While
BMW is
no stranger to the motorcycle helmet arena, the Motorrad division has went and gone official with its neck bracing system in the
UK. Introduced in November of last year, this safety-minded technology utilizes Kevlar, carbon fiber, and padded foam to create a plate that sits between a rider's shoulders and any helmet in order to "provide optimum protection for the spine during an accident." Due to the materials used in construction, the contraption is both lightweight and rigid, and two side clasps enable rides to easily strap it on similar to a collar. The idea is of course to stop the head from moving too far in any direction whilst in a collision, but the team does state that "the rider is also able to retain freedom of movement needed when driving." The neck brace system is available now at Motorrad dealers for £325 ($648), and while there's no word of a US release just yet, we can't imagine it being too far behind. Another shot after the jump.
[Via
Autoblog]
posted May 10th 2007 8:01AM
Yeah! and to hell with seat belts, air bags, and side impact protection systems in cars too! That stuff is for losers!
Wha? What does that mean? Seat belts aren't for people in cars who can't drive properly, they're for when an ACCIDENT happens. Same thing with rider gear. You can be the best rider out there, but unless you can see the future, ACCIDENTS can happen. Protect yourself.
So... because you wear a helmet for safety, it means you shouldn't be doing it?
To me, that's akin to saying that because you need that lead sheet in the front of your microwave, in order to protect you from the radiation, that people shouldn't be using microwaves.
Or for that matter, the fact that you need to put shoes on before walking outside on rough, rocky areas means you shouldn't be doing that either?
Humanity as a species wouldn't have gotten anywhere if we were really that concerned with staying safe to the point of being coddled. I'm willing to put my life on the line if it means I can actually ENJOY that life.
Of course that doesn't mean I'm about to risk that life that I'm enjoying quite so easily. I'll take the various precautions like this one that will allow me to do what I enjoy and still keep the risk to my life relatively low.
Mind you, I don't actually OWN a motorcycle, nor have I even ridden one, but that's still my stance on the matter.
Hahhah! My only weakness is gone, now I am indestructible!
Looks a lot like the Leatt Brace to me. The Leatt's been available for a few months now.
Looks like it wiped the link from my previous comment. The Leatt Brace can be found at http://www.leatt-brace.com/ and ordered from a few different offroad suppliers.
I wish this "after the jump" crap would stop already.
Looks like these guys have cut a deal with Leatt to import them to the UK.
Yes that looks like the Leatt Brace. I have been using one of those for some months now here in the States.
Motorcycles arent anymore dangerous than cars. i ride motorcycles and im more afraid of people in cars than anything else. i trust my riding skills but i dont trust 99.99% + 0.01% of jerkoffs driving.
@ FourthDimension
As a rider, yes I do fear cars. Drivers simply do not see motorcycles whether you're going 10 or 100 mph. But just because cars might be to blame for accidents involving motorcycles, that doesn't make bikes any less dangerous. Simply, someone if someone hits me with a car I'm way more likely to sustain injury then the driver simply because I'm exposed the driver isn't.
Two years ago, this idiot driver cut me off while I was doing 40mph and she was doing about 50mph. Injuries to her: none. Me: broken humerus, broken wrist and bruised ribs.
Bikes are dangerous and everyone that rides will take a spill sooner or later.
To my knowledge BMW doesn't make any of their own riding accessories. And - I doubt BMW will market this in the US. They're afraid of liability from our litigious society. That's why they haven't sold the BMW helmet (made by Schuberth) in the US for some time.
Isn't $650 a bit much for $0.30 worth of plastic pellets, injected into a mold and a couple strips of foam? It must come in a nice big box... Oh maybe the instruction manual is 60 pages and comes with color photos! Ah that must be it. Well worth the price. ^_^
I'm joking ^_^
I've been looking for something just like this for a while. Ever read 'Snow Crash', when the skateboard courier gets into a crash and an airbag inflates to support her neck and spine? I busted three cervical vertebrae some years ago. A lot of people might look at me funny when I say I'm still riding a motorcycle (and bicycles, and snowboarding). I shell out the bucks for any kind of safety gear that still looks cool, which this does. People don't always do what the doctors recommend - that's where technology steps in to help.
"All The Gear, All The Time" just got a little more expensive. Personally, I'm waiting for the one with Haga graphics. :P
bross is 100% correct in his comments. BMW will never bring this to the states. If they had any plans to bring this to the states they would already be selling "their" helmets here too.
Na dann kanns ja losgehen, wenn der Führerschein fehlt und MPU droht: EU-Führerschein ohne MPU sicher und günstig schon ab 890,-€ Auch Einzelheiten zur Anreise und zum Ablauf der Führerscheinprüfung werden detailliert vorgestellt. Weitere Info´s gibt es unter http://www.mpu-frei.de