The usefulness of CE L1 and L2 protectors in motorcycle riding gear

Harikrishnan_13 · 3rd June 2024, 22:36

I’m currently lying in bed with a fractured ankle after having two titanium plates and many screws put in to hold those broken bones in place. And this came from a motorcycle crash. So while my data is empirical I stand by what I’m about to put across.

In a motorcycle crash your gear matters. I was wearing a MT mid tier helmet which is almost eight years old but in top shape. I had raids gloves, jacket with L2 armour in them (upgraded from the original L1 it came with) and alpinestars riding shoes (not boots, ankle high shoes). I was going at almost 80 and took a turn poorly. 100% my fault. I was also not holding the proper foot position (tucked in) since I had done almost two hours of hardcore forest trail 75% of it standing up and had dropped the bike at least a dozen times completely exhausting my strength (yes, I’m not in great shape and a little anaemic).

I rolled four times before coming to a stop, bike having slid far away to my right, and I could feel every roll, my helmet and shoulders making contact with the road repeatedly. This is where the gear comes in. I was 100% unscathed in my upper body. My gloves ripped at my right thumb where it was fabric and I had a small (minuscule) skin abrasion. That’s it. Helmet was thrashed, jacket was ok ish but the pads and headgear did their job 100%.

I had cheaped out on getting motocross boots and had settled for the shoes. I am not sure if the ankle reinforcement would have prevented the fracture, but I regret not spending that 25k. The jeans disintegrated like toilet paper and left my knee with reasonable road rash (I had ordered riding pants but they were not in stock).

What my long rant is supposed to convey is that you should absolutely, under no circumstance ditch your pads and gear. I agree with the science. A pad might not do much good in a direct impact. But most crashes aren’t direct impact. When you land at an angle on these pads (which is way more probable a scenario than landing at a 90 degree straight impact) they work like magic. A quality well fitting tightly fastened helmet saves your life. Period. I respect Ryan but in this scenario he is dead wrong.

Senotrius · 4th June 2024, 09:25

Yes, those who unfortunately had to go through such experiences know well the importance of riding gear. Myself, was a benefactor to wearing full riding gears and boots. I came away unscathed (sprain, yes) but the cctv footage of my accident was horrible to look at. Even if one rides slowly and safely in-lane, there are other idiots to knock you down.

3rd June 2024, 22:36	#16
Harikrishnan_13 Newbie Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 12 Thanked: 21 Times	Re: The usefulness of CE L1 and L2 protectors in motorcycle riding gear I’m currently lying in bed with a fractured ankle after having two titanium plates and many screws put in to hold those broken bones in place. And this came from a motorcycle crash. So while my data is empirical I stand by what I’m about to put across. In a motorcycle crash your gear matters. I was wearing a MT mid tier helmet which is almost eight years old but in top shape. I had raids gloves, jacket with L2 armour in them (upgraded from the original L1 it came with) and alpinestars riding shoes (not boots, ankle high shoes). I was going at almost 80 and took a turn poorly. 100% my fault. I was also not holding the proper foot position (tucked in) since I had done almost two hours of hardcore forest trail 75% of it standing up and had dropped the bike at least a dozen times completely exhausting my strength (yes, I’m not in great shape and a little anaemic). I rolled four times before coming to a stop, bike having slid far away to my right, and I could feel every roll, my helmet and shoulders making contact with the road repeatedly. This is where the gear comes in. I was 100% unscathed in my upper body. My gloves ripped at my right thumb where it was fabric and I had a small (minuscule) skin abrasion. That’s it. Helmet was thrashed, jacket was ok ish but the pads and headgear did their job 100%. I had cheaped out on getting motocross boots and had settled for the shoes. I am not sure if the ankle reinforcement would have prevented the fracture, but I regret not spending that 25k. The jeans disintegrated like toilet paper and left my knee with reasonable road rash (I had ordered riding pants but they were not in stock). What my long rant is supposed to convey is that you should absolutely, under no circumstance ditch your pads and gear. I agree with the science. A pad might not do much good in a direct impact. But most crashes aren’t direct impact. When you land at an angle on these pads (which is way more probable a scenario than landing at a 90 degree straight impact) they work like magic. A quality well fitting tightly fastened helmet saves your life. Period. I respect Ryan but in this scenario he is dead wrong.
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4th June 2024, 09:25	#17
Senotrius BHPian Join Date: Nov 2022 Location: Kochi Posts: 449 Thanked: 579 Times	Re: The usefulness of CE L1 and L2 protectors in motorcycle riding gear Yes, those who unfortunately had to go through such experiences know well the importance of riding gear. Myself, was a benefactor to wearing full riding gears and boots. I came away unscathed (sprain, yes) but the cctv footage of my accident was horrible to look at. Even if one rides slowly and safely in-lane, there are other idiots to knock you down.
	(1) Thanks