1
Went down last Monday at Palmer, so now I can do a crash test review, with photos
First, let's talk about the crash - slow, downhill right hander, even slower because there was a little rain, 30mph? 40mph? Exiting the corner the rear tire spun up as soon as I touched the throttle, felt the traction control try to save but it was too far gone. Bike spun around and slid to the outside rear tire first. I fell to the right, ended up sliding feet first, face down until the edge of the pavement, rolled over 1-2x, ending in the same feet first, face down position in the grass. Not a lot of runoff but stopped short of the tirewall. Really early in the crash I felt pain in my left wrist (yup, its broken) but I'm not sure what caused it. Maybe, when the *right* clip-on touched down it spun the forks around and the *left* clip-on whacked my wrist?
Helmet - 6D-ATS-1R
Hardly any impact protection was necessary, just needed to protect me as I slid and it did.
Leathers - Vanson twin zip road race suit
Suit practically laughed and said "you call this a crash?" A few minor scrapes that look like they could be cleaned so that you wouldn't even notice them. Forearm/leg armor did its job. No scratches or bruises on me
Safety Vest - AStars TechAir airbag vest
Inflated exactly as it should but wasn't needed, I think? iirc authorized personnel only to replace the CO2 cannister, which sounds like it could be a pain in the butt
No photo because there's nothing to see
Gloves - Held Phantom II
Very minor scrapes, look re-usable. I can't blame them for the wrist injury, they're not designed for that sort of thing. Maybe newer gloves have a protective piece for the wrist?
Boots - Bilt, don't know the model
Not expensive and the build quality reflects that. Right boot wore thru just behind the toe skid plate. Won't be buying another pair. I have a much safer pair of Sidis that I wasn't wearing because they're annoying af to put on. With all the buckles, clips, snaps, etc takes me about 15 minutes. They're my only pair now, guess I have to take the time
Lastly, if anyone from Palmer Motorsports or any of the riders/instructors from Fishtail are reading - THANK YOU!!
I don't know how I would've gotten my bike/gear home without you guys. Someday, when I can use both hands I plan taking the bike off the trailer, lol