Did anyone invest in a DOT helmet and riding jacket?

full helmet next time

http://www.motoredbikes.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=11030&stc=1&d=1220674535
scary guy.jpg this is me after a 14 mph accident where bike chain got tangled with tire and frame the half helmet saved my life but as you can see it left something to be desired. I'm all well now not a scar, but it took a while. You just never know riding without a full helmet I'm told is like running as hard as you can iinto a brick wall face firs. To all those "it can't happen to me's " sign that organ donor card please my brother in law needs a kidney.
 

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snell vs dot

I've been riding with a bicycle helmet and decided it isn't safe enough for speeds over 20mph. The great state of California agrees and requires DOT helmet for MBs that can go over 20mph.

I did a little reading on these two standards and Snell is the standard to trust in my opinion. If you're getting a DOT helmet from a well known manufacturer, I'm sure it is safe. However, since DOT operates on the honor system (manufactures self regulate with occasional spot checks), anything you get on eBay from China is suspect. Snell maintains a list of manufactures they certify in their labs, so you can always verify a manufactures claims.

After looking at the pic on the last post, and reading some of the other posts on this thread, full face is the only way to go for me.
 
glad to hear somebody listens

Good for you, I just got a pair of boots ( don't for get those ) my ankle got mashed by the weight of the motor dragging my foot along the asphalt. Gloves will keep you from scraping knuckles down to bone but the jacket with shields will really help don't go out without em, please, Phil
 
holy snit philshannon, that had to hurt so effin bad! I will definitely be purchasing a SNELL full faced helmet ASAP. My engine and all my engine goodies from DDM are scheduled to arrive at my apartment today! Too bad I am in the hospital right now! I have been having some really bad Grand Mal seizures since I wrecked on my non motorized bmx bike and fractured the T1 vertebra in my neck.

About 10 days ago or so, I woke up, said, "i think i need to go to the hospital," then the next thing I know, it is 3 days later, I have a headache so bad that the nurses have to give me something called Hydromorphone, that the nurse told me was about 100 times stronger than morphine. and because it is so strong they have to give it to you in tiny doses. Luckily a friend was spending the night at my apartment, and was there to call 911. he saved my life.

After that I decided to get a new/better neurologist, and he has had me in the hospital for 4 days now, under intense observation, I have 22 brainwave sensing electrodes superglued to my head, one to my chest above my heart, and I'm all wired up to a computer. My new neurologist is weening me off of all of my anti seizure meds. and trying to induce a seizure, so he can study what happens in my brain when I go into them. It has been a bumpy ride. I have been in so much pain, and I have been having the most intense headaches again. tonight I get NO meds at all for the first time in probably 6 or 8 months. I kind of expect to be seizing and flailing about in my padded hospital bed in about 9 more hours :(

But, if this is what I have to go through to get fixed. So Be It.

so yeah, sooner or later, I will be getting a nice Snell helmet and putting my bike together. lol I am almost 3,000 dollars into this project already, I am not about to stop now!

but, hey, I can't legally drive a car or truck until 6 months after my last seizure, and since I haven't ever gone more than 6 weeks w/o seizure, that seems like forever away. However, I can legally ride/drive a motor-assisted bicycle. so, the MB plan is still in action. (They don't just spring on me, I feel them come on before they happen... and they usually happen right after I wake up).

My new Neurologist is great, and has given me much hope for the future. He expects me to be back in college and driving w/o worries within 6 months.

Hurray for insurance.

Edit: I definitely want a shielded jacket; not to mention the gloves and boots would be a good investment. I don't know if boots will fit into my toe clips very well though, I wear size 15 shoes.
 
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Hi guys,

Haven't been here for a while, but this popped up in my notifications, and I just took a look at the last few posts...wow - very scary what can happen.

I started using a half-shell DOT helmet with my motored bike. Then I graduated to a 125cc scooter (capable of 65mph), so I switched to a full-face, gloves, and an armored, padded mesh jacket. I was still wearing shorts and sneakers however.

Of course I started hanging out at a scooter forum...and then a girl showed us pictures of what happened to her when she crashed doing about 25 mph with shorts and flip-flops...it grounded off 2 toes completely - NASTY! Not to mention the terrible road rash on her leg.

Shortly after that, I decided I better get legal and also learn about how to really navigate and deal with traffic, so I took the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) course. Florida requires it for over 50cc, which means legally, you need your motorcycle endorsement to ride a motorized bike, too.

You learn on their 250cc motorcycles, and I quickly realized how unsafe both motorized bikes and scooters really are. Scooters are just too small to be in traffic with because people don't see you, and motorized bikes, well, they're pretty unsafe. (I'll just point out that they're not made to be motorized in the first place, and reference the bad wreck discussed above as a great reason - chain locking up the rear wheel, for example).

I now ride a motorcycle - Honda Shadow 750cc cruiser - and I'm much more visible on the road AND I have the power to get out of trouble if I need it. And I have also added more gear...I wear long jeans and high-top leather sneakers for riding back and forth to work (4 miles), and when I am going on a longer ride, I wear padded and armored overpants, steel toe boots (Walmart - $30), full face helmet, and armored and padded jacket and gloves.

THANK GOD I DO, because I had a small crash about 4 months ago (slipped from mud at about 20mph), and this gear saved my ***! The first thing that touched the ground of course were my palms - and the gloves saved them - not a scratch. Then I rolled, because I had mud on both shoulder pads - not a scratch. I did bruise my hip, and that's what prompted me to get the padded pants.

So, I won't tell anyone what to do, but I will remind everyone that us humans are probably the weakest mammals on the planet, covered completely in soft flesh that is no match for anything other than more soft flesh. The road will tear you up. PERIOD.

FYI - they treat road rash as a burn, so you get scrubbed with a wire brush, and no amount of morphine will dull that pain they say. Each day after that, you return to the hospital, and they scrub off the scabs so you don't get infected.

So don't let anyone bother you if they laugh or make jokes or try to get you to not wear your gear. It's just not worth it. And also remember that accidents are UNPLANNED EVENTS. You're just as vulnerable on test rides around the block as you are on a day-long adventure.

I hope everyone has a SAFE and happy holiday!

(Now for the shameless plug: check out my site, http://www.RideBellChain.com and get a free ride-bell for your bike, and send one to a friend all for $17.95.) :)

Here's a link to pix of my baby, in case anyone cares to see it:
http://palmbeachsoftware.com/TwoTone/tabid/408/Default.aspx

I LOVE this bike.
My scooter is in the garage, with 800 miles in perfect condition looking for a new home. It's a Genuine Buddy 125cc.

Take care all,
Mark Turkel
http://www.RideBellChain.com
http://www.PalmBeachSoftware.com
 
nice shadow.... but what is a "ride bell chain"? your website doesn't explain this. it just says what you have to do to get one. is it just like a bell to ring when you want ppl to notice you? You might try putting some pictures of one installed, on your website also.
 
The first 3 paragraphs on the home page explain it, but in a nutshell:

Legend says there are "road gremlins" and "demons" that are waiting for 2 wheeled vehicles to get into the motor and cause you grief. When you attach a ride bell (as low as possible to the ground), it captures the gremlins, and when it rings it stuns them and they drop to the ground - keeping you safe. But you can't buy the bell for yourself or you don't get the "magic". So that's why I created the chain. It's working, and it's popular in the motorcycle and scooter communities.

So it's cool - give it a shot! :)

Mark
http://www.RideBellChain.com
 
I'll be happy to buy one for you - as long as you come back and buy one for someone else on this forum. Go ahead and request, then shoot me an email with your name and I'll push you to the top of the waiting list so you can be the started of the "motored bikes" chain. So I'll buy the first one for you, but don't hose me - you need to buy one, too. :)

Cya
Mark
http://www.RideBellChain.com
 
Modulator Helmet and bicycle pads

I remember what the asphalt road rash felt like when I was a kid.

I bought a cycle modular helmet ($177) with breath deflector and a double wall face shield. A 70 year old watermelon cracks easily and heals slowly.

I have wrist guards, elbow guards and knee guards( about $20) . Kevlar lined leather gloves ($8 at Harbor freight..

I don't want for someone to have to care for me the rest of my life because I didn't have protection.

I have a leather jacket much like the cycle jacket that I gave away after I stopped riding the trail bikes.

Don't know what I will do for summer.

20 - 30 MPH gives a lot of chance to bounce and break something.

I may look silly with all the protection, but those that laugh won't be visiting me in the hospital either.

Jim
 
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