Modern Vespa

I am OK - the bike, not so much... Got home about an hour ago and finally unwound....

Was out riding with a group of sport-bike riders in Santa Barbara. Tame stuff, nothing fast or fancy, just a good cruise at moderate speeds, along highway 192 from Santa Barbara to Carpinteria, then highway 33 up to Ojai. Done this several times - it's a great ride, not too technical, not boring, beautiful vistas. Twelve bikes, 25 wheels (the MP3 throws things off!).

We got to Ojai, I turned back, along with another guy from Santa Barbara (he rides a GORGEOUS MV Agusta). We were heading on back to Santa Barbara, I was in the lead. Came around a left hand curve and RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, COMING RIGHT AT ME ON MY SIDE OF THE ROAD was a big old orange Harley cruiser, clearly WAY over his head with his big bike, open face helmet, lady on the rear, and both in sweaters and no other gear. I swerved and missed him by inches - my buddy missed by about 2 feet, due to being a half-second behind me. I almost pulled it out, but got into the gravel at the side of the road and down I went.

Slid into the guard rail, bounced out, then slid for about 60 feet on the road - I was going about 30 MPH. Finally came to rest, and I popped up. Foot is a little sore, where the bike wore through the outer layer of leather, and my right knee (the one on top of everything) has a small scrape - haven't a clue how that happened, it was free and clear of the entire thing!! Neck muscles are a little sore, but I think that's really just tension.

Completely wore through the left knee and hip of a pair of my firehose pants - but my knee pads and hip armor saved me - I am basically unharmed.

My buddy, Shon, stopped and ran on back to make sure I was OK. After checking me out (I was fine but pissed), he jumped on his bike to go catch the guy who was out of control but couldn't find him - he probably pulled into some place to change his shorts. So Shon came back after 3-4 minutes to help me check out the scoot (he's a motocycle mechanic). Everything works but the front right wheel is pushed back about 1.5 inches - bent fork. I can ride it - I rode it home, about 15 miles - but doesn't turn to the right very well and the wheel rubs a bit. So it'll take some rebuild on the suspension. But Shon's offered to do it in his garage at a big discount - he's just shocked I avoided the head-on and came out of the crash with basically no damage.

So, I've had better days! But I am alive, unhurt, had at least a few hours of fun. And just have to say:

ALL THE GEAR, ALL THE TIME

My gear:

- Rev'it Dragon jacket (a few scuffs on the elbow)
- AFX FX-140 helmet (some scratches on the face shield only - rest of helmet is untouched)
- Duluth Trading FireHose jeans (yeah, torn up but they took the brunt of it)
- BILT Motocross knee/shin pads (stayed in place the entire time - I will never wear knee pads built into pants, they move around with the pants too much)
- BILT leather/carbon fiber gloves (intact, scuffing on the HARD knuckles)
- Bates Escalante riding boots (shot, but better than my foot)
- Bohn armored shorts (no damage, and my hips/thighs/tailbone are perfect)

Now to figure out where to get parts for the front end... At least the bodywork is generally OK - some scrapes, that's about it. Everything else is OK - just that right fork is bent...

The gear:


The boots:


Left foot (which was in that boot), under the scoot):


Right knee (probably from hitting the handlebar?):


All in all, about $180 of gear - not an issue at all. The bike? Haven't a clue, hopefully not over $1500... Me? No damage, but my left foot is a little bruised.

wow that sucks. glad you not worse off than you are and were wearing your gear. wish he could have caught the ass wipe. make sure he gives a statement to your insurance.

good to know you're ok. from a fellow santa barbarian.

Yeah, I'm a tough nugget... Been shot (twice), stabbed (4 times), beat down a few times (I may not have won, but neither did the other guys), and still live. This was but a scratch!

Got a statement, so we'll see what happens...

Glad to hear you basically got thru the accident mostly unhurt. Glad to see your MX knee/shin guards saved your legs from further damage. 8) I have some of those now tho I have yet to use them on a scooter. Mine cost like $20.

Glad you came out on top, all things considered. Things like this make me wish it wasn't so hard to find armored gear in big sizes. I'd feel more secure with the hip and thigh armors, but have to make do with shin and knee...

Not too bad tough guy. Glad you didn't get hurt worse. Right wheel pushed back is not a good sign. Hope works out well. Can't believe that fucktard didn't at least stop.

Probably afraid someone might think it was HIS fault.

wow! glad you're ok ---

Wow, not much I can say except thank your stars for decent reflexes and having the foresight to wear the right gear. Kudos for you man. I have a question for you regarding the shin guard: I wear the Bohn Armored pants and they have knee pads built into them. I guess from what you're saying you must be wearing a different version, shorts with hip pads? I also wear the fire hose pants for the same reason, they're pretty heavy and coupled with the Bohn armor they'll handle most anything. Quality gear is worth every dime, isn't it?

Good luck repairing your scooter and if you get lucky you may catch up with that asshole on the Harley.

LL75

glad things worked out for you.

I'm a big guy, too - 6 feet, 300 pounds, size 44 pants and size 64 jacket. The Duluth Fire Hose pants fit perfect (and held up pretty darn well all things considered), and the XL sized Bohn armor shorts fit VERY nice (I can wear them all day without any issue, they are comfortable) These shorts fit under the Duluth pants very well and I don't have to take them off - really comfortable to wear on and off the bike. I have the mesh material so it doesn't even get hot. Over a pair of boxer briefs it's very comfortable to wear all day. Gotta believe the reason I have ZERO bruising or pain on my hip and thigh is because I had that armor under my pants. It did its job, and did it VERY well. Still in great shape, too!

Randy - USE THE PADS! They've come in handy several times, like once when I helped a fellow rider do some emergency bike work on the side of the road - REAL COMFORTABLE even when kneeling on concrete and gravel! All The Gear, All The Time. I have these BILT pads and even though they are just $10, they obviously held up and then some. In fact, the grooves/scoring in the plastic is less than 1/4 of the way through the plastic. I'm going to replace them anyway, but they could have taken a LOT more damage and still done their job.

The big thing that my buddy pointed out - if I had his riding pants on (some Tourmasters) I probably would have had toasted knees - I slid backwards a bit and my pant-leg rode up a bit (look at how it's torn apart - from the knee down). If there were pads attached to my pants, they would have ridden up to my thigh as well, and my lower knee would have been shredded. Armor needs to be attached to your body securely, so it can't move. I crank down the upper-arm strap on my jacket and keep the wrists always tight so the elbow pad didn't move, even though I skidded a bit on it as well. He's gonna head out tomorrow and get pads like I have, to wear under his pants right on his body. He was able to lift his pant-legs high enough so the pad was on his thigh. If you can do it standing, YOU WILL do it sliding!

Anyway, already contacted my insurance (Progressive), they'll have me into the adjuster tomorrow morning before noon. At least it's somewhat rideable; just gotta take those right corners slow! But no leaks anywhere, the brakes are solid, the suspension lock works, basically everything is OK except some scrapes on the left side bodywork (tiny - the rear red reflector took the brunt of it) and the right front wheel. We'll see - at least my deductible isn't so big!

Yeah, my "cat like" reflexes avoided a clearly fatal accident, and I always armor up - and it paid off. That's the big thing I hope EVERYONE takes from this - ALL THE GEAR, ALL THE TIME. A guy running wide - totally unexpected. Not my fault at all, and totally unpredictable. It happens - wear your armor all the time.

I have the Bohn armored shorts, mesh edition. Just the tailbone, hips, and thighs. Totally breathable, great padding. VERY comfortable, especially with long-thigh boxer briefs underneath. HIGHLY recommended.

I have separate knee protectors because I'm a big believer in hard armor on the knees and elbows - soft pads just don't make me feel "safe enough". And these "cheap" $10 knee pads did their job, and even provided some good abrasion resistance. The pointy parts need hard wear, IMHO. Today just confirmed my position - no soft stuff on the pointy parts (knees and elbows) because it could have worn through.

All others,

Thanks, it turned out OK for me, all things considered! I could have been in a bad way, but I was willing to sacrifice the bike - I didn't try to stand it back up. It hit the guard rail, not me. That was a big part of it. Plus I'm a tough old German-and-Irish bastard probably didn't hurt!

Dan,
Kudos on making the best possible outcome of a harrowing situation. Thanks for a quality write up too. Good luck in getting everything back to normal. I'm glad you will be alright.

Steve. H/B

So glad you came out relatively unscathed! Hope the bike isn't too bad.
I wear the Bohn shorts in the summer with the Icon Field Armor knee/shin protectors. Glad to know the hard plastic on my knees will protect me well, as I had hoped.
In the cooler weather, I wear the Bohn pants. I have been known to wear the knee guards that comes with the pants, as well as the Icon Field Armor guards! I stay pretty warm, and extra safe!

Congratulations on being prepared and surviving with minimal injury.

I've read a number of studies on motorcycle accidents.
Your off is an "average" motorcycle accident which is 35mph and involves the lower extremities.

You've shown me that I need to get some hip armor!

Again - congratulations!

Sorry about the accident Dan - sounds like you came thru it well.

Can you post pics of the bike so we can see the "bent fork"? Thanks in advance.

Holly,

The hard knee armor is the ONLY way to go, IMHO. You chose wisely wisely... And for $10 for the BILT units I picked up, I don't know why anyone would not have hard armor there. REALLY comfortable, easy on/off with the velcro straps - and the do the job, admirably.

SU Mac Dude,

Go here and get them. They add ZERO in terms of warmth, which is great - my temperature is 100% controlled by the pants I wear, so I'm never hotter with the armor on. And I can attest that it saved my 300 pound body VERY well - zero damage, not even a scratch or bruise - on my hips or thighs. HIGHLY recommended. Yeah, it's $100 but it is still in brand-new condition and will last at least another 5 seasons, minimum. Cheap insurance.

TN Sooner,

Photos coming later today when I can get back home (at work now) and get pics taken. It actually still rolls, and works! Tough scooter, all things considered - and even with a bent fork it still rides (just gotta hold it "always to the right").

I talked with a coworker this morning - he used to work at a Harley dealer down in LA. He identified the bike (a Road Glide) by asking me some questions, and said it was about 80% of the buyers of such bikes who were buying a bike for the first time - WAY too much bike for an inexperienced guy to ride. Pigs in the corners, tons of torque, very easy to get loose and lose it - like the guy coming at me.

I hope the Harley rider at least thinks about what nearly happened, and goes and - at the very least - buys some decent riding gear for him and his lady, and wears:

ALL THE GEAR, ALL THE TIME

I'm both larger than you and two inches shorter. My waist size is rather bigger, too.

You can buy the raw armor pads - perhaps they can be stitched in another pair of tights/shorts that fit? Knowing how I landed on my hip and slid on it for a bit, it really paid off...

Yikes, I'm glad you're okay!

That's an idea...where do you find the panels though? I've seen inserts meant to fit various jackets and pants, but not actual raw panels suited for attachment...

Hip, tailbone and thigh protectors available here. This is the exact same Bohn armor I had on, and that kept me VERY well protected. Under $55 for all 5 parts. I'd get two pair tight boxer briefs, and have them sewn together with the armor in-between - use the two pairs of boxers to create a way to pocketize the armor on you!

Very glad you offed in good health, and a pox on the Harley guy and all his ilk.

You know, just in our little group here, we have had quite a few guys go down this season. Just off hand, I can think of Stickyfrog, Funkymonkey and a few others I cannot recall before another cup of coffee.
How many?? It gives me incentive to look at those bonn pants....

I went down, but I fell over on my own, not because of another vehicle.

I wear RED Total Impact shorts under my jeans, recommended to me by a biker friend who also skateboards. They seem pretty similar to Bohn's.

LM15 went down on the Tamiami Trail recently. Broken leg. Still recovering.

Ponydrvr went down last Feb. Broken arm.