I am a BIG believer in proper riding gear. I also snowboard and rock climb and I see no difference in having the right gear for these activities as having the right gear for motorcycling.*

One of the next big things in street gear is neck braces and I am considering getting one. They are not cheap however and because they have some potential implications for comfort & dexterity, I am looking for first-hand testimony from anyone who rides with a neck brace.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can chime-in!

 

I never thought much of neck protection until ten minutes into my 3rd dirt ride, when I saw my buddy walking into the woods. Pulled up to find him pulling our 3rd riders bike off of him, he (3rd rider) was lying there moaning(good) with his neck against an old rock wall(not good). He broke several vertebrae, he also finished the ride(crazy frakker). He rides with a neck brace now. He has full swivel movement but can't look to far down or up with it on. He says he doesn't really notice it, too much. I tried it on and it seemed awful, but it also didn't fit me well.
There are arguments against them but many are the same ones that were used against helmets and we all know helmets don't work. They will only get better and less constraining and less expensive.
If you will feel better with it, than just get one and feel safer, if nothing else. You will get used to it once it's adjusted correctly.
And more importantly, hopefully never need to find out if it works.

 

Think they do what they are designed to do and help prevent one type of injury, but can introduce a different injury in certain.situations.

The motion they prevent side to side forward back is somewhat of a natural motion, you neck has flexibility in those direction. By limiting it you redirect the force into leveraging or yanking your neck upward, which is not a natural way for your neck to move.

Kind of like ultra stiff MX boots,helped the ankle injury but now everyone is tearing their knees up.

 

So they invented knee braces.

 

Very true observations Rim & TNC! Regardless of the sport, protective gear often just transfers the injury somewhere else!
I once had my wrists, arms, shoulders & head so well protected that I ended up with broken ribs in a longboarding accident...

 

Then jock straps..

 

then hip pads and kidney belts

 

speaking of neck protection, what about the jackets with the airbag?

 

Got a link or pic? I haven't heard of this one. I subscribe to Dirt Rider mag, but I'm sure even they don't show everything. Is this a bag that you blow up to a certain amount and ride with around your neck, or...surely not...something that inflates in a wreck? If it's a blow up affair, I'd say heat and ventilation might be a concern.

 

linky Spidi Neck DPS Airbag Vest - Street Motorcycle - Motorcycle Superstore

All the research I've found has been pretty good with the newer release system (much faster than original). Curious what everyone else here thinks. These inflate when the ripcord that you attach to the bike is pulled (crash)