Motorcycle Forums banner

Safety Tip -- loose stuff getting tangled

999 views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  Easy Rider 2 
#1 ·
So, I just spent 20 minutes searching this website for various keywords and terms hoping that there was already a thread on this topic but apparently there isn't.

So I think we ought to have a thread in the new riders or learning to ride section here about a danger that may not be so obvious that is the danger of loose clothing, wires, tiedown straps, etc. getting tangled in the moving parts of your motorcycle.

When you were a kid, did you ever get the hem of your pants caught in the exposed chain of your bicycle? I did because not all of my bicycles had a chain guard/ cover.

Did you know that a famous celebrity of the 1900 to 1920's era, Isadora Duncan, was killed while driving a convertible with the top down and her long red scarf got caught in the spokes or axle of one of the wheels? Her scarf tightened up around her neck, jerked her out of the car over the door, and she was DRT - dead right there, as her car bumped into the curb and stalled out leaving her on the road right next to it, still attached.

I had MY yellow scarf get caught in my back disc brakes just a couple days ago while riding shortly after dawn when the temperature was 40° out. I should have tucked the ends in or at least wrapped it around twice so the loose ends would be only a foot or 18 inches long, not long enough to reach any moving parts of the bike, below my seat level.

Here on motorcycle.com, it has been mentioned many times that shoes or boots with laces are not a good choice for riding because of the danger that the strings will get tangled in something-- or even if the shoelace knot don't come undone, just the fact that they are a few inches long with loops can mean they get hooked on things like your brake pedal or your shifting lever.

I see A BIGGER DANGER, more likely to happen, from TIE DOWN STRAPS or cords that you might use on a luggage rack or to otherwise store some gear behind your seat above your rear fender (or tail).

If any of your gears straps come loose, could they reach your rear wheel?
And does your rear rear wheel have spokes or slots that could catch that loose strap and start spinning it around wrapping it up like thread going onto a spool? My bike has ordinary wire spokes and each one individually is probably weak enough that it could be ripped out of position if it snagged a tie-down strap.

This public service announcement brought to you by ... well.. me! ;-)


Wheel Tire Automotive lighting Motorcycle Automotive tire
 
See less See more
1
#2 ·
Today I saw a guy on a Harley Davidson who was dragging a 5 foot long dog leash looking braided rope from his right handlebar grip.

It looked like it got close to being under his back wheel, and so at a red light he reached over and flipped it. Then the end of it rested on the street not far from his floorboards.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top