Glad Your going to be OK . Now I remember why I always wear my jacket with armor, gloves and a helmet, Always. Just last week the Hardley riders at work were giving me a hard time about wearing all that gear on an 80 degree day. After reading your story it made me think about getting some better gloves and riding pants with armor. Bryn1203, I dont have any idea what the top speed of a Scrambler is . I doubt it will do 120 with stock gearing.
Glad you survived. Reaffirmed my commitment to to full face helmets and protective gear. Best of luck getting the Scram back on the road. T.
Ahhhh, I-95 where a huge ass suburban tried to install me as a side car on the way from Woodbridge to Springfield. That is rough riding.
I was wondering the same,thats a big hole in a hand for wearing gloves. The ft brake just locked up on the freeway? Yikes! That is very lucky you didnt get run over. Ive noticed when using the ft brake hard going into corners that it IS a little grabby,worse when the ft forks bottom instantly on application of brakes. Hard to make it go straight once the forks slam bottom and the bike starts bump steering while on the brakes. I will call race tech on monday to see about Emulators and springs. Triumph must have bought these forks and shocks out of the leftover bin.
I would never,ever wear an open face helmet on a motorcycle. Style is one thing,bouncing my uncovered face off the road or a car just doesnt sound smart.
+1 on that. I have seen the results first hand. Really not something you want to go through and you never look cool again.
I don't know for sure if the front locked up on me or not. I pretty certain the rear did, if only because I could hear the skid and feel the rear end start to slide to the left a little (plus my rear brake's always been a little grabby.) I was told that I bumped the rear end of the car in front of me, but I didn't see any damage to it, so if it happened I couldn't have hit too hard. Still, if my rear end was even a little bit out of line if the front end tapped the car in front of me, it'd be the easiest explanation for the bike going down. What have I learned from this?? Full-face helmets are a must. Yes, all the open faced helmets look cool (including the Davida's with aviator goggles) but with the full-face, I'll still be looking good for all those times when I'm not on the bike. Not just any gloves will do. Just because a glove has a good bit of leather on it, doesn't mean that it will stand up to the stresses of sliding down an interstate. Motorcycle gloves are designed for that. Military aircrew gloves are designed for getting out of a burning aircraft. They're not the same thing. Don't fight physics. If you're sliding down the road, and you think you can stop yourself from sliding, or change the direction you're sliding in, you can't. If you try to fight physics anyways, wear gloves that won't succumb to road rash when you put most of your body weight on your hands for an extended period of time. If you get a mental nagging that you should turn around and try again tomorrow 3, 4, or even 8 times, quit telling it to Remember, ATGATT knows best!
I vastly prefer an open face helmet with goggles. I couldn't give a rats ass about how it looks, I just like the wind in my face. That said, I haven't owned one for several years now. The full face just provides so much more protection.
I have always thought that just the huge array of big and small bugs that smash into my face shield at speed is enough reason to wear full coverage lids. Sliding down the road with a streetbike on my back forcing my face into the grinding pavement is just another possibility. I started racing flattrack when I was 15,I told my dad I wasnt going on the track till I had a full coverage helmet. Ive ridden cross country and marveled at the states where they have no helmet law,sunglass's and a hat on backwards is all you really need anyway. Definitly to each their own though,if open face feels good then do it.
Nah, too old and wise now Don't like the face grinding imagery either. I just found it odd that so many in this thread mentioned how cool or good looking the open face is.
After getting back on a saddle after 12 years I had to choose a helmet. I went for an open one, because 1. it just feels right. The incoming air lets me breathe freely. If I wanted to be secure, I'd drive a car, which I don't. A motorcycle is dangerous. Period. 2. A closed helmet fogs my glasses. All the time. No matter what I do. 3. Although they are small, my glasses wouldn't fit inside this pidgeonhole. 4. I drive faster and more careless with a closed helmet. 5. Being close to fifty I'm not that handsome anymore...B-)... a few scratches wouldn't matter much. 6. The fabulous and greatly admired Steve didn't wear a closed one either. 7. I have two vizors in my helmet - enough protection, I think. and it matches my scrambler: http://www.uvex-sports.de/index.php?id=177&pNavi=8&L=1&pModel=jet+160
Thinking that they are cool or good looking isn't the same as using them. I'd bet that most of us appreciate the appearance of a swimsuit model but few really think we'd like to live with one! I can recall when the best we had left much exposed and live where no helmet is required by law. After a few decades of dealing with accidents - I have no explanation for why I have never seen anyone who had much for facial injuries from a crash, strange in retrospect. Bruce
I am really sorry to hear about your accident. +10 for ATGATT mentality though. For the amount of money spent on farkeling our bikes I believe the first items should be protective gear. Sorry to hear about the bike, but the bike can be repaired easier than your face. At least YOU are OK and that is all that matters!
Can anybody here give me a run down on differences in noise (volume, etc...) between the TORS and the Arrow? Youtube isn't helping all that much. Google isn't cooperating too well either. Thanks.
Does anyone know where to get paint to match the matte green paint on the Scrambler? Triumph doesn't have it and Color Rite does not list it as available.????? .
A "good" paint shop should be able to color match just about anything you give them, but I'd kinda like to know too. After all, I do need a new matte green side panel.
Got to disagree on a few points there. Motorcycles are not dangerous. If they are, so is every other mode of transport. Its your choice to wear an open face helmet. Just as long as you are aware and accept, that should you come off, your face/jaw will more than likely come in contact with the ground. The gouges are there on the chin piece of Tsorm's helmet as proof of that. I'm curious as to how you fit two visors on a helmet? While a visor is good eye protection from impacting flying debris, its so good if you do a face plant into bitumen and continue to use your dial as a brake. I'm not the most attractive specimen on the planet either, but given the choice, I very much prefer to keep my jaw and various other bits in their proper place.
I'm pretty good looking so naturally I go full coverage to retain my GQ looks. And I have used a few of my nine lives up already.
Racers were routinely killed in the old days from simple crashes that involved a bump on the head,pudding bowl helmets were largely cosmetic compared to a top line full coverage helmet of today. I would feel naked going down the road with my face sticking out to gaurd the rest of my head. Granted anything that moves is dangerous but the rider is really the biggest safety feature on the bike,where you put yourself on the road and how you do it is what can keep you from having close calls all the time.