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A riding buddy of mine had an off several years ago and was wearing a Hit-Air vest. In the ER the doctor said he had a broken leg but that he couldn’t understand why my friend didn’t have any internal injuries. When the ER doctor was told about the air vest, he said that it probably saved my friends life. I personally have been using one ever since.
I always ride with my high beams on unless at night. I have large Amber driving lights from Clear Water Lights and have seen many people start to pull out but stop. My riding buddies have said my lights saved their bacon on more then one occasion.
Outstanding lecture! I had a friend who got T-boned on his motorcycle at an intersection. The impact nearly severed his leg. He nearly died on his way to the hospital, but he pulled through and now wears a leg protheses. When I approach an intersection I turn my headlight beam to high and get ready for any evasive maneuver if necessary. I have ridden motorcycles for over fifty years. statistically I should have had an accident by now.
You got that right. I'm a pessimist by nature, and that pays off because I'm expecting anything and everything to go wrong at any moment while riding -- so I'm already prepared when that car pulls out or something unexpected is in the road around the blind curve. Stay aware of all your surroundings, keep your head on a swivel, and always be predicting the next thing trying to kill you when riding. If you find yourself "zoning out", it is time to get off the bike and get your head right before the next leg of the trip.
Great reminders and new points. I ALWAYS assume they will pull out in front of me or turn in front of me, slow down, and watch to make sure they don’t surprise me. 77 and still clicking.
I'm nervous in every intersection. The longer I'm in it, the more nervous I become. Here's a tip. When leaving a parking lot, business, etc., don't cross traffic to go the other direction. Theres a reason UPS plans their day turning right. It takes less time and is safer.
My daughter jumps eventing horses. There is nothing like pointing a 1200lb horse at an immobile object and asking it to fly. She wears a Helite vest over her body protection and I have seen it deploy on a several occasions when things did not go as planned. The protection is priceless. They were on sale Labor Day and mine arrived this week for my steel horse.
Got a surprise driving my car today; approaching a large intersection (4 lanes with left turn lane, intersecting the same, fully controlled by traffic lights). Box truck ahead and on my left, effectively blocking much of my view of oncoming traffic. Imagine my surprise to see a bike execute a left turn in front of me! My foot moved to the brake pedal while I watched the bike correct with a ginger application of throttle, and completing their turn….what were they thinking…? Point seems to be that situational awareness is not always what it seems, for either driver or rider! Love your tips and lessons!
Having ridden motorcycles for 42 years, I found myself lying on the road at a roundabout two weeks ago after a car just plain failed to see me. I saw her as she braked but I didn't realise she didn't see me and she accelerated. I always thought I was fully aware of my surroundings and rode in full gear always. I love watching your channel here in Australia and found this episode has made me rethink a few ways I ride now. Now, I'm just waiting on the insurance for another bike and my injuries to recover.
@@dougbongle3192 That is ever so true. Unfortunately. I also wear hi vis and also a hi vis yellow helmet. or a police style white one. I never consider the wearing of these items to be completely successful to rely 100% on me and them being seen. I ride defensively accordingly and I believe that its that way of riding that keeps me alive. .,
I stopped riding 3 years ago. My friend died on one of our rides. I just didn't have the same enjoyment after that. Now, the itch is back to ride again.
A good friend was killed a couple months ago when a driver ran a red light and he laid his bike down in the intersection to avoid a collision. He was instantly run over by a truck coming the other way. I can't help thinking that if he'd taken classes, practiced emergency braking and had it in his head to never lay down a bike in traffic that he'd be alive today. Of course, the driver ran and is still at large.
My recent intersection story: I ran a red light. I live in Nevada, one thing you should notice riding here from other states is that YELLOW lights are about half the time of other states. I was on a through street, one lane each direction, 25mph limit and I was doing just under 30. Large white van was riding my donkey. As I approached the light it was green, the van behind me quickly cut into the left turn lane and accelerated beside me, then he hard stopped. At that moment I thought he had to stop to wait for oncoming traffic, so he could turn left. As I then entered the intersection the light was red. I had missed the whole yellow because I "target fixated" on the van. Fortunately, (I was lucky), the light had just turned red and nobody was moving yet (and no Cops). I went through the intersection unscathed but it got my attention big time.
Nevada also. If I’m 1st at a traffic light, I never start until I have cross traffic in both directions. Too many red light runners. Also approaching traffic lights, I’m on high alert for left turn cars to pop out of their lane and want to go straight without signaling. Many close calls with that. Oh, also checking my 6 at traffic lights now that cannabis is legal. One last thing, too many cagers make their own traffic rules thus making them unpredictable. I’ve become paranoid as a result. Always suspicious of intentions. Ride safe!!
I was passing a few cars in a traffic jam with a speed of about 15 kmh. Without prior notice a car in front of me decided that it's a good time to do a U-turn... We collided and immediately my electronic helite vest inflated and I basically didn't feel anything in my body (my wrist was damaged..). I will add that my motorcycle also had the fork sensor which allowed the vest to actually be aware of collisions at low speeds. I'm never going on my motorcycle without it
I crashed 2x with airbag vest on. First time was low speed (about 15MPH) and it saved my shoulder/collarbone. 2nd time came off the bike using really poor judgment (both crashes was using really poor judgment) at about 50MPH. Back of airbag vest was mangled and would have been my spine. Broke my right arm, right leg (5 titanium rods in all) and had a reconstructed left knee as well as a chunk out of my helmet. My torso - which was covered by the airbag - was not even sore or bruised in any way. Would have been dead or in a wheelchair without the airbag and helmet. Wear a Klim Ai-1 vest and have it on every time I ride and I always wear full gear while living in Florida so there's that. BTW - don't even count my broken left hand as the six surgeries following the 2nd crash made that look inconsequential. Just finishing up recovery for over a year and planning to replace my totaled bike with a Triumph Street Triple hopefully in the next few months. Love riding more than anything other than my four girls.
I wear a Helite Airbag, the backpack version with the back pack portion removed. Just this past Wednesday I was practicing slow tight turns on my smaller ADV bike in front of my home, and unfortunately used way to much front break and dropped the bike. Unfortunately I forgot to disconnect the tether before I started this (I always do for controlled slow practice and off road) and when the bike went over the release pulled and WOW! It was instantaneous and extremely startling. For a second I didn’t understand what was going on, and why I was being squeezed so hard until it dawned on me. I had a hard time getting the bike up quickly because of how tight and encompassing the vest is when the bag is deployed. The Vest and jacket versions offer even more protection than the backpack does. While I personally never hit the ground and tested the true safety effects of it I can tell you that it operates like they say it does even faster then you would think and covers all your vitals and neck. It’s definitely going to protect you in a crash. I would like to get a winter jacket version down the line for use with my street bike.
I've noticed two trends that i consider to be seriously determental to the riders. Riders using cell phone while in motion. Saw one scrolling his phone while crossing in front clip the crub. Broken hand. Another passed me scrolling and drifted into the on comming. Semi jerked to the right and rider barely missed the trailer. The other trend especially with the rocket riders is extremely small or completely removing the mirrors. Some riders on cruisers are locating the mirrors below their arm position. That extra movement to look down or turn around will cost you greatly one day. Cool & dumb isn't the same as alive & square.
Another big one that also creates a blind spot if you're in the left lane is a row of people stopped waiting in a left turn lane, sometimes a person will turn left into a gas station, when I approach these intersections coming from the opposite direction I move to the right lane so im visible.
I try to piggyback with another car through an intersection and also assume position 3 or C to be more visible to that vehicle making a left turn. Throttle down if unable to piggyback to be able to increase plan B options. One learns to enjoy the motorcycle experience without letting your guard down.
I am 70. Driving scooters for less then 2 years. I am retired, from Seattle, now living in Philippines. There are few driving rules here. This is both good and bad. No one follows rules but everyone drives “defensively.” I drive on mostly provincial roads. The good thing being that the speeds are low. I always wear a bright yellow safety vest. I always play the "What if" game.
Very many great points. Aside from the small profile, rider inexperience, driver inexperience, or elderly drivers, I see many bikes with very dimly lit lights. White lights bright lights make a huge difference even in day light, plus white helmets or other light coloured helmets. Speeding and staying stationary in the lane is also a factor, riders should move back and forth if they see a vehicle approaching an intersection or signalling to turn; sometimes I’ve seen drivers(I also had a motorcycle do it to me) who don’t signal and turn across my path because they saw how much traffic there was behind me. Definitely read the situation!! Great post as usual.
Good topic and well presented. This is a threat that we all face every time we ride. I often give a wave to drivers that don't pull out in front of me when they had an opportunity to do so. Courtesy goes both ways.
You're 100% correct. I'll add, riding today is not like riding 40 years ago, for various reasons. I believe most people's brains aren't wired to see motorcycles. In fact I've traveled down a busy street and a person on a side street literally looking at me and still pull out. I have one of the brightest head lights on the market (LED) dosent make a damned bit of difference. I always cover both breaks, that and being very vigilant helps a bit.
Reminds me of the video of a fire truck going down a country highway, lights and sirens on. A lady in a car is at a right side roadway and then pulls right out in front of the truck and gets T-boned of course. Conclusion: we on MCd are screwed.
@JackTRyan yeah, and how to negotiate these incidents can't be taught in a class. Staying alive comes from experience and good old horse sense. My thirty one year old son wanted my opinion on him taking up street riding for the first time. I told him, get yourself a dirt bike and ride trails and fields. Stay off the street.
I ride rural a lot; I live in the country. I often give folks at intersections a heads-up toot-toot. That seems to help out and appears to be appreciated by the other drivers. Good video Kevin!
Country roads where there are stops signs for crossing traffic and none for us are where most riders die around here. Young man this summer of 25 died just down the road here. Person pulled out right in front of him. Several over the years on the same stretch of rd. You see a car pull up fast to a stop sign, assume they are pulling out. We are our own airbag. Careful out there guys and gals! Love you Kev. God bless bro.
LAst November I lowsided my K1300GT on a wet tarsnake on the of ramp of the highway, at about 60mph. airbagvest (thetered Heliet Turtle) deployed, and i had scuff marks on my helmet, my airbagvest, my shoulders, my elbows, my but and my hips and knees. Stadler repaired the pants. The bike slid on the fairing, paniers and handle bar and the right side footrest broke of without damage to the brake lever. With the help of some bystanders, I picked up my bike and road another 250 kms/150 miles that same day. I did feel sore for a week, elbows and shoulder so I am convinced the airbag did a great job.
Phone driving is here to stay. That's why everyone has tinted windows. Cops wont see them and they can see their phones without sunglasses. Our only hope is self driving cars.
I have Amber LED pod lights mounted on the forks that I cycle on and off whenever I'm anywhere near cars, including cars parked on the side of the road, they can do unexpected u-turns right into your path.
I delivered mail in a jeep,one fall day in my jeep,the corn was high,a right side road was comming up.i couldnt see anything till the front forks of a combine come poking out.he was pulling up to see with the front out over the road.i hit the brakes and horn. It was close.glad i wasnt on a bike that day.
Thank you for all the great videos. It's great to follow you and I learn something new all the time watching you. I also love your style and presentation. I wanted though to point out that you said "a lot of the European countries where they ride on the other side of the road". This is incorrect. UK is the only place in Europe that drives on the left side. Thanks again and keep up the good work.👏👏
Many years ago I bought a High Viz Olympia suit. I also added Skene design amber LEDs to the front of the bike. People really noticed me, but almost to my detriment because they waited an inordinate amount of time for me to pass by making me nervous that they are going to decide they can go when I am too close. Dammed if you do and dammed if you dont. These days I avoid multi-lane traffic heavy roads as much as possible.
I ride in a 30 year old Aerostich Roadcrafter touring suit with armor. I feel pretty safe in it. I gave $800 for it back in the day, but the same suit today is over $1900. By the way, I have been riding on the roads of this country for over 50 years, and have never tangled with a car or truck. If you live and ride long enough, I believe you develop a 6th sense for avoiding cagers and knowing how each one you pass might do something in particular that could kill you, and how to prevent it or at least be ready for it.
I won't proceed through an intersection until I know cross traffic is stopped. It's shocking how many seconds after my light turns green that people will barrel through the intersection. They're usually going pretty fast when they do it, too.
Exactly! My wife doesn’t ride and is new to driving in the US. So I tell her never to barrel through an intersection without slowing and looking left and right first, especially if the light just turned green as she reaches the intersection…just another opportunity for a red light runner.
Intersections with telephone poles or light poles can add to your/their obstruction of view. Add atop of that the new cars wider A pillar that accommodates the air bag. Put those all together at an intersection and a motorcycle gets completely hidden.
In the UK we are basically recommended that when following other traffic we should position ourselves to the drivers offside and behind his vehicle. This apparently is so cos, we want that driver to be able to see us in his offside mirror ? What good that dose I don't really know. So in the USA that position would be the left rear as the driver has his steering wheel on the left of the car and the motorcyclist should be on that side and behind him. That leads to more collisions or 'smidsys' [ sorry mate I didn't see you' collisions ]as we call them as the rider is now blind to any one wanting to drive out from a nearside street. He is hidden by the car in front of him and so becomes vulnerable to colliding with a car exiting from a side street. The safest place to be is at least the proper safe stopping distance behind the car in front and to be able to move side to side to see both sides of the approaching junctions and thus to be seen by all other road users. Too often we Tailgate others and as such once again we hide ourselves and cars move out on us after the car in front has passed them and they have not seen us and we have not seen them . SAFER DISTANCE IS REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES. SAFE DISTANCE SAVES LIVES.
I have worn my Alpinestars Tech-air jacket for about 8 years now. Never had a deployment, fortunately, but did witness a bad crash of a friend wearing a Helite vest. We were returning from Sturgis and our lead rider made a late left turn to another two-lane hwy. I was 3rd in our line and saw it was too short a distance, too sharp a turn and too many guys behind me to enable myself to make it without compressing everyone behind me, so I continued straight and would turn back around. I watched in my rear view mirrors to see how everyone would handle it. Our friend Jim pulled his RT1200 down from speed in the hwy lane and then when moving into the left-turn lane was smashed from behind by an older gentleman in a pickup truck, at about 45 mph. I watched Jim go flying, flipping and rolling and his BMW shattering into dozens of pieces. I thought for sure I would be coming back to find him dead. I stopped as fast as possible, cranked a u-turn and raced back to the accident site. I was the first one there. I ran up to him and found him up on his knees. I said "Jim (who was a doctor), how do you feel?!?!". He said "I think I'm ok!!!!". We called 911 and got him from where we were into a small town hospital where they kept him overnight. Believe it or not, he was absolutely fine. The BMW was of course a mangled pile. No doubt the Helite saved his life.
Here's one strategy that I use consistently when approaching any intersection or other situation where a possible conflict with a vehicle exists is that I weave back and forth several times in my lane upon approach. This will draw attention to the fact there's a motorcycle approaching and let's the driver know that you are aware of them.
I use air vest and and had a low slide once. I don't think the air vest help a lot in head on collision, but it definitely help for fall or slide. it feels like you fall on a mattress
Hello, request you to please make a detailed video on intersection by giving us live example how to ride on intersection. This video was more into theoretical knowledge but it would be great if you give us demonstration.
There is a thing I call "Creeping" This is when I approach an intersection, motorist presumably sees me coming and is timing to pull out as I pass, so they are "creeping" out slowly. NO!, NO!, NO! When I see a motorists creeping I hit the breaks and I slow way down. I will not pass in front of any vehicle that is moving, even slowly, into my path. This annoys some drivers, well, too bad!
Need to watch behind you while sitting at an intersection, leave yourself an out. My good friend was hit from behind while sitting at an intersection because of a driver not paying attention. My old barber was also hit from behind sitting at a light which caused serious damage to both shoulders and put him out of work. My friend survived with lots of steel in his legs!
I see more people on their phones and texting than before they passed the laws prohibiting using them while driving. Infuriating and so unsafe for everyone.
Very simple! Im starting my bike and zip, I'm becoming invisible. They're a very bad side to become invisible. Im still alive because I know that they don't see me.
It doesn't have to be an intersection. Just a few days ago a pickup truck crossed the center line and hit a semitruck just about a hundred yards from my driveway. I talked to the semi truck driver after the crash. He said he swerved as far as he could without flipping into the deep ditch on the side of the road. I immediately wondered what I would have done if I was on my motorcycle and that happened. There are idiots on the road...be safe.
I almost got taken out at an back-country road intersection (70 km/h speed limit) by a grandpa (looked 70-80) who pulled out straight in front of me (he was turning/connecting right, onto the road in my direction of travel, my road had the right of way). I avoided the crash because I noticed cars suddenly coming from all 4 directions, so I closed the throttle, and was going somewhere between 50-60 km/h at the moment gramps pulled out, roughly 3 car lengths in front of me. I saw that he didn´t check if anyone was coming (there were also 2 cars right behind me), and at first thought that he would stop at the line and then check, but noticed he wasn´t slowing down at all. Alarms went off in my head and I swerved my bike onto the dividing line (cars were coming from the opposite direction, so that was as far as I could go) and emergency braked. And I was right, gramps just pulled out without even slowing (right turners had separate connecting roads, not a 90 degree entrance). I went in between the cars coming opposite from us and the grandpa slowing down to be parallel almost parallel with him, and the cars behind me stopped right before plowing into him. My blood was boiling so I revved like an a-hole (Ducaty Hypermotard, loud as hell) and the old dude started looking at his rear view mirror, then his side mirror, it took me rolling in front of him for him to finally notice me. The old dude is driving blind, deaf and completely unaware of his surroundings... Danger to himself and everyone on the road.
My rule is "never believe turn signals" I've seen too many cars and bikes blow through an intersection with turn signals flashing. Wait until you see the vehicle actually commit to the turn before proceeding.
The urban freeways where I live are utterly chaotic with excessive speeding, aggression, road debris, poor pavement conditions, and constant construction. There is absolutely no upside to riding on them.
@@Stacy_Smithno, not really. The other big problem is traffic volume. It’s impossible to maintain adequate separation between vehicles with the incessant lane changes.
I wear all the gear all the time, including an airbag vest. Can’t say first hand how effective it is, which is a good thing. I just assume that all vehicles want to hit me, and go from there
I have had crashed twice wearin a Hit -air vest . I had no injuries . My Motorcycle pants and jacket were destroyed by the road . Other tha that I was perfectly fine . I always wear it.
There is an epidemic of speeding, distracted driving, rolling stops, and aggressiveness. The motorcyclist always loses, no matter the fault. Tesla drivers are the worst, and I'm not sure why.
Thanks for watching this week!
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Hopefully I will be wearing one in next week's video!!!
A riding buddy of mine had an off several years ago and was wearing a Hit-Air vest. In the ER the doctor said he had a broken leg but that he couldn’t understand why my friend didn’t have any internal injuries.
When the ER doctor was told about the air vest, he said that it probably saved my friends life. I personally have been using one ever since.
Thanks for the info!!!
I always ride with my high beams on unless at night. I have large Amber driving lights from Clear Water Lights and have seen many people start to pull out but stop. My riding buddies have said my lights saved their bacon on more then one occasion.
Outstanding lecture! I had a friend who got T-boned on his motorcycle at an intersection. The impact nearly severed his leg. He nearly died on his way to the hospital, but he pulled through and now wears a leg protheses. When I approach an intersection I turn my headlight beam to high and get ready for any evasive maneuver if necessary. I have ridden motorcycles for over fifty years. statistically I should have had an accident by now.
It all boils down to always thinking "What could go wrong here, and what can I do to avoid it?"
You got that right. I'm a pessimist by nature, and that pays off because I'm expecting anything and everything to go wrong at any moment while riding -- so I'm already prepared when that car pulls out or something unexpected is in the road around the blind curve.
Stay aware of all your surroundings, keep your head on a swivel, and always be predicting the next thing trying to kill you when riding. If you find yourself "zoning out", it is time to get off the bike and get your head right before the next leg of the trip.
Great reminders and new points. I ALWAYS assume they will pull out in front of me or turn in front of me, slow down, and watch to make sure they don’t surprise me. 77 and still clicking.
Knees in the breeze'l, brother.
I'm nervous in every intersection. The longer I'm in it, the more nervous I become. Here's a tip. When leaving a parking lot, business, etc., don't cross traffic to go the other direction. Theres a reason UPS plans their day turning right. It takes less time and is safer.
@@d.f.9064 Yes! “Three rights make a left!”.
My daughter jumps eventing horses. There is nothing like pointing a 1200lb horse at an immobile object and asking it to fly. She wears a Helite vest over her body protection and I have seen it deploy on a several occasions when things did not go as planned. The protection is priceless. They were on sale Labor Day and mine arrived this week for my steel horse.
When I approach an intersection and there's a car in a threatening position, I do a little weave back and forth to make sure they see me.
I do that too, but it doesn't guarantee that they saw you. Stay frosty.
I do too. It isn’t foolproof, but I like to hedge my bets.
Me too!
Got a surprise driving my car today; approaching a large intersection (4 lanes with left turn lane, intersecting the same, fully controlled by traffic lights). Box truck ahead and on my left, effectively blocking much of my view of oncoming traffic. Imagine my surprise to see a bike execute a left turn in front of me! My foot moved to the brake pedal while I watched the bike correct with a ginger application of throttle, and completing their turn….what were they thinking…? Point seems to be that situational awareness is not always what it seems, for either driver or rider! Love your tips and lessons!
I watched a European vid a few years ago, and he had a name for that move. Can't remember what he called it.
Having ridden motorcycles for 42 years, I found myself lying on the road at a roundabout two weeks ago after a car just plain failed to see me. I saw her as she braked but I didn't realise she didn't see me and she accelerated. I always thought I was fully aware of my surroundings and rode in full gear always. I love watching your channel here in Australia and found this episode has made me rethink a few ways I ride now. Now, I'm just waiting on the insurance for another bike and my injuries to recover.
Never ever assume that you have been seen even if the driver is looking directly at you. Too late I know but others will benefit from that advice.
I switched to wearing a HiViz yellow jacket. Seems like people see that but they can’t see a red 850# motorcycle!
@@dougbongle3192 That is ever so true. Unfortunately. I also wear hi vis and also a hi vis yellow helmet. or a police style white one. I never consider the wearing of these items to be completely successful to rely 100% on me and them being seen. I ride defensively accordingly and I believe that its that way of riding that keeps me alive. .,
You assumed?
@@donboty2493 Yep. Almost 60 years of riding motorcycles and I still assume that defensive riding has kept me alive. I must be doing something right.
I stopped riding 3 years ago. My friend died on one of our rides. I just didn't have the same enjoyment after that. Now, the itch is back to ride again.
I was hit 9 months ago. Got back on the bike 3 months ago. I enjoy it but it takes me a while to get back in the enjoyment zone.
A good friend was killed a couple months ago when a driver ran a red light and he laid his bike down in the intersection to avoid a collision. He was instantly run over by a truck coming the other way. I can't help thinking that if he'd taken classes, practiced emergency braking and had it in his head to never lay down a bike in traffic that he'd be alive today. Of course, the driver ran and is still at large.
My recent intersection story: I ran a red light. I live in Nevada, one thing you should notice riding here from other states is that YELLOW lights are about half the time of other states. I was on a through street, one lane each direction, 25mph limit and I was doing just under 30. Large white van was riding my donkey. As I approached the light it was green, the van behind me quickly cut into the left turn lane and accelerated beside me, then he hard stopped. At that moment I thought he had to stop to wait for oncoming traffic, so he could turn left. As I then entered the intersection the light was red.
I had missed the whole yellow because I "target fixated" on the van. Fortunately, (I was lucky), the light had just turned red and nobody was moving yet (and no Cops). I went through the intersection unscathed but it got my attention big time.
Nevada also. If I’m 1st at a traffic light, I never start until I have cross traffic in both directions. Too many red light runners. Also approaching traffic lights, I’m on high alert for left turn cars to pop out of their lane and want to go straight without signaling. Many close calls with that. Oh, also checking my 6 at traffic lights now that cannabis is legal. One last thing, too many cagers make their own traffic rules thus making them unpredictable. I’ve become paranoid as a result. Always suspicious of intentions. Ride safe!!
Your common sense approach has me riding more mindfully and more aware - Thank you for what you do.
I was passing a few cars in a traffic jam with a speed of about 15 kmh.
Without prior notice a car in front of me decided that it's a good time to do a U-turn... We collided and immediately my electronic helite vest inflated and I basically didn't feel anything in my body (my wrist was damaged..).
I will add that my motorcycle also had the fork sensor which allowed the vest to actually be aware of collisions at low speeds.
I'm never going on my motorcycle without it
I crashed 2x with airbag vest on. First time was low speed (about 15MPH) and it saved my shoulder/collarbone. 2nd time came off the bike using really poor judgment (both crashes was using really poor judgment) at about 50MPH. Back of airbag vest was mangled and would have been my spine. Broke my right arm, right leg (5 titanium rods in all) and had a reconstructed left knee as well as a chunk out of my helmet. My torso - which was covered by the airbag - was not even sore or bruised in any way. Would have been dead or in a wheelchair without the airbag and helmet. Wear a Klim Ai-1 vest and have it on every time I ride and I always wear full gear while living in Florida so there's that. BTW - don't even count my broken left hand as the six surgeries following the 2nd crash made that look inconsequential. Just finishing up recovery for over a year and planning to replace my totaled bike with a Triumph Street Triple hopefully in the next few months. Love riding more than anything other than my four girls.
I wear a Helite Airbag, the backpack version with the back pack portion removed. Just this past Wednesday I was practicing slow tight turns on my smaller ADV bike in front of my home, and unfortunately used way to much front break and dropped the bike. Unfortunately I forgot to disconnect the tether before I started this (I always do for controlled slow practice and off road) and when the bike went over the release pulled and WOW! It was instantaneous and extremely startling. For a second I didn’t understand what was going on, and why I was being squeezed so hard until it dawned on me.
I had a hard time getting the bike up quickly because of how tight and encompassing the vest is when the bag is deployed. The Vest and jacket versions offer even more protection than the backpack does.
While I personally never hit the ground and tested the true safety effects of it I can tell you that it operates like they say it does even faster then you would think and covers all your vitals and neck. It’s definitely going to protect you in a crash. I would like to get a winter jacket version down the line for use with my street bike.
I've noticed two trends that i consider to be seriously determental to the riders. Riders using cell phone while in motion. Saw one scrolling his phone while crossing in front clip the crub. Broken hand. Another passed me scrolling and drifted into the on comming. Semi jerked to the right and rider barely missed the trailer. The other trend especially with the rocket riders is extremely small or completely removing the mirrors. Some riders on cruisers are locating the mirrors below their arm position. That extra movement to look down or turn around will cost you greatly one day. Cool & dumb isn't the same as alive & square.
@@MaryannMyers-uc1hi Ya, lots of distractions out there! Lots of speed out there, too!
Dad always taught me, from a stop, never be the first guy into an intersection….
Another big one that also creates a blind spot if you're in the left lane is a row of people stopped waiting in a left turn lane, sometimes a person will turn left into a gas station, when I approach these intersections coming from the opposite direction I move to the right lane so im visible.
I try to piggyback with another car through an intersection and also assume position 3 or C to be more visible to that vehicle making a left turn. Throttle down if unable to piggyback to be able to increase plan B options. One learns to enjoy the motorcycle experience without letting your guard down.
Good idea but be careful. When you are piggybacking cars sometimes think it is clear and want to cross right behind the lead car.
Never speed up though an intersection, this was the first lesson of my driving teacher.
I am 70. Driving scooters for less then 2 years. I am retired, from Seattle, now living in Philippines. There are few driving rules here. This is both good and bad. No one follows rules but everyone drives “defensively.” I drive on mostly provincial roads. The good thing being that the speeds are low. I always wear a bright yellow safety vest. I always play the "What if" game.
Very many great points. Aside from the small profile, rider inexperience, driver inexperience, or elderly drivers, I see many bikes with very dimly lit lights. White lights bright lights make a huge difference even in day light, plus white helmets or other light coloured helmets. Speeding and staying stationary in the lane is also a factor, riders should move back and forth if they see a vehicle approaching an intersection or signalling to turn; sometimes I’ve seen drivers(I also had a motorcycle do it to me) who don’t signal and turn across my path because they saw how much traffic there was behind me. Definitely read the situation!! Great post as usual.
Good topic and well presented. This is a threat that we all face every time we ride. I often give a wave to drivers that don't pull out in front of me when they had an opportunity to do so. Courtesy goes both ways.
You're 100% correct. I'll add, riding today is not like riding 40 years ago, for various reasons. I believe most people's brains aren't wired to see motorcycles. In fact I've traveled down a busy street and a person on a side street literally looking at me and still pull out. I have one of the brightest head lights on the market (LED) dosent make a damned bit of difference. I always cover both breaks, that and being very vigilant helps a bit.
Reminds me of the video of a fire truck going down a country highway, lights and sirens on. A lady in a car is at a right side roadway and then pulls right out in front of the truck and gets T-boned of course. Conclusion: we on MCd are screwed.
@JackTRyan yeah, and how to negotiate these incidents can't be taught in a class. Staying alive comes from experience and good old horse sense. My thirty one year old son wanted my opinion on him taking up street riding for the first time. I told him, get yourself a dirt bike and ride trails and fields. Stay off the street.
Great job, friend. Have a blessed week!
I ride rural a lot; I live in the country. I often give folks at intersections a heads-up toot-toot. That seems to help out and appears to be appreciated by the other drivers. Good video Kevin!
Country roads where there are stops signs for crossing traffic and none for us are where most riders die around here. Young man this summer of 25 died just down the road here. Person pulled out right in front of him. Several over the years on the same stretch of rd. You see a car pull up fast to a stop sign, assume they are pulling out. We are our own airbag. Careful out there guys and gals! Love you Kev. God bless bro.
Very nice and correct in that film ! In Greece is a hell on earth for motorcycle riders !
6:28 Steve Miller 8-tracks. Awesome 🤘
LAst November I lowsided my K1300GT on a wet tarsnake on the of ramp of the highway, at about 60mph. airbagvest (thetered Heliet Turtle) deployed, and i had scuff marks on my helmet, my airbagvest, my shoulders, my elbows, my but and my hips and knees. Stadler repaired the pants. The bike slid on the fairing, paniers and handle bar and the right side footrest broke of without damage to the brake lever. With the help of some bystanders, I picked up my bike and road another 250 kms/150 miles that same day. I did feel sore for a week, elbows and shoulder so I am convinced the airbag did a great job.
Fantastic video great advice thanks for posting
Distracted or texting and driving should be treated like a DUI.
Phone driving is here to stay. That's why everyone has tinted windows. Cops wont see them and they can see their phones without sunglasses. Our only hope is self driving cars.
I agree. Plan to share.
I have Amber LED pod lights mounted on the forks that I cycle on and off whenever I'm anywhere near cars, including cars parked on the side of the road, they can do unexpected u-turns right into your path.
I delivered mail in a jeep,one fall day in my jeep,the corn was high,a right side road was comming up.i couldnt see anything till the front forks of a combine come poking out.he was pulling up to see with the front out over the road.i hit the brakes and horn. It was close.glad i wasnt on a bike that day.
Happy Friday! Time for an MCRider video!
Thank you for all the great videos. It's great to follow you and I learn something new all the time watching you. I also love your style and presentation. I wanted though to point out that you said "a lot of the European countries where they ride on the other side of the road". This is incorrect. UK is the only place in Europe that drives on the left side.
Thanks again and keep up the good work.👏👏
Great video! Thank you
Good video! Thanks Kevin!
Thank you Kevin, God bless.
How many what's an 8 track questions 😂
Many years ago I bought a High Viz Olympia suit. I also added Skene design amber LEDs to the front of the bike. People really noticed me, but almost to my detriment because they waited an inordinate amount of time for me to pass by making me nervous that they are going to decide they can go when I am too close. Dammed if you do and dammed if you dont. These days I avoid multi-lane traffic heavy roads as much as possible.
Nothing new but a good reminder. Nowadays, people drive or ride by followings whats in front of them. Not even care what are surrounding.
I ride in a 30 year old Aerostich Roadcrafter touring suit with armor. I feel pretty safe in it. I gave $800 for it back in the day, but the same suit today is over $1900.
By the way, I have been riding on the roads of this country for over 50 years, and have never tangled with a car or truck. If you live and ride long enough, I believe you develop a 6th sense for avoiding cagers and knowing how each one you pass might do something in particular that could kill you, and how to prevent it or at least be ready for it.
I won't proceed through an intersection until I know cross traffic is stopped. It's shocking how many seconds after my light turns green that people will barrel through the intersection. They're usually going pretty fast when they do it, too.
Exactly! My wife doesn’t ride and is new to driving in the US. So I tell her never to barrel through an intersection without slowing and looking left and right first, especially if the light just turned green as she reaches the intersection…just another opportunity for a red light runner.
Intersections with telephone poles or light poles can add to your/their obstruction of view. Add atop of that the new cars wider A pillar that accommodates the air bag. Put those all together at an intersection and a motorcycle gets completely hidden.
The "A" pillars in older large SUVs and pickup trucks are also large enough to a small car. They can easily hide a motorcycle.
In the UK we are basically recommended that when following other traffic we should position ourselves to the drivers offside and behind his vehicle. This apparently is so cos, we want that driver to be able to see us in his offside mirror ? What good that dose I don't really know.
So in the USA that position would be the left rear as the driver has his steering wheel on the left of the car and the motorcyclist should be on that side and behind him. That leads to more collisions or 'smidsys' [ sorry mate I didn't see you' collisions ]as we call them as the rider is now blind to any one wanting to drive out from a nearside street. He is hidden by the car in front of him and so becomes vulnerable to colliding with a car exiting from a side street.
The safest place to be is at least the proper safe stopping distance behind the car in front and to be able to move side to side to see both sides of the approaching junctions and thus to be seen by all other road users.
Too often we Tailgate others and as such once again we hide ourselves and cars move out on us after the car in front has passed them and they have not seen us and we have not seen them
. SAFER DISTANCE IS REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES. SAFE DISTANCE SAVES LIVES.
I have worn my Alpinestars Tech-air jacket for about 8 years now. Never had a deployment, fortunately, but did witness a bad crash of a friend wearing a Helite vest. We were returning from Sturgis and our lead rider made a late left turn to another two-lane hwy. I was 3rd in our line and saw it was too short a distance, too sharp a turn and too many guys behind me to enable myself to make it without compressing everyone behind me, so I continued straight and would turn back around. I watched in my rear view mirrors to see how everyone would handle it. Our friend Jim pulled his RT1200 down from speed in the hwy lane and then when moving into the left-turn lane was smashed from behind by an older gentleman in a pickup truck, at about 45 mph. I watched Jim go flying, flipping and rolling and his BMW shattering into dozens of pieces. I thought for sure I would be coming back to find him dead. I stopped as fast as possible, cranked a u-turn and raced back to the accident site. I was the first one there. I ran up to him and found him up on his knees. I said "Jim (who was a doctor), how do you feel?!?!". He said "I think I'm ok!!!!". We called 911 and got him from where we were into a small town hospital where they kept him overnight. Believe it or not, he was absolutely fine. The BMW was of course a mangled pile. No doubt the Helite saved his life.
Here's one strategy that I use consistently when approaching any intersection or other situation where a possible conflict with a vehicle exists is that I weave back and forth several times in my lane upon approach. This will draw attention to the fact there's a motorcycle approaching and let's the driver know that you are aware of them.
TY for Sharing
On target!👍
Good one
Spot on Kevin,the mobile phone is both a friend and killer.
I use air vest and and had a low slide once. I don't think the air vest help a lot in head on collision, but it definitely help for fall or slide. it feels like you fall on a mattress
Hello, request you to please make a detailed video on intersection by giving us live example how to ride on intersection.
This video was more into theoretical knowledge but it would be great if you give us demonstration.
Don't time light changes, especially on a motorcycle.
There is a thing I call "Creeping" This is when I approach an intersection, motorist presumably sees me coming and is timing to pull out as I pass, so they are "creeping" out slowly. NO!, NO!, NO! When I see a motorists creeping I hit the breaks and I slow way down. I will not pass in front of any vehicle that is moving, even slowly, into my path. This annoys some drivers, well, too bad!
Need to watch behind you while sitting at an intersection, leave yourself an out. My good friend was hit from behind while sitting at an intersection because of a driver not paying attention. My old barber was also hit from behind sitting at a light which caused serious damage to both shoulders and put him out of work. My friend survived with lots of steel in his legs!
I see more people on their phones and texting than before they passed the laws prohibiting using them while driving. Infuriating and so unsafe for everyone.
Rarely RARELY make left turns @intersections, Always engineer my travels to stay to the right and make right hand turns. .
@@donboty2493 Yes, my navigator thankfully keeps me informed (or reminded) of safe routing.
Very simple! Im starting my bike and zip, I'm becoming invisible. They're a very bad side to become invisible. Im still alive because I know that they don't see me.
It doesn't have to be an intersection. Just a few days ago a pickup truck crossed the center line and hit a semitruck just about a hundred yards from my driveway. I talked to the semi truck driver after the crash. He said he swerved as far as he could without flipping into the deep ditch on the side of the road. I immediately wondered what I would have done if I was on my motorcycle and that happened. There are idiots on the road...be safe.
I almost got taken out at an back-country road intersection (70 km/h speed limit) by a grandpa (looked 70-80) who pulled out straight in front of me (he was turning/connecting right, onto the road in my direction of travel, my road had the right of way). I avoided the crash because I noticed cars suddenly coming from all 4 directions, so I closed the throttle, and was going somewhere between 50-60 km/h at the moment gramps pulled out, roughly 3 car lengths in front of me. I saw that he didn´t check if anyone was coming (there were also 2 cars right behind me), and at first thought that he would stop at the line and then check, but noticed he wasn´t slowing down at all. Alarms went off in my head and I swerved my bike onto the dividing line (cars were coming from the opposite direction, so that was as far as I could go) and emergency braked. And I was right, gramps just pulled out without even slowing (right turners had separate connecting roads, not a 90 degree entrance). I went in between the cars coming opposite from us and the grandpa slowing down to be parallel almost parallel with him, and the cars behind me stopped right before plowing into him. My blood was boiling so I revved like an a-hole (Ducaty Hypermotard, loud as hell) and the old dude started looking at his rear view mirror, then his side mirror, it took me rolling in front of him for him to finally notice me. The old dude is driving blind, deaf and completely unaware of his surroundings... Danger to himself and everyone on the road.
My rule is "never believe turn signals" I've seen too many cars and bikes blow through an intersection with turn signals flashing. Wait until you see the vehicle actually commit to the turn before proceeding.
THIS is why I'll never understand why some riders fear the interstate, but not riding in town.
The urban freeways where I live are utterly chaotic with excessive speeding, aggression, road debris, poor pavement conditions, and constant construction. There is absolutely no upside to riding on them.
@@markwhatley9955 Still safer than town.
Where I live there's a wreck on the interstate every day! I like to ride the backroads and through the small towns at 25mph.
@@Stacy_Smithno, not really. The other big problem is traffic volume. It’s impossible to maintain adequate separation between vehicles with the incessant lane changes.
@@markwhatley9955 92% of all motorcycle fatalities occur OFF the highway. This is like being scared to fly, but not scared to drive to the airport.
I wear all the gear all the time, including an airbag vest. Can’t say first hand how effective it is, which is a good thing. I just assume that all vehicles want to hit me, and go from there
I have had crashed twice wearin a Hit -air vest . I had no injuries . My Motorcycle pants and jacket were destroyed by the road . Other tha that I was perfectly fine . I always wear it.
From vids I see that US has lots of large intersections without traffic lights or roundabouts. You don't see these in Europe.
Always looking for out
And let all drivers see you all the time or demand they see you
So basically, slow down and ride defensively. Oh…and don’t ever think you have right of way…even if you do. Nobody understands that stuff anyway!
When entering an intersection… Assume things will go wrong.
I never assume someone sees me. I ride as if I were invisible.
I never knew what a road or an intersection is. Thanks for clarifying!
What’s a 8 track. 😁
I tell my son all the time,”don’t ride paranoid, just assume everybody is trying to kill you.”
@@davidmann2988 even in my truck and on my mc. Name of the game is don’t get hit.
Ever changing scenarios. Think ahead. Look ahead. You’re right!
Nobody talks about the disdain for bikers. People loathe bike riders.
There is an epidemic of speeding, distracted driving, rolling stops, and aggressiveness. The motorcyclist always loses, no matter the fault. Tesla drivers are the worst, and I'm not sure why.
Airbag jacket and vest it high double and triple dregree weather, pass. Im dreading the day the nanny state of California makes them mandatory
Must be getting desperate for clicks with headlines like that. Click bait at it’s finest - why - because now you’re just stating the obvious
Lane Position is the best take away from this channel. Be seen, but pretend like you’re in a video game and you are the target. Thanks, Kevin 😎
cool analogy! 😂