Review: LighTech Rear Sets FTRYA002

In order to tailor your motorcycle controls to your body, the first upgrade you need to buy should be a good set of aftermarket rear sets. I was torn between the LighTech and Vortex rear sets. Vortex make really good rear sets, and are very popular among a lot of track junkies. Vortex pegs have a very aggressive design to give maximum grip,  preventing slippage which can be potentially dangerous especially while leaned over. But that was also one of the reasons I chose the LighTech instead, Vortex pegs tend to 'eat' into your rubber soles, and I did not want to destroy the soles of the leather dress shoes I wear to work.

The Rear Sets
For my 2011 Yamaha R6, I got the FTRYA002. You may want to check LighTech's website to find out which model suits your bike.

Inside the packaging, you'll find the rear sets, the necessary nuts and bolts, and the installation manual. The installation is pretty straightforward, but I would recommend that you let an experienced mechanic do the job if you're not confident.

Adjustability
The pegs can be configured to 1 of the 8 possible positions, 2 levels for height, and 4 positions for forward and backward adjustability.

I stand at 1.77m  tall or about 5"10, and I wouldn't recommend the LighTech if you're a lot shorter than I am because you would probably need 1 more level of height adjustability. The peg position seen in the photos above is comfortable for me for track riding, and works for street riding too with just a bit of discomfort. This is how I remind myself that the R6 is meant for the track, not the streets. Or maybe I'm just too lazy to keep switching the peg positions.

Grip
The grip is excellent. I have been riding with the LighTech rear sets for about 3 months now, and have been to the race track twice. No slippage, not even in heavy rain with my leather dress shoes. What can be better? The soles of my shoes still look the same, no signs of wear and tear caused by the pegs.

Features
The gear shifter on my R6 has been configured for GP shift, or reverse shift. LighTech states this as a feature in their specifications, but to me, it's just simply flipping the pivot of the shifter rod around.

Zoom in on the top left part of the photo below to locate the metallic pivot of the shifter rod, which is pointing to the right, or rear of the bike. For regular shifting, the pivot should be pointing to the left, or front of the bike.

Unfortunately, the shifter rod when configured for GP shift, would rub against the stock R6 plastics. I had to cut a small section to make space for the shifter rod. See photo below to understand what I mean.

Price
The rear sets were SGD$660. I ride the bike on the streets too, so add in an additional SGD$70 for the rear brake light switch, which brings the total amount to $730. I must admit it's not a cheap investment but it is the one of the best upgrades I have made to my R6. Good control ergonomics prevents you from tiring out too quickly, and that translate to more confidence because you feel at ease on the bike.

Verdict
LightTech rear sets are one of the best rear sets that money can buy, they are used in some of the best teams (Tech 3 Yamaha) in MotoGP, SBK, and by many other pro-level race teams. There is no doubt that LighTech makes quality rear sets.

The only gripe I have about them are the lack of 1 more level of height adjustability. Other than that, they are pretty much perfect.

One more thing that I like about LighTech rear sets is that the parts can be bought separately. In the event of a crash, you would just need to replace the damaged part and not the whole rear set.

Also, check out a video of the rear sets in action.

The LighTech rear sets deserve a good rating.

RB Rating: 8 / 10

Ride safe.

Riders for Life #2

The second installment of the "Riders for Life" series. Includes footages of the recently reviewed Dainese gear, and my first track session after the major highside injury.

Ride safe.

Review: Dainese Aero Evo Race Suit

I've reviewed all the other Dainese gear that I bought, the Dainese Full Metal RS gloves, Dainese Axial Pro In boots, and Dainese Wave Air back protector. In this post, I review the final piece, the race suit.

So I got myself a Dainese Aero Evo Race Suit, new for the 2013 Dainese catalogue.

The Suit
The Aero Evo is not like your traditional race suit, the zip does not run down the middle of your chest. It is a W-frame race suit, which means that it has 2 zips that run from the top of the suit down to both sides of your hips.

Getting in and out of the Aero Evo takes a little practice for the uninitiated. The Aero Evo inner liner is not removable. The inner liner at the chest and back is something called a 3D bubble liner; it leaves a pocket of air between you and the suit. And we all know what that does, improved air circulation! For those of you who know that I sweat a lot, the 3D bubble liner is going to help me a long way. As for cleaning the suit, I guess that's the down side, I'll probably have to take it to get it professionally cleaned everytime it starts to smell funky.

The Aero Evo comes with a full race hump, ideal for full tuck ventilation.

And finally, as mentioned in my previous reviews on Dainese products, Dainese does not manufacture their products, other than their boots, in Italy anymore. Which is still a shame really, if not for the high costs. The Aero Evo is made in the Ukraine, and I've yet to find any faults with it.

Fit
I'm 1.77m tall, weighing at about 80kg. I have a slim figure with a 36" chest and 32" waist, and I wear a size 50. The fit is very snug, but once you're in the suit, it feels like wearing your own skin. This is something that my discarded Alpinestars Trigger didn't succeed in, the fit on the Trigger was bulky, and made walking a little awkward. All I can say is that Dainese fits me better.

Protection
The race suit has shoulder, elbow and knee titanium sliders. These sliders not only reduce the force on impact but also aids in sliding. That's why they are called sliders. During a fall, leather parts can cause a grip and flip effect on the tarmac, and cause you to tumble, which can hurt quite a lot. Metal parts tend to slide on tarmac; sliding is less dramatic and painful.

The Aero Evo also includes your traditional under-suit armour in the shoulders, elbows and forearms, and knees and shins. The armour is non-removable. I wouldn't recommend you to remove any armour even if it was removable though.

Features
The race hump is able to accommodate a Dainese Water Bag Kit, which unfortunately does not come with the suit. But I'm glad to know that in the event that I need it, the Aero Evo is able to take one.

The race suit is also able to take in Dainese In boots. This is the Dainese technology that allows the race suit's calf area to be worn on top of the race boots. See my review of the Dainese Axial Pro In Boots to understand how this technology works.

Price
I bought the suit at SGD$2000 from JR. Very close to the retail price of USD$1549.95 price tag listed on the Dainese official site. The price is a little steep but hey, it's the only other 1-piece race suit in the Dainese catalogue that has shoulder, elbow and knee titanium sliders. Can't complain. It is a very high end Dainese race suit that is feature-rich, and it's 2013 design.

Verdict
For a race suit so high up in the Dainese food chain, it definitely lives up to the brand's standards. The Dainese Aero Evo should be a popular race suit for both hardcore and casual riders in 2013. The unconventional double-zip design is an innovative breath of fresh air to the standard design.

For its price, the Aero Evo offers unparallel protection and comfort, the shoulder, elbow and knee sliders are a must for hardcore track riders.

Do remember to check out the other Dainese gear reviews if you have not. And lastly, check out what RevZilla has to say about the Dainese Aero Evo Race Suit.

Another great product from Dainese!

RB Rating: 9 / 10

Ride safe.

Review: Dainese Wave Air Back Protector

Did you know that Dainese invented the back protector? Over the years, Dainese has perfected the back protector, protecting riders from serious spinal injuries, it's no wonder some of the top riders in the world choose Dainese.

In the pursuit of my new Dainese track gear, I bought the Dainese Wave Air back protector.

The Back Protector
This is the exact same back protector that top level riders, such as Valentino Rossi, wear for racing. Even though no one is going to see your back protector under your race suit, Dainese made the extra effort to make the Wave Air look absolutely gorgeous, like all of their products.

Fit

The fit feels similar to my retired Alpinestars Bionic Back Protector, except that the Dainese Wave Air is a little more comfortable because I bought the correct size this time. Ask your sales person for advice on the size that you should be wearing. A good gauge would be to put on the back protector, with the waist strap comfortably secured to your waist, the top of the back protector should be about 2 inches below the collar of your t-shirt.

The waist strap is a double velcro system, like majority of the back protectors in the market. Wear the long waist strap around your waist, and use the short elastic waist strap to secure the position.

Protection
The back protector serves only a single purpose, and that is to protect your spine. What you don't see in the photo below is the honeycomb core that is between the 3D bubble liner and the plastic outer shell. The honeycomb core is designed to crumple in the presence of impact. Hence, the back protector is a crash-and-done protection.

After a crash, check the plastic outer shell for cracks, and inspect the honeycomb core for dents. If you find either one of those two symptoms, throw the back protector away and buy a new one, it did its job.

The Wave Air also has energy-absorbing foam along its circumference. That's the webbed looking material surrounding the darker 3D bubble liner in the photo below.

Features
Now, here's something I personally like about the Wave Air. The shoulder straps can be a little uncomfortable to wear under a race suit, so Dainese made them removable. Such a simple idea with so much ergonomic benefits. Under a race suit, there is no need for shoulder straps because the back protector is not going to go anywhere. Two thumbs up to Dainese for this ingenious idea.

Price
JR sold me the Dainese Wave Air for SGD$250. On the official Dainese website, the back protector retails for USD$199.95, I think I got a decent deal.

Verdict
The fit and features are fantastic in my opinion, there is nothing much I could ask for, really.

I can't rate the back protector much on its protection because I don't think I want to crash test it, let the experience of dozens of top level riders who wear the Wave Air and walked away from terrible crashes speak for itself. I am sure the protection is top-notch.

There are more technical back protectors out there which also include neck and scapula protection, but that wouldn't be a fair comparison, well because, the Wave Air was designed to just protect the back.

Overall, it is a great back protector and you should definitely consider it if you're looking for one.

RB Rating: 9 / 10

Finally, the review of the race suit coming next!

Signing off, ride safe.

Review: Dainese Full Metal RS Gloves

I reviewed the Dainese Axial Pro In Boots in my previous post. Continuing on to review the rest of my Dainese track gear, in this post, I review the Dainese Full Metal RS gloves.

The Gloves
The Dainese Full Metal RS is new for the 2013 Dainese catalogue. The Full Metal RS is essentially an upgraded version of the Full Metal Pro, to takeover its place on the top spot of Dainese gloves. Coincidentally, Valentino Rossi is also wearing the Full Metal RS in MotoGP, but of course in his distinctive high-vis colours.

The gloves come in a variety of colours. I chose the white/black/red combination to compliment my Dainese race suit.

Fit & Comfort
I wear a size M Full Metal RS, which is the same size as my Dainese Scalpel Gloves. Good consistent sizing within the brand. It is much easier to slip into the Full Metal RS than the Scalpel, probably because of the softer leather used.

The leather feels very soft and thin when compared to my retired Alpinestars GP Pro gloves. I'm not too sure about the abrasion resistance of the softer leather, but if Rossi's hands can survive crashes with this glove, then it can't be too bad for us mere mortals either. I hope I won't get a chance to test its crash capabilities though.

The fit on the gloves feels very comfortable and snug, which is a huge plus point for operating motorcycle controls. Notice the square rubberized panels on the index and middle finger, these are grip panels that help to increase grip and feel for the levers. A different version of the panels are also found on the top of your palm to help with throttle control. These panels are sewn into both the left and right gloves.

Protection
Looking at the photo above, notice the palm slider (in black) located below the little finger. When we fall, most of us instinctively place our hands in front of ourselves to brace. When that happens, combined with the speed at which you are slammed against the hard ground, you will most likely break some bones in your arms and/or hands. That is exactly what happened to me when I highsided last December, and broke a few bones.

The palm slider dissipates the impact forces, and forces your hand to go into a slide which further reduces the impact. Remember, crashing and sliding is unlikely to hurt you much, but crashing and coming to a dead stop sucks.

The Full Metal RS makes use of the Dainese Distortion Control Panel (DCP), which prevents your little finger from hyper-extending (bending in the wrong direction). Ask any hardcore racer and you would most probably see pretty messed up little fingers. The little finger is a common victim in motorcycle crashes. Especially when sliding across the tarmac, it can bend beyond its limit, and dislocate or fracture. Dainese also reinforced the leathers covering the little finger with plastic plates underneath that line up to further protect it from hyper-extension and abrasion.

As for the other fingers, there are sliders to help prevent the 'coming to a dead stop' situation.

Moving on to the back of the gloves, titanium plates on the knuckles and back of the hands, which are reinforced with metal hard parts below them. The titanium not only protects the back of your hands, I think they just look beautifully bad-ass.

Coming to the cuffs of the gloves, we see hard protection on the ulnar side. The ulna bone is another common victim of motorcycle crashes. If you look at at your wrist, below your little finger, you will find the head of the ulna bone. In a lowside, you will most likely land on your side, and that bone is going touch down hard. The added hard protection helps to spread the impact, and reduce the amount of force on your bone.

Price
The Dainese Full Metal RS retails for USD$349.95 at Dainese.com, and I got it for SGD$490 at JR. Not very close to the official retail price, you could perhaps get it for less online if you buy in bulk with a couple of friends and share the shipment cost.

Verdict
As with most Dainese products, unless you're a rich fellow, you're going to find their prices a bit on the high side. You're paying for the brand somewhat, but I convince myself that I'm buying top-grade stylish motorcycle gear.

The soft and thin leather on the Full Metal RS doesn't inspire a lot of confidence, but I suppose it does its job since top level racers are wearing it.

This is actually my second pair of Full Metal RS gloves, the first pair I brought home actually had a seam already busted open at the index finger, and it had just arrived at JR as a new shipment! Dainese imposes that its distributors keep a high level of customer service, and that was probably why JR gladly exchanged them with another new pair, apologizing profusely for the inconvenience.

This experience is probably the effect of Dainese shifting their production lines outside of Italy, therefore I urge you to check your purchases before you leave the store. Overall, I'm quite pleased with the experience because I was given a new pair, no questions asked, without much hassle.

RB Rating: 9 / 10

Next up, review of the Dainese back protector!

Ride safe.

Review: Dainese Axial Pro In Boots

It is about time I got myself a new set of gear for the track. Following my highside last year, I've either sold away undamaged gear or threw away damaged ones. No more entry level stuff this time, it's time for the premium goodies. And by premium I mean Dainese.

Dollar for dollar, you would be able to get better gear from Alpinestars. But after owning the Dainese Air-Frame Jacket and the Dainese Scalpel Gloves, I've come to realise that there is more than just bang for the buck when it comes to riding gear. Dainese offers excellent workmanship, fashionable design, together with functionality and protection. Don't get me wrong, Alpinestars makes excellent riding gear too, I'm just more of Dainese fan now.

I got myself a set of Dainese gloves, boots, race suit, and back protector. The reviews will come in as I write and publish them, so stay tuned for the next few days. In this post, I review the Dainese race boots.

The Boots

I got myself the Dainese Axial Pro In boots, the highest end race boots in the Dainese 2013 catalogue. The Axial Pro In is just a magnificent pair of boots to own, it is what Valentino Rossi is wearing in MotoGP right now.

The "In" in the name means that the boots are to be worn inside the race suit, underneath the calf area. Only certain Dainese race suits allow this feature. There are male velcro panels on the front and outside of the boots that would attach to the female velcro panels on the inside of the race suit's calf area.

Watch this video from SportbikeTrackGear to have a clearer picture of how the Dainese In boots work.

In case you haven't heard, Dainese no longer manufactures (most of) their products in Italy anymore, due to rising costs. The one thing that they still produce in Italy are their boots, so you can be sure that the quality is there.

I don't usually upload photos of the soles of shoes or boots but the underside of the Axial Pro In is just such a beauty to look at.

Fit & Protection
The boots come with so much protection that I don't know where to begin. I'll just touch on the more important ones. The Axial Pro In has replaceable stainless steel toe sliders, which just look intimidating. Just by looking at the boots, you would immediately feel safe and assured that it would do its job.

Also, notice the beautifully styled shifter pad.

And a stainless steel heel. Together with the toe slider, these 2 stainless steel parts ensure that you slide on the tarmac, instead of catching on and sending you into a tumble.

The Axial Pro In has an inner boot that is reinforced by carbon-kevlar. This answers your question as to why a Dainese In boot can match the protection of a Dainese Out boot. The carbon-kevlar is covered by a foam padding (the black part with the 2 elastic straps in the picture below) to give extra comfort.

In the event of a crash, the structure of the ankle protection prevents your ankles from distorting, thus preventing dislocation or a fracture.

Wearing the Axial Pro In is a very simple affair. Once you have your foot in the inner boot, all you have to do is to pull the 2 elastic bands, and attach them (by velcro) to the back of the inner boot. Next, roll up the outer sleeve, zip up and you're set.

The Dainese style prevails once again with this see-through panel that reveals the carbon-kevlar material in the ankle area.

I usually wear a size US 10.5. On the Axial Pro, I wear a size UK 43, that actually converts to a US size 10. But the fit is still good, and my feet don't feel cramped in any way. In fact, there is still a bit of space between my toes and the tip of the boot.

The fit is very snug, but gives a good range of motion in the ankles. It is much more comfortable to walk in the Axial Pro In than traditional bulky race boots.

Price
I got the Dainese Axial Pro In from JR at SGD$630. After converting the currency, it is very close to the retail price of USD$499.95 at Dainese's official website, even before factoring in import taxes. Small price to pay for the same pair of boots that Valentino Rossi is wearing at the highest level of motorcycle racing.

Watch a video review of the Dainese Axial Pro In boots by RevZilla here.

Verdict
The Dainese Axial Pro In (or Out) boots should be on the top of your consideration list if you're looking for the best pair of race boots out there. The only gripe I have is the heavy price tag, but if the price is not the deciding factor, then without a doubt, get the Axial Pro.

RB Rating: 10 / 10

Review of the Dainese glove next!

Ride safe.

X-Rays from 17 December 2012 Highside

I recently managed to grab hold of some of the soft copies of the x-rays taken after the crash. In case you have no idea what happened, check out my previous post. I broke the radial head of my right arm into 3 pieces, had my right elbow dislocated, and suffered an open wound on the inside of my right forearm.

Unfortunately, I do not have the x-rays taken at the Johor hospital where I could still lift my upper arm, and swing my forearm left to right like the loose minute hand of a damaged clock. Yes, it was still dislocated when I took the x-rays at the Johor hospital. The doctors there gave me 2 shots of morphine, I fell asleep, then woke up to 2 male nurses tugging and pushing on my injured arm trying to relocate the elbow. Man, that was 5 seconds of consciousness in hell, I passed out after that. About 2 hours later, I woke up to a relocated elbow, and saw that my open wound was cleaned and stitched up. I haven't had a chance to say thank you to the hospital staff in Johor, so here it is, thank you!

But it wasn't over. I still had bone fragments floating about in my elbow. Honestly, I very much preferred to be warded, and have my surgery done in a Singapore hospital. And that is exactly what I did. I arrived at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Accident & Emergency Department in the evening, with the help of Eric and Yi Yang.

Here's what the doctors at the SGH saw. Notice the area circled in red, that is the biggest chunk of bone that was broken off the head of my radius bone. I'm not sure where the other 2 bone fragments went to. According to my doctors after viewing my CT scan results, one of the bone fragments went up into my triceps. But the x-rays were not able to capture that.

Top down view. Notice the same big bone fragment on the left. The 'object' on the right was actually the x-ray picking up the open wound.

I had my surgery 2 days later, on 19 December. Luckily the surgeon was able to save 2 of the bigger bone fragments, and fixate them onto the radial head with 2 titanium screws. The third piece which was too small to be saved was discarded. This next x-ray was taken 4 weeks after the surgery.

From another angle. You can tell that the bone is still not smooth at the edges yet. The radial head typically takes about 6-8 weeks to mend, the second phase where the body reshapes the edges of the bone to smoothen it can take anywhere from 6 to 60 months.

During my second medical review at SGH, I complained to the doctor that I was experiencing some pain in my right hand. So I was ordered to take some x-rays...

Great, I had 2 more fractures to worry about. The broken bone captured in the x-ray below is called the scaphoid. It is notorious for the low blood supply to its area, thus requiring very long healing time (up to years!). And in some cases if the bone doesn't mend, the broken bone fragment can die off, in a medical condition known as Avascular Necrosis. Awesome news.

And the doctor diagnosed me with a fracture of the base of the fifth metacarpal bone. Or in laymen's terms, a fracture at the base of my pinky bone. I can't figure out where the fracture is, but it's there because it hurt when I pressed on it.

What could be worst after discovering this news? Well... There was nothing the doctors could do. I was told to let the fractures heal with time, hopefully. I really hoped that the scaphoid bone fragment wouldn't die, that would be disastrous and not bode well for my future.

About 16 weeks later, I went to a private clinic in Gleneagles Hospital, and took a few more x-rays. The radial head looked much more smoother, and the scaphoid was healing well. Phew! Sadly, I only have physical copies of those x-rays, so I can't show them here. Use your imagination.

The injury has been a humbling experience. It is now about 20 weeks after the crash, and after torturing rehabilitation exercises everyday, adjusting my diet to include more calcium, I am happy to say that I've regained about 90% of the use of my right arm. 90% because the arm is still not as strong as before, and I am still lacking about 5 degrees hyperextension. The next 10% will take years to regain though...

But I'm happy, the hard work paid off. Signing off with my titanium-calcium right elbow, ride safe. :)