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Groin
Injuries
By
design?
You
think hitting the ground during an unscheduled dismount is going
to be painful? Have you taken a look at what you are sitting
behind lately?
Many
motorcycles are designed with the rider sitting in a well behind a
raised tank. Should you run into something with a bike
designed like that you are subject to massive pelvic and groin
injuries long before you hit the ground.
Some
bikes have a faux tank that you sit behind which are bristling
with controls and gauges. Though some, like the GoldWing,
are well designed in the sense that the controls are flat allowing
you to slide over them on the way to that dismount, some people
feel compelled to add 'custom designed' gauges and controls of
their own and those are typically dangerous in the extreme.
Your pelvis may not sustain the same degree of injury as it would
ramming into a raised tank, but a meaningful part of your groin
could be left behind on your way over the handlebars when it
encounters one of those 'designer' items on the way.
Some
people have mounted soft luggage on their tanks. These might
actually provide some measure of protection during a dismount.
That is, unless that luggage contains sharp objects or breakable
glass in them.
I
know we don't plan to ever dismount a bike by going over the
handlebars, but it amazes me that some people (especially
motorcycle designers) are thoughtless as to the potential
consequences of their choices.
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