Question for you racers and track riders…

Elfix said:
The two suits I’ve used were designed for the airbag system and both have a significant amount of stretch panels built in to accommodate the inflation of the vest. But…. It’s important to recognize that even with these expansion panels when the vest is inflated it will restrict your breathing. I hadn’t thought about this before my “off” and my inability to take a breath after tumbling to a stop (sorry Acotrel- we don’t always get to choose how we crash- you are right that a low side slide is far preferable to a high side) caused me a few moments of panic before I realized what was happening.

The trouble with panic is it’s really hard to stop panicking once you’ve begun. The Alpinestars vest deflates in about 30 seconds so it’s not really an issue if you have programmed your brain to know that after the unsettling ground/sky/ground/sky/ground/sky event you will be tightly squeezed. By the time I had gotten really worked up over not being able to breath I was able to breath, and my heart rate was able to come back down a bit.

If you do decide to adopt an airbag system, I think it’s probably helpful to “pre program” your brain to this reality. Doing do would have saved me a moment or two of horror.
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I have had new leathers made that are specifically designed for an airbag, they have extra stretch panels placed purposely to allow for the bag to expand into when it goes off.

But I’m a bit fussy, almost obsessive here, I don’t like to feel encumbered by any clothing, least of all motorcycle gear, so I’m hoping the Tech Air 5 Plasma delivers in this regard.
 
Even with the stretch panels the vest will give you a strong squeeze when it’s inflated. Just program that into your head so when it does you aren’t caught off guard.

It seems silly to point that out, because of course it does… but without mentally preparing yourself it’s more than a bit distracting.
 
You need to realise that if you race, you are going to crash. There are only about 3 ways it usually happens and there is an answer for each of them. When you crash, you need to go down slow. Adrenalin junkies do not often understand that a tweak of adrenalin can help you make mistakes. If you get into trouble, it is often better to become a zombie - fighting it usually causes more trouble. You also need to know where the crash came from - the bike or yourself. It usually takes me 5 laps of a race circuit before my brain changes enough for me to race. The perception of speed changes as I adjust. The first lap can look terrible, but I am used to it. If you start to crash, the amount of time you have is usually immense, but to an onlooker, it is microseconds.
I was watching a video of Casey Stoner and he mentioned fear. A Commando is not really fast enough to create fear. A high-side at 90 MPH would not be easy to achieve. I have been off a few times at that speed - usually due to brakes. If you were doing 90 MPH, where did the torque come from to make the rear end come around and grab ?
 
Elfix said:
The two suits I’ve used were designed for the airbag system and both have a significant amount of stretch panels built in to accommodate the inflation of the vest. But…. It’s important to recognize that even with these expansion panels when the vest is inflated it will restrict your breathing. I hadn’t thought about this before my “off” and my inability to take a breath after tumbling to a stop (sorry Acotrel- we don’t always get to choose how we crash- you are right that a low side slide is far preferable to a high side) caused me a few moments of panic before I realized what was happening.

The trouble with panic is it’s really hard to stop panicking once you’ve begun. The Alpinestars vest deflates in about 30 seconds so it’s not really an issue if you have programmed your brain to know that after the unsettling ground/sky/ground/sky/ground/sky event you will be tightly squeezed. By the time I had gotten really worked up over not being able to breath I was able to breath, and my heart rate was able to come back down a bit.

If you do decide to adopt an airbag system, I think it’s probably helpful to “pre program” your brain to this reality. Doing do would have saved me a moment or two of horror.
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What was the point in panicking about something which is out of your control ? Once you are off the bike, all you can do is relax and let it happen - you are in God's hands or dumb luck. After a while, you learn to handle what can happen, and stay on the bike. You will notice than when many guys fall-off motorcycles - the bike often stays upright and going straight ahead, while they are on the ground. If you get into real trouble, grab the tank and wait.
 
I’m pretty good about relaxing once the bike and I are no longer a pair and I’ve gotten to experience the phenomenon before. Once all the action stopped and the world had quit tumbling I began my usual body assessment- before I could go through the “arms fingers toes” stuff discovered I couldn’t breath (because of the airbag as well as having landed hard enough to have the wind knocked out of me) and I couldn’t see (because my face shield had departed and my glasses had been flung away). It was THEN that I got panicked because I feared I had been seriously injured.

And I couldn’t breathe. That’s sorta activating.

Mind you, in another 30 seconds or so my brain began to work again and I realized my reaction wasn’t helping or rational, and the vest had by then deflated.

As I write this I’m just now pondering the fact that I had the wind knocked out of me and had separated my shoulder in the fall WITH THE AIRBAG INFLATED. I can only imagine how I might have fared if I hadn’t been wearing it.
 
One of the worst things about road racing is adrenalin. Some of us are addicted to it, however it is actually an enemy. A jolt of adrenalin can cause panic and fear, and cause a rider to make a mistake. Whenever I ride on any race track , it usually takes 5 laps for my brain to speed up and become fast enough to race. Before then everything looks fast. I do not know how fast a crash happens, because to me, they always look slow if I experience them. Also, if I get hurt - I usually do not feel it, until the adrenalin has gone. The anticipation before a race probably keep the adrenalin high - it is affected by psychology. I think it actually sends me stupid. As soon as my motor starts, I always have an extremely strong urge to immediately ride the bike.
I have crashed many times when I was young, they always seemed to be in progress for very long times - except for the time I was dumped onto non-skid. Even then the bike was sliding down the road beside me as I rolled.
 
Fast Eddie said:
Al, do you ever read what you write ??
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Nigel, if you get the tank slapper and don't get your hands of the bars quick enough, you get launched. I once thought the bars had stopped moving and grabbed them - that was my quickest get-off ever - I was slung straight over the front of the bike and down the road at about 50 MPH, and got up looking stupid. The forces which act through the bars in a tank-slapper are tremendous - they looked as though they were stationary when I grabbed them. As soon as I took hold, they reacted. You cannot fight it, you have to wait.
 


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