Guidance for passing gear tech inspection

[John#12]

The PERSONAL EQUIPMENT NEEDED section in the RIDER'S MANUAL clearly states what type of gear is required if you want to ride on the track. For example, your helmet needs to be DOT, Snell, or Eu standard approved, full face with eye protection, and undamaged. The rest of this section talks about the rest of the required gear, but doesn't mention anything about damage.

One time I went to tech with a "damaged" helmet and it didn't pass. Were it not for a loaner helmet from a friend I would not have been able to ride that day. I thought the helmet was ok, but it was damaged and I should not have tried to make that call on my own as it almost cost me a days worth of riding, the track fee, etc. Not to mention the safety aspect of it.

So my question has to do with the rest of my gear and what level of damage it can have and still pass tech. We all have gear that isn't pristine, right? My leathers have been crashed in, but I had them professionally repaired. My gloves have been crashed in too and have a small area here and there where the stitching was severed. Some of the knuckles were bashed in, but I repaired the knuckles with epoxy and I think they are nearly as sound as new. Again, "I" think they are ok, but I am not the one who will tech them. They've passed tech before, but I realize this can be a gray area and some individuals may have stricter standards than others.

So what guidelines can you give me for determining whether or not an article of non-helmet gear should be retired or not, outside of the very obvious?

 

[Blaise]

Look... what passes and what doesn't depends on who does your tech. You will never get an accurate answer on here because its at their discretion.

However, I will tell you my personal opinion. Consider your gear. Do you feel safe riding in it? If you've crashed your in your helmet, would you rather get a new one or risk it? I seriously doubt your epoxied knuckles will work as well as new, but that's up to you. Tech is there to keep you safe... if you're really wandering far enough into the grey area to get trouble, take 2 steps back. The gear is there to protect you, not anybody else (like when they check your brakes, etc).

 

[TheGrouch]

Holes, blown seams, loose/missing stitching, heavy abrasion, etc. should all be red flags.

 

[barry38]

Most if not all of us CR's hate having to fail someone at tech, regardless if it's something to do with your gear or your bike. We do it for one reason, YOUR safety and the safety of your fellow riders. If I'm doing tech and I see something questionable, I'll normally get a second opinion from another CR or the event director.

If anyone has something they think is questionable, post a picture up on the board before an event. Most of the time that will be sufficient for us to make a call as to the acceptablity of the item.

 

[Lenny ZX9R]

What Barry said!:adore:

 

[John#12]

I went to post a picture, but couldn't because of the 19.5KB limit on uploading .jpeg files. I don't know how to get around that right now. It seems 108KB is as small as I can make the pics. I'd be glad to email them if you let me know your email address.

For now I'll assume they are ok since they passed tech before.

Thank you all for your input.

John

 

[Bluenvy]

upload them to photobucket or something similar and then post them on here

 

[Thunderace]

John#12, email me any pictures you want posted and I'll throw them up for you. My email is ummkay at comcast dot net.

 

[toptaz1000rr]

toptaz50@aol.com

email it to me and ill resize it for you and post it up

 

[John#12]

Wow, cool! Pictures are on the way.

I went to Photobucket and it looked easy enough, but this is easier yet. Thanks a lot.

John

 

[toptaz1000rr]

dont make it a habbit .. lol.. but no problem... you can also / always go to google and search for a free ware resizer next time

 

[toptaz1000rr]

Posted up for john#12

 

[dmb367]

dude, your hands are worth it. get a new set of gloves and hang those up in your garage.

 

[toptaz1000rr]

honestly i would use them .. its not a real CF in teh knuckles anyway .. and 90% of the time epoxy hardens like steel ... so i say use it

 

[dlockhart5x]

I'd be fine with those.

All the stitching looks fine and the hard parts just have some scuffs.

When you have more duct tape than leather ala Jon Gu's suit last year, then it may be time to retire the gear. (not recomending anyone abuse/test their gear as much as Gu) :saythat:

 

[JonGu]

That tape was only there to hold the knee pucks in place because I kept on burning through the pucks into the velcro, true story!

 

[dlockhart5x]

JonGu;35848 wrote: That tape was only there to hold the knee pucks in place because I kept on burning through the pucks into the velcro, true story!

What was that silver covered suit you were wearing at Gingerman last fall. Tryin out for the wizard of oz? :notsure:

I think next years fashion will be fiberglass reinforced packing tape. cuz the the fiberglass is like armor :haha:

 

[Bluenvy]

i would definitly wear those, as long as nothing is torn or anything

 

[rk97]

i try to ask myself, "would I let my __________" crash in this? Insert whatever friend or relative hits home.

obviously the helmet matters more than gloves. This year, I'm bringing a spare lid to every event. If i find a deal on new gloves, I'll have an extra set of those as well - in case I crash, OR if someone needs a loaner. I certainly appreciated being able to borrow a back protector from another member rather than shelling out $80+ for a new one when I got to the track and realized mine was still in my closet. (thanks jim!)