It was quite simple really when I look back at it. I was asked to show the nice man from the tyre company around the circuit before the briefing started and we’d signed on properly. As he was fairly handy on track and had yet to ride in Mondello, it seemed like a good idea to show him around the circuit before everyone descended on the place. At least that was the idea.
Rather unfortunately for me the ‘Blade I was riding was on a new set of tyres which had cooled nicely while we stood around the paddock and talked nonsense to each other about all things motorcycle related. Several others, who were perhaps better qualified than I to do this job, were in a state of partial construction, not yet dressed in their kit, unloading bikes or just surgically attached to a cup of coffee. It fell to me to show him around.
‘Monners’*, as no one in their right mind calls the place, has a relatively even number of right and left turns. It runs clockwise, so this rider finds it easier to turn the bike right. The right handers are faster and the right knee slider always has a bit more wear on it and is usually the first to touch down. At the back of the circuit there’s a long right followed by two more sharp rights and another fairly open right. At this point one tends to be ‘on it’.
Can you see where we’re going yet?
At this point I’ve now stopped doing a sighting lap and I’ve upped my pace that little bit. I then enter the next left hander a little two fast with a stone cold left hand side of the tyre. As the back stepped out and the bike started to low side I had an epiphany. I simply stuck out my left knee and pressed as hard as I could. I was, dear reader, going to save it!
I’d seen Colin Edwards cancel a low side by doing this on a Yamaha somewhere and he got the bike back. It was an awesome save. I, however, am not Colin Edwards. Rather than prevent a lowside I simply unloaded the thing and sent it into a rather spectacular highside. It was, dear reader, pretty awesome. Before you could even say ‘I can see my house from up here’ I had come crashing back down to earth in the most undignified manner.
I landed on my left hand first. And then I applied the left side of my rib cage and my spleen to the bar end weight on the bikes handlebar. Thankfully I also knocked myself out. There then followed a whole lot of drama involving internal blood loss and being moved from one hospital to another before I was reassembled.
From the damage to my left glove the medics could tell that that was where I’d touched down first. That and the broken wrist. The interesting thing from their point of view was that I should have sustained a complicated and life changing crushed scaphoid. I’d broken my wrist all right. But it was a clean easy to fix break and hasn’t caused me any problems since.
The reason I got off so lightly was because I was wearing a pair of Handroid gloves from Knox. All of their gloves are fitted with a scaphoid protection system, which allows the glove to slide rather than grip. It thereby saves those delicate and difficult to repair little bones. And a whole lot of grief in the recovery stakes. Needless to say, these days I don’t wear any gloves other than Knox ones, in particular the Handroid.
That is until now. That’s because I’ve just seen the all new Knox Handroid MK IV.
The new glove is a sleeker and more modern looking piece. It’s also available in more colours than ever before. Interestingly, the exoskeleton spines now have a much lower profile. They also have a softer feel and while they are more aerodynamic than before, they’re just as effective.
The metacarpal protector covering the back of the hand houses a gel lining for impact absorption. The rest of the handroid continues to use only the very highest quality materials. These start with lightweight 0.8mm drum dyed leather from Korea. This is chosen for its light weight, its strength and its supple feel. This is complimented with sustainable 0.8mm Kangaroo hide on both the palm and the fingers. By weight, it is still stronger than any other leather. This continues to be sourced from the same Australian family business. This family have been experts in their field since 1891.
The new SPS Impact Protection System, the one that saved my scaphoid, is the latest development of the Knox patented system. It now has the added benefit of micro lock impact protection incorporated into each slider. Thanks to the continued collaboration with Boa to improve the wrist closure system the Knox Handroid Mk4 no longer relies on a secondary retaining wrist strap, but instead is a simple one step dial in system that is much more secure.
Fit and comfort have been significantly improved with a box construction of the fingers. A 15 point test for the CE approval process gives external verification and covers materials, fit, cut, abrasion resistance, seam and tear strength as well as impact absorption to the catchy EN 13594- 2015 standard.
The new Handroid marks a decade of Knox Hand Armour and the creation of a new class of Handroid, designed to set a new standard in gloves for all riders. You won’t see us wearing anything else this year. For more on these and the rest of the Knox range see Adventure Motorcycles Ireland in Wexford or Kennedys in Drogheda. Prices have yet to be confirmed. But no matter how much they cost they’ll always be cheaper than a permanently damaged wrist!
*The Porsche owners club. Absolute (W)anchors.
