[katana28]

ok .. icon ti-maxx textile .. went down @ 60mph on the freeway ..slid 100 feet or so .. lowsided.. jacket took some damage couple of small tears and abrasions .. as mentioned by others elbow pad moved .. but considering this i came out with one silver dollar sized rash spot on my elbow... the back padding held up and cushioned the fall well personally i bought my gear 2 months before my bike... boots helmet jacket gloves ... and took the msf course which i needed all of them for.. my only gripe with icon is they fit poorly unless you have a bit of weight to you .. @ 5'9" and 145# it only fits well in the winter when i have my hoody on under it

That red is killing me!

you read my mind soldier, WOW...lol

[md86]

I hope that the incident did'nt scare her away from biking altogether. That would be a shame.

It didn't . She sold her Kat a while back and got a Z-rex AND a GSXR6 SRAD !

[AKA AllyKat]

talken about jackets..

Hey Katana Soldier, does this make sense to you. http://newenough.com/browse/view_product_images/394
It has the Army seal of approval but since when are we aloud to wear a short sleve jacket while riding on base?

I like it with the sleves on though

[mash]

I hope that the incident did'nt scare her away from biking altogether. That would be a shame.

It didn't . She sold her Kat a while back and got a Z-rex AND a GSXR6 SRAD !

Wow! Can she cook and clean?

[ironhorse]

Just a few thoughts....
I ordered a Arlen ness jacket from MAW online (eBay seller). It was too small and they paid for the return and I ordered a larger jacket, they swapped it out no problem. I also ordered an Alter Ego (old style) from RideGear theough Shop.com. It was supposed to be a Tall, but Shop.com advertised it wrong. Ridegear customer service was great (Gia?), sent a UPS pick-up number, started looking for a 2XL Tall Alter Ego. She couldn't find one and is sending me a new Alter Ego 2.0 2XL Tall for the price of the old style I already paid for ($198). Dennis Kirk is also good about returns, in my experience. It is a bit of a pain to get stuff in, try it on, then return it.....but I am about 6'5", 235 lb and it is very hard to find jackets that fit right, ie. longer sleeves, longer torso, narrower chest/shoulders. I am pretty big, but the way most mfgs scale up sizes makes the chest and shoulders way too big in the sizes that fits my arms and torso. Most retailers I've looked at don't carry talls and make you pay up front and order one to see if it will fit, and their ship times usually suck compared to catalog/online orders. That is, assuming they will even look them up and not give the "we don't carry weird sizes like that..." and then go right back to stocking the shelves with "un-weird" 52X28 pants (true story).

From what I understand, most safety equipment is considered sacrificial, meaning if you ditch your bike, headbutt a curb, etc., the gear is not expected to be reusable, and is designed to be replaced if "used" to save your ass, head, knees, skin, etc. Industrial safety gear is the same way, hard hats, etc. will have instructions that state something like "Throw this away and buy a new one if it gets damaged in any way or is used to protect you in an incident." Helmet mfgs go so far as to tell you to replace the helmet if you DROP it, knock it off the counter, etc. ANY impact can compromise the integrity of the helmet's construction, and might not protect you or could INCREASE injury if used. Jackets/pants would be the same.

Also, all I've read concerning STREET motorcycle gear fit states that jackets, pants, helmets, etc. should be pretty snug-fitting to ensure the pads, layers, etc. remain in the area they are designed to protect. An elbow pad won't work if it is rolled over on your tricep. This also prevents the jacket or pants or suit from grabbing the pavement and causing rolling, flipping, or sudden stops on various body parts. The equipment's protection is also based on the EXPECTATION (not assumption!!) that you zipped everything up, snugged up straps (you DO use the helmet strap - right???), velcro-ed the velcro stuff. My understanding is you want to slide to a stop, burning up leather, textile, pads, etc. rather than skin, and not rolling or flapping about impacting the pavement and shattering various extremities. You don't want your arm trying to stop while the rest of your mass is traveling 40 mph, or whatever speed. Look at the guys in the racing circuit that go down at 90+, slide a while, then get up and run to their bikes. Yeah, there's some adrenaline and stress-induced ignorance going on, but their bodies are holding together due to the protective gear to enable them to do that. The guys that don't get up usually do a tuck-and-roll, hit a wall, or get mashed by somebody else's bike - the only thing that will protect you in those circumstance is a roll cage.

P.S. One of the main reasons people get hurt in any instance (and research bears this out) is that they assume whatever is "protecting" them, whether it be an Icon mesh jacket or a Volvo wagon - safest vehicle ever for applying makeup and talking on the cell in traffic!!!- or the cops or Fire Department or Mountain Search and Rescue, will allow them to do any dumbass stunt, without regard to other people's lives or their own, and expect to walk away from an incident without consequence. You can't seriously expect to get up and very cool-ly light up a Camel and chat up the rest of the gang after you ditch your bike around a corner, smack a guard, or even forget you took your sidecar off and fall down at the next stop light, can you?!

[KatanaSoldier]

talken about jackets..

Hey Katana Soldier, does this make sense to you. http://newenough.com/browse/view_product_images/394
It has the Army seal of approval but since when are we aloud to wear a short sleve jacket while riding on base?

I like it with the sleves on though

I like those. The dude the other day riding the Boulevard had one. Nope, we have to have long sleeves, long pants, boots, dot approved helmet, and full finger gloves with reflective vest (at night only if wearing bright jacket) 24 hours a day on and off post. I will not risk it bro. I confirmed with the safety office on base too that the Army will not consider it line of duty if a rider crashes on or off base if they are not in full compliance, regardless of who is at fault. That means no medical coverage and no insurance for surviving members should they go down.

You will still see Joes riding in violation and all I can say is, they chose that path. I will remind them though! We have to look out for one another.

[mash]

Kinda pointless to have sleeveless, unless its bullet proof also

[Range]

Wow! Can she cook and clean?

her and Batgirl make an AWESOME spagetti dinner.

OK...Points from this thread are as follows....

1]...always wear your gear 8)

2]...that Army jacket/vest is about the gayest thing I have ever seen

3]...ICON is popular, as well as stripes and flames and day-glo colours on sportbikes...I just choose to look inconspicuous (I hold true to my belief that you will LOOK like a tool )

4]...posts in red font are irritating (any colour actually)

5]...I use the letter "U" in the word colour

6]...MD86 crashes a lot

[AKA AllyKat]

[racedraper]

i wish they made one for the Marine Corps.

[KatanaSoldier]

Wow! Can she cook and clean?

her and Batgirl make an AWESOME spagetti dinner.

OK...Points from this thread are as follows....

1]...always wear your gear 8)

2]...that Army jacket/vest is about the gayest thing I have ever seen

3]...ICON is popular, as well as stripes and flames and day-glo colours on sportbikes...I just choose to look inconspicuous (I hold true to my belief that you will LOOK like a tool )

4]...posts in red font are irritating (any colour actually)

5]...I use the letter "U" in the word colour

6]...MD86 crashes a lot

:mrgreen:

[md86]

6]...MD86 crashes a lot

Hmmmmm .....

[KatanaSoldier]

6]...MD86 crashes a lot

Hmmmmm .....