tech inspection thoughts

breezie

Member
Well as i mentioned i had a blast at NC bike. the only negative i would post and would love feedback on the subject is this..

We all love and enjoy this sport and we all have accepted the possible negative outcome of the sport. now i can completely understand the inspection of the bike and helmet(for the 5 year replacement date) but for my first experience i felt that the entire process of taking every piece of safety gear to the tech inspection was a little excessive. i understand its for our protection but we are all adults here and we have all accepted the responsibility of maintaining our gear or replacing it when needed. can some one chime in and explain it to me is there a liability for the event staff or something too that effect?
 

borislav

Control Rider
Well as i mentioned i had a blast at NC bike. the only negative i would post and would love feedback on the subject is this..

We all love and enjoy this sport and we all have accepted the possible negative outcome of the sport. now i can completely understand the inspection of the bike and helmet(for the 5 year replacement date) but for my first experience i felt that the entire process of taking every piece of safety gear to the tech inspection was a little excessive. i understand its for our protection but we are all adults here and we have all accepted the responsibility of maintaining our gear or replacing it when needed. can some one chime in and explain it to me is there a liability for the event staff or something too that effect?

You are right we are all adults BUT some adults act as they are not!
Now as we speak about gear we recomended back protector and require gear in good condition (no holes on the gloves and suit) because that is very dangerous in case of fall and also because some adults acted as a children and try to go trough tech with gear that had some extra ventilation!!! ;-)
 

adotjdot

Control Rider
ATP/3C
I agree with Bo. I know it can be an inconvenience to bring all of our required gear to tech but I personally would rather have someone else double check my gear and my bike to make sure everything is in good working order. I may miss a torn stitch on the suit or a loose toe slider that the CR would catch. Perfect example, I was at NCBike as well. I had just finished prepping my SV to take out in one of the later sessions and I asked Todd to look it over really well for me just to make sure I didn't miss anything. Well, he found that my rear brake lever wasn't pushing enough fluid to the rear disk. Sure enough, I had some air in there somewhere and all it needed was a quick flush and bleed and I was good to go. The idea of someone else checking your gear for you is just good practice with anything you do. If anyone has ever gone rockclimbing before, you ALWAYS have someone double-check your knots for you. Even when doing something as simple as hooking up a trailer to tow. Never hurts to have a second set of eyes to make sure you have the pin locked in to place or the chains connected properly.
 

breezie

Member
You are right we are all adults BUT some adults act as they are not!
Now as we speak about gear we recomended back protector and require gear in good condition (no holes on the gloves and suit) because that is very dangerous in case of fall and also because some adults acted as a children and try to go trough tech with gear that had some extra ventilation!!! ;-)
understand all that was said BUT gear is a personal responsibility and at most presents a very minimal hazard to other riders. the responsibility and hazard of this sport has been recognized by all riders and if not then they should check themselves and keep their gear up to par..not stirring the pot here just trying to wrap my head around things in these here parts of the world.
 

glen521

Control Rider
I agree, yes, we should all be responsible. That word means different things to different people. Like Bo said. As a CR, we can all give countless examples of items we found at tech and get responses like , " I am willing to take the risk." That may be fine for him but what about the other 30 riders on the track ? Even if he does not take someone else with him, the cleanup may cost excessive downtime to the other riders. Personal equipment - ill fitting suits or poor quality, gouged helmets that have clearly been in a crash....there are many things we will not FAIL you for but will advise against. I had one A rider who tried to hide his gloves, and once I insisted - he produced mechanix wear gloves[ not even the heavy model] that ended at the wrist and insisted that wera allows when he races..........really??

If you spend one day at tech, it is a good bet you would leave shaking your head. One last example: As CRs we must also have our bikes inspected. One day, I am going out, stopped at the Director [ Mike Moore ] and asked him to dbl-check me. He gave the brake lever a good squeeze and brake fluid shot out on his foot, repeat, same result. The banjo bolt just gave out at that moment - I no longer use anodized bolts. .......he may have saved my life...definitely saved me and everyone else a lot of grief.

Referring to personal gear only, could that minimal fall turn into something much worse requiring a helicopter ride due to improper or missing gear- causing down time for you all that are properly equipped ?
 

borislav

Control Rider
understand all that was said BUT gear is a personal responsibility and at most presents a very minimal hazard to other riders. the responsibility and hazard of this sport has been recognized by all riders and if not then they should check themselves and keep their gear up to par..not stirring the pot here just trying to wrap my head around things in these here parts of the world.

You are right your gear should be YOUR RESPONSIBILITY and should not be immediate hazard to others,but let's say you are iresponsible and go down with gear that is far away from good and in process you
leave skin of one or both butt cheeks on the the pavement and ... waiting for helicopter to arrive or ambulances to come back from hospital you are affecting everybody's day...
We are basically trying to eliminate as many variables as possible!
 

ToddG

Control Rider
Director
I will chime in here, over the years I think I've seen just about everything as far safety issues coming through tech inspection. I have no doubt that someone will still surprise me. The issue is that good safety gear cost money and if you’re working on a tight track budget, you'd be surprised how one can justify in their heads that is "OK". We are here to ensure the safety of all riders on the track, even saving you from yourself! The funny thing about safety gear is that it really only becomes important to you when you need it, and if you're not wearing it or have bad gear it will show up 10 fold in an instance that you need it! There is a reason that even the CR's can't tech their own bikes, I ask one of them to strool through and tech them all and then have someone else thech theirs. As already stated, always good to have a second set of eyes looking at our equipment!

See you all at Tech!!
 

ScottLevy

Control Rider
You don't have to be dressed in your gear. An easy way to bring your gear up is to wear your boots, put your helmet on the top of your head and throw the rest of your gear over the tank.
 

HondaGalToo

Control Rider
My brothers covered it very well. I've nothing to add except to agree 100% with their comments. In addition to Mechanix gloves, we've had folks come through with workboots with laces, and cowboy boots. No armor = broken ankle.

There are so many variables we cannot control; we try to minimize the risks we do have control over - doing a thorough inspection of bike + gear.
 

motorkas

Member
Only posting this to address "how does bad equipment effect other riders". . .

This was from NCBIKE that weekend. . .passed tech and apparently Woodcraft sliders have velcro that will never come loose. . .didn't find out it was gone until knee went down on the deck and I thought. . ."hmmmmmm that felt weird". . .The important part is that ToddG is in back of me and when Youtube is done with the edits (I slow motioned it by 8 times) you'll see it went right over his head. . .I checked, I was doing 142mph because we were on a sighting lap. . .at that normal spot I'm ususally approaching 160+. . .if that would have hit his visor. . .and that was with good gear.

(sorry again Todd!!!!!!!).

 

Dave561

Control Rider
Director
Wow, glad that wasn't me. Oh right, I don't stay behind you that long.

Nothing to add since its been stated well already. Necessary evil to go play. Its only ten minutes of time for a day of play. Just get it over with and enjoy the fun to come
 

Pseudolus

Member
Hey Breezie,

Loved the way you brought up the topic respectfully! The ONE time I rode with another org, the only advantage I saw with them throughout the entire day was the issue you bring up. There were many negatives.

I could go down the path of arguing that N2 is trying to save you from yourself or N2 is trying to prevent you from wasting everyone else's day during the cleanup.

But instead, I would ask anyone against this rule, if it's really worth spending any energy worrying about a rule that makes you safer with very minimal impact on your time, energy or fun?

Just my $.02, infused with Pinot Noir....:D

I CANT WAIT FOR AUGUST 2 &3 and tech is the one thing that hasn't appeared in my dreams! Although I do have the world's greatest pit crew! :first:
 

Pseudolus

Member
Wonderful.:mad:

I make my eloquent post and then see Dave said it with 80% less words WHILE taking a shot at family! :D

I can't wait to @&$&@&$&@'@$&@& RIDE!!!!!!!
 

Pseudolus

Member
Hey Breezie,

Written word sucks for understanding tone. I took away from your first post that you're a cool cat. Hope you didn't interpret my post as heading anywhere. Apologies if you did. Look forward to meeting you some time and maybe riding NJMP! Cheers!
 

motorkas

Member
Wow, glad that wasn't me. Oh right, I don't stay behind you that long.

Nothing to add since its been stated well already. Necessary evil to go play. Its only ten minutes of time for a day of play. Just get it over with and enjoy the fun to come


Wonderful.:mad:

I make my eloquent post and then see Dave said it with 80% less words WHILE taking a shot at family! :D

I can't wait to @&$&@&$&@'@$&@& RIDE!!!!!!!

Don't worry, we both know who's really behind making him fast enough for the clean sweep in Ohio (congrats again brother:first:). . .but youre so f*%cking done next weekend. . .I bought a go pro just to put on the back of my brother's bike as well - wanted to get as much footage as possible for the SV snuff film. . .let me know what kind of music you want to be played on it. . .:D:D:D
 

motorkas

Member
Hey Breezie,

Written word sucks for understanding tone. I took away from your first post that you're a cool cat. Hope you didn't interpret my post as heading anywhere. Apologies if you did. Look forward to meeting you some time and maybe riding NJMP! Cheers!

Lay off the Pinot. . .mom says "hi" by the way. . .that and "what is it about this motorcycle forum and you two. . ."

Breezy - what he said. . .doesn't seem like it but these guys (and gals) are an absolute RIOT to spend time around. . .actually look forward to the banter and their company more than the riding (not by much, but it really is the people that makes this so much fun. . .:))
 

HondaGalToo

Control Rider
Got it all.... refuse to go where this is headed.. have a good one

Hey breezie, you asked in a respectful manner and got, I believe, respectful answers that I think/hope got the reasoning across. I'm not sure why you're ducking out. But, no, the rule of bringing gear through tech isn't going to change, no matter how much you or others argue your point. We heard you and tried to explain why. Yes, we understand it's a bit of a pain in the ass, but a good idea for all the reasons mentioned.

Hope to meet you at the track. Cheers!
 

Lenny ZX9R

Control Rider
Hello all! Just my .02 cents! Just a few things that I've seen over the years in tech:
1. Leaking fork seals that have leaked onto the brakes!
2. Helmets that have been down, and after inspection, finding the polystyrene crushed making the helmet useless in a crash!
3. Bald tires with cord showing through!
4. Levers with very sharp edges!
5. Pointed windscreen screws!
6. No rear brake pads!
7. Missing front brake pads!
8. Suits with holes that I could put my fist through!
9. Gloves with big holes in them!
10. Cowboy boots! Work boots!
11. Shorty stunter gloves with mesh!
12. Leaking front brakes!
13. Chains that are tighter than a guitar string!
14. Loose steering head bearings!
15. 2 piece leather suits where the zipper was broken!
16. Helmets that are too big! A helmet that is too big will probably spin or come down on the nose! I have seen both happen and its not pretty.
17. Helmets with only 1 chinstrap!
18. Loose front brake caliper bolts!
19. Missing brake pad pins! They hold the brake pad in the caliper.
20. Throttles that stay open! That could be a bad one!
I'm sure other Cr's and directors could chime in and tell of their experiences during tech.

These are just some of the things that I have seen over the years and everytime I brought this to the attention of the rider they took care of it and thanked me for keeping them safe!

Safety is our #1 Priority!
 

Otto Man

John
Control Rider
Well as i mentioned i had a blast at NC bike. the only negative i would post and would love feedback on the subject is this..

We all love and enjoy this sport and we all have accepted the possible negative outcome of the sport. now i can completely understand the inspection of the bike and helmet(for the 5 year replacement date) but for my first experience i felt that the entire process of taking every piece of safety gear to the tech inspection was a little excessive. i understand its for our protection but we are all adults here and we have all accepted the responsibility of maintaining our gear or replacing it when needed. can some one chime in and explain it to me is there a liability for the event staff or something too that effect?


It's rather odd to hear that complaint from someone who has just completed their first weekend... LOL

I'll be one of those that will go against the crowd and I can totally relate with you breezie. That's one part about WERA I love - all you need is your helmet for tech. And you tech once for the entire weekend. It's very nice. Granted, the bike tech inspection is much more thorough than at a track day, so regarding the comment about WERA letting the dude wear Mechanix gloves, well, yeah, it's actually rather easy to see that happening when the only gear you need to bring is your helmet.

We (The track day orgs) have to have tech for the same reason your coffee from the drive through has 100 warning labels about it being hot. I'd be willing to bet 95% of the track day riders know what is good gear and what isn't. It's not exactly rocket science. But we got to look out for the other 4%, those that just don't know any better. Maybe it's their first day, and they never had anyone to show 'em the ropes. That's what the tech inspection is for. The other 1% are the ones that know better, and still try to sneak through tech anyways. Those are just people pushing Darwin's theory, because you gotta be totally off your rocker to knowingly go out and ride on sub-par gear.

Ensuring everyone's bike and protective gear are good to go is the best way to minimize the risk of personal injury, and be able to afford the most amount of track time for everyone involved. I don't personally agree with it, but I can't argue that you can completely omit gear inspection. You absolutely must have to. And to be honest, I don't want to lose track time because some guy decided to wear cowboy boots on the track and now the track will go cold for the next two hours as everyone is on a medical hold because the ambulance had to give him a ride to the hospital (And they won't continue on with a track day without an ambulance present). So it's real easy to see that my desire to have the most amount of track time greatly over rides that I'd like to not have to bring my gear to tech. "Necessary evil" is a perfect way to put it.

Now if you're wondering why racing has less stringent inspections of gear, well then I can't give you a real solid answer. I can tell you their requirements are the same, actually its mandatory to have a back protector, but it's not as enforced during tech inspection. With the popularity of track days in the past 10 years, it's extremely rare to see someone go from riding the street to racing. Almost all racers are prior track day junkies, so I would venture to say racers are generally held to a higher standard, and should know what is to be expected regarding gear. Track days focus on good, clean, smooth riding and constant learning, and safety goes hand in hand with that.
 
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