Who here swears by their chest protector?

[Amadeus]

I gotta say I have never ridden mc's with a chest protector but then again I rarely ride on tracks and Im not a maniac. Have any of you been protected in any way other than from flying debris?

Ive had some spills in my time but I would have needed football pads on to soften the kind of blows Ive taken. And yes I have taken an occasional dirt-claud in the chest (wakes ya up).
On top of that I cant justify spending over $100 on a flimsy piece o' plastic that cost $10 in materials to make.

Anyway, they are called chest protectors hence they only save your chest;)

Whats you thoughts?
Thanks

 

[JPIVEY]

Spend the money,

I was out play riding (alone) not that long ago and hit a rock or something in this sand wash, I delected into a bush and went right though it,no biggie, got back to the truck and noticed I had a hole in my inner thigh, I also notice something sticking out of this hole, it was a piece of the bush, about an 1" or so long, had to pull it out with pliers and that is not an easy thing to do.

What does all that have to do with a CP ?? , Absolutely freak'n nothing, But I was just play riding, I'm not a maniac or anything , but that branch could have hit me in the chest (it may have) or side or even my neck, who knows.

So don't dick around and wear your protection :thumb:

 

[TheGrinch]

I agree with JPIVEY. Don't be a cheap skate, ou'll regret it.

I have worn a chest protector for years, no matter whether I am just cruising or racing. I have had stacks where I have come down on the bar end or fallen on rocks etc. My trusty chest protector has saved me from many experiences that would have been far more painful had I not been wearing it.

"Don't leave home without it"

 

[Dapper]

If you ride in the woods you would notice all sorts of things that you can fall into or poke into you. Wear the chest protector and be thankful if you never need it. It's not if you crash, but when you crash. Cheap insurance. Also I have crashed in the woods without a CP and wish I had it. My entire left shoulder was black and blue and very sore for 3 weeks.

 

[High Lord Gomer]

You have to wear a chest protector so that you have something to mount the neck collar to!

Over the years I've crashed twice...no, maybe three times...anyway, the CP helps to spread out the impact. I still have a scar across my chest from a handlebar in the days before I wore a CP.

 

[TMax]

Even with my chest protector I have broken a collar bone in one race and broke two ribs in another. Yes, I believe in wearing the chest protector because how much worst would it have been without it?

 

[jcramin]

A handle bar in the chest ?????????????????? I have three chest protectors for me, and I never get on the bike without one... To me that would be like taking my Honda CBR600F2 for a 150 MPH street ride and not putting on my $400 helmet... As far as protection, I buy the best I can ALWAYS...

J

 

[Zoomer]

Originally posted by High Lord Gomer
[
Over the years I've crashed twice...no, maybe three times...

:silly:

Amadeus,
I would spend the money on stuff like a good helmet, and chest protector before I would a pipe or mod for the bike!

Two years ago, I was play riding, practicing on a muddy day, going slow, just riding to get seat time with a buddy of mine. cross rutted coming out of a bowl turn, and the bike spit me of (high side), no big deal, except for the 8" rock I landed on, ....2 broken ribbs, Last time I rode with out my chest protector, its not just to keep flying rocks off you. :thumb:

 

[XRpredator]

I've seperated both shoulders (one twice) while wearing a chest protector/shoulder pad setup (Acerbis Zoom plus). If I hadn't been wearing it, I'd have been telling you about my broken shoulders!

cheap insurance, IMO

 

[Patman]

Why wear a helmet? I mean it's just a few dollars of plastic, fiberglass, styrofoam and some padding right? How often do you really fall ON your head? I wear boots not because I know I'm going to stick my foot in a rut or because I'm planning to burn my leg, it's because it could happen. I wear my Cells because my knees are already trashed and there is a possibility that a crash could do further damage and I'd like to avoid going under the knife. I wear my Acerbis Zoom because of the possibility not because I know I'm going to flip over backward and land on my back/shoulder then have the bike land on me (even though I should know that's going to happen some times).

 

[Green Horn]

Originally posted by Patman
Why wear a helmet?

If I were you , I wouldn't waste the money on one. :laugh:

 

[taraker]

Helmets are for sissies, just like chest protectors. Be a man & ride nekked

 

[n8MX]

I agree with everyone else (then why am I posting this??). A CP doesn't need to cost $100+. I bought one barely used for $40, off this site actually. It took some time to get used to, and I have to admit, I took off the little upper arm pieces - they got all tangled up and were just annoying. Now I alway wear it when I ride. I don't have a problem with roost (I'm slow but I don't ride around lots of people), but it has helped in crashes... it does a good job of distributing impact, and lets you slide along the ground better. Also, a couple times I have landed badly off jumps and pounded the CP into the bars - I'm scared to think what might have happened without it. It's basically like any other piece of gear - it makes crashing much less painful.

Andy

 

[Ol'89r]

Originally posted by Amadeus
I cant justify spending over $100 on a flimsy piece o' plastic that cost $10 in materials to make.

Anyway, they are called chest protectors hence they only save your chest;)

Amadeus.

They protect much more than just your chest. A few years ago I was riding in a GP and there was this place where we made a transition from the dirt to the street.

There were two slower riders in my normal line, so I had to go out wider than I had been going to get around them. Just as I was entering the street section, I shut the throttle off and my rear wheel hit a large sharp edged hole. The resulting suspension compression and unloading, pitched me up over the bars and I landed ON THE STREET on my back and slid about 40 to 50 feet into the turn.

My chest protector looked like someone had pulled it behind a car for a few miles. The thing was shredded on the back and both shoulders. I was able to get up and finish the race and other than a few broken bones in my foot, I was completly unhurt. (The broken bones didn't rear their ugly heads until later that night.) :scream:

I still keep that chest protector in my shop to show people how important protective gear really is.

Some people think wearing protective gear isn't cool. But, if you want to keep riding in your later years, you had better wear it.

You can wrap my arse in bubble wrap and call me the Michelin Man if you want, as long as it protects me. :thumb:

Ol'89r

 

[geremacheks]

Put an ad in the classified here under wanted to buy. You'll get one cheap. But will you wear it? I don't wear mine enough.

 

[BigBore]

I swear by mine. Hurts a lot less when you go rolling out through the pucker brush after a crash. All I gotta do to convince myself its doing its job is flip it inside-out and look at all the white stress marks on the plastic.

 

[Amadeus]

Well, other than riding naked I would say you all appreciate the protection given by your CP.:) I guess my real thoughts lye in fact that I DO want some kind of upper body protection but that these CP dont seem like a very sturdy design. They seem to be designed more for mobility and less for protection.
I have been riding street machines for over 13 years and I am a strong advocate for FULL protection(Never cheap either). It has literally saved my life in the past. So, when I jump on a dirt bike these days my upper body DOES feel naked and I do want something that will effectively protect me from the elements of disaster.
My only question was to what degree does this piece of equipment protect? You guys have answered well! It wont protect you from a head on collision with a rock wall (likewise for street gear) but it will minimize the injuries sustained in many common spills(as does street gear).

So as a response to everyones great replies: Im one to shop but never one buy cheap gear. If the GOOD stuff is expensive you'll be sure to hear me groan but I'll always buy it. So in this case I'll fork out some dough and give one a try........Until I come up with a better design of my own (maybe Ti plated football pads):)

Thanks

 

[JWW]

Also keep in mind that you dont need to crash to enjoy the benefits of a chest protector. You can blaze real close to bushes and it protects from stone spray. Ever been hit between a piece of gravel the size of a dime rocketing out from underneath a 525? It hurts and leaves a pretty little black mark.

 

[Reesknight]

Its just like any other protective gear. The first time I rode with boots, I thought I would never get used to them. Now I can't ride without them. Wearing all the protective gear gives me the feeling of being somewhat enclosed and protected so even if you never needed it(which you WILL), it inspires confidence which can make you a better rider.

 

[Timr]

I don't know if you ride Trail or MX or both, but I have plent of good chest protector stories too.

1.  When I was 15 and a brand new rider, I had a crash that earned me a trip to the hospital in an ambulance.  I crashed into a huge hole in the ground, and impacted my back against the side of the hole.  I was not wearing a chest protector, at the time I was new rider and had minimal equipment.  I was also 15 so it was tough to budget for.  X-rays at the hospital showed that I just had servere bruising to my lower back around the kidney and lung area.  I missed a week of school due to soreness.  In hind sight, a CP may have spread the force of the impact out enough that I would have still been really sore, but could've ridden home and not gone to the Hospital.  My dad insisted on the hospital trip becuase it knocked me silly too.

2.  Once I fell off my bike and landed on top of it.  My chest protector was between my breast bone and the foot peg that I landed on top of.  I surely didn't want to feel what a foot peg to the chest feels like without some plastic there to help out.  :scream:

3.  I went over the bars and got folded up like a rag doll.  End result was two broken ribs...could've been a lot worse.

4.  This is important.  Look for a CP with suspended shoulder pads.  This design is used on most CP with a mesh web under the shoulder pad that causes the plastic part to ride a little high.  This in effect creates a crumple zone when your shoulder impacts something.  I've ruined the mesh pad in my CP by smashing my shoulders into the trees when trying to go through the woods qucikly.  The CP does allow you to lean into the turns a little more with less fear about the consequenses of the impact with a tree.  It works exactly the same way bark busters allow you to skim your bars off trees when the trails get tight.

Remember, if you're not hitting stuff, you're not going fast enough.

Since that trip in the ambulance 17 years ago, I can honestly say that I haven't riden my bike without my CP on.  I fell nekkid without it.

 

[4EverOrange]

I landed chest first in a pile of lava rocks, put a huge gash in my CP. It did nothing more than knock the wind out of me.

 

[Treejumper]

Mine mostly protects me from branches that wack me while riding. Before the CP i use to have lots of scratches on my upper body. Rode a track once and ended up on my back. There were plenty of dents and scratches in the CP from that one. I got a used one to start with and then eventually bought one later on when i could afford it.

 

[Kawidude]

I got hit head on about two years ago on a trail (the other guy was going the wrong way). It happened around a blind turn and I had zero time to react. I was very quickly thrown over the bars (luckily without breaking my thumbs). On my way over the bars the bottom edge of my chest protector made contact with the crossbar, then the number plate, then the front fender/tire and then the ground for about 15-20 feet. I had severe pain in my stomach, but I can't imagine how much worse it could have been. I broke my wrist too, but that was from trying to lessen the impact of hitting the ground on the way over. I never ride without the CP now.

 

[MONKEYMOUSE]

Originally posted by JPIVEY
So don't dick around and wear your protection :thumb:

Carefull what you say some one might take that the rong way like me LOL. :laugh:

 

[jmics19067]

The way I see it the chest protector is the next important thing to the helmet/goggles. I would rather see my kid wear a 400$ unpainted helmet and a chest protector than a 500$ painted helmet and no chest protector. I would also rather see my kid wear an old long sleeve shirt and work gloves with a 100$ chest protector then a 60$ jersey and 40$ gloves. The amount of protection you are going to get from a jersey,gloves and pants are in my opinion "comfort level " type injuries scrapes bruises and the dent in your wallet because street clothes would shred up relatively quick, they wont help you much with broken bones. The chest protector could save your life from a branch or handlebar end etc... from finding a part that your body desperately needs to keep breathing or pumping blood.

Although I look like a poster child for a clothing company and wouldn't mind the "bubblewrapped Michelin man " look. And when my kids start riding I am probably come up with some type of styrofoam lined mediavel suit of armor but, I think of of the parts of my body I need to keep first , then I think of the parts I want to keep. :eek: