GRISSO ROSSO Goes Down

I'm not happy to report that I took a tumble on the Grisso Rosso back on July 18th up in the Yukon, about 30 klicks from Pelly Crossing between Whitehorse and Dawson City. After a great start to our summer trip in which Esther and I took the bikes up to Juneau on the Alaska ferry for the dedication of my latest project there, followed by a couple of days visiting friends in Haines, we traveled north to Dawson City, the epicenter of the 1880's Klondike Gold Rush. A bit touristy today, Dawson is a real historical town with lots of original surviving buildings and wonderful historical exhibits throughout including the cabin where Jack London wrote some of his most famous works.

After spending the night in Dawson we headed south towards Whitehorse with plans to eventually hook up with Brock (Landman) and Nikki in Radium Hotsprings as they were on their way home to Edmonton as we headed home to Seattle. Unfortunately, a bit south of Pelly Crossing, our plans were thrown a bit sideways, literally, when I lost control in some deep, loose gravel and went down hard on my left side. It was a fairly low-speed crash and the damage to the bike was really minimal, but the way I hit the ground did a helluva lot of damage to my body. I ended up breaking four ribs in multiple places and rupturing my spleen. I'm not going to bore you with all the gory details as we eventually managed to get the bikes and me home safely after spending eight days in the hospital in Terrace, BC and I'm mending just fine. Most hurt is my pride. In all the years I've been riding and the tens of thousands of miles I've logged, this was my first crash and it was a doozie. The doc described it as a season-ending injury so I'm on the disabled list for at least the next couple of months.

Now it's gotten me to thinking and scouring the ol' interwebs to find out all I can about airbag vests and jackets. I've found several manufacturers and a wide range of styles and prices and I'm curious if any of you have any experience with any of these. I'm a big believer in safety gear and I was wearing a full-face helmet, boots and gloves, armored jacket and pants at the time of the accident. I never lost consciousness and didn't have a scratch on me, but the way I landed on my left side I managed to crush my ribs and the spleen hidden inside. And I'm convinced that my injuries would have been much less severe had I been wearing an airbag vest. I'd love any feedback you folks can offer. I'm thinking this might be the perfect xmas present for Esther and me to give each other this year.

Street

I can't offer insight into vests, but just wanted to express my best wishes for a quick and full recovery.

Wishing you a speedy recovery and hope you get that airbag vest. Never seen one, but google search should find any that are out there. I wouldn't buy a used one though. ;-}

Pete is saving us much of the gory details. His ordeal was much more harrowing than he lets on, but the gist of it is that he is still here with us and on the mend. Pete is a very technically adept rider and it is always a challenge to match his pace, but he's never reckless and always rides within his limits. These freak accidents have ended many a rider's lust for the feeling that only a motorcycle can bring, so I'm happy to know that he'll be back on the GRiSO as soon as he is able. As GRiSO guys go, he's a true believer, he has a keen ear for the siren song of the GRiSO...

I've got no personal experience with the inflatable vest, but one of the guys who was on the Great Parks of the West tour I went on a few months ago had one and it was an intriguing piece of kit. Looks similar to the neon safety vests that are commonly seen and really adds no bulk or weight at all. Essentially, there is a "rip cord" from the vest that connects to the bike. Should the rider leave the bike, the vest inflates instantaneously, creating a protective barrier around the torso and neck. Simple, yet seemingly very effective. Probably a pretty good idea.

I just bought the latest copy of British bike mag, Motorcycle Sport and Leisure, and it has a two page article on the Dainese D-air airbag jacket (which costs 1400 Euro in Europe). It plugs into the electronics of the bike, specifically the Ducati Multistrada and comes with a rechargeable battery pack with 30 hours of charge. I don't know if it works with any other bike yet. You might be able to see the details of the article on the mag's website and it's from their July 2014 edition. Don't know if this helps or not, but it's one option.

opc wrote:

I can't offer insight into vests, but just wanted to express my best wishes for a quick and full recovery.

And a big PLUS 1.

Guzziboy66 wrote:

opc wrote:

I can't offer insight into vests, but just wanted to express my best wishes for a quick and full recovery.

And a big PLUS 1.

+2!

Street get well soon. While you are recuperating research this vest: Field Armor Stryker Vest. I wore one during my dual sport days, excellent construction, light weight and saved my butt a few times. I had an older version. It took a while to get used to having something on under my jacket but it will protect your ribs, chest and back. Once again I hope you are back on two wheel soon.

I had an "off" on my Aprilia Falco back in July of 2009 and I got five ribs fractured but I think I got off easier than you did Street.
Anyway, I got better and I'm doing well being back in the saddle so I am going to presume that you will make it too.

DM

Thanks everybody for your well wishes, I really appreciate it. Regarding the airbag vests, I did see the article Wyno referred to about the Ducati Multistrada/Dianese set-up and that one looks really expensive and is electronically connected to the bike. I don't think that's the best solution for me. Others are much simpler using, as Steve mentioned, a rip-cord to trigger the inflation using a CO2 cartridge. These vests and jackets are reusable too which is a big plus. You just have to replace the CO2 cartridge. I was hoping more of you guys would have used these things to help me narrow down my search, but it looks like I may be the Guinea pig here. The Stryker vest that Enzo mentioned is an option too, but that isn't an airbag type which is what I'm most curious about at this point. I am concerned about the bulk, comfort, additional layer of clothing (especially in hot weather), etc., but for a few hundred bucks, I'm thinking it might be worth it to avoid going through this again. Busted ribs and internal injuries are awfully slow to heal and damned uncomfortable. I don't have any fear about getting back on the bike, I know exactly what happened in the accident and I don't feel like I've lost my ability to ride safely and competently, but I sure would like to avoid busting myself up like this ever again.

Here are a few of the things I've found so far. I'm thinking the most comfortable thing would be to wear one of these vests over my regular riding jacket.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I may also wait until December when the International Motorcycle Show makes its annual stop in Seattle just to see if there are any vendors there that have these to offer. Would love to actually hold one in my hands and put it on over my jacket to see if I can even stand to wear one.


Thanks again for all your ups.

Street

I have a Dianese full back protector with shoulder straps and dbl kidney belt. Worn under full leathers.
The only time I got to test it was on Friday 13th August 2004.
Collapsed lung, collarbone dislocated and broken, 8 ribs broken in 12 places.
Apparently concrete walls aren't flexible.

In most cases, its your own arm/elbow between your ribs and point of impact that does the damage.
Double armputee anyone?

Street, all the best and get well soon.  

ghezzi wrote:

In most cases, its your own arm/elbow between your ribs and point of impact that does the damage.
Double armputee anyone?

Er, uh, maybe try the airbag vest thing first.

Gah! A local guzzi buddy was looking into importing an inflatable vest but gave up as the red tape was too much. I think part of the problem was vendor.

Gravel on hard deaccel took my GRiSO and me out a year ago April 1st. Shattered rh collar bone (not healing it appears, but not a bother either). Full gear, just hit the ground hard and didn't bounce. I used to bounce! WTF!

I sometimes think full pro-football gear is what we need. :p

My wife bought a "flak jacket" type of device when she got her bike and I am fairly satisfied with that.
A vest with rubberized plastic armor plates. There are others that are built around a vest jacket with arms that have armor plates around the chest, back and arms that I am looking to get.

DM

Pete,

  I just saw this thread, didn't know you had such a bad spill. Sorry about that. You know about my wreck and injuries after [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] about six or seven times. Under my Klim Latitude I was wearing all Forcefield:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Air bags have a problem with rebound energy, but I know they're state-of-the-art, and I can't compare, other than to say the forcefield I had served me well!!

Joe

george5421 wrote:

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Very enlightening, thanks for posting even though you made me think Street had just crashed his GRiSO until I looked at the date...

That's an interesting article, George. It happened to me too - a guy appeared to be looking right at me before he decided to make a left turn directly in front of me. As you could guess, the first words out of his mouth were, "I didn't even see you!"

One buddy of mine had a custom license plate that read: INVSBL

Pete (Street)

When I started riding in the early '60s, I had 2 accidents in a short period of time: T-boned my Vespa 125 into a left turn on a city street, and T-boned a BSA Gold Star at 8mph on campus, totaled it, twisted the head-stock, left turn right into me almost. Actually, it wasn't a T-bone. It was head-on!! The driver stopped because of the impact!! That sucked, but it ultimately made me 1-Y for the draft in 1969. Asceptic necrosis of the carpal navicular bones in both wrists. I couldn't bend them back, limited range of motion, couldn't do normal push-ups... As Yossarian would say... But I still don't wear Hi-Viz!!