I'm trying to decide on some gear - looking for some input if you have personal experience you'd want to share. if you crashed in your Light roadcrafter or darien - how did it hold up? Holes everywhere??? - light scuffs??? - how fast and where did you go down? Obviously the regular version will do better especially at higher speeds. Aerostich says to expect two-thirds to half the abrasion resistance. I have also heard from aerostich that the RC suits are somewhat overbuilt and that they don't need to be as tough as they are to work in typical day to day riding. (Honest that's what they said) Sooooo anyone have some real world crash experience to prove the veracity of these statements? Most of my riding happens sub 80MPH and generally speaking is between 35-65 - It seems the light was made for just such speeds! thanks for your help
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwbfUtOPk0o&playnext=1&list=PL8E8789BCF1E1B775&feature=results_video Roadcrafter crash report ..albeit "FULL" version suit
I was T-boned going about 35 in my Darien light.. slid for only 20-30 yards and am still wearing the suit today.. with the exception of a few busted threads on the sleeve clear pocket you cant tell it was in an accident.. not the speeds you were looking for, nor did I slide a ton.. but it did its job.
I kept searching and it seems that indeed while not the equal the regular that the light is a tough cookie and likely to do what you buy these things to ultimately do.
I crashed in late 2011 wearing a pair of Darien britches. Texting unlicensed left-turner nailed me, probably 30mph or so at impact. I ended up taking a short ungraceful flight and landed on the other side of the intersection. Anyway, the pants did their job quite well with only minor scuffing, but my leg and ankle were broken and the docs in the ER cut them off me and my wife threw them away. Later on, it occurred to me that they probably were repairable... They cut my jacket zipper too. No reason -- EMTs just like to destroy stuff... I was conscious and they could have just as easily unzipped the damn thing. I wasn't in a position to argue. Anyway, the jacket (Cortech Transition) was scuffed but intact, so I had the zipper repaired and still wear it regularly. My replacement Darien pants have spent an embarrassing amount of time between a KLR650 and various loose surfaces, and the scuffs are nearly undetectable. That Cordura is very tough stuff. The Aerostich knee armor is pure unwearable shit, though. Shameful on a $300+ pair of pants. I replaced it with Firstgear knee armor in the first pants, and the knee armor did its job perfectly -- not even a bruise on my knee. My current pair has a set of D30 armor.
thanks for your input finding crash stories from darien light and RC light owners is harder than I thought Maybe they are all great riders and never crash!
Personally, I don't feel safe in anything less than a Roadcrafter. My other two suits are a BMW Streetguard 2 and an Aerostich Transit. Protection-wise the Roadcrafter falls in the middle of these three and the leather Transit suit feeling most protective. All three are hot as hell in the middle of summer but I'd rather sweat than bleed. Again, 500 denier cordura is minimum for me.
Don't give up the fight! I shattered my femur back in '98 at a local MX track. I made them take my boots and pants off without cutting them....I think they liked it
