[Randy]

Ranting of of madman, Or lessons I learned today
A hill at a rest stop, broken gravel, a slow speed turn, a car from nowhere and my scooter with the help of gravity over came my objections to falling, for a second there I was winning, but I lost....
Seems I learn 3 lessons to day and all worth passing on.






Well I think I found out why -kind of like- locking the gate after the horse escapes-
I now ride with the back rest removed, I never removed the rest while I had the stock shield on, I took it off after the Givi was installed. It seems moving back 3 inches allows the air blast to rise up over my helmet.
Which now gives me an interesting problem, do I get a new Givi windshield just for the hand protection or just keep the stock, maybe next winter and by then I will have forgotten picking pieces from the ground and getting blood all over my jacket.
Well I feel better now -thanks for letting me rant- and like they say" Enjoy the ride and dress for the fall " 8)

 

[Pete]

Sorry to hear about the mishap Randy. Hey - I wouldn't get another windshield if the stock unit seems to be doing ok - plus - summer is just around the corner and I'd be willing to bet that you'll like the smaller "air blocker!" Got pictures? I am going to start taking my camera with me all the time. You never know what you'll see or experience!

 

[4DThinker]

Ouch! I avoid gravel, sand, leaves, wet grass, and any other surface covering that keeps my tires from contacting hard pavement. The only spill I ever had, on my original 50cc moped, was sliding on leaves that had blown onto the road.

At one point I lived with 3-miles of gravel road between me and the highway. The 250 Honda would skitter and get blown by strong crosswinds going down that road. I pretty much kept my feet outboard to touch down with if the slip got edgy. The key to survival was SLOW DOWN IN THE CORNERS. The centrifical force of the wheels tended to keep the scooter straight on the straightaways, but their was no "leaning into the curve" on loose gravel.

But you know that now, don't you!

Dave B.

 

[GEOBOISE]

Randy, great reminder to all of us and very nicely put. Two miles an hour and still packed a whalup to the head. It's a good to have our confidence shaken occassionally, and lucky for us it vicarious.

I've read several sites explaining how easy it is to cut down windshields so maybe you could get the Givi and whittle away until it's just right.
Then you could let us know how it goes because that's what I plan to do someday.

 

[NYBubba]

Wake up call!

Sorry to hear about your mishap, but you're OK and that's #1. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[pauljo]

Randy,

Don't forget that they have those handguard accessories for the 400. Perhaps the stock shield with a set of handguards would be just the ticket!

 

[Lapine Rider]

#2 At a speed of maybe 2 mph the back of my head (more the back side) hit hard enough to really shake my head in the helmet. -time for a replacement .

Good luck with the new head!

Seriously, my only spill so far (thankfully) was at about the same speed, due to an uneven surface I was trying to negotiate. (I figured that if I could not make it, at such a slow speed I'd have plenty of time to react and make a correction. Wrong!) I landed right on the point of my left shoulder, and 8 months later still have pain and weakness.

Yes indeedy, I too learned a little respect...

 

[Pete]

...all of which leads me to an old question that i havent seen addressed here - (maybe I haven't looked hard enough! ).

When should a helmet be replaced? If it's been butterfingered out of someones hands over wall to wall carpeting, if it rolled off the seat while you were "suiting up", if you "bump a wall" when walking out of the house, if you're hit by an errant fastball launched from your 18 yo Son from 30 yards away? etc etc.

I know that this is one of those "gray areas" but..... :?:

 

[Randy]

Pete wrote

...all of which leads me to an old question that i havent seen addressed here - (maybe I haven't looked hard enough! ).

When should a helmet be replaced?

Sounds like a good question Pete, they say even if it just drops off the seat and bounces on concrete. That does not seem like enough to me. But factor in age, material break down and it could be. I guess to some degree it's a "seat of the pants" thing.
If your wearing a helmet then you have looked at the pro & con already, so when to replace it should be a little easier, after all you made the decision to protect your head ,now it a matter of keeping the protection up to par. Yes you can get them checked, but I never met anyone that did.
Right now seating here I know that my helmet has fallen off the seat a few times, and I still use it, but after today I feel it's time for a new one and this one is less then 2 years old.
And I guess you think in term of years, not riding season, because it wears out just being on a shelf.

GEOBOISE wrote

I've read several sites explaining how easy it is to cut down windshields so maybe you could get the Givi and whittle away until it's just right.

There is not enough left to made cutting it down doable

 

[pauljo]

The shell of a helmet is designed to structurally break down when it takes a hit. This controlled break down of the helmet shell (and inner lining) is what saves your noggin. So the answer is that a helmet should be replaced after taking any sharp blow, even if you can't see structural damage with your eyes. What constitutes a "sharp blow"? We are back to a subjective decision. If a helmet drops from the handlebars onto pavement or concrete, you should certainly consider replacing it. But my personal experience has been that this only happens within the first few days after buying a brand new helmet. :? It is pretty tough at that point to junk it and but a new one! I am still wearing a Shoei helmet that fell a few days after purchase - three years ago. The only visible damage was a small scratch on the outer shell. Good decision? Probably not.

I have also seen recommendations that you should replace a helmet after three to five years of use. This is due to the inner shell cushioning losing it's resiliancy.

 

[Guest]

Randy, Glad to hear you didn't get hurt that bad!

I have also seen recommendations that you should replace a helmet every two - three years.

 

[billmeek]

One item that might be of interest is a helmet damage sensor reviewed on webbikeworld at :

http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle- ... ge-sensor/

 

[quantumleap]

Givi broken also

I had something similar happen this past tuesday. Putting the bike on the side of the house before more snow came in, live just north of boston ma, it was dirt near a fence, put a block of wood under the kickstand so it wouldnt sink. this made the bike stand almost straight up, but still on the side stand. well, I put the cover on it, at the back of the bike pulling the cover over it on the right side, just enough pressure to move it to center, the bike rolled just enough, and fell against the fence (chain link). The Givi, bought in october of last year, split down the center, It didnt shatter though. No damage to the bike at all though as it didnt go all the way over. the shield hit the top metal bar on the fence and handlebars agains the chainlink. I will put the original shield on it this weekend, and my wife is getting me a new Givi for fathers day. It wasnt even running, I wasnt on the bike, but that cracking sound of the shield snapping,,,, yup,,, I knew something broke, took off the cover, yup, I was right. I feel for you. Lesson learned: do NOT park your bike on a downward hill facing downward and almost standing upright on your side stand.

mine is a burger 650 03 silver. now without the givi.

 

[billmeek]

Re: Givi broken also

Lesson learned: do NOT park your bike on a downward hill facing downward and almost standing upright on your side stand.

If you do park your bike facing down hill, it's always a good idea to use the parking brake.