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Motorcycle Safety and Awareness
Welcome to think bike, the podcast about all things motorcycle and the voice of motorcycle safety and awareness in Alberta. Your host is Leanne Langlois.
Liane:Hey, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of think bike. Now it's been a couple years, but I'm super excited to have Edmonton's own, Justin Knappik, owner of On Track Performance and captain with Edmonton Fire and Rescue. Welcome back to the show, Justin.
Justin:Thank you very much, Leanne. Nice to see you.
Liane:We have had a couple people kind of write in with ideas of shows, and one of the ones was regarding airbags. So that's why we brought you back because you have a lot of experience with that. But before we get there, let's remind everybody who is Justin Knappik and what got you into riding?
Justin:Well, I started riding in 02/2001. Bought myself a 600cc sport bike and I quickly went out to the racetrack and started doing track days in 02/2003. Did my first races in 2004 out at Stratotac Raceway. And then 02/2005, I went to Expert. And by 02/2008, I had opened up On Track Performance Riding School.
Justin:Really since then, I've had an opportunity to have a lot of luck, a lot of success. I've won the Pro Superbike Championship for Western Canada four times. I'm a four time winner of our Edmonton Expert Superbike Championship. And I've also had a chance to learn a lot of things of what not to do as well.
Liane:We'll get into that a little later. Do only ride on the track or do you ride on the street at all?
Justin:I ride a little bit on the street. I also ride enduro motorcycles. So I spend a little bit of time in the dirt as well. And I'm really looking forward to getting doing some adventure riding here in the next coming years too, because I really, really enjoy that.
Liane:Yeah, there's a lot to see in the off road area of Alberta, BC, you know, whatever, just really different views and crazy trails out there. So something I wanna get more into as well. I just need the right tires on the scrambler and I can get out there. Because we haven't had you on for a couple years and RMM has opened at Rocky Mountain Motorsports, What is your opinion of that track? Because, you know, we we trust your opinion of almost everything given your resume.
Liane:So what's your opinion of RMM?
Justin:It is a phenomenal facility. It's really, really cool to see, an Alberta answer to some of the big beautiful tracks that we see down in The US and, RMM is in development right now. They actually just finished, here in the July, I believe they just finished adding a huge part to their paddock. They're adding in garages here very shortly. They keep adding into this beautiful track.
Justin:So it's a really, really cool layout. It's a really beautiful setup there. So I think RMM is going to be a real gem in Alberta's racing community.
Liane:Yeah, I'm hoping to get down there just to go check it out, not to get on the track, but go visit our friends at Hard Knocks when they have something going on. It's probably, well it is right now the only track in Alberta that I haven't been to. So for road racing that is. So let's say, I'm laughing because I kind of know what the answer is going to be to this, but how's your season going so far? I know I was out at the track at the July and there, I got out there at about 10:30 and nothing was running.
Liane:And I'm like, it's not lunchtime, there should be action. And it came in, tell people what happened, Justin.
Justin:I've had a very difficult season. This has been probably one of the most difficult seasons in the last twenty years for me. So we started off the season with some bike tuning problems, getting bikes back from The US in order to be able to get, you know, to our first Western Canadian championship rounds. And then during our July round there, I end up having myself a bit of an incident and I managed to separate a shoulder and got a fracture in my left hand as well. So we're just on the mend right now trying to make sure that I have an opportunity to get out and, finish up the season and see what we can do on, on both the BMW and, and the Yamaha.
Liane:That's that's crazy. I mean, I I just looked at you and I went, what the hell, dude?
Justin:You think while I was taking my ambulance ride back too. So it's that was a pretty a pretty big what the hell for me as well.
Liane:I mean, it was nice to see Louise still in her suit going out there, but, you know, somebody asked to represent for On Track performance that day. And it was all on loon. She did great. Switching gears a little bit, going to your other job, it's been a pretty rough season this year for fatalities in Edmonton once again with the full amount of fatalities that we've recorded being rider error. Have you seen any of this going on from your side and what are your thoughts on the fatalities for this year?
Justin:I often wonder about that. Is that I mean, the numbers tend to be skewed in a sense that we see a rise every single year, really. But we're also seeing a huge rise in the amount of people that are in the Edmonton area. Just taking a look at our our population alone, I mean, we're seeing 300,000 people that were coming in, I think they said over the last six years. So that's a massive amount of people all onto the same roads and we're sharing them with motorcycles and it's a real mixed bag when it comes to that.
Justin:So, I mean, we're seeing not only more incidents and more fatalities, but I think we're seeing that because we have more riders and we have more cars involved as well. With that said, I have been lucky enough that I haven't been directly involved with anything this particular year with my particular job, but I truly hope that we see a very quick slowdown to that.
Liane:Yeah. A lot of the fatalities this year have been rider error or alleged rider error. I guess it'd be mostly around speeding. And the big question that John Bulley and I have conversations about often, who's the president of the MRA, is how many are actually licensed and how many have gotten training?
Justin:And that seems to be another issue is that we see that there's less training opportunities available for more and more riders. I don't really know, I don't know why that is. I don't know why it's more difficult for us to have proper training available. I know that with myself, like with OnTrak Performance Riding School, we definitely have seen a rise in the amount of people that are coming out where, you know, we tend to be sold out every single weekend, but we really deal with a more advanced rider aspect with what we do. Now our brand new riders, I think are the ones that are trying to test their limits.
Justin:And instead of coming out to the racetrack where we can do that in a safe way and end up with a cast instead of a coffin, that's the real issue. We're having people testing their limits and testing the limits of their motorcycles in the wrong areas.
Liane:Yeah, and being down one of two schools in the city is pretty rough with Safety Council cancelling their motorcycle courses for this year. Leaves everything on TNT and how much capacity do they have to get everybody in through training? I mean, there's always the option to go to Red Deer or go down to Calgary. Two cool motorcycle schools. Been around for a long time.
Liane:We have mutual friends that own and run that. And you know, that that's an option. Make a weekend out of it and go get some proper training. But yeah, it's tough. The last couple of years have been a little tough.
Liane:And
Justin:I think when we take a look at, you know, Calgary's population growth, Edmonton's population growth, and just the fact that we haven't seen an increase in number of schools for new riders, that's kind of where maybe it stems a little bit of our problems.
Liane:Well, would be surprised in Calgary if that was a problem because they seem to be oversaturated with like my exaggeration is 18,000 schools down there. Like every time it's like churches on every corner, Tim's on every corner. There seems to just be, if you go to the bike show in January, there's like a number of riding schools there versus we've only ever really had two in Edmonton. So it'd be nice to see more options in Edmonton and kind of, you know, get more here because in the fatality world, we we are quote unquote winning, if you wanna call it that, which I don't, in Edmonton on that front. And just really screams, is there enough training opportunities?
Liane:But I like your idea of get out to the track for a track day. That's gonna teach you some skills in a safe contained space.
Justin:Well, it's one of the things that we really concentrate on is trying to ensure that people understand how to get the most out of their motorcycle and getting the most out of your motorcycle a lot of times is how to avoid incidents, how to not panic. And I mean, the most important piece of any of that really is the rider sitting on top of the motorcycle. And that's where, you know, we have a chance to kind of mentor and coach some of that into people.
Liane:Yeah, and I don't suggest to anybody to be inadvertently run off a road in BC for a little impromptu off roading like I did last year. But the calmness that I felt with a lot of like swear words in my helmet as I'm going through this, but I found a line and I found a way through and never went down and got myself out of it having the out. Like, having that training and that awareness and that knowledge is the difference between, as you said, a cast on your arm and a and a coffin. And so but now we have this extra added layer of things you can do to protect yourself when it comes to gear that's becoming more and more affordable and that's airbags. Do you know when they started to be developed and when they were like, I know they were probably first used in MotoGP and only the big guys, the Rossi's, the Marc Marquez guys could afford them at that time.
Justin:Well, I think that, it was the mid two thousands where we started to see them, becoming prevalent in MotoGP, and they were being really developed with those racers. I remember the first time I actually saw an airbag go off, we didn't understand what was going on because you saw a big marshmallow, know, rider that hits the ground. And if I remember correct, the first person I saw was, was Rossi wearing it. And, as you're, you know, starting to see that, that has become now mandatory in MotoGP. Is, I think 2018 when they made it mandatory that every rider is wearing an airbag.
Justin:So I think, take a look, I mean, over a fifteen year period, we've seen it go from being a real prototype to being a mandatory investment. And we're seeing it completely across every aspect of racing, off road racing, on road racing, you name it. So it's really neat to see how many different options are available right now.
Liane:And it's becoming more affordable. I'm sure in the prototype world, was like thousands upon thousands of dollars. And now we're looking at, you know, maybe anywhere from a grand to $2 depending on which version you're getting. And there might even be others that aren't. Alpinestars, I'm not sure.
Liane:I know there's ones that are just kind of like outer shells that you put
Justin:There's actually a lot of different manufacturers now and I think they really range from like a 600 airbag vest that you can purchase all the way up to about a $1,400 Tech 10. And I've even, I've got one here in the room here with me, one of the Tech 10 airbags from Alpinstar. And they have different levels of protection. The tech 10, for example, will actually cover your chest, your collarbones, your hips, everything that you can really ask for. And really all you have to do is just have a suit that will be able to give way for that.
Justin:So it just has to be a compatible suit. So the nice thing is that they become modular as well.
Liane:So you could essentially put that under a street jacket as well if you're out on the road just to have that extra layer. When you talk about suit, we're talking about racing, the onesies that everybody wears. I like to call them onesies. I know it's probably very offensive, but I have one too now, so whatever. But and it was it was custom made to fit like an airbag in it as well courtesy of our mutual friend Logan Evans.
Liane:Now there are the different let's go like I know there's the ones that are just kind of, they look like straps with just kind of air pockets on them. They're probably the little $600 ones, but they're still better than nothing. I'm not trying to shame that.
Justin:So there's a couple of different ones. There's ones that are mechanical. So the Hellite Vest, I believe that they have both one that has a sensor inside that will actually determine when you've been ejected from a motorcycle. They also have mechanical tether. So the first ones that we started to see in racing, that were affordable by us mere mortals, they're all mechanical.
Justin:Essentially, they had a rip cord on them. If you got ejected from the motorcycle before you got too far from the bike, it would pull the rip cord and you'd have an airbag around you. And they're mostly there to cover over top of your collarbones. Most of the airbags that we see now, they all have gyroscopes inside there that allow for, these sensors to be able to show when all of sudden there's a change of direction and, an ejection from the motorcycle. The way it works is that some of the different airbags that you purchase, some are a little bit more street orientated and some are a little bit more race orientated and some of them cover all of it.
Justin:And that's just the algorithm, program that's really within it to determine what change of direction is too much and what's not enough. So, it really is kind of dependent on your type of riding. The ones that are for motocross riding, for example, will have a very different algorithm than what it would for road racing. You know, you're moving at a much slower speed, however, you're going to have bigger movements in motocross than you're ever going to have in road racing.
Liane:I can't imagine going over a jump in motocross and it goes off because it takes you in trouble.
Justin:I can't even imagine. And I do know, I know of a road racer that had a big slide, caught the slide, airbag went off while they were racing and had to finish up the race while their airbag was was, trying to go down.
Liane:Well, they're just having a big hug.
Justin:Yeah. A really a really big hug. Yeah. So one of the one of the, really talented young kids that I coach, he he was out racing in CSBK this year and his airbag went off. And it was just that he had a he had a big moment and the airbag went off in anticipation for him hitting the ground and he was able to save it before it hit the ground.
Liane:I mean, that's the pros and cons, right?
Justin:Absolutely.
Liane:So let's talk A Star specifically because that's obviously the most common brand that know, Alpinestars. And they've got a Tech five, a Tech seven, and a Tech 10. So my understanding, Tech five would be quote unquote the lowest coverage and Tech 10 would be the highest that you alluded to. And then Tech seven is somewhere in the middle. What is the difference between the three?
Justin:So your Tech five is more of a street orientated vest. It's made to be comfortable for the average rider to put underneath their leather jacket. It's not too intrusive. It make you too hot. Lots of coverage and it has an algorithm in it that's street bias.
Justin:Your TECH seven, TECH seven is what I use currently for racing. Tex seven is, both street orientated and also has a race, algorithm in it as well. So you can choose which you would like. The Tex 10 is very much race orientated only, and that is very much like a full coverage suit. It, covers your chest, shoulders, hips, everything.
Justin:But it is race orientated only. So I don't even think that there is, I could be wrong, but I don't believe that there's even a street algorithm for that particular one based on some of the information that's on their website.
Liane:I am under the impression from conversations with many of our mutual friends, both in Calgary and Edmonton, when I was looking into what airbag to get for land speed racing for this year, to stay away from the tech ten as it seems to still have some issues that they're working out?
Justin:The Tech ten, I think came out with a lot of interesting technology. They're really trying to put out a premium product, but it hadn't had a chance to be tested with mass production. So things like having the fob available where it would be able to be activated on the belt and then be put onto the suit so you could have a visual representation on the outside of your suit. That was a big issue for them, being able to get that to work. I know we had gone through a few different ones where, you know, we're having issues with some of the components on the suit itself.
Justin:And that's why I've moved into the Tech seven is that A Star is still the leader in airbag technology. With that said, the Tech seven was rock solid, much like the Tech five was previously for them. And I just felt more comfortable in the Tech VII than I did in the Tech VII and that's why I raised in that now.
Liane:Now this might be a question for Lou, but you might be able to answer it for me. I'm not sure if she's experienced her airbag going off at all. Do you feel it would be different for a woman's anatomy versus a man's anatomy? We have a little more going on in our chest area. You feel that might be a factor?
Justin:Don't know if I would be qualified necessarily to answer. However, I will say that the way that the airbag deploys, it is not a massive bag. It's it's there to take up that initial hit, but it's not like, all of a sudden you need to have six inches of air around you. It's not going to overinflate and like injure you. It's just that little like inch and a half air pocket around in order to absorb some of that initial impact.
Justin:So I would say the chances are it's probably okay, but that would be a good one for Lou.
Liane:Yeah, I'll ask her that one day and get back to everybody on that. Okay. So you've talked about this algorithm. So you and I have also talked about, so I'm going to get, will be getting, or I have gotten a Tech seven to run at the SALT this year Algorithm. So does that mean I'm gonna have to program it a certain way and how does someone go about that asking for a friend?
Justin:No, it's actually quite easy. You'd have on the Alpin Stars anyways, specifically all you need to do is just go into the app. It connects Bluetooth to your airbag, and then you just choose whether you're going to be racing or whether you're be riding on the street. Obviously on the flats, you're gonna be racing. It's probably not gonna like the speeds that you're going if you choose the street algorithm.
Justin:So it gives you a lot more ability to be able to kind of hone in on what it is that you're doing out there. Now with DieNeezy, for example, DieNeezy was, I think the original airbag manufacturer. And I know that there's some debate about who was the first one to come out with it. I know in some of the DNEZ training that I've taken, they have a little different of a philosophy around airbags. They're very much a minimalist when it comes to how much airbag and where to put the airbags, but, they definitely, have their algorithm set where it is also only going off when you absolutely need it.
Justin:So that way you're not having airbags just deployed just to have them deploy. And I can appreciate that because getting them recharged is also something that we should talk about.
Liane:Yeah. What does that entail?
Justin:It's actually, it's really easy for us here in Edmonton. Argyle Motorsports is now, they're doing all the ASARs recharging. So it's nice because we have somebody local to be able to do that. I think Ontario also has one of the service centers and BC might also have one of the service centers available now as well. But up until, I don't know, probably two years ago, you used to have to take the suit or your airbag and send it down to The US.
Justin:They would inspect and then recharge. So T and E Z, for example, they still feel that the suit is the primary piece of, protective equipment. So before they recharge it, you send the entire suit down with the airbag installed and they inspect the suit and the airbag and then recharge it and send it back to you.
Liane:Well, that's kind of handy. Argyle has been outfitting me with my Tech seven this year. They're as of this year, new corporate member of AMSS. So really happy to have them on board because they do have a lot of options in there that other shops may not. And airbags is one of them.
Liane:They're like a distributor for them. So that's great to know that if I do need to, if mine deploys, I have a way to, you know, deal with that upon my return to Canada.
Justin:One of the nice things too is that they're not just dealing with, Astar. You know, we've had an opportunity to kind of see how a lot of the other manufacturers, are doing things. And I mean, one of the great things is that everybody has something that is built for you. So whether you are an adventure rider, whether you are a street rider, whether you're a motocross rider, whether you're a road racer, there is an option that's available for you. And so there's really no reason for you to not start looking into a piece of equipment like this.
Liane:Yeah, exactly. We had a high flyer go down last year on the Salt Flats, Erin Sills. She's multi land speed record holder on a BMW, much to what foot you race. And you know, she was able to come to the banquet at the end of the week because like she was airlifted to Salt Lake, came right back the next day and it credits that to her airbag. Although she said it's like the longest one to two minute really intense hug while you're waiting for your people to get up.
Liane:There's not much you can do about it and then it slowly deflates. Were you wearing your airbag in your incident at the July?
Justin:Well, I hate to admit it, but mine was being charged and I wanted to make sure that it was charged up before I got into some of my bigger, faster races on the BMW. And so it was on the charger. I just had my regular analog back protector in and it probably would have done a good job of saving the shoulder had I had it in. So hate to say it, but no, unfortunately not.
Liane:Well, I mean, these things happen, right? But this is where we talk about the difference of having all the equipment versus not. I mean, obviously you're still in full gear. You're, you know, the amazing Logan Evans suit, twin on our X15 helmets, like, did your helmet hit? I heard that you didn't hit your head at all.
Justin:No, I got lucky. I didn't hit my helmet. I didn't hit, you know, I put my shoulder into the ground and I must've slapped my hand obviously to get a fracture. But other than that, like nothing else.
Liane:Well, and I mean, that goes to show gear, but then if you would have had, again, your airbag on, you said that could have saved your shoulders. So you would, in your opinion, is it worth it investing in an airbag, not just for racetrack, but also for the street?
Justin:I think it's a great idea because really in the big scheme of things for the cost of an airbag, when you take a look at, you know, the safety equipment that you could have, it is a very inexpensive, option to try and keep you safe.
Liane:I mean, our sport isn't cheap in the first place, but the fact that airbags are now affordable by, as you said, the mere mortals, it makes it makes a big difference. And I'm excited to have my own, not just for, you know, racing, land speed racing. There's times where I might still throw that on when I'm going out on the street depending on where I'm going and maybe I'll actually do a track day at some point in time. Who knows?
Justin:Well, you should come out and come spend some time with us with OTP.
Liane:You know what? I should and then I can do a whole story about it. Would be good to get that first hand. Do you have a smaller bike for me to ride? Because I'm not taking the Daytona out there.
Liane:I've done it once and I cannot handle leader bike on a road course.
Justin:I'm sure we can find something that'll work
Liane:for you. That's awesome. Justin, I wanna thank you for your time. You're always such a great guest to have on the show and I'm sure we'll come up with another topic at some point. And I'm pretty sure you're gonna get a phone call about some programming of my Tech seven.
Liane:So thank you in advance for that.
Justin:Alright. Well, thanks a lot for having me. I really appreciate it.
Liane:Absolutely. For everybody else, just hang tight for the mixed bag.
Leroy:Hey. This is Leroy with another helpful tip from Moto Instincts. This is a lesson from the deadly risk of riding, trusting right of way. People make mistakes. Drivers miss signs, ignore lights, or don't respect the right of way.
Leroy:When collisions occur, experts figure out who's at fault, the responsible driver's insurance covers the damage, and life moves on. But what happens if a motorcyclist is involved? Unlike cars, motorcycles offer no protection in crashes. Cars can be repaired relatively easily after a collision, but that is not the case for the human body. It may never be the same again.
Leroy:No matter how negligent the other driver acted, the grim consequences of right of way infractions are the riders to bear. As a motorcyclist, there are certain aspects of riding that cannot be changed. One of them being that you are the smallest and most vulnerable on the roadway. In any collision, your bike doesn't stand a chance against a car. This is where the right of weight comes into play.
Leroy:As a small machine on the roadway, you never have the right of weight. Whether you're at a stop sign, cruising on the highway, or approaching a green light, you're always with the lighter vehicle. Remember that if a motorist doesn't yield to you, it is your responsibility to yield to them. As a motorcyclist, you must stay alert and be ready to avoid vehicles because in a collision, you lose. That's it for this week.
Leroy:Make sure you visit us at motoinstincts.com for more information. Ride smart. Ride safe.
Liane:And that's our show for today. To make sure that you don't miss out on any of our upcoming podcasts or listen to previous ones, make sure you click on subscribe or follow wherever you get yours. If there's a topic you'd like us to cover or a guest you think would be great on the show or even a question for the mailbag, let us know. You can connect with us on all the socials, Email us at info@ab-amss.org or reach out through the website at ab-amss.org. Thanks for listening to Think Bike.
Liane:From us, always remember to ride smart, ride safe, and think bike. See you out on the road.