[eon]

Comparing the thickness of them you are probably right, though in theory I suppose there is nothing stopping the other parts being level 2. Would probably be too thick and bulky though with today’s materials. But it’s my spine I am paranoid about, that’s where I want the best protection I can get.

[eon]

First thing to know about CE protection is that there are two levels (at least for motorcycle type protection). The basic level is #1 and the much better level is #2. If a product is claiming CE protection but does not specify the level then it will only be at level 1. Get level 2 if you can as there is a big difference between the two. From memory, level 2 states that a from a 50Kn force, no more than 9Kn will be transmitted through. Not sure about level 1.

Getting more information beyond the CE level is almost impossible but there are snippets out there. Browse the reviews in webbikeworld.com as they have a lot of info on various armor and links to other useful sites. I would examine closely the armor that comes with whatever gear you buy and replace it if it’s not up to scratch. Personally I think a lot of manufacturers cut corners when it comes to the quality of protection. You might be able to find threads where others have tried to replace armor in whatever jacket you buy so be sure to search around. I’m not familiar with Scorpion EXO brand but I think WZ has said they retail around $200 mark. I would be surprised (and impressed) if that had a level 2 back protector in it that retails for around $40. Be sure to check these things.

When it comes to back protectors, the current gold standard is the Forcefield Pro Sub 4. In the 50Kn test, this armor transmits somewhere around 3.6Kn. I believe the SAS-Tec Level 2 is around the 6Kn mark but I’m not 100% certain on that. I actually have both SAS-Tec and the Sub4 and I just recently purchased the SAS-Tec. My reason for buying a less protective armor was that I cannot zip my pants and jacket together when wearing the Sub4. It hangs low enough to protect the small of your back (good) but I know my jacket would ride up in a slide giving me nasty road rash (bad). It’s a balancing act here as I weigh up what gives me the best protection (cutting that bit of the bottom of the sub4 is an option )

Other thing to note is that unless you buy the same brand jacket/pants then it is unlikely they will zip together as nothing is standard. Pain in the ass but that’s just the way it is.

Don’t overlook your boots. A quality boot will protect your foot from rotational forces (both forward/backward and left/right) which could snap your ankle. A lot of boots marketed as motorcycle boots are just ‘sturdy’ boots as far as I can see.

Can’t help much with the gloves. Having a gauntlet is good, having kangeroo leather on the palm is good (kangeroo is thinner which gives you more feel). Most important is they do not come off easily.

[eon]

Sounds about the only thing he is lacking. Mind you, he might have one of those hidden away also

Okay, I might take you up on this. I’ll let you know if/when I know I can commit to it.

[eon]

1) I don’t own one but they look gorgeous and would happily have one in my garage.

2) You are certainly more exposed to serious injuries on a bike than in a car so you need to keep that in mind. In practice it means you are so much more in tune with your surroundings as you are watching out for mistakes made by everyone else. This makes riding a bike a much more involved experience than driving a car, and IMO adds to the fun. But taking the attitude that it’s bound to happen is lazy and flawed.

4) The pin lock insert fits onto your visor but there are breath deflectors that fit into your helmet and sit over your nose. Also, Scorpion’s helmet visors are pre-treated and don’t really fog up too much, unlike my Arai. There are also cleaning fluids that help keep the problem in check but need constant application.

[eon]

Hmmm, very tempting. I would feel a little silly taking a 3 wheel scooter to a track day and at 550lbs and 39 hp, I’d probably be the slowest thing out there. I really like the look of their instruction though. I’ll definitely add that to my list of classes to take.

But I have to watch my pennies over the next few months. Lots of expenses just now (moving house and have that trip back home) and my, ahem, second income stream does not come online till August.

But I am thinking about it. Do these things book out early?

[eon]

I started avoiding the outside of that turn 9 as it was worse than even the public roads. I was very surprised how bad some of the tarmac was in places. Kind of scary if you hit some of that at speed.

We were not supposed to think of the track as a racetrack, instead it was a controlled environment. So our lines had nothing to do with the fastest way round the track but the safest way to take a corner on the street. In a S type situation like that the line for the first corner is outside-inside (as opposed to outside-inside-outside as taught in MSF). Staying on the inside of the 1st corner means you are automatically on the outside for turn 2. As you noted there is very late apexing going on. Idea behind that is the later you turn in the further round the corner you see and you also straighten the corner out. Straightening the corner means less time leaned over (where you are using some of your finite available traction).

Would I recommend it? Absolutely, but probably not for you. Not sure how you would think of it as obviously your bike control, body positioning etc is at a level far beyond what they are teaching here. The area that is probably new to you is how to read the road, what are the tell tale signs on where the road is going. But to be honest that video I linked to does a much better job on that and that only costs about $15 (its a very cheesey video though). This is one area I know I have lots of room to improve as I tend to focus intently on the road I can see. Need to pick up on all the other clues as to what is going on. And to be brutally honest, a large part of why it was so much fun was because we were zipping round a racetrack. Much more fun than toodlin round a parking lot. But that’s old hat to you and where I was doing 60mph, you are used to doing 160mph

Am I more confident? Well I certainly have lots of areas to focus on but I think once I improve on them I will be a more confident rider.

[eon]

That looks like an absolute blast. Are those standard tires or have you long since moved to racing slicks? That looked like some serious lean angles you had going there. Have to confess, after my little training class on a track, I’m starting to see the appeal.

[eon]

Hi Susan, Congratulations on the decision to move to the front of the bike. I’m sure it’s going to be so much more fun up there. I can’t comment on which cruiser to get, Munch is your man for that.

Riding bikes can be scary but it is my believe that through education you can manage those risks effectively. I don’t see the point in learning the hard way as that tends to hurt and costs more than training classes, books and dvd’s. I found the book Proficient Motorcycling a good read and invaluable in highlighting all the ways bad things can happen so that you can avoid them. The MSF class is a great way to start but once you have some miles under your belt look out for more advanced classes. I’m approaching 2 years and 18,000 miles and have plenty to learn yet but having sooo much fun doing so.

Good luck!

[eon]

Well, he says it fits better than new ones he has tried on. Still, don’t know how many that has been and if they were different shapes to begin with.
Nktilva, in case you don’t know yet there many different head shapes ranging from long to oval and different helmet manufacturers make the helmet shells in different basic shapes. That’s why it’s important to try on different brands to see which one really fits you. There was a definite ahah moment when I tried on my Arai Profile (note that Arai make helmets in different shell shapes).

I think I saw somewhere that it is the sweat from our heads that eventually breaks down the EPS layer. If the helmet has been sitting on a shelf for 6 years then it might be as good as brand new. Not an expert on these things to this advice is worth what you paid for it.

[eon]

With that said, I will throw in my slice of spam.

Plenty of folks ride listening to music; not for me but to each their own. I would hope though that those who do do not crank up the volume to drown out the road noise. Would seem like a great shortcut to Deafsville.

I personally avoid it not so much for the noise level but because I know it is distracting. I know the type of music and the volume you listen to it has a direct impact on how you drive a car. The faster and/or louder the music the more likely you are to drive fast/aggresive. Personally I don’t need that kind of distraction while on a bike. I know some folks who cannot ride without their iPod going. Seems to me like they are missing something :shrug:

[eon]

Actually one of the instructors had modulated blue point lights (like the PIAA lights) on the front of his bike. Hard to imagine that would be legal. At the very least I would expect to get serious grief from LEOs with that on. Would be nice though But as you can see in the video they just pull in front of you and point to their ass to get you to follow them.

The whole day was fantastic. Maybe a little too much time spent waiting around but the lessons learned were invaluable. I’ve actually learned some more by watcing my videos from the day. I can see how my lines improved during the day but the big thing is watching the form of the instructors whenever I was lucky enough to be directly behind one. They just make it look so easy and graceful.

There were a few students who got on my nerves. There was one guy on that huge Triumph cruiser (forget the name but it has something like a 1900cc engine). He would blast down the straights and then mess up the corners. Wouldn’t have minded but he almost took someone out in front of me as he tried to pass them under braking. Can only imagine the marshalls were asleep as it looked dangerous to me.

Bad news is I am now drooling over that completely impractical Ducati Hypermotard.
Oh, and I forgot to mention one of my fellow students was the MSF instructor who took my BRC class two years ago. That means I had better lines than he did. That made me feel good

[eon]

Welcome to the site. The MSF classes are a good way to start off. A little basic perhaps but they start you off with information that could keep you alive so very worthwhile.

Look forward to hearing about your riding adventures.

[eon]

Well, I’ll just hijack your thread and post my video from last Saturday. Not a very exciting video as I just had the one camera going as I explored some old back roads, but I had a great time as I had no idea what would be round the next corner. Once I compress it for online viewing it loses a lot of the detail which is a shame. Need to play with the settings to see if I can fix that. Anyway, here it is.

[eon]

I got to get down that way sometime soon. Actually have an invitation to go down there this weekend but can’t really make it. Had to pass on a tour of Oregon next week which really depressed me. Was REALLY looking forward to that. So for now I will just have to live through your pictures. Keep em coming.

[eon]

Well, I am taking the Advanced Street Skills class (from Puget Sound Safety) this Friday at Pacific Raceways. I’ll see if I can get into the 1:40s

I have no doubt if I had started riding when I was in my 20’s I would have gone to the track soon after. These days I have a wanderlust that has to be satisfied and taking country back roads is what appeals to me just now. But I wouldn’t be at all surprised if one day down the road I do head to the track just to see. There are so many different types of riding out there and I want to try them all (well, maybe apart from the pirate scene )

[Author]

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