Wear your helmets!

[Eiron]

Thanks for all of the great links to gear!!

The insurance company is coming out to look at the scoot tomorrow. They said they'd also cover "safety gear" which, in my case, is limited to my helmet. The rest of my destroyed gear (including the reflective/LED-lit jacket) wasn't sold as motorbike-specific safety gear.

The surgery to my left (broken) hand was Friday and went well. The bones had already started to knit back together but not in the right locations. The Dr had to cut open my hand to clean up the fused areas and then pinned the bones in place, so that will add a little more time to the healing process. The pins will come out (with the cast) after 4 weeks. I opted for a local anesthetic and a sedative, and I've only had to take ibuprofen so far, so I've been able to avoid all of the drug-related complications. My sprained left shoulder is nearly back to normal, too. My right knee took the brunt of the road impact, so that's taking the longest to heal.

A few thoughts on the comments:
I won't try to ride again until my physical therapist says so. That makes me sad, but will also give me time to get the scoot repaired and wait for sales to buy new safety gear.
I was wearing two t-shirts (under shirt and outer shirt) under the jacket, and the road abrasion at 25 mph chewed thru all of the layers and hamburgered my shoulder.
I completely agree with outlawing texting. It's not only teenagers (the favorite scapegoat around here), and I'm seeing lots of service vehicles (delivery drivers, repair service vans, install service trucks, etc) with drivers texting (and drifting!) instead of watching the road!!

Also, I came across this article, which explains what can affect your recollection of an accident:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-ne ... -21942918/
So if you find yourself on the receiving end of a crash, don't be too hard on yourself if you can't perfectly recall all of the details!

[you you]

Thanks for all of the great links to gear!!

The insurance company is coming out to look at the scoot tomorrow. They said they'd also cover "safety gear" which, in my case, is limited to my helmet. The rest of my destroyed gear (including the reflective/LED-lit jacket) wasn't sold as motorbike-specific safety gear.

The surgery to my left (broken) hand was Friday and went well. The bones had already started to knit back together but not in the right locations. The Dr had to cut open my hand to clean up the fused areas and then pinned the bones in place, so that will add a little more time to the healing process. The pins will come out (with the cast) after 4 weeks. I opted for a local anesthetic and a sedative, and I've only had to take ibuprofen so far, so I've been able to avoid all of the drug-related complications. My sprained left shoulder is nearly back to normal, too. My right knee took the brunt of the road impact, so that's taking the longest to heal.

A few thoughts on the comments:
I won't try to ride again until my physical therapist says so. That makes me sad, but will also give me time to get the scoot repaired and wait for sales to buy new safety gear.
I was wearing two t-shirts (under shirt and outer shirt) under the jacket, and the road abrasion at 25 mph chewed thru all of the layers and hamburgered my shoulder.
I completely agree with outlawing texting. It's not only teenagers (the favorite scapegoat around here), and I'm seeing lots of service vehicles (delivery drivers, repair service vans, install service trucks, etc) with drivers texting (and drifting!) instead of watching the road!!

Also, I came across this article, which explains what can affect your recollection of an accident:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-ne ... -21942918/
So if you find yourself on the receiving end of a crash, don't be too hard on yourself if you can't perfectly recall all of the details!

Excellent. Chin up!

[Mel46]

My wife broke her wrist back in April and insurance wouldn't cover rehab. She did what she could at home. We went for her first ride yesterday and everything went fine. She still has some limiting factors but all-in-all she is back to somewhat normal movement. Take your time getting back to riding. The day will arrive eventually. Meanwhile use the time to look for replacement gear.

[PCX150Rider]

Better days are coming. . .hang in there!

Also thanks for sharing the insight you gained from your situation. Something we can all learn from. . ..

[fish]

Good advert for the need for a proper armored jacket. Shirts and jackets can't protect from hamburgering a shoulder.
Fish

[Eiron]

$99 looks like the best price for a decent jacket, so I can wait for the Firstgear DayGlo jacket to go on sale. Amazon lists several vendors. Which one puts them on sale for $99? I was wearing heavy canvas trousers as overpants (over my shorts at the time of the accident) but they didn't have any knee or hip pads. I'd like to find something that's more "breathable" than "waterproof" and that I can comfortably wear when I get off the bike, and these motorcycle cargo pants look like a pretty good match.

[GeorgeSK]

Wow - those are pretty inexpensive. I went for the Aerostitch Khakis, at about twice your price point (and that it before the knee inserts). The nice thing about those is that they look pretty much like casual work pants. I bought my first pair five years ago, and they still look great. They also make a dungaree. I like those as well (since they take the same knee inserts), but they are pretty warm in the summer.

http://www.aerostich.com/aerostich-prot ... kis-1.html
http://www.aerostich.com/aerostich-protekt-jeans-2.html

[Mel46]

I don't think I have seen any riding pants as inexpensive as those on the amazon site. I just put them on my wish list. I like the gray ones.

When I had my accident I had regular jeans on but I had knee braces you can buy at any pharmacy. They protected my knees even though the pants were destroyed. My jacket went below my waist so some of my hip area was protected. I still got bruised there though. It would probably be much more comfortable to wear the riding pants than to strap on extra gear in the summer.

[Eiron]

Mel, I did find these less-expensive riding pants and almost bought them because I felt ballistic nylon was better crash material than canvas pants. Unfortunately, the user-comments say you can't remove the waterproof liner and you tend to start sweating almost immediately after putting them on.

Question for the people who have riding jackets:
How does this Xelement Jacket look in comparison to what you've purchased?

[neb4152]

Wow. Brings back memories. I wrecked once and my left arm and hand took all the damage other than the scoot. I took a rock to the forehead of my helmet at highway speed last year, busted my face shield and cracked the shell. New LS2 VERSO helmet (2017 US) and AGV high viz jacket every day now. Don't know why more people don't wear the right protective gear! Glad you could post this, albeit one handed.

[big bear]

i have a decent helmut im looking into getting a better one dont have any other protective gear yet but im going to get it i just wear a decent thick jacket long pants and boots but i want to get all armored up as soon as i can ive got 50 miles on the pcx since i bought it on thursday

[Cube]

GF crashed yesterday and her jacket and boots saved her a lot of pain. Her denim clad knee wasn't so lucky. I hate that she's hurt at all but I'm very thankful I was insistent on a minimum of helmet, jacket, gloves and boots.

[Mel46]

Eiron, here is a site we have used in the past. They have a lot of Xelement items. They also have a lot of other nice products.

https://www.leatherup.com/c/Mesh-Motorc ... /1034.html

[WI_Hedgehog]

Thanks for all the links and products. Just did a 750 mile trip and was happy to have a helmet and full gear, including earplugs.

If you're looking for 1.6-1.8mm thick leather chaps try Fox Creek Leather

https://www.foxcreekleather.com/1-6mm-1 ... cle-chaps/

[k2apache6.0]

Nothing 'Grumpy' about common sense Mel. Personally I think texting in a vehicle should be banned in all states.
Was sat in my buddy's jeep when rear ended at a red light by a girl texting. Her father shows up later and tells us it's the second time she'd done it!

[WI_Hedgehog]

Pick an existing law: Inattentive Driving, Wreckless Endangerment, Failure to Stop, Destruction of Private Property, Willful Bodily Harm, etc.

[big bear]

i bought a new helmet today and riding gloves with knuckle protection

[you you]

Nothing 'Grumpy' about common sense Mel. Personally I think texting in a vehicle should be banned in all states.
Was sat in my buddy's jeep when rear ended at a red light by a girl texting. Her father shows up later and tells us it's the second time she'd done it!

Texting or crashing?

[PCX150Rider]

i bought a new helmet today and riding gloves with knuckle protection

What kind of helmet?

Good thinking to get the gloves with knuckle protection. Common with off road gloves. . ..

[Mel46]

My gloves have the knuckle protection, and so did the pair that I wore when I had my accident. Both pair were mesh for summer riding. To me, that is the only kind I would buy for summer riding.

I had an accident when I was much younger, and I was wearing leather gloves. They worked great but they were so hot in the summer that I almost didn't wear them that particular day.