Role Models or Bad Influence??

Chilli Town MX said:
So are you saying a chest protector only protects against roost? What about neck braces? Something has got to be better than nothing right? Reduces the chances for a broken neck and a life in a wheel chair...or is that just BS?
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I guess certain ones could help prevent broken collar bones but I've known people who have broken a collar bone while wearing one.
 
As far as chest protectors go in my mind they are a must for me and my boys. Yes they are good roost protection but there is spine, kidney and other vital organ coverage as well. A couple bikes get tangled up and it could offer protection from a foot peg, end of bars, spinning rear tire or hot exhaust. Either way if you never find yourself in a situation where it would be benifitial, there is no down side to having it on.

Neck braces on the other hand, no unbiased proven benefit. A mountain of Posibal down side. I have been around this sport for over 25 years now and I have seen a Redicukous amout of people paralyzed since the introduction on these neck braces.

My mind was made up a couple years ago when I was on the track at Ram Jam behind Scott S. He took what looked like a pretty routine tumble and never stood up again.
 
malvernmx said:
As far as chest protectors go in my mind they are a must for me and my boys. Yes they are good roost protection but there is spine, kidney and other vital organ coverage as well. A couple bikes get tangled up and it could offer protection from a foot peg, end of bars, spinning rear tire or hot exhaust. Either way if you never find yourself in a situation where it would be benifitial, there is no down side to having it on.

Neck braces on the other hand, no unbiased proven benefit. A mountain of Posibal down side. I have been around this sport for over 25 years now and I have seen a Redicukous amout of people paralyzed since the introduction on these neck braces.

My mind was made up a couple years ago when I was on the track at Ram Jam behind Scott S. He took what looked like a pretty routine tumble and never stood up again.
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I honestly never thought of all that for chest protectors, mostly because most of the ones I've seen wouldn't protect from all that anyway. But I know they do make ones with more coverage that do and you never know what could happen when two bikes get tangled up. I have broken ribs that I probably wouldn't have if I were wearing one but who knows, I may still have broken ribs. Lol I agree on the neck brace issue though.
 
Clint1991 said:
I honestly never thought of all that for chest protectors, mostly because most of the ones I've seen wouldn't protect from all that anyway. But I know they do make ones with more coverage that do and you never know what could happen when two bikes get tangled up. I have broken ribs that I probably wouldn't have if I were wearing one but who knows, I may still have broken ribs. Lol I agree on the neck brace issue though.
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Agreed, I forgot about the sharp metal we ride around....there you have it, the real benefit of chest protectors. Maybe they should be called upper body protectors.

I have broke ribs with one on too. I think Jason was talking about a puncture wound. Now I can say that hasn't happened yet, although I have had some serious road rash while wearing one, because they can move on you. Come to think of it, I wore one during the infamous bike vs quad wreck with Jason, my back was jacked for a week, and that was a tip over.
 
Chilli Town MX said:
So are you saying a chest protector only protects against roost? What about neck braces? Something has got to be better than nothing right? Reduces the chances for a broken neck and a life in a wheel chair...or is that just BS?
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Something has to be better than nothing. No. I love that argument.

Any kid of mine will never had a beat trap around there neck. Sorry. This is a dead horse topic. Private company based testing isn't good enough for me. We never needed neck braces all of our lives now they're the paralysis preventative devices direct from gods hand himself. I don't buy it. Leatt isn't as ethical as everyone thinks. He may or may not have ethical issues comes into play with his practice.
 
BriarcliffMx said:
Agreed, I forgot about the sharp metal we ride around....there you have it, the real benefit of chest protectors. Maybe they should be called upper body protectors.

I have broke ribs with one on too. I think Jason was talking about a puncture wound. Now I can say that hasn't happened yet, although I have had some serious road rash while wearing one, because they can move on you. Come to think of it, I wore one during the infamous bike vs quad wreck with Jason, my back was jacked for a week, and that was a tip over.
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Umm..I've broken my sternum in half while wearing one... :( Because of the chin guard on my helmet. Damn I wish I wouldn't have been wearing a helmet that day as I wouldn't have broken my sternum which was very, very painful, just my head...doh!?!?!
 
Like I said another neck brace thread......

I wore the leatt, from day one I didnt like the part that layed on my spine. Switched to the Atlas since it doesnt do that. In that case I certainly think it is better than nothing. On an impact it cant paralyze you. It also doesnt sit on your collar bone like the leatt. Maybe it still could break it but not as easily.

Im surprised Baker hasnt reminded everyone about my crash in SC and the post crash ramblings I had!

Even so Im still not convinced that they should be required. Until there are tests proving they work like they test helmets then dont require them!

I also agree with CTMX, where is the line to be drawn on safety? Why are boots required? Who cares if you break your ankles? Wouldnt you feel more comfy and free to move without them? Why are long sleeves and gloves required?
 
The majority of protective gear the pro's wear (and us laymen folk) is tried and true from years of trial and error. MX boots for example, ride without them for one of your normal sessions, at your normal speed and time and I believe you will know why we wear them and it's not because an organization rules tell us we need to.

Most of the gear falls into that type of category, tried and true. Most of the fabric we wear is only to help eliminate minor abrasion. Helmets and goggles speak for themselves, I believe! Of the more rigid protection that is available to us, I believe they all have there pros and cons.

I base my decisions on the protective gear I and my kids wear on the facts as I know them, personal experience, and the experience of others around me. Hard plastic chest protectors for example, I have broken ribs with one on and I believe it aided in the blunt force to help cause the break. I have broken ribs with one on and I believe it helped keep me from doing more damage. Since then I have switched to a more proven method of curbing blunt force trauma, a full on Kevlar vest.

I could go on about the gear all day but, I guess what we all want to know... is the neck support/brace the way to go? I still haven't made up my mind whether my family should wear them or not. I have broken collar bones with and without it. My biggest concern is the added pressure in some situations may cause additional damage that otherwise may not have happened if not wearing a brace.

Basically I believe we need to weigh the pros and cons of all of our gear and if the pros out weigh the cons then absolutely wear it. At this point in time I don't think we can truly identify the pros and cons of the neck brace/support for MX riding therefore until I can I will not force my family to wear it.

I am also guessing that is the reason why some of the role models are going back and forth between wearing them and not. They don't really know either!
 
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I know this, it speaks volumes to me when any of the top pros quit wearing the braces. Keep in mind these guys are getting paid by these company's to wear them. So having said that, what has to be going on in their head about that product for them to say keep your money. I'm not wearing that.
 
Really dont have an opinion on chest protectors, but I don't feel anyone should be able to hit the track without a Snell rated helmet. I cant deal with parent's buying their kids the vega special... that erks me bad.

Speaking of helmets, I have three neighbor kids that ride around all the time with no helmets on, would you offer to purchase them some if they can't afford it? Or do you think I would be snubbed by the parents for "intruding"?
 
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malvernmx said:
I know this, it speaks volumes to me when any of the top pros quit wearing the braces. Keep in mind these guys are getting paid by these company's to wear them. So having said that, what has to be going on in their head about that product for them to say keep your money. I'm not wearing that.
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Doesnt RV still wear an Atlas brace? THE top guy is wearing one.
 
SCHAFFERNOCKER said:
Really dont have an opinion on chest protectors, but I don't feel anyone should be able to hit the track without a Snell rated helmet. I cant deal with parent's buying their kids the vega special... that erks me bad.

Speaking of helmets, I have three neighbor kids that ride around all the time with no helmets on, would you offer to purchase them some if they can't afford it? Or do you think I would be snubbed by the parents for "intruding"?
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I was at Chillitown and overhead a parent in staging telling another about his sons new helmet and how he bought it one size to big so his son can wear it longer.....I almost said something but didn't want to start trouble.. I don't know if people are really hard up for money or are they just uneducated about saftey? Not sure why a parent would have 10K in minis in a trailer for their rider and buy a $59 helmet.... It drives me nuts...

Im also a big believer in the impact vests. Not sure why we don't see more people wearing... My son has had some bad come offs, bars to the sternum etc. and he poppped right back up. I have seen similar impacts for others and they went for an ambulance ride..

As for role models, I don't care who does or wears what. If i am footing the bill he will wear what I deem the safest gear for him. I don't care for the neck brace that puts pressure on the spine though, however the Omega and Atlas I do believe in. I don't really see why anyone would NOT want to wear a device that prevents there neck from going at a 90 degree angle during an impact but Im sure there is alot i don't know.(my wife tells me this daily)
It seems to be more of an old school "stigma" maybe??? Dale Earnhardt was old school too... If he was wearing head/neck restraint his fait would probably have been different. Unfortunaltey, maybe for MOTO it will take a fatality of one of the pros in a bad accident and then everyone will be wearing one if the medical examiner says it could have been prevented..???

I know this isn't the same but i do see alot of parellels IMO; I drag raced for a long time at a very high rate of speed (over 200mph) routinley every weekend. In 2007 to race any of the larger events held by the two or three major sanctions we had to have a head/neck restraint if we went over 200mph.. It was another 1k at the time but no one really complained.. The sanctions and the governing saftey bodies producted documnetation why they put the rule in place... I am attaching what is the latest of one of the peice of documentation in case anyone would like to read it. My question is; does anyone know if anything like this has ever been produced or done for motorcycle racing? Thanks

Steve
 

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Wow...can of worms was opened on this one...lol

I was just looking to have a decent discussion on this. I had no idea everyone was so crazy about this issue. Back when I used to ride I never hit the track without a chest protector. I was never the best rider so I found the ground more times than I wanted to and I always felt that my chest protector was keeping from added injuries from landing on rocks or in most case my handle bars. LOL. Neck braces weren't around back then so I never got the chance to try them out so I have nothing to compare to on that subject. I know my boy wont ride without one and thats his preference. Of course he has been wearing one since day one so thats all he knows. When he started riding I assumed like most parents it was the right thing to do because everyone in my circle of friends had their kids wearing them.

I think this might very well be a subject that everyone agrees to disagree on. I do however enjoy reading everyones opinions on this subject.

Next week: Two Stroke vs. Four Stroke Lol!
 
Obviously everyone has their own opinion on this topic. As far as keeping our kids safe, we all do what we think is best for them. I think I might've said something to the guy about the helmet, just because I have a strong opinion about it, but everyone's different.
I also believe that when it's your time to go, no amount of safety gear will save you. Case in point, Austin Mincey. He was wearing his impact vest, a neck brace, and I'd be willing to bet, a DOT and snell approved helmet. We all pray that it won't happen to us, but bottom line is, sometimes it does, no matter what precautions we take.
Tina
 
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