pigeon. You gotta think a motorcycle is faster than a dump truck so you have to wonder if he could have avoided it.

But for high speed and long distance I always wear my Joe Rocket FF.

Whatever way you go ride to be unhittable. Avoid everyone. Expect trouble from anyone.

That is messed up about your friend. I am glad he is okay. Maybe he should have ridden farther away from that freaking dump truck.

By the way, your area,around Boston scares the hell out of me. The drivers are truly psycho. I think if I lived near there I would use a trailer as my main safety equipment. I am from NYC and that is bad and the drivers will come at you there too but not with the same high speed lunacy of drivers on 495, 90 and 95.
 
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thearcticsea

Rocker
Lol yah Massachusetts drivers are hell on wheels. Everyone's always rushing and they always feel they have the right of way.

The helmet he had was a scorpion exo400 and I think hell be buying the same one.
 
sweatmachine

sweatmachine

moped
Full face helmets are not created equally in the peripheral vision department, and in my opinion this is not a good argument against them. I have an HJC carbon fiber helmet and the field of view is huge, I'd say as big as a 3/4 helmet. I almost can't see the sides of the helmet when it's on. Shop around, fellas. Open full face helmets are out there. Then again, wear what you want. I don't care.
 
koifarm

koifarm

Hooligan
One of my favorite full face helmets is an old Shoei I got back in the 70's. Although it does not have the DOT sticker required, it still fits me well, offers a full peripheral vision without obstruction and I ride with it most of the time, about the only time I wear a 3/4 is when it's beastly hot and ventilation is needed.
 
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