SupermotoUSA comes to town to hold a race for their series...thanks to the following sponsors:
Bike Barn Motorcycles, Oregon Motorcycle Adventures, Rogue Regency Inn & Suites, CAT Equipment Rental, the Motorcycle Riders Association, Motorcycle Superstore, Naumes' Oregon Motorsports.
Great weather, despite the forcasts...Great People and lots of loam...
MRA CLEAN-UP DAY!
In large numbers, we can make a difference. The MRA is proof of that.
Even though this is last years event, I never get sick of looking at these images. So, I'm leaving this post up still.
More races
Reviews and Tech Tips
Bike Barn Test: Leatt Neck Brace
Leatt Brace Sport; Bike Barn’s First Test…kind of???
To start off this article, let me explain our schedule a bit…I purchased the Leatt Sport for my personal use…sort of…I allow a certain amount of expenditures every quarter for my personal gear and accessories. Of course, like the Alpinestar Tech 10 Boots, because I can buy these things at cost, I splurged for the Leatt Sport model. Retail on this is $595.00 so my quarterly allowance (even at cost) was pretty much maxed when I received the brace from Troy Lee Designs.
I decided to take the Leatt Sport Brace for its maiden voyage upon my shoulders to the Lobos MC Fall Classic Cross Country Race near Portland Oregon. The plan was to close the shop on Friday and Saturday (hopefully not angering too many potential new customers), head up Friday morning and begin riding mid afternoon when we arrive trying out the new shoulder mounted work of art. I haven’t really raced in a few years, so, Saturday’s Team Race was my big come-back. Friday afternoon was going to be my only “break-in”, “get-used-to-it” time to decide if I was to continue and wear the brace on Saturday. Unfortunately we arrived a little later than expected and by the time we set up camp, the sun was down and the fire was started.
Friday night, November 16th, about 7 pm…our camp friends (Pfaff Bros. Racing) decided to do a little night-riding using their recently acquired Trail-Tech and recently made KC Off-Road Lights. Knowing the riding abilities of the Pfaff Brothers, I was a little leery when they suggested that Dave and I come along on their night ride. I, riding our trusty 2005 Demo Sherco 4.5i which had a recently broken headlight bracket which caused the headlight to point left and Dave aboard his favorite Husaberg FE650 decided to give it a try. This would be my opportunity to try the Leatt Sport Neck Brace. Gearing up was a little interesting but really not bad…just figuring out the order with my chest protector was the only delay. While standing there geared up, I thought the side-to-side movement was a bit restrictive. All my pre-adjustments were made prior to this test which didn’t take long and it seems that my first try worked well. We set out on our ride with Scott on his XR650R with a large light shining the way…the problem is, Scott is FAST, FAST, so my biggest concern was keeping him close in order to use his light…while he could easily could have walked away from me at any time, I was able to ride at a reasonable pace off of his light with a death-grip like none before. Because of this high-stress situation I barely gave the Brace any thought…WAIT A MINUTE, THATS THE WHOLE POINT!!! Our ride was only about 11 miles of smooth twisty berms with a few rocky sections thrown in. Other than having to shove the Leatt Sport Brace down with my helmet once or twice (I elected not to wear the strap), I never even noticed the brace was there. Here is the thing though…because I was having to concentrate so hard on the rider 20 yards ahead of me for light, I rarely had to move my head side to side or to look behind me (I new the other Pfaff Brother was behind me because of my shadow from his lights). However, this ride gave me the confidence to wear the Leatt Sport Brace during my comeback race attempt the next morning. Somehow I was elected to be on the starting line with 20 other racers for the mass start to the first right turn. I’ve done one bomb run in District 37 a few years back (mostly raced D37 Enduros, starting 4 riders per minute), and one other class start like this one a year and a half ago.
Husaberg Rider and genuinely nice kid, Nathan Pfaff of Pfaff Brothers Racing encouraging me before the start.
on the start
Our Sherco fired quickly and my start was decent (6th-8th) to the first turn. By then, the line formed and I headed out for some punishment…my arms pumping, legs burning, mind racing, I was back in it…heart pounding, I was losing ground….UH OH!!! A flying W…I can’t remember the last time I pulled one of those…WHEW…I pulled it off, lost 2 positions but was back in it. Taking a glance back I noticed that while I was being pulled by the 8-10 guys in front of me, I was gaining ground on riders behind me…HEY, wait a minute…I was able to take a glance back…this brace is very un-obtrusive…a little rub on the chin and that was it. Very cool…speaking of cool…as I just went through a mile or so of abusive whoops, I noticed by muscles finally started to relax and I found my groove…once again, I noticed my muscles relax, I didn’t notice the brace around my neck. I felt good…this racing thing is pretty cool.
Oh crap!, this is scary! where did these tall things with limbs and branches come from?!
Well, my teammate for this race,Allen Pfaff of FAF Equipment Repair Inc./Pfaff Brothers Racing, and I did pretty well, we both had similar lap times, however, his laps were slightly more difficult (or A LOT more difficult if you talk to Allen) because the rain had started about a 1/3 of the way through my 2nd lap and it didn’t stop until Allen was done with his 2 laps. We ended up 9th in our class of 21 or so teams (darn that flying W).
Fortunately, I still don’t know if the Leatt Sport Brace works and I hope to never find out, however, because of all the trees in our riding area, the time will likely come when my neck will thank me. Until then, I’m glad to not know and NOT NOTICE if the Leatt Brace is working. We carry both the Club and the Sport version of the Leatt Neck Brace and having felt both, I’m not sure the extra cost of the sport version is worth the few ounces difference, however, for those of you who like bling, the carbon-fiber is a nice touch.
Leatt Sport Brace Positives:
• Price: While the price seems high, it pales in comparison to ending up paralyzed.
• Weight: Like I said, I barely noticed it
• Initial Side-to-Side limitations were never noticed in action
Leatt Sport Brace Negatives:
• I guess some would say the price is high, but like I said, try comparing that to a full time care facility with a hairy male nurse who has to help you go to the bathroom and clean your back-side. NECK BRACE PLEASE….